It’s All About You
There, you can finally admit it, and go about spending upwards of $10,000 on a bathroom overhaul. Manufacturers such as Kohler, American Standard, Moen, and Delta want you to believe that every minute you spend on your morning ablutions should occur in a palatial, spa-like setting where beauty is mirrored at every turn and no one is yelling outside the door, “Are you almost done?” In the land of perfection, you are a homeowner with two full bathrooms; if you’re very lucky, there’s even a powder room for guests.

Kohler’s chromatherapy whirlpool bathtub.

American Standard Reminiscence collection.

Jason International translucent bathtub.

WaterHaven,™ Kohler’s latest innovation in performance showering.

WaterTile,™ by Kohler. Another custom showering product that can be configured to meet your needs.

Heated bathtub by MTI Whirlpool.

Kohler Consonance soaking tub.

KWC America’s illuminated faucet.

Kohler C3 toilet.

Fish ‘n Flush toilet.

Kohler vitreous china lavatory.

For those living in smaller, early- or mid-century style homes, there might only be one bath for the entire family, a tiny vanity, a mirror instead of a medicine chest, and a skirted pedestal sink behind which you hide the cleaning products.
At its heart, the bathroom serves a strictly utilitarian purpose. Sibling to the most-renovated room in the house, the kitchen, a dressed up bath is never the host to the party.

But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be gussied up, with fixtures and features aimed at making the mundane marvelous, with you as the pampered guest in your own home.

Despite the abundance of oversized, heated, and whirly, swirling tubs available on the market today, Portland homeowners aren’t buying them, says Teressa (TC) Cole, showroom manager for the Barbur Blvd. location of A-Boy Plumbing Supplies.

The Clawfoot Is Making a Come Back
These are deep tubs, allowing even the tallest among us to bend our knees and enjoy a chin-deep soaking. Clawfoot tubs use less water than a whirlpool or jetted-air tub (45 to 50 gals versus 75 to 80 gals) and won’t drain a standard-sized water heater, Cole remarks.

While other kinds of soaking tubs — such as teak tubs where the goal is to sit, not recline — are making inroads on the trade show circuit, the return of the clawfoot is both retro and practical. It has a traditional appeal that homeowners are looking for, explains Cole.

Traditional? Not technical? While both bath styles are still popular, the resurgence of clawfoots marks a shift from the bathroom-as-spa touted only last year. At least, for Portland-area bathers, it does.

“The look is becoming more of a mix, (but more) traditional,” Cole says, likening the trend to a farmhouse feel. The emphasis is more on wood tones and warm colors, and a clawfoot tub has a timeless appeal. “When you go traditional, you can’t date yourself, so all you have to do is change the fixtures,” she explains. Period fixtures are available in an assortment of finishes and styles.

If the idea of cleaning between the lion’s claws gives you the willies, consider a translucent bathtub; it’s also a freestanding model. Manufactured by Jason International, the molded acrylic basin comes in a choice of blue or green, and boasts colored lights that illuminate bathwater (and the bather) from below. At 72”x42”x23”, the tub seats two comfortably. This bathtub can be a budget buster however: $10,800, but is perfect for rubber ducky races.

One of the benefits of a clawfoot tub in a small bathroom is space: Most of these tubs have a small footprint; the smallest tub measures just 3’ x 5’. This leaves room for a walk-in shower, and if you add in wall jets, a rain shower head and seating, points out Cole, you will have accomplished the service a jetted tub provides, for a fraction of the cost.

Walk-In Showers
In these conservation-minded times, a jetted, walk-in shower (with a starting footprint of 3’ x 3’) uses less water than the clawfoot tub, and far less than a whirlpool tub, she adds. Water-saving shower heads spray 2.8 gals per minute or less, meaning an average shower consumes between 10 and 15 gals of water.

Walk-in showers “have all the conveniences (of a whirlpool tub) plus you can direct the water where you want it to go. There’s lots of warm water, your body feels clean and invigorated when you’re done, and you haven’t taken half an hour to get the tub filled,” she says.

For sheer luxury in the shower, and a higher water bill, there’s the Kohler DTV custom shower system. This high-tech gizmo lets you pre-program your favorite shower sequence, and replay it with a flick of the finger. The DTV’s flow rate of up to 21 gals of water per minute feeds up to 8 showerheads, handheld showers, and body sprays.

High-End Tubs
For die-hard bathers, a large tub doesn’t have to mean a cold bath. And you don’t have to go without those air-jets, either. MTI Whirlpools’ internal heating system warms the interior surface of the tub. By the time the tub is full the water can be as warm as 102¼. The tub interior becomes so warm it is possible to lay in the tub and use it as a heat pad without any water, claims the manufacturer.

Another option is the Kohler-made Consonance whirlpool, which offers customized bathing for two. This high-end soaker comes with two separate sets of remote controls — two fixed keypads and two floating units. These adjust water jets (dual body massage and back jets) and control the chromatherapy light show, just to name two options.

Finally, American Standard offers the Life Air tub, with its patented ComfortJets. This new design sets the air jets flush against the side of the tub, making them more comfortable to lean against and easier to clean.

Beyond the battle of the bathtub versus shower, there are innumerable new products on the market. These fit a traditional home decor while filling the need for gee-whiz technology.

Take, for example, the illuminated faucet. Designed just for the bath, the faucet’s open water flow is illuminated by an LED light band that changes from blue to red depending on water temperatures. A good trick to prevent scalding. The product, manufactured by KWC America, is also available as a tub spout.

Even the Toilet Has Its Day
American Standard recently introduced a toilet and toilet seat that you never have to clean. The EverClean toilet is treated with an antimicrobial material that eliminates bacterial growth, mold, and mildew, so the hot spot in the house is always odor-free. Look for a similarly treated faucet.

Kohler is now offering the C3 toilet seat with bidet functionality. This new seat provides improved hygiene, relief from certain medical conditions, and overall wellness for all users, no matter if male or female. Added features on two different models include a convenient remote control and an in-line heater (so you never have to touch down on a cold seat again), as well as a built-in tank heater to supply warm water for the bidet function. The bowl on both models can be illuminated with a soft blue light, making nighttime trips to the bathroom easier on sleepy eyes.

In addition, Kohler recently introduced “Transitions,” a toilet-trainer seat that combines both an adult-sized and pint-sized seat into one model.

Finally, the perfect, or maybe not-so-perfect, decor for the kids’ bath is the Fish ‘n Flush, from Aqua One Technologies. This features a two-piece aquarium toilet tank designed to fit most two-piece toilets. All you have to do is add gravel, water, and fish. The aquarium piece can easily be removed for cleaning without affecting toilet operation.

In snugger spaces, Kohler again paves the way with its small-scale lavatory made of vitreous china. The core elements are sold separately, encouraging would-be designers to mix and match countertops with under mount or drop-in sinks.

Renovation Cost Is Worth It
All these personal indulgences add up, but it’s a worthwhile expenditure in more ways than one. The bathroom is the second-most remodeled room in the house. If you spend $10,000 or more re-doing it, expect to recoup up to 88% when you sell your home.

Here in Portland, Cole says $20,000 is not an unusual price tag for a bathroom remodel. It’s more expensive, in terms of square feet, than a kitchen remodel.

“It’s a small area, but it’s also the most intimate. It’s your bathroom — if you don’t leave that room feeling good in the morning, then nothing seems to feel right,” she adds.

Resources
A-Boy
www.aboysupply.com

American Standard
www.americanstandard.com

Aqua-One Technologies
www.aquaone.com

Jason International
www.jasonint.com

Kohler
www.kohler.com

KWC America
www.kwcamerica.com

MTI Whirlpools
www.mtiwhirlpools.com