I would do a fixed and handheld separately!

i need to warn you on the hand held... the bar needs to be mounted higher than you expect when just eyeballing it. make sure you attach the hand held to the bar and hold it at various heights and MARK THE ATTACHMENT SPOTS. my otherwise amazing contractor managed to mount our new hand held shower so its only good for people shorter than 5'5 yet the bar (without shower attachment) looks completely normal. until you try to stand under it.

I'd do both, if you're redoing the shower anyway -- the diverter cost is minimal. If I were only doing one, though, I'd do the fixed, as a poor slider means never getting a decent shower height and they often look cheap.

Rain shower heads aren't a big thing in my area (Greensboro, NC) so I'd go with one on a sliding bar. It's much better than a fixed. In fact, a fixed shower head would be my ultimate last choice.

I have a friend who is telling my to put this system in or one like it. He says rain heads are great. I don't see them in my area or ever used one. Any opinion on this .vs the other options.

I worry that 99% of potential buyers never used a rain head and will be like that looks cool but might not be practical.

But right now I am leaning towards something like this without the tub divertor

https://www.efaucets.com/detail.asp?gclid=Cj0KCQjw8b_MBRDcARIsAKJE7lm4q8Wg9ky4SgptcA-daN7wHuMBDgV3x38OR_JY5yB2QGcG8txEfs8aAgAPEALw_wcB&Product_ID=T8343&ca=gpsl&CAWELAID=330001430000872616&CAGPSPN={ifpla:pla}{ifdyn:dyn}&CAAGID={adgroupid}&CATCI={targetid}&ef_id=WX9phgAAAF_8eW_U:20170814165123:s

Remember this is for resale so has to add value over just a single fixed showerhead

rwbil, have you priced this project with the rain shower and all the plumbing and tile work that will go along with it? Have you also looking into the amount of gallons per minute a rain shower head or multiple shower head systems use? I think you've made the right assessment: Looks cool but might not be practical.

Carolina

I am tearing out the old tiles anyway and doing the work myself. I was thinking just one shower head could be used at one time. But yes I now leaning towards a fixed shower head and slider hand bar. I really like this one. The question is will it add a lot of value over just a fixed head.

simstree,

No just shower I was just using it as an example of fixed head and sliding bar shower head I thought looked good.

The sliding bar shower head will have appeal to the elderly, as you can sit on a shower bench and use it, and the bar itself is good for steadying yourself in the shower. It'll also appeal to people who like to be able to clean their showers more easily.

Rain heads should be "extras" as they just don't rinse out the shampoo in your head.

You could do something that's basically standard but has an oversized head. I think a lot of people respond to that as cool, even if they weren't looking for a rain head in particular.

Single-Handle Bathtub Shower Column Set · More Info

3-Way Razor Slimline Rainfall Shower Head and Handheld Shower Head Combo, Chrome · More Info

In my area it depends on the neighborhood where the house is located. In some neighborhoods it is expected to have the great shower heads you show. In others it would be a cool factor but not necessarily bring you more money unless the whole master suite is an upgrade. Ask your Realtor. S/he will have a feel for the upgrades that bring extra dollars in your neighborhood and the ones that don't.

I assume you are doing this because you have to change out the shower head anyway, right?

I love a hand held with my shower head. I use it every time I clean the shower. It also comes in handy if it is a tub/shower combo for washing children's hair. I have the delta you have pictured above and it works fine. I like the idea of having it incorporated in the shower head.

I have a rainhead at one end of our shower, and a rail bar at the other. Prefer either one to a fixed head, but I have to say, I wouldn't regard the shower head as a major selling point on a house. (PS I love the rainhead - it's one of the water efficient ones, but more than sufficient to rinse the soap out of the hair!).

jmm1837,

No the goal is not that the shower head alone is a major selling point. I am redoing the MBA. It is a separate shower. The goal is when the buyers walk in they are like this looks amazing and the extra shower head is icing on the cake so they feel everything is top notch. But I have been costing them. I can do this moen for around $500. So there goes the question will I get my $500 worth over just a fixed shower head.

Buy a shower head that pleases you. End of story. Nobody ever bought, or did not purchase a home because of a shower head. Mine is actually old and fairly ugly. I would not trade it for the world. The darn thing blows water at a rate that can not be gotten today, even with the restrictor yanked out. I fondly refer to it as the elephant wash. People buy homes for location, for schools, for curb appeal, for number of bedrooms and baths, ..........not a shower head. Of today's high style stuff? I'd take a Speakman over any of them. You're in there to stand under it, and enjoy.........not stare at it.

If the shower is beautiful and quality workmanship, the shower head isn't going to be any more than eye candy. If you were planning to live there for years, I would suggest the extra plumbing for a separate wand. For just resale, put in a nice looking one that doesn't scream cheapest product in the store and move on.

I happen to detest overhead shower heads! I don't want to have water running down my face into my eyes while I'm trying to rinse shampoo out of my hair.

Jan

"Buy a shower head that pleases you"

The shower head that pleases me is the one that helps sell the property for the most money. It is that simple. LOL.

i'm old, and apparently a slow learner. its taken me buying 4 homes to realize 'what kind of shower head is in the master bath' is the very sort of thing you should be thinking of when you buy a house! every morning you take a shower! and it costs about $35K for the kind of renovation that rips out tile to change a shower head/add a diverter, assuming you dont want to start off at your new home with a mish mash patched tile job.

bad bathroom? add $35K to the actual price of a house you are looking at. bad kitchen? add $60K. Low ceilings, bad room arrangement? keep shopping, those cant ever be fixed.

anyone who has been around the houzz dilemma section long knows folks really suck at choosing a house sometimes! they get all excited that someone lured them in by painting a wall grey and ignore all of the expensive stuff that needs to be done.

rwbil, I have a set up similar to the last picture you posted with the fixed shower head and a hand held on the sliding bar. I didn't use the fixed head, just the elbow valve, hose, shower head and sliding bar. I love it! It's a Delta, the hose has a flexible metal housing, not plastic and it hangs straight down instead of out and down, which causes stress on the hose. I can clean any part of the shower with it and the sliding bar is great when I have aches and pains.

Having said all that, you may be putting too much emphasis on the shower head selling the house. Instead, look at the whole house and create a punch list of things you want to change/upgrade to make your house move faster.

Carolina Kitchen & Bath,

Thanks for the comment. I am working on that punch list and this is just one of many thing on the list, but redoing the MBA is first on my list.

rwbil

It WON'T "sell" the house. Buy the one YOU would like to enjoy until such time it does sell. If you don't believe it, after your realtor shows the house? Ask her to quiz those interested as to what it even looked like. .....................bet you a hundred, not one can tell him or her, unless they took a photo.

If you want to know what sells a house, the truthful one and only answer is the right price. It's "worth" what someone will agree to pay. Period.

JAN

I do not even know where to begin. Yes a house is worth what the buyer and seller both agree to. But if you can have 2 houses on the same block and same in virtually every way and there can be a 100K or more price difference as one is renovated and one is not. No one is paying you top dollar for your junk house. I never stated the faucet would sell the house. That is ridiculous. I am renovating this entire property including the MBA and have to put in a faucet so why not put in the one most people will like. And I tell you something else higher end buyers absolutely look at these type of things. But is more than that, when people walk through they get a feeling on quality.

They might not remember what faucet was in the MBA, but they will remember the MBA was amazing and they want to live in a house like that. And that is the atmosphere I want to create. And when you see a renovated MBA like this it absolutely makes a difference and the whole is a sum of its parts with the shower faucet being one of those parts.

When I see that bathroom pictured above, I think "uggh, but I'll live with it" because I don't care for the colors, the variation in the shower floor tile, the granite vanity countertop and a few other details also. I know that I will have to live with the bathroom I dislike because the cost of the upgrade is in the price I pay for the house and it doesn't make financial sense to redo a functional space. To me, it is even worse that the seller put in expensive fittings and fixtures because I've to live with something that isn't going to fall apart soon (when I'm looking for the excuse to redo it!)

One piece of advice a more experienced seller once told me was to not personalize the space. Go bland, boring and midrange for best return on your money.Renovating to sell isn't about what you like or what really excites a certain small segment of the market, it is about having something the vast majority of buyers don't mind.

If the design is outstanding and the quality of the workmanship is superb, you don't need fancy materials to make the job look fabulous. Ordinary subway tile can be made more interesting by making an accent row from tile turned vertical - just plain white tile but placement adds some visual interest without a trendy color to date the space. White with colored trim tile is another way to keep the cost down; special trim tiles look great but they don't add to the functionality although they lighten your purse in a hurry.

Linda,

It was meant as an example to just illustrate my point of a renovated MBA. I guess I could have picked a better example, but I was focusing mostly on the showerhead. Not representative of my remodel which would be more neutral in nature. But I do like the showerhead and the frameless glass door and will be doing something along those lines. The shower size is what the shower size is. I am not doing a 100k MBA remodel. The basic structure stays in place.

rwbil

Thus, you have made a decision, and the most important of those is the footprint and MAJOR elements within. Your shower head will not change that. No matter it costs more or is more luxurious, or has more features , bells and whistles than the entire neutral renovation. And it sure won't change outcomes by 100k. Or ten k. The shower size IS the most important element, along with toilet placement, and vanity size. You have what you have. Pick one, and move on to scrubbing, shining, curb appeal, de cluttering, closet purging, carpet cleaning, window washing etc.

People want to make their own selections..........so I'd be very careful in pre selecting for someone else, enduring the renovating process, only to trade dollars and time investment. Stories abound here....."Just bought a house, the kitchen is brand new so I can't rip it......but I HATE IT....... help me please"

An amazing master bathroom will help sell a house, no doubt about it - unless the price is raised to match the cost of the renovation. Like most remodeling projects, the value added to the home rarely matches the cost of the work. Unless the space is truly awful, it might just be easier and cheaper to price the house accordingly. When you renovate for sale, you will be paying commission, taxes and fees based on the new value so $10K on the sales price is more like $9,200 in your pocket

As demonstrated by all these posts, everyone has a varying opinion on shower heads. This will apply to buyers as well. Jan is right, just install what you prefer, or ask a local real estate agent for advice. The selling price of the house won't change a dime no matter what you do.

“ Like most remodeling projects, the value added to the home rarely matches the cost of the work. “

That is an excellent point. Folks do renovation all the time whereby they do not get their money back. At the same time people buy foreclosure, renovate them and sell them for a profit. You have to know which renovations are worth the money and if you are able to do the work yourself or supervisor the work or if you have to hire everything out to a general contractor. If you hire everything out it is unlikely you will make your money back. I have looked at CMAs and know the value of this outdated property in its current condition and what it will be worth once renovated and know my renovation budget.

But here is the funny part. I am renovating/updating the entire house and this faucet is like less than 1% of what I am doing, yet some people post things like I think this will be the single element that will sell the house. I never meant to convey that.

Here is the actual story. I am doing my punch list of everything I will be doing which includes painting, updating old fixtures, replacing old floor, fixing up the curb appeal and so forth. The reason I posted this question was that I started to layout my MBA punch list and was thinking about which shower head to get so I thought I would get opinions. It was that simple.

simple answer: if only one shower head a. if you are having a glass surround go with a hand held to easily sluice down the glass b. if you are having a curtain, doesnt matter.

@rwbil -- So what did you end up going with? Can you provide feedback, photos and if you think it helped sway your buyers or if you think you would have done something differently. It always helps those of us getting ready to do the same thing....

@Laura,

Below is a picture of the shower after remodel. I plan to have the house on the market next month, so only time will tell if it was all worth it or not.