Mold was a constant source of frustration in this below grade bathroom. Bleach and elbow grease would not cut it. We resorted to another strategy: the sledgehammer. While demolishing the shower “cave,” we discovered leaks in the walls that had left the framing in an advanced state of decay. With rotting walls and substandard plumbing, the bathroom had to be gutted.
Our response to the dark, damp and tight old shower was to line the now empty corner with large stainless steel panels, bent at a ninety and overlapped like shingles. We enclosed the remaining three sides in glass. This helped to make the room feel much larger, in addition to improving the shower experience a hundred fold.
In the old bathroom the sink was right in front of the door. As a remedy, we moved it to the side of the door opening. We chose a wall hung sink that allows for easier maintenance and visually opens up the corner.
We capped the existing window ledge covering the waste-high foundation with a stainless steel remnant to complement the shower.
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A view of the cave before demolition. The walls were skimmed inside and out with the hardest plaster on earth. The blue sink will be removed and a new sink placed opposite the toilet- so as not avoid pinching the path into the room.
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A view inside the shower with mold in evidence above the tile. It was no help that the small fan in the shower was routed to the crawlspace. Even worse, the fan outlet had been trapped inside the wall by insulation and a vapor barrier placed by well-meaning folks.
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A view of the finished shower with the towel warmer in the foreground. The low-flow toilet was returned to its original spot after the new concrete floor was poured. A humidistat controlled fan was installed in the ceiling, reflecting the heightened importance of managing moisture in this room, while meeting California Green Building Standards.
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On one side of the room the concrete foundation steps up to the window. Below the step we cleaned up shelves that had been painted a dozen times.
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Looking in through the window over the metal ledge toward the shower. The stainless steel shingles form the corner and sit atop a 1" rigid insulation layer (for sound absorption). Aluminum angles trim the vertical edge of the steel panel/ insulation assembly. Glass-matt faced drywall skins all the walls.
