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I am remodeling a bathroom and adding a shower in the process. My first inclination was to let the ceiling of the shower be the same height as the ceiling of the room, but I have seen so many showers that have lower ceilings I suspected there must be a reason. All I could think of was the potential retention of heat if all the steam could not rise to the higher ceiling. Any insights are greatly appreciated.
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Cost of finish materials? (e.g., tile)
*lets the humidity roll out to be wisked away by exhaust fan. easier to reach ceiling for wiping down the tile
*and most of all: to keep you warm!have you ever used a shower that was too big? I have, and in cold northern climates those winter-time showers can be downright drafty. You want the air currents generated by the hot water to be as small as possible so that the air right next to your wet and extra-sensitive skin gets warm fast and stays that way.On the other hand, you can spend lots of extra money to heat up the rest of the room alot, but most choose to make the shower a small space and let the water do the warming (you already paid to heat that!).
*A soffet can hide the utilities, such as the exhaust fan and ducting.
*showers come in all shapes and sizes... the mfr'd ones with the fiberglass caps are constrained by the mfr'g process..but , there is no good reason to put a low ceiling in a shower unless it is part of the design.....a low ceiling gives a feeling of enclosure... a high or normal ceiling a feeling of openess...there is no good reason to put a low ceiling in..don't repeat bad design just because that's how someone else did it....you don't want to retain heat and humidity.. you want to exhaust the humidity..and you want the shower to be well lit...
*I don't know why they did it, but it seems like a bad idea to me. With a low ceiling, there is very little space above the shower door or curtain, so the shower will dry out slower after use -- making mold easier to grow. It will be real steamy in the shower, perhaps too much.Secondly, it may force you to mount the shower head too low.
*1. Ceramic tile is expensive per square foot.2. It is more difficult to tile above eye level. Tile masons seem to charge extra for square footage above eye level. I remember an architect I used to work for complaining loudly about a commercial restroom budget being way over budget when he changed the tile height from 7' to 8' high.3. UBC only requires hard smooth finish to the 6'-0" elevation. Tiling the area above 6' wastes money to some extent. Using a different material above the 6' level may look strange, especially if the proportions are wrong.4. The larger a tiled space is, the more the chance it will develop a crack.5. Warm air rises. A high ceiling allows all the warm moist air in a shower area to leave the area quickly. Being replaced with cold drier air of course, which rapidly cools a wet body.6. Its easier to clean a low ceiling, and because of the moist air et cetera in shower areas, they need cleaning regularly.7. The low ceiling feels more cozy, less exposed.
*The shower manufacture industry is monopolized by short people.
*It is easier for them to do stoop labor like tilelaying. Because when short people bend over to pick something up they don't have to go so far. Half of five feet is less than half of six feet. ;-)I shouldn't joke about short people, cause I was one once.
*So Gary, when did you grow out of it?
*Without going into the math, if you tilt a shower enclosure on its back you'll observe it becomes a tuned column at base frequencies.That's why you sound so good when you sing in one. Higher ceilings are too much treble.
*Probably 10th or 11th grade.
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I am remodeling a bathroom and adding a shower in the process. My first inclination was to let the ceiling of the shower be the same height as the ceiling of the room, but I have seen so many showers that have lower ceilings I suspected there must be a reason. All I could think of was the potential retention of heat if all the steam could not rise to the higher ceiling. Any insights are greatly appreciated.