Vapor barrier needed, or a waterproofing membrane would be best.

Sloped ceiling optional, you won't have enough vapor to really condensate and you'll have water dripping anyway from showerhead.

vent fan needed for sure

Reg . cement grout is fine

you need a recessed light with a trim that is shower rated or get a broan744 which will take care of your fan and light together.

Floor to ceiling doors aren't available off the shelf. Custom will run $1000 - $2500 install depending on location, size, ect..

Is this going to be a gut remodel? If a gut remodel, you can pretty much build yourself a steam shower cube now and add the steam generator at a later date. If you do proper construction now -- one example would be insulation, cement backer board, covered with sheet membrane, then tile -- then you'd be halfway there with a vapor-proof shower cube.

Lights for a true steam shower should be vapor-proof. With a near-steamer, I've seen folks simply go with air-tight cans with gasketed trim kits.I haven't priced them in a while, but a 4" ICAT can is maybe $10 and the trim kit maybe $30? That's a guess.

True steamers have gasketed doors. They can be frame or frameless. If you can't find a full-height door, you may be able to add a fixed glass panel transom above the door.

Your least expensive bet would be to find a good door that you like and build the shower opening to fit the door. The key is to ACCURATELY build the door opening to fit the door.

With high end showers, I usually build the shower to design, then have a glass company come out to measure, then fabricate, the door.

If you're simply adding more tile to the walls and ceiling of an existing shower? Yeah, you CAN do that I suppose. Depending on what your existing wall covering is, if approved, you could use a topical membrane over the existing wall and tile over that.

You can buy an off-the-shelf door and again, add a glass transom above, or frame in a solid tiled transom. Depends on what you have and what you want to end up with.

I've given a bit of a vague answer. But that's the way remodeling is sometimes. There can be myriad solutions.

Thank you both for your advice. I really appreciate it! Xedos thanks for recommending a specific fan/light combo - I'll look into that!

MongoCT It will be a gut remodel. Thank you for your recommendations on how to build a steam shower cube at the lowest possible expense. I didn't realize I could add a steam generator later - what kind of provisions would I need to make during shower install to keep that possibility open?

Besides getting a glass transom is there a cheaper way to make up the balance height - for instance, build the drywall and tile down to the door but keeping the 8' height inside the stall?

Also, What kind of tile (material and size) should I look to purchase?

Thank you again!

You can also buy a completely enclosed shower unit. Ours is from Koehler. It has a steam generator, but it gets plenty hot in there with just the hot water! You buy the unit and add a door. Done. (Ours is completely in the wall, so all you see of the fiberglass is the door frame.)

be sure to add non faced insulation to the wall cavity and avoid natural stone tiles.

Low expense? You can save money in some areas, but you'll have to spend it in others. This is a set of basic ideas to get you going:

After roughing in your plumbing, electrical and vent...

1) Least expensive insulation is unfaced FG batts. Insulate the wall and ceiling framing cavities.

2) Cement board on the walls and ceiling. Again, inexpensive. 1/2" thick.

3) Deck mud sloped pan. Inexpensive, but it is a bit of labor.

Here's where you spend a bit of money. But the following is all top-notch:

4) Flanged floor drain. Look at Kerdi's Flanged Drain, or Laticrete's Flanged Drain. The drains are expensive at about $75 a pop. But trust me, they're worth it in a steam shower.You'll install the flanged drain as you do Step 3) above.

5) Sheet membrane. Again, another expense. Use Kerdi Membrane, or Hydroban's Sheet Membrane. Use Kerdi membrane with the Kerdi Drain, or use Laticrete's Flanged Drain with the Hydroban Sheet membrane.

The sheet membrane goes on the ceiling, walls, and floor, all the way to the flange on the floor drain. It'll give you a water- and vapor-proof cube that your friends and enemies will marvel at.

Back to inexpensive:

6) Tile. You can go $ or you can go $$$$$. Your choice. I recommend you choose a porcelain tile. Two-inch squares on the floor and 12" squares on the walls/ceiling are probably the least expensive way to go. To mix up the pattern you can do the walls in a running bond and the ceiling in a diagonal.

I'll really try to emphasize that with steam showers, it's all about vapor control. Preventing vapor penetration into the walls. Sheet membrane do that better than anything else. My opinion.

If the sheet membranes and their drains are out of your budget, you can do 6-mil poly behind the cement board and a standard CPE/CPVC liner with a clamping drain on the floor. That'll save you several hundred dollars. But your detailing had sure better be good! With topical sheet membranes or with 6-mil poly, the barrier needs to be sealed at all penetrations into the shower; shower valves. shower arms, lighting, ventilation, the steam generator nozzle, steam unit controls, etc.

You can set the wall up for the steam generator nozzle and plumb the actual generator in later and consider wiring runs for any controls. I've done that a couple of times. You'll need to plan for electrical and water to the generator and obviously, a place for the generator to go. It can go in a closet near the shower. In the basement beneath the shower. Under a tub deck next to the shower. Logic and accessibility does need to prevail when locating it.

The transom. Yes, you can frame a header over the door so the door doesn't go all the way to the ceiling. That's a smart way to do things.

If you;re going with a custom glass door, then when the shower is completely tiled, THEN you have a glass company come out and measure. They'll size the door to your opening, even if the opening is out of whack a little bit. Tell them it's a steamer and they'll set you up with proper gasketing, etc, so you get a decent seal around the door.

There are a lot of other ways to build a steamer. There are a lot of other details to consider too. But as you look into each step, things will slowly unfold. Good luck!

If you do build a steamer now and add the generator later I would still take a hard look at Laticretes and Noble companys Mechanical steam shower specs to educate yourself on proper Steam shower construction.

Noble is calling for A soft joint at the floor and sealed slip joint at the ceiling, these are a few examples of details often skipped by folks that don't build steam showers.

Notice the foam backer rod detail and the way in which Laticrete is showing their Hydroban membrane being folded in the bottom change of plane here and later stuffed with backer rod........This is a soft expansion joint ( hi lite in red)......Just one example of many details a steam shower requires in 2015..

Better pics here www.laticrete.com/Portals/0/pdf/DS-125.pdf

Thank you all for your detailed responses about how I can set up the shower for future steam generator installation. I sincerely appreciate it. I do have a linen closet next to the shower that I can set up for future access.

Would you mind also telling me - if we decided not to make provisions for a future steam generator - but just wanted to do the minimum for keeping the steam generated during a normal shower - how extensive of vapor proofing do I still need to do? Do I still need: the unfaced fiberglass insulation, the cement board, the deck mud sloped pans, the flanged floor drain, and the sheet membrane? I'm ok with some steam escaping as long as the majority stays in - but I want to make sure I don't damage or create the opportunity for mold to grow behind the shower walls.

Art , you'd still need all that stuff except the insulation, and the sheet membrane- though you'll still need some type of waterproofing whether it's sheet or liquid applied.

don't forget that you'll also need a steam outlet today connected to 1/2" copper pipe leading to the mechanical space a future generator may reside. That'll run you about $100-$600 depending on how skilled a deal hunter you are and your time constraints.

If you are really going to build a good shower that will last , the cost to convert it to steam shower is not really that much. You're really looking at the insulation, and xtra membrane + tile for the ceiling and maybe a bit of wall height as "additional" cost.

If you're looking to cut costs, drop the whole steam thing alltogether, get a shower curtain or inexpensive off the shelf shower door at the BORG, and have a tile guy just do you up a regular shower. It should last you five to years at least, and be the "cheapest" option.

For a non-steamer, pretty much what xedos wrote.

Your least expensive shower would be for the walls; 6-mil poly sheeting stapled to the studs, covered by cement board, covered by tile.

For the floor, pack sloped deck mud over the subfloor, covered by a PVC or CPE membrane liner set with a clamping drain (so your membrane is sloped), then the membrane gets covered by another layer of mud, and you tile on the second layer. Those are the basic steps.

You could look at manufactured pans for the shower floor, that could work if you can find one to match the size of your shower. Kohler's cast iron pans are excellent. Durable and they look great. Plastic pans can be all over the place regarding quality.

No word of wisdom, but I'm looking to do the exact same thing you are. (Though, we won't be into construction until 2016.) I don't think I would use a steam shower but I HATE a drafty shower, and would love to close off the shower enclosure as much as possible to create a warm steamy space when taking a regular shower. I'm thinking glass door with transom above. I expect we will want to slope the ceiling and tile it...

Lighting and fan placements get tricky for sloped ceiling showers, especially the smaller the footprint.

This means $$$ in material and labor.

I have an acrylic bath/wall/ceiling enclosure with a 2" sloped ceiling and a 1 foot soffit. Works very nicely with my shower doors without needing a steam generator. Replacing it in a month and going to a shower base with no soffit. Probably need custom shower door, though I'm trying to go with stock doors and an added glass transom.

I know this is an old post, but how did your remodeled steam shower without steam generator go? I am trying to do the exact same thing right now, and debating if completely enclosing the shower without a generator is worth the cost. I also hate having a drafty shower, esp during the winter, but I don't want the expense and upkeep of an actual steam generator. Do you like your new shower fully enclosed or do you wish you had either spent less money on a regular shower or wish you spent more money to include the steam generator?

my new setup isn't quite as steamy as the old one. The old one had the soffit which kept the steam down. The new one lets the steam rise further, but I still get a benefit from the fully enclosed glass doors. We also have a nice quiet exhaust fan with a heat lamp, but I don't use it more than once or twice a month. The glass doors we got were the thicker glass and also the less-lead kind (not green). I don't think either extra cost is needed. The heavier doors are just harder to slide.

I also added a plastic strip to seal between the doors. That was definitely needed. I can give you more info/details if you like.

Overall, do you feel like a fully enclosed shower without a steam generator still effectively keeps enough steam in the shower? I'm debating if I want to keep my original design of a fully enclosed shower, or just save the expense and get shower glass that stops below the ceiling.

I am thinking about doing the same thing! glass shower doors to the ceiling to create a steam shower effect, but without buying and plumbing a steam generator. if anyone has done this with success I would love to hear, thank you in advance!

it doesn't steam up as much as it did with the soffit, but I often get wet and then turn off the water to give myself a military shower. Stays steamy for the entire time. I can feel the steam affect in my lungs. Nothing like a steam room, but as good as you can get. Squeegee off the glass doors and walls to prevent mold/mildew.

I bought two of these to seal the gap between the doors:

http://www.wgsonline.com/glass/PCDR38CL4.html

thank you guys for giving me such detailed insight, I am so appreciative of the detailed insight from those who have responded to my question. I think I will go for it and invest in the floor to ceiling glass, add a soffet and molding to make it air tight :-) it's going to be a big project to take on but it will be so worth it!

Late to the game but we also went ahead with a steam-capture shower. Our experience is similar to ssdarb- it's super quiet and I also like it a lot.

Because ours was a studs-out rebuild, we installed electrical infrastructure to add a steam generator later in the adjacent closet, if we want. But honestly, I can't imagine we'll ever do it. (So many other good things to spend money on.)

Whitney Hansen

When you interview pros you should make sure that they can build it like a regular steam shower and that they will adhere to TCNA guidelines (put that in your contract).

I would recommend buying a downloadable version of the handbook. Mine is from 2016. I think it was less than $40. You can read the regular shower sections and steam shower sections, and skip the chapters on swimming pools and such. It'll help you when interviewing contractors to have some knowledge of industry standards. Ask each contractor to explain the steps of building your shower. If it's wildly different from what's in this book, that would be a red flag. After a disastrous first hire, I read the whole thing, and my second hire (recommended by a pro on this forum, thank you!) could practically recite the whole handbook. That was a good sign and the project was re-done perfectly. Here's a picture of mine. You can get the 2018 version online.

For those that have a fully enclosed shower with all clear glass, do you find that the steam keeps the glass steamed up such that it gives a decent amount of privacy? I take hot 20 min showers, my ceilings are only 8ft high, and my soon-to-be new shower is about 4'x6'. I like the look of clear glass because it will make my space feel larger, but I also want some privacy while I'm showering in case my kids decide to barge in on me. I'm debating if I should get partially frosted/sandblasted glass, or all clear glass and only hope that the shower steams up the glass enough for privacy. Thank you in advance!

They do make locks for doors. And they work. And that is much easier than cleaning frosted glass.

jamiemc1033,

Yes, after the steam builds up, you have privacy. My steam-capture shower is approximately 4 x 6 (it has a clipped corner), and the ceiling was lowered down to 8'-8'8". You can still see a silhouette though. After the shower the steam cools down and will start to drip down. If your shower is 4 x 6, you can either install a bench or buy a teak bench. 4 x 6 is large enough that you can bring your towel in with you and place it on the bench without it getting wet. That's what I do so that after the shower I can wrap up and sit in there a little while. If someone walks in at that point, and the glass is more transparent, I am already wrapped in a towel.

One thing I did was ask the contractor to make the pony wall higher than I normally see it in pictures. We just measured up to my shoulder and he built the pony wall to be that distance off the shower floor. That also enabled us to build a nice big niche in that pony wall, so that the products are not seen when you enter the room. Also, since the pony wall is taller, we can put a piece of art work on the dry side above the tub.

If you don't want to build a higher than normal pony wall, and you are still unsure if the steam alone is enough privacy, you could frost just a section of the glass. I saw a picture on HOUZZ that had this, but I can't find the picture right now. In the picture the shower glass was only frosted in the middle to provide privacy where needed. This would allow more light to come into the shower than frosting the whole panel I would think.

I don't feel comfortable locking the door while taking a shower because in case of a fall no one would be able to help me. We have 4 kids and they do sometimes walk in to ask a question or get something, although that is getting less so as they get older.

One of the nicest things is the quiet and the feeling of being somewhere else because you can't hear anything and you can't see out either.

There are some advantages to putting in a generator which I'll mention because you said you like long, hot showers.

- The steam in my shower cools down very quickly after the water is shut off. If you have a steam generator, you can finish the "cleaning" part of your shower but keep the steam going as long as you want to. Probably the cleaning part of your shower is a lot shorter than 20 minutes, but you like to go longer because you want to enjoy the relaxing heat and steam. If that's the case you night want a real steam shower. My DS likes to keep the steam going while she sits down to shave her legs.

- Very little water is used to generate the steam. If you think you will want to keep the steam hot, but you are done with your shower, running the hot water is a waste compared to what the generator would use.

- Also, with a steam generator, you could just take a steam, not with a shower. My DS does that often in the winter if she is chilled to the bone but doesn't want a shower right then.

If you think you could change your mind and want a generator later, you might consider putting in the electrical, plumbing, etc now. You already have to build the shower using all the techniques for vapor-proofing, so your spending the bulk of the extra costs already. The additional cost if you change your mind later would be the generator itself and the labor to have it installed.

Be sure to hire someone who is experienced and will follow TCNA guidelines for steam showers. If they cut corners because it's not a real steam shower, you won't have the option of adding the generator later bc steam requires more than just regular water-proofing. You can order the handbook online which will help you in the hiring process.

Good luck with your project!

Ssdarb,

Thank you for all the details! I don't lock my bathroom door for your very same reason (young kids who may urgently need to get to me, which they have before), and also in case someone needs to use the toilet while I'm showering. I've had the shower built to the standards of a real steam shower and now it just needs glass. I think I will just do the bottom half frosted. I've considered doing a center strip only, as you've suggested. I actually prefer that look over the bottom half fully frosted, but I have a pony wall too and I'm worried that the proportions might look off with just a small clear portion at the bottom of the door only and with so many different finishes in that space. This is the area I'm working with for reference.

Oh sorry, I didn't realize you were almost finished. Looks so pretty!

Hmmm, maybe I'll steam mine up and take a picture so you can see how private it is. If you don't want frosted glass and you think the steam itself is good enough it would be a shame to frost it unnecessarily.

Forgot to mention: I like having the door able to open inward and outward. If you want that just tell the glass installer and they will not put the stops in the hinges.

Do you have a bench? Do you have an exhaust fan? Are you planning on a transom window over the door?

Do you have a friend or family member who either has a real steam shower or enclosed and can see for yourself?

Hi Ssdarb,
Yes, I do plan to have the door open both ways. My contractor said code requires it, which I didn't know about, but I prefer it that way anyway. No bench yet, but I do plan to just get a small teak standalone bench, so that I can take it out if I decide I don't want it anymore. Yes, to a transom at the top of the glass. I also have an exhaust fan in the ceiling in front of where the shower glass will meet the ceiling. In the picture my exhaust fan is the white circle that looks just like one of my can lights. It's on a timer control. About two more weeks and it'll all be done! The glass is the very last thing. I like the openness of clear glass , but leaning toward frosted to also hide the personal items that will go in my niche. I once considered my niche to go in my pony wall like you have, but I have my shower controls there so there would not be enough room for the niche size I needed to fit all my bath items.

Also, I don't know anyone with enclosed shower. My contractor has a steam shower in his home, but I didn't want to invite myself over and see his shower. :) Thanks for all your insights and from everyone else!! It helps so much!

I "tested" the privacy when DH was in shower last night. If it's all steamed up, you do have privacy, but a person outside the shower can see a silhouette and contour of the person inside. I would compare it to being in the middle of the levels of privacy regarding window films and privacy glass. I've seen charts that go from clear glass all the way to totally frosted, and I'd say the steamed up glass falls about in the middle of that range. We are happy with it as far as kids walking in and things like that, but as for comparison, it wouldn't be enough if I were installing privacy glass in an external bathroom window.

That's my best guess.