Door or Doorless Showers: Which One is the Right One for You?

Making over your bathroom gives you the perfect opportunity to rethink not only the functionality of your bathroom but also the style.

With new architectural and design features regularly emerging on the scene, there is no shortage of fresh ideas for how to upgrade your bathroom in Seattle. One such up-and-coming feature is the doorless shower. This trending bathroom design detail has become an intriguing option for homeowners looking to modernize their space.

Door or No Door? The Pros and Cons

While choosing between a door or doorless shower for your Seattle bathroom may seem like a simple decision, there are long-term effects of whichever treatment you choose. Each choice will also impact how you design your remodel and the size, materials, and costs of your upgraded shower.

One benefit of a conventional shower with a door is the ability to trap steam in a small space for a more therapeutic and relaxing environment. Doorless showers simply don’t retain heat as well as those with doors, and they can even feel cold at times. However, you can install a heated shower floor to help counteract this undesirable effect and keep the space cozy and warm while you’re rinsing off. 

On the flip side, one of the benefits of a doorless shower is that they are very easy to get in and out of, to dry off while in the shower. An added bonus with a doorless shower is your bathroom will feel more open and spacious. Pairing a doorless shower with a curbless shower floor makes it extremely easy to enter and exit the shower which is why the doorless shower has become such a popular option for aging-in-place homeowners. 

Finally, doorless showers, though they are often custom designs to fit your specific bathroom layout needs, can cost less for the simple fact that it consists of fewer materials than a shower with glass paneling and integrated door. 

Doorless Showers:  Spacing & Design

As you think about creating a doorless shower for your bathroom remodel there are some critical space elements to consider, not to mention regulations your general contractor will need to meet. Code requires the minimum shower door opening to be 22”.  This means that if you are converting a standard 60“ Tub/Shower to a doorless shower you would have a single 38” wide glass partition or tiled wall plus a 22” opening to access the shower.  Most people while shower stands roughly 18” to 24” from the wall where the shower head is mounted, therefore, to prevent water deflecting outside of the shower, the glass partition should be a minimum of 30” wide.  And this distance can be impacted by the type of shower head, for example, a ceiling-mounted as opposed to a wall-mounted. 

. "If you have a shower stall that isn’t that deep, think about a ceiling-mounted rain shower head instead of a standard wall-mounted angled shower head."

Therefore, any shower stalls that are less than 52” would not be the best to convert into a doorless shower unless you have the space to expand the shower out into the bathroom. As a reference, most tubs are 60” long...

Juggling all of these code regulations in conjunction with your specific design vision might seem overwhelming at first since you don’t know what you don’t know. At Innovative Home Renovations, we’ve created an easy-to-follow, step-by-step, repeatable remodeling process, which together we call the IHR Renovation Roadmap to ensure all your goals for your bathroom remodeling project are achieved. If you are interested in determining a more accurate budget for a doorless shower or are wondering how the design you want fits into your current space, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

As you think about all these features to consider, just know that it simply depends on what sort of atmosphere you’re going for, and your Seattle bathroom designer can help you hone in on a specific type of shower door to match the overall design of the space.

Upgrading Your Seattle Bathroom  

When you are remodeling your bathroom in Seattle, no detail is too large or too small for our design-build team at Innovative Home Renovations. From the desired style and size of your shower to the materials used for your vanity, flooring, and wall treatments, each element must work in tandem to create the right function and ambiance for your family. When you collaborate with us, we take into consideration your budget, your lifestyle needs, and your preferences to help you navigate the selection process and design a bathroom makeover that fulfills your expectations.