That's a great idea and a great point about the grout, wynterwynd. I'll bring this up to the contractor on Saturday!

Yeah, why not put the niche in the same wall as the shower head?!

This seems like a lot of extra work to merely get more shampoo bottle space in your shower. I agree that the hanging shower caddy is an eye sore. Have you considered a corner shelf attached where the two tile walls meet? Last year we moved into a home that one of these in a newly remodeled bathroom. I thought it was interesting that they had this instead of a niche. I really like it. Why not install one of these. Try it for a month or two and then see if you need a niche or not.

They come in different sizes, shapes, colors. The one I have is very well constructed and classy looking, not like a cheap off the shelf organizer.

Kohler Large Shower Basket, Vibrant Polished Nickel · More Info

I do really like those, Kendrah. And even with the addition of a shower wall, we'd consider using it because it looks easy to clean.

Mine is not too big. Interior is 3x5 wall takes about 6inches when it was framed so the space before the walls was closer to 3.6x 6

Personally, I prefer the tiled walls. Keeps the heat in when taking a shower and less to clean up.

Yes, they are incredibly easy to clean and very sturdy. They just lift off the screws and you can run them under the faucet and scrub.

One of our bathrooms was built in the 1930s. There is a very small three tile walled shower that now has a shower curtain as the fourth side. It has a light inside and it feels incredibly cozy. So much so that it is where our dog goes to curl up in thunderstorms. We do squeezgy down our tile walls too after showering though. It reduces mold forming on the grout lines.

I've been looking for images that might help BeverlyFLADezinerso thank you for finding those!

Ah that's great info Kendrah!

First of all, since you're doing this project I would expand the shower closer to your window by a few inches.
Second, instead of building a whole wall I would build a pony wall (on either side - you can still switch where the door to enter the shower is). I would make this point wall a bit taller than the one that is there now. Then put the niches into this pony wall (that's why it should be taller, so you don't have to bend down to reach your shampoo). Here is a picture I found on houzz that illustrates my idea

Less glass = more better. Glass looks great in these pictures, but not so great in most of our homes, where we have things to do other than clean. Function should always win. Install a double-bulb light fixture in your shower, and you'll be fine.

Where will your towels hang?

ETPhoneHome, that's a nicely done storage niche. I like the one short /one tall concept.

Adding additional light fixtures is not a large expense. Maybe $300. Which is 1/200th of a full master bathroom remodel budget. Plus, it is a necessity to be sble to see!

The shower in my condo was glass. I swore never again. What a pain in the...

In my house we moved into 4 years ago, we put in a shower with only the one glass door in front, like you're thinking of doing. Our walls go to the ceiling. We have a light fixture in the ceiling inside the shower and a light outside the shower. It's plenty light enough when showering.

This pic is with the light not turned on during the day.

Love that idea, et phonehome. I'll bring it up to the contractor on Saturday.

That gives me a great sense of what it'd look like, cpartist, thank you! It's very nice!

I'm thinking he'd have to cut into our ceiling to do that Linda@icookinmykitchen.com. That seems pricey and time consuming! But I'd be pleasantly surprised if that's not the case. :-)

Ah, that's a fantastic point Mrs Pete. Less work is always my preference. But would three tiled walls create just as much work... or no?

I personally think it's easier to clean glass than grout but maybe that's just me

We put the niche near the shoer controls to eliminate water hitting it. It is also just in reach of the shower bench which is so handy when I shave my legs or just want to sit , relax in the soothing water.

squeeging glass is much easier than cleaning grout, anyday!

I gotta say, I'm still confused. Again, are you doing all of this work to get a shower niche? Or, do you really not like the glass in your shower? Cutting into the ceiling for a light is nothing compared to the work you want to undertake.

I think it depends on where the light comes in. If the window were on the opposite wall, closing in would still give you some daylight in the shower. In your case, the light is coming from the window and through the glass, so in this case I think it would make the shower too dark inside. Maybe take construction paper and mock it up, tape it on the outside of the pony wall glass and then go into the shower. I like the idea above of the taller pony wall if you do decide to enclose it more.

I see why you’d be confused Kendrah. Let me see if I can clear that up:

The main priorities were more storage and getting rid of the bath. But we talked about our options with a couple contractors, and liked the idea of hiding the shower behind a wall. We wouldn’t have to use a squeegee after every shower, or see it hanging in the shower. We could also hide loofahs and all the other shower products behind a wall.

So the additional wall and tiled shower felt like a luxurious option, and one that added some convenience.

Additionally, my husband and I don’t love the look of our glass surround because, even though we wipe it down after showers, it still looks cloudy most of the time.

We have a very similar set up that we are in the early planning stages of.

I see two possible solutions for you, As I understand it you will now be entering the shower from the area by the tub faucet. So why could you not move the shower opening either back a few inches into the room or shift the door a few inches to the side?

The shower head will stay where it is now and the water will be hitting the door? We saw some showers like that at a TIle Shop we were in over the weekend. I wasn't sure what I thought of that.

ETA: I agree about the privacy factor of walls on the sides. We have a surround now and like it for not feeling as exposed.

squeeging glass is much easier than cleaning grout, anyday!

The newer grouts nowadays do not have the issues that the older ones did. I spend less time cleaning the walls of my shower (1x a week) than I did having to squeegee daily when I had glass and my shower is now 4 years old with it looking the day it was installed.

I came here to suggest the pony wall with large niches, which I think is a good balance of light and storage.

You do realize that removing the tub means you're retiling the whole bathroom floor as well, right? Just want to be sure you anticipate the project creep...

I never like the shower head opposite the door in a small shower because of the possible leakage around the door. I also wouldn’t want to walk so close to the windows and window treatments when your body is wet. It also looks awkward to enter from the side instead of straight. Since you are retiling the shower, why not add one tall niche with a dividing shelf on the shower head wall? You can enter the shower as you do now, you can reach into the shower to turn on the water, and you still get your storage. Then you can have a two sided shower enclosure to ensure plenty of light, that extra 4” of space (without the new wall), and a bathroom that looks larger without that enclosing wall.

You may want to rethink the inswing door on the toilet room for safety reasons. If you post the dimensioned plan you will get best comments.

We had shower walls on all sides with a glass door, loved it! Don’t forget to add a light in the shower or it will be too dark.

If you decide to move the shower entrance to the tub side, I would move the shower head to the new wall and put you niches where the shower head was.

I'm interested in hearing more about that, Karenseb. What are some of the benefits of doing it that way? I may propose it to the contractor because I like the idea of having more width on the sides where my arms would be... but wondering about the additional cost to move plumbing. Great idea.

The doors have never been a nuisance or a safety problem in the 7 years we've lived in our house thinkdesignlive.

I think I'd need to see an example of your vision to understand it remodeling1840.

Absolutely, acm, retiling the whole floor – once the tub is removed – is part of the plan I listed in the details above. We're counting on it and also considering heated flooring. Though I do understand the problem with project creep. It's a valid concern. We've been wanting to remodel our whole bathroom since 2017.

This is great info, cpartist. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Those are some killer tips, Mrs Pete. Thank you so much for posting them. I may have to print out your suggestions!

The new shower opening would face our two windows (west and north-facing) and also the vanity lights above the mirror Jean, but we're on the same page with testing it out! 😂 We draped charcoal-colored sheets over the glass where a wall would be and it didn't feel too dark. I know it's not the same thing but it did give us a little bit of an idea.

Very interesting, RNmomof2 zone 5! I'd be curious to see that set up too.

I haven’t read through all the suggestions so this may be a repeat, but I think there would definitely be plenty of light, as long as you make sure you have ample additional cans IN the shower (night showering and cloudy days will not have the benefit of natural light from the windows, so you will need lighting in the shower.

I would also enlarge the shower. It looks like you have lots of additional space to the left of the window that’s over the tub.

As far as where to put the shower head, and where the niche goes, I would make sure the head and the niche are positioned in such a way that your shower paraphernalia is not constantly getting doused with water every time you shower. There are different spots in a shower that are constantly getting wet and other places that remain pretty dry (except for condensation)….so find the driest spot. And if you use bar soap, I highly recommend you continue using some sort of soap dish (either wall mounted like you already have, or one you can place in your niche). Bar soap makes for a gooey mess in a niche unless you use a dish. I have 2 niches in my shower but also have 2 separate soap dishes.

It’s also important that the shower head is not placed in such a spot that that when you open your shower door to turn the water on, you’re not getting hit with water, and not getting water all over your floor. . So…think about where your shower head is in relation to your shower valves and shower door/opening. You have the option now to customize exactly where you want everything located (although moving the plumbing will increase your cost).

One additional thing about the niche. Like you, I don’t want to see all my shampoo bottles etc and have mine hidden in niches behind a wall. I would also recommend you don’t use one of the prefab niches which then gets tiled over. They really limit your size (height and width) and customization. Your contractor can easily create a very large niche exactly to your specifications when framing out the wall which will fit all your specific shower “junk”much better than the prefab ones.

Here’s a pic of my niches showing two additional soap dishes (which keeps all the gooey soap gunk contained).

Wow Nidnay, you have my dream shower! I love that little step in the corner and will request that same thing. Great suggestions and ideas here. Thank you!

What about a half wall/pony wall about 3' high with glass above?

I didn't have time to read all the comments, but we have a glass wall in our shower and have never squeegeed the glass once. My preference is always for more light.

@RappArchitecture same for me. I have had glass shower surrounds in both my old and new home and have never had to squeegee once. I don't even own one. I have always had a water softener, though. Maybe that has made the difference? The glass almost always looks completely clean. The new owner of my old home commented a year after purchase that she was surprised at how clean the glass stays.

Dani-put the new shower door where it is now. Put a wall of glass on the side where the tub is now. Face the shower gap head and decide where you want the niche or two niches.

Dani, I am still not sure of your layout shower dimensions you have now or what you have planned. You said you have 50 inches to the window.

What amount of space do have on the shower head wall.

I would rather a longer shower than a wider shower. You definitely do not want the shower head pointed at the shower door opening. A niche on the shower head wall on the left would work.

If you move the door to the right and move you shower head to the new wall, what will be the length of the shower? See 2nd picture.

Karenseband remodeling1840, your helpful comments have made me rethink the whole plan. My husband and I talked about your warning regarding the shower head being opposite the entrance, and we realized the impracticality of it... especially since this is a relatively small shower.

Here's what we pictured: we enter the shower on a cold morning and turn on the faucet, then immediately get pummeled by a spray of ice-cold water, and since this isn't a wide shower, there's nowhere to hide.

This sounds like something that would annoy us every single day. Not to mention, the water aiming toward the door of the shower like remodeling1840 said.

I think at this point, we're going to probably keep the same layout we have now because it's completely functional, but we're just going to ask him to replace all the old tile, remove the tub, add new flooring, and build a niche/ storage into the wall where the shower head is.

Karenseb, thank you so much for those awesome sketches, you went through a lot of trouble, and you both helped us figure this thing out!

@Nidnay has a GORGOEUS shower! And gave you good advice - niches need to be away from the spray. Lots of people are putting them on the same wall as the shower head, but I think if you keep it wide and low it can easily be on the tub side.

The door needs to be where it is, not moved to the tub side. Glad others have convinced you of that.

I squeegee’d the shower door when I visited my sister and was grateful she didn’t have a three-sided glass one. Maybe you wouldn’t have to do it every day, but you know your own comfort level for “spots on the glass”.

Tile is also more decorative. Most bathrooms I admire have a one or two sided glass design but it’s always the knockout tiles that make it look amazing. Just my opinion.

Putting an adequate light in the shower allows you to use any color tile you want, no matter how dark. I am always surprised at how much I like the one in our current house - and never thought about it before.

Hey Dani! I just stumbled across your post and your old bathroom looks exactly like mine does! I’m currently in a remodel and having a dilemma about wall versus glass too!! Do you happen to have pictures of your new bathroom? Would love to see how it turned out!!! Thank you!

Hi Christina! We kept the glass because putting a wall where the glass door is would have required us to walk up to the shower head and turn it on while standing right in front of where the water sprays. And that would’ve been shockingly cold on a winter morning. 😂

Here are a few “after” photos:

Thank you Dani ! we have struggled with this same configuration for so long. your remodel really gave a visual to what is possible. ♥️