Water coming under shower sliding barn door

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Hi Houszzers !!

We have a new custom home and included this problem on our punch list.

There is water leaking out from under the guest shower sliding glass barn door when the shower is being used. (See pic) The water hits the glass and then drops onto a very narrow flat portion of tile and then seeps under the glass. There is a weird corner between sliding glass panes that also doesn’t let water flow toward the drain well. We are even more perplexed as to why the cost for fixing this problem would be placed on the homeowner.

This is a custom home, so we picked out the shower doors and did indeed specify a towel rod on the outside but at no time were we made aware it would be an issue. No one mentioned the doors needed to be flipped to prevent egress of water. No one mentioned any adjustments to the shower slope to prevent egress of water. No homeowner would jeopardize the integrity of the enclosure of the shower for a towel rod. In fact, we feel that wasn’t the problem but it rests in the execution, coordination, and over sight of the subs involved??

I don’t think a homeowner should and cannot micromanage and anticipate the issue.

If the tilers and the shower glass subs worked together with the contractor’s oversight there is little doubt this would have been caught and addressed earlier. We even went over the tiling pattern on the shower floor but at no point was consideration or discussion made with us that the location or position of these doors simply would not work especially when there was a 1-2” flat portion (unsloped) tile against the door “threshold”. So we are perplexed and confused.

Houszzers - Are we incorrect? Any suggestions? Is this a homeowner cost? (Bill is about $1700 to replace doors.)

Thanks

Doofy

Thanks

Doofy

Featured Answer

just_janni

4 years ago

The door should have been placed inside the line where the shower starts to slope. Otherwise - you are getting water outside the shower itself.

Depending on how your glass was attached- you may be able to move it 2-3" inboard and have the water hit an area that is sloped.

Looks like the fixed glass is "inside" but the moving pane is outside. It's one reason to use a swinging door.

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Comments (9)

PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
4 years ago
Some people think "barn door" is the root of much evil.
tdemonti
4 years ago
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chispa
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
All the showers I had before and the ones I remodeled had curbs.

Doing a curb-less shower with a door complicates the management of water. I just built and would have designed things a bit differently. It didn't help that the shower door company my builder used this time were not detail oriented and doors ended up with too much space around them. I found decent sweeps that are containing most of the water ... except for the one my college aged son is using! At some point we will probably replace the shower doors, at our cost, but still have things that need to be finished first.

Unfortunately there are lots of people involved ... architect, designer, builder, tile installer, shower door installer ... and they are not involved in what the other is doing until it is too late to change anything. The only way this would get addressed ahead of time would be if you had a good designer who had experience with a similar shower and pointed out the potential issues with a certain design.

I would just accept that the design didn't work out and pay for a new door. If that is the major error in your new build, then you are doing pretty well. If you build again, you won't make the same mistake again!
User
4 years ago
Bad design all the way around. I hope the whole was waterproofed as a wetroom. Otherwise its a tearout and redo.
millworkman
4 years ago
Show a pic of the whole door but that install does not look correct, albeit a very small picture to go by.
doofy323
Original Author
4 years ago
I‘ll send one shortly ! thanks
PRO
Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
4 years ago
This door design sheds water but doesn't seal the shower.

The tile is a different issue. The water sitting on that sill is not the water going outside the glass.

Whatever the slope, some water will remain as seen on the vertical glass. When the door is opened, all that wet glass is now outside the shower.
millworkman
4 years ago
Yep, tile at the entry point needed to be pitched and you may need to use a dam strip.