I can see absolutely nothing good that can come from that being right there. I cannot see how that would pass inspection.

I thought it was wrong position. Originally the shower head was on the opposite wall.

The shower head on the other side still wouldn’t make it ok. Why is it in the shower at all?

The original design was not tiled to ceiling. It is a old house with a tub that later added a shower

LOL that's actually almost amusing in how bizarre it is (sorry OP!). I cannot imagine this is legal (as in, it's against plumbing code and you would never be able to sell the house without fixing it, for instance) and I am confident the contractor will have to move it to a location outside the shower.

What worries me is that even when he moves the vent, he has totally compromised the existing waterproofing by cutting that big hole in the tile wall. Ugh, sympathies, a stern discussion with your contractor is in order.

I’m going to talk to him. I just don’t understand why he wouldn’t place it elsewhere. The bathroom was gutted and walls totally accessible.

“It also looks like he forced it to fit.”
That whole shower situation would be a big red flag in my book and begs the questions: what else does he not know, and what else has he “forced to fit” (I.e. rigged)?
Good luck with your conversation.

You are reading my mind.

SO. You hired a HACK. Now what? Good question. No clue. It's a do over. Curious as to where you were when this was at STUD stage.............

I have no idea since we have no context as to why you planned a shower in this spot. I am totally concerned with what was used for waterproofing since this guy is a hack in the worst possiblre way.

Fo you expect me to answer or are you just giving me *#%*?

Heating vents for any room are typically close to a window to counteract the loss of heat. Nothing of an HVAC system should be located inside a shower.

My comment was forJAN MOYER. She was very snarky.

I appreciate all those who sincerely want to help. Thank you Patricia, I apologize for placing my response in wrong place.

If the supply can't be moved out of the shower then see if can be moved to the ceiling or at the very least above the shower head on the same wall so that water can't enter.

It is a shame “professionals “ feel the need to berate posters who have hired, in all good faith, someone who should know construction. We don’t know the vetting process any poster used unless we are told they liked the cheapest installer or hired an unlicensed and insured individual. From my years of experience, six houses, many apartments, DIY, and custom built house, repairs by licensed contractors, I still occasionally have a problem with an electrician or a plumber or and HVAC company. It happens, even to the most experienced among us. To the OP, sorry this install is such a bad experience and outcome. Yes, it is a tearout and redo. Before this person does one more minute of work, check the county or city building department for a current license. Demand a certificate of insurance. Without one or both, this person cannot come back on the job.

Okay, fine. He turned OUT to be a hack. : ) But one does wonder did the op see ANYTHING in progress as the vent was there. As in where was a somewhat logical question: "I'm tiling to the ceiling.......what are we doing with THAT thing?"

Maybe it's a long distance project. Maybe the "hack" wasn't astute enough to say......"this is an issue, right here.".............

Forgive the pros for seeing and stating.......well.... the obvious.

Sorry to add to your problems but I see white in the little hole where the shower head will be and white in the yet to be grouted tile spacing. Sure looks like he used regular sheet rock behind the tile. If so those tiles should start falling off in a couple of years, but at least you'll be warm taking a shower. I could be wrong and it's white mastic but the sheathing sides exposed in the cutout for the vent sure looks like gypsum to me, if so the shower is a gut.

Don't feel to bad, my mother hired a contractor to redo her bathroom and was the worst HACK job I've ever seen, even in pictures. We (my brothers and I) didn't even know she did it. When we saw what was going on we fired the guys on the spot, didn't pay them a nickel more and held their tools hostage until they returning most of the down payment she gave them. We had to gut the entire thing down to the studs and nothing was salvageable. I wished I took pictures it was so bad and looked like a bunch of dumb 8 year olds did it.

Do you have access below or above (crawl/basement, attic)? If so 'easy' to move. Do you have tile left over? Any location in/above/near the shower the register will rust in the first month, sheetmetal a little slower, and you'll get caked on dust sticking to the wet register. If there is no way to move it, it may be better to just block it off (bathrooms do not require heat).

Your contractor is now famous as this will be added to those interweb threads of "Why did they . . ." Too bad you can't get residuals from it.

@Sissyphus, someone posting a problem here doesn’t deserve your harsh judgment of the “whole.” Why would you blame this on the OP’s “diligence”? Or wallet? How does your comment help anyone here? If they’d known it was going to happen, don’t you think they’d have questioned it? If you posted with any intention of kindness or helpful advice, you missed, sorry.

If everyone was an expert, they wouldn't need to hire contractors. If an OP criticizes the process of their contractor they are told to quit being so picky and let them do their job. Then when something goes wrong, they are told, "well where were you during this". Can't win.

I tend to agree with kevin - it looks like the wrong sheet rock was used and that has major consequences if so. Rookie mistake, willful mistake to save money without regard to the effect, ignorant mistake, who knows?

It's unlikely to pass inspection and very unlikely to provide the quality and stability over a reasonable number of years that the homeowner would expect from spending their hard-earned money. That HVAC vent location shows the same ineptness and also unlikely to be building code compliant. Sorry, you have a lot to redo here.

https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/homeowners-guide-to-hiring-qualified-tile-installer

Where’s the shower handle? Is it super low, like where a tub handle would be? What we see is about 30-35” below the shower head— we should see the handle. Or are there a couple heads and it’s on the opposite wall?

There’s nothing wrong with what Jan said. If he took down to studs, you think YOU would’ve noticed he was placing it there. We just finished our Master bath remodel. I was in the room several times a day, really looked it over at night, at asked my questions if I had any the next day. I have never seen a heating vent in a shower. Everything Jan said was true. Lighten up people. We’re lucky we have these pros to weigh in.

The tone of these threads is so nasty, especially from a few of the “pros”. Granted, they’re giving free advice (and sometimes on things they know nothing about) but if I were paying them and they mouthed off to me like they do here, I’d fire them without a second thought, IMO :-)

HU-615 This is a complete tear out and a do over. I can't even fathom any professional leaving a vent in the shower. I mean, come on.

And, as was mentioned, the shower isn't waterproofed. Looks like drywall board on the back of the tile. Obviously if the guy doesn't know enough not to put a vent in a shower, he sure isn't going to know how to tile a shower.

Can't even imagine what else he did wrong.

Have you paid him? Don't.

If you have, Get your money back.

Hire an actual expert tile setter, or a GC that is licensed and has good reviews. Check w/the state contractors board and verify.

If you current guy balks, get the new guy (an actual tile expert) to document everything done incorrectly and out of code so that you have something in writing.

Creative Tile gave you a link on how to hire correctly. I'd suggest you read it.

Agreed. There’s no reason to word things in such a curt and demoralizing tone, and do it so frequently.

Regarding vent - I hope there is open access below to relocate it, or you may have to relocate shower. Can you share some wide shots? Other views or plan drawing so we have a better idea what you’re dealing with?

@Kathy Furt “...you think YOU would’ve noticed he was placing it there. We just finished our Master bath remodel. I was in the room several times a day, really looked it over at night, at asked my questions if I had any the next day. I have never seen a heating vent in a shower.” You haven’t seen it, but the OP had. There was already a vent in the shower,. The OPposted here asking if the pre-existing vent was too close to the newly relocated showerhead and poorly fitted. They are obviously at the site regularly, just like you, since work had not progressed much beyond that. They were unaware that the pre-existing vent was not appropriate in the first place. #compassionplease

There have been comments about having a HVAC supply near a shower area in not code compliant. Does anyone what the code requirements are in this situation?

The evidence seeing white color near at the shower head fitting doesn’t mean the wall substrate was done incorrectly. However the contractor needs to explain exactly what products were used. The grout workmanship doesn’t look good so it would not be surprising if the wall substrate was done incorrectly.

Mike, I recall that our former house inspection included the floor register grate placement and there was some discussion on whether it was too close to our clawfoot bathtub -- I think the main concern is water intrusion, which will easily lead to unseen mold and/or the rotting out of any adjacent wood/drywall construction.

Also, there is surely the danger of rusting on the register grate itself. (I've only lived in old houses with metal grates but they may be making plastic grates these days?) If the duct serves both forced heat and A/C there will be seasonal condensation to deal with, too.

"The evidence seeing white color near at the shower head fitting doesn’t mean the wall substrate was done incorrectly."

mike, the cement board I've seen is off-white to gray in color but you may be right.

The photo isn't clear, I'd thought on first glance it hadn't yet been grouted but if so, I agree with your thought on that.

I fully agree an HVAC supply in a shower is not good. You.could use materials to make it rustproof, The problem is condensation water dripping back down the duct.

The code rules are intended to prevent safety issues. I can’t think of why this would be unsafe, it falls into the safe but impractical region.