Ask an Architect, Custom Residential
Low Showerhead Nozzles and the Details that Matter
It's not often that you get to critique a house with no risk of offending anyone... While on vacation with friends, Jeff got that chance. Enjoy his rant here, and learn about a few things to make sure you avoid in your project.
April 1, 2013
I was traveling a few weeks ago and staying with some generous friends at a house in Montana. The house they were staying at wasn't their choice (they were there for a work trip), and, consequently, I had free reign to not only 'enjoy' the architectural features of the house, but to actually let loose and freely discuss them. Every room was a treat.
Carpet in the kitchen. Carpet in the bathroom. Literally, seven doors within four feet of each other. Yellow siding on the main floor. Different yellow siding on the second floor. A yellow roof.
You know what they say about bad news coming in threes, right? Well, that is only true when someone puts a yellow metal roof on the house.
All fun aside, it was the functional issues that really got to me and made me realize just how lazy, sad, and uninspired so many people building homes in this country have been. While carpeted kitchens truly are inexcusable (I just need to know how on Earth that was ever considered a good idea), the only thing worse is carpet near a toilet... Hopefully, yellow carpet to match the roof. But, the one pet peeve in homes that just makes me crazy is something I know many of you hate, as well...
Showerheads that are at chest height. What. The. Hell.
I couldn't seem to take a photo far enough back that really showed the special features of this shower (and for the record, who needs an exhaust fan in the bathroom, just collect the mold in the corners and you are good to go!), but here's a shot of the offender. Note that it was approximately 4'10" off the ground.
So, let's discuss the immediate issue. The shower was ridiculously tucked under an eave (when there was plenty of space elsewhere). That could have actually been a creative use of space which I would have applauded, but in this case, it was a lost opportunity. See all of that wall height above this shower head? WHY????
Did the plumber run out of pipe? Did someone think people didn't need to shampoo their hair? Did someone think that five-year-olds needed to adjust the spray?
And, of course, we can ignore that it was simply too exhausting to line up the fake tile pattern on the walls. The person installing this had too much to do today to really sweat the details. Perhaps there was a sale on kitchen carpet that was ending shortly? Who can tell.
The point of all of this (aside from having a little fun at the expense of a miserable little rental house) is to really show how important ALL of the little functional details in a house can be. Everyone has something in their house that may make them want to scream. Architects are brought on board to do the thinking, planning, and answering of questions during construction to make sure showerheads like this don't plague your home. Because, trust me, had I let a showerhead show up in a project I designed at this height I would never hear the end of it (and rightly so!).
And if your five-year-old DOES need to adjust the height of your shower, let me recommend a beautiful rod that an adjustable hand-held shower head can go on.
It provides some extra attention to detail and added functionality. And your guests won't come out of the shower with bad backs from bending down to clean the top of their heads.
What are your pet peeves in terms of miserable details that fill our homes and drive us crazy?
