# walk in shower opening



## nailkiller1

What is the average size
What would be a minimum


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## katoman

I think 24" is pretty standard. There may be a minumum in your building code. I can't recall ever going smaller than that.


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## Hmrepairs

I would GUESS 30" to be most common. I did one that was only 24", but the door to the bathroom was only 24" also!


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## ccappaul

nailkiller1 said:


> What is the average size
> What would be a minimum


24" open is a code minimum I believe, At home I went 27" thats all I could fit. I think Neo-angle pans and enclosures you end up about 28-30 standard

I have done doors as wide as 36" and only one ever at 24" ,thats really small.

I'm a bigger guy shoulder wise anyway and the 27" open is comfortable. I don't have any bruises


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## angus242

Round here, newer homes offer a standalone shower in 32" x 32". That's one of those one piece fiberglass units. I don't see anything else smaller without having a size limit to where it's being installed.


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## nailkiller1

angus242 said:


> Round here, newer homes offer a standalone shower in 32" x 32". That's one of those one piece fiberglass units. I don't see anything else smaller without having a size limit to where it's being installed.


Walk in shower no door


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## ccappaul

nailkiller1 said:


> Walk in shower no door


 
Mine is a walk in No door 27 " clear opening, No Threshold about 5 foot by 4foot floor area , 2 heads and fold up shower seat, built in 3 shelf soap ummmm cabinet? without doors :w00t: Glass block top of wall and glass block cut corner shelves

I had to suck 1/4 inches everywhere to get the 27" but i didn't want to go any smaller 

Did I say threshold thats door talk:no: I meant no Curb just flush floor into the shower


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## angus242

A usable 32" x 32" is about the smallest I'd ever build. Anything smaller and that's the point where I'd start looking at alternatives.


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## Mike Finley

Here are some of the code requirements for showers - shower size code requires a minimum 900 sq inches (30"x30") (36x36 is recommended smallest size)- shower seats can't infringe on the 900 square inch rule, if it's neo angle shower you have to be able to get a 30" disk inside shower so this makes neo angle showers larger then the 900 sq inch requirement - I think the math works out to they are always going to be a min 1300 sq inches, but don't quote me on that one, gotta have 24" in front of a shower entrance, door has to open outward, tempering requirements of course, however I've never seen any code requirements on size of door. Code is concerned with safety, as long as the door opens outward and a person gets through it to get inside, I guess they figure you can get out. 

ADA requirements are different. Don't forget, local code supercedes everything, so check with your building dept.

If you are looking for common sense measurements - best shower door openings are between 28"-30" wide, that's what we shoot for when it's up to us.


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## nailkiller1

There is no door
No local building requirements


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## katoman

nailkiller1 said:


> There is no door
> No local building requirements


In that case I would follow the info Mike Finley posted. :thumbsup:


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## ccappaul

nailkiller1 said:


> There is no door
> No local building requirements


Must be doing this at your own home? There has to be local codes,
Like My shower has glass block shelving and being a glass guy i know they they should be tempered if not for code at least for my own stupid arse safety. Like I wondered about not having a curb but I didn't ask.

If you only weigh 120 soaking wet, and your wife is smaller than you are a 24 " opening is going to work great, If on the other hand you are 6'6" 280 you should probably go a little bigger


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## angus242

No, there are areas of the country that don't need permits....for anything.


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## griz

You guys doing walk in showers ever think about making them to ADA code for future sale? Just asking.


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## angus242

In a perfect situation, that would be nice. But like Mike said, a lot of curbless stuff is a ***** to pass inspection. It's too big of a pain to make a standard offering.

But these new linear drains are helping :whistling


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## nailkiller1

2' opening is what I have it designed for now I was thinking about squeezing a couple more inches out of it
But I think i will stay with 2'

BTW almost all my houses have a walk in pantry with a 2' door
Even the chubbies seem to squeeze into those with no problem 
That is why i was thinking about shrinking the shower opening down a bit


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## nailkiller1

I Have also had people complain that the opening was to large because
it took a while to heat up the shower area


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## Bonzai

Did a walk in shower stall in March where the elderly couple tried to persuade me that an 18" opening was plenty wide enough. I gave them the blurb about resale, larger people, ADA compliance, etc etc but they were not interested ... until I spoke to the building inspector who advised that although there wasn't really a code as such there was common sense which was to go no narrower than 24", which is exactly what I had suggested.
I used 2x4's to create a mock up of the opening at 18" and then 24" and sure enough they bumped their shoulder every time at 18" ... when I explained that 2x4's are a lot softer on a naked shoulder than 10mm glass they agreed to go with 24" ;-) Likewise there was no door ... a 36" glass screen & then a 24" opening.


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## go dart

Its not a bad idea to size the openings to match a stock door ( 24" or 27" ) so you don't have to jump thru hoops when they call you back to door the shower cause the wife gets too cold. You do realize ADA compliance does not apply to residential construction of single family homes right?


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## txgencon

With people being as big as they are nowadays, a 2'6" wide door is the minimum, even for a pantry, in new construction and 2'8" for all passage doors. I've had to adjust a couple of things in the last half dozen houses to allow for this. The smallest door always seems to be a walk-in pantry. The ones designed in a corner have to be made bigger which cuts down on the wall space left for cabinets but I think it's worth it. I apply the same logic to shower entrances. To use a bypass shower, this means the shower has to be 5 foot wide to get a (close to) 30" opening. The plan my wife has picked out for our next home has two 27" doorless openings to the master shower. I will adjust the building width in the area to allow for 30" openings, although I really don't understand the two openings unless the designer did it for symmetry purposes.


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## txgencon

go dart said:


> Its not a bad idea to size the openings to match a stock door ( 24" or 27" ) so you don't have to jump thru hoops when they call you back to door the shower cause the wife gets too cold. You do realize ADA compliance does not apply to residential construction of single family homes right?


It doesn't but I recently built a home for a couple who wanted to plan for the time when they might be in a wheelchair. Every door in the house was 32" or bigger. The shower in the master was wheelchair accessible as was the toilet.


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## angus242

txgencon said:


> It doesn't but I recently built a home for a couple who wanted to plan for the time when they might be in a wheelchair. Every door in the house was 32" or bigger. The shower in the master was wheelchair accessible as was the toilet.


Ya know, that's a smart way to build (if it's in the budget). I've been considering some of the same when I look at new projects now.


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## go dart

txgencon said:


> It doesn't but I recently built a home for a couple who wanted to plan for the time when they might be in a wheelchair. Every door in the house was 32" or bigger. The shower in the master was wheelchair accessible as was the toilet.


You bet. New const or remodel ageing in home is big business. Last few years a fair amt of our bath business is replacing the tub with a shower. Smart to include handheld showers, low thresholds and backing for grab bars if not installed at the time of remodel. We commonly use a standard swingset door for acess to the bath. Are you doing anything different than that?


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## txgencon

go dart said:


> You bet. New const or remodel ageing in home is big business. Last few years a fair amt of our bath business is replacing the tub with a shower. Smart to include handheld showers, low thresholds and backing for grab bars if not installed at the time of remodel. We commonly use a standard swingset door for acess to the bath. Are you doing anything different than that?


I'm not sure what you mean by "standard swingset door". The plans for that particular house came with all the doors 32"-36". I didn't have to change any of the door sizes. The door to the bath did swing out into the bedroom rather than into the bath - is that what you mean?


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## SHOWERDOORWIZ

we manufacture and install shower doors anywhere from 19" to 36". 19" is small of course, 36" requires special door hardware if there is to be a door. 
standard sizes are 24" and 27" - for doors.


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## CO762

griz said:


> You guys doing walk in showers ever think about making them to ADA code for future sale? Just asking.


I don't know if you're talking to the architects or the builders on site, but for me, it depends upon the client--obviously.

I've found if they are thinking of future/resale, they don't want to go overboard on spending now. If they are thinking for their own use, fat/elderly sometimes don't want to use the "help" showers due to pride. 

Most of the time perception rules and there's only one first impression, so a 24 would seem too small, just like it is on bathroom doors.

All that said, a good designer can create/hide/enhance/diminish many things.


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## JohnFRWhipple

nailkiller1 said:


> What is the average size
> What would be a minimum


On average I think a walk in shower measures about 28"-30". These seam to be standard door way measurements in bathrooms. A 36" opening is better for larger showers designed for wheelchair use and the smallest allowed under ADA guidelines.

This bathroom below has a generous 33" doorway and the shower measures 47 3/8" x 47 3/8" inside. We designed and built this bathroom with no curb and the glass door could be removed if necessary down the road.


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## JohnFRWhipple

This walk in shower was built with no door and has a 28" opening between the two glass block walls. To make things safer the bathroom is built as a curbless shower.



















And this walk in shower has only the tub and a short wall in the room. The entire bathroom a wet room.










JW


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## greg24k

IMO you need 21" clearance in front of the shower, I did one bathroom it had a 21" door, and that is the smallest size door I could find at the time. With that said, the next available size would probably be be 18-19", and there is not many people who can fit in that opening, so that cutting real right with such sizes.


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## donerightwyo

angus242 said:


> No, there are areas of the country that don't need permits....for anything.


I know this is old but it certainly is true, here there are no codes, no permits, no inspectors, no BS, only your conscience to guide you.


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## JohnFRWhipple

donerightwyo said:


> I know this is old but it certainly is true, here there are no codes, no permits, no inspectors, no BS, only your conscience to guide you.


This is true for almost every renovation in North America and even for much of new construction. The key for a homeowner or builder is to have the work self inspected. Regardless of state or provincial codes a client can specify in the scope of work that all work be self inspected and meet industry guidelines.

Not all contractors will go to this extreme and only the client suffers if it all goes South down the road. Protect your investment or your reputation and always self inspect your projects if no city inspectors are going to visit.

Simple lines in a scope of work like;

"All work to conform to the latest edition of the TTMAC Guidelines"

"All work to conform to the latest edition of the TCNA Guidelines"

"All plumbing lines, vent lines and water lines to be flood and/or pressure tested"

Without these lines and agreements if things go South the homeowner or builder is screwed if the tile man walks from a failed project.

JW


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