Did you have a glass panel/door that swiveled/opened to provide ventilation during use? If not, would you want one based on experience?

I've built some with and without transoms. Haven't heard negative from either side.

-Brand of steamer you recommend? How long have you had yours?

Thermosol

-Did you have ventilation fan inside shower as well as outside in bathroom?

You definitely need one right outside the shower door. If you opt to put one inside the steam shower, it needs to be a dampered vent, and not a simple backdraft damper like most vent housings have. When you're steaming, it's best for the vent to be sealed so no steam is driven through the duct.

Lights inside the steamer need to be vapor safe too. Gasketed, etc. Air tight housings.

-Any bad experiences with natural stone tiling inside and outside of shower? How about with peeling paint (along walls in bathroom), etc? We do plan on tiling ceiling inside shower... just haven't decided on tile yet.

Plenty. I recommend avoiding natural stone. There are plenty of good looking look-a-likes out there today. Not that it's a huge deal, but if you do go with natural stone you'll usually need to upsize your steam generator.

-Other maintenance issues? I've read that with adequate ventilation and letting fan run extra time after use, most condensation dries up... true in your experience?

Have the vent fan on a timer. Timer run can be adjusted as needed.

I highly recommend using a topical membrane. Studs, 1/2" cement board (Durock or wonderboard), then a vapor-proof membrane like Kerdi, RedGard, etc. Do note that Hydroban, while a terrific water barrier, is not a vapor barrier, and is should NOT be used in a steam shower.

Topical membranes minimize moisture accumulation and thus reduce drying times.

Mine is a bit different than what you're asking about. I have a dedicated steam room basically. It's completely tiled out floor to ceiling with a glass door that seals up. I don't have a transom vent in mine.

I have Steamist, and absolutely love the quality of it. I own the Steamist SM11 11kw generator. It's an absolute beast, fills the room so well with great quality steam.

I used ceramic subway tiles on the walls and ceiling, I used a coated ceramic tile on the floor. The walls and ceiling have the tendency to hold a lot of the moisture after running it for a while. I squeegee it off after I'm done using it. I also run a floor fan in there to dry it out completely. I have a bathroom fan outside the doorway with a timer as mentioned above.

In my case I have to clean this thing constantly if I use it. I've noticed mildew quickly hopping onto the ceiling if I don't get it completely dry ASAP after using it. I bought a garden sprayer and filled it with tilex and just go to town post steam.

I agree with mongoct above. I have had a Thermasol Pro Smartsteam for over 3 years. I love my steam shower! I did everything by the book as mongoct advised in earlier post. I live in Florida and have no issue with any mold. During the steam shower you do not want any steam to escape, and you do not need any ventilation inside shower. Outside your shower door mount a quality exhaust fan. I went with the Panasonic FV-11VHL2, model. After steam shower you spray the shower with cold water, turn vent on and all steam goes straight up thru exhaust vent. Maybe 1 hour later if you leave shower door open it will be completely dry. A nice women tip- is to shave at the end of steam, you will have a very close shave and no shaving cream needed. Good luck, buy some essential oils and enjoy your warm relaxing steam shower.

RonHirseo... Thanks for the link. Lots of good information to chew on there and it's perfect for where we are right now in our research/planning.

mongoct... Thanks for your responses. I have read some of your other posts in other threads and I appreciate your wealth of knowledge and experiences. I think we will forgo the transom vent. That should should help a tiny bit budget-wise. I feel like I need to sit down with our contractor and talk about how he's planning on vapor-proofing the shower and what materials he is using.

As for tiling... how about outside the shower? Specifically, using marble or other natural stone on the floor of the bathroom? Any ill effect in the long run? Any recommendations for paint in bathroom?

jgopp... we were initially looking into the Steamist, but, for some reason, I wasn't reading a whole lot of feedback here about that brand. So, thanks! BTW, I still remember your beautiful kitchen reveal (and the little details like the magnet clip on your vent hood)! Yours was one of my favorites and helped when we were doing our kitchen 3 yrs ago.

brigitte... Thermasol Pro has really sound reviews in my research, so it's good to hear someone reaffirm it. We are planning on looking into the Panasonic fans... will check out your model. And thanks, also, for the extra tip at the end! :)

As for tiling... how about outside the shower? Specifically, using marble or other natural stone on the floor of the bathroom? Any ill effect in the long run? Any recommendations for paint in bathroom?

A bit of a long-winded answer...

You can tile to your heart's content outside of the steam room with whatever materials that you choose. I usually recommend asking the seller about the iron content in the marble. With the proliferation of marble sources now available, high-iron marble is being sold without being identified as such. While any marble (even low-iron) in a steam shower can have moisture issues (dinginess) over time, high-iron marble could "rust" due to moisture penetrating into the stone and wetting the iron content in the marble, causing some pretty nasty orange blotching as the iron oxidizes.

Even outside the steamer in the bathroom I recommend addressing the issue of possible iron content in the marble with the seller, and make known your concerns about rust stains. Make it known, get in on paper, and it protects you down the road.

So the short answer? Use whatever you want on the surfaces outside of your steam shower, vetting them as you would any other material.

Regarding paint? The more gloss, the more resistant to moisture issues. You don't have to go overboard with a true gloss, but I recommend semi-gloss on painted cabinetry and trim, and on the walls, a satin-level sheen.

You can go with a higher gloss on the drywall surfaces should you desire, but the higher the gloss, the more the paint will show any imperfections in the wall's surface and the more reflections you'll get from light sources. Reflections can be good...or bad. If you did want to paint the walls with a gloss paint, make it known ahead of time to the wallboard installers and they can give you a better finish.

We are planning on looking into the Panasonic fans...

Good choice, I recommend Panasonic and FanTech. Consider a remote fan that draws air from two grates in the bathroom. One just outside the shower/steamer, the other over your tub in in a central area.

Mongo... thanks for your response. Your suggestions are incredibly helpful. I'll be sure to inquire about iron content if we choose to go the marble route. That "oxidized" look certainly ain't pretty! I'm hopeful the sellers will be able to get that information for me and not look at me with blank stares! Great suggestion to get everything in writing... wished I had the foresight to do that with my kitchen a few years back!

One more question regarding maintenance. I read on another thread the suggestion of using pH neutral water (I think!) or some other treated water source for the steam system since buildup can occur and may be one of the main reasons problems arise? Is this a true concern? We have hard water and know the need for a water softener, we just haven't put one in yet for several reasons. We do have RO system readily available.

If you can use clean water, that's certainly best. Scale deposits and build-up is probably the biggest problem these units have. Usually results in stuck float valves, stuck solenoids, etc. Usually shows as a slow water drip out of the steam head.

The better units do have cleaning/flush cycles.

I've installed steam units on well water and city water. Never had to pull one with a self-cleaning or flush function out for repair. Oldest installation is maybe 15 years old?

My steam room is a simple one with sealed glass walls. The floor is made of rough ceramic tiles. Thermosol is the steamer type. One ventilation fan used outside. Not much maintenance issue came in last two years. We make sure that the steam room is used properly. Check that there is no leak in steam during every use. If there is any wiring, make sure those are in good condition and water proof as well. After every use we make sure the water is removed from the walls using good squeegees. I even bought a new one recently from Better Living Ontario.

Did you have a glass panel/door that swiveled/opened to provide ventilation during use?

I always recommend using glass! However, ventilation should be through a vent system.

-Brand of steamer you recommend? How long have you had yours?

I would recommend using Thermosol.

-Did you have ventilation fan inside shower as well as outside in bathroom? (not sure if we will "need" both)
I would use both. A properly sealed steam shower will not really require that much outside venting, but it's still a really good idea to have one.

-Any bad experiences with natural stone tiling inside and outside of shower? How about with peeling paint (along walls in bathroom), etc? We do plan on tiling ceiling inside shower... just haven't decided on tile yet.

I would say stone is a good bet, as long as it remains well taken care of. Paint is a bad idea in that sort environment. However, the rest of the bathroom can be painted. Just make sure it's all 100% sealed.

-Other maintenance issues? I've read that with adequate ventilation and letting fan run extra time after use, most condensation dries up... true in your experience?

Definitely keep the fan running, always check for leaks and make sure it's sealed. As long as it's well sealed and maintained, there should be no problems that I can think of.