Spa-Style Bathroom Ideas: Heated Floors, Steam and Ventilation With Feasibility Notes

A spa-style bathroom borrows a few features, a heated floor, a steam shower and strong ventilation, and each has a feasibility question about the circuit, the waterproofing or the fan that every bidder should answer in writing. The maker statements apply to that maker’s products only, and this guide gives no price or lifespan.

What does an electric heated floor need?

Nuheat says its electric floor heating mat should be connected to a dedicated electrical circuit. It says it is mandatory to install a class A ground-fault circuit-interrupter or GFCI circuit breaker with each mat installation, and that all its thermostats come equipped with a built-in class A GFCI. It says the equipment shall be installed only by qualified personnel who are familiar with the construction and operation of the apparatus and risks involved, and that the mat cannot be overlapped, crossed, cut, shortened or modified. Ask the bidder who installs the circuit, where the thermostat goes and how the mat layout is drawn before the floor is tiled.

What does a steam shower need?

The Tile Council of North America says steam rooms, pools, spas, outside decks, and showers are areas that require proper installation or a failure can occur. It says to remember that grout joints are not waterproof and that in a wet area such as a shower you should rely on the method and substrate to protect adjoining areas from water. Ask the bidder which waterproofing method the steam shower uses, who confirms it and which tests are run before tile is set.

Why does ventilation matter most in a spa bathroom?

The Environmental Protection Agency says ventilation is especially important in bathrooms to remove unwanted moisture, which helps prevent the growth of mold and mildew that can cause allergic reactions and aggravate lung diseases such as asthma. It says that during renovation you should check that the bathroom fan is exhausting a sufficient amount of air, and that the air should be exhausted directly to the outside and not just into an attic or some other space in the house. It says wet walls should be constructed to effectively keep water from penetrating cavities in the walls and floor. Ask the bidder where the fan exhausts, how much air it moves and how the wet walls are built.

How do the ideas compare with their feasibility questions?

Which questions turn these ideas into bids?

1. Ask which of the three ideas the quote includes and which it leaves out.
2. Ask who installs the circuit for a heated floor and which protection it carries.
3. Ask which waterproofing method a steam shower uses and who confirms it.
4. Ask where the fan exhausts and how much air it moves.
5. Ask for the same written scope for every idea so the quotes compare.

Price Each Feature as Its Own Line

Ask each bidder to price the heated floor, the steam shower and the ventilation as separate lines on one written scope, so you can choose which features to keep.