DIY Life

Dreaming of a soaking tub but short on space? Don't despair. There are small, yet luxe tubs out there to suit every room. Believe me, I know – I've considered everything out there while planning my own recent bathroom renovation.

Last week I looked at soaking tub shopping tips. This week, I'm going to highlight some top bathtubs for small spaces by two top brands: American Standard and Kohler. Excluded from my search? Really cheap and really expensive tubs. I'm only looking at quality, but moderately priced soaking tubs within roughly a $300 to $600 range.

The Standard Collection acrylic bathtub by American Standard seems like a great buy. At 5ft x 32 in. x 20 in. it fits in a small bathroom nicely, plus it is very affordable ($429 at the Home Depot). It has thoughtful details like a backrest and lumbar support, too. On the down side, it's only 14 in. deep to overflow, so it's not the best choice if you plan to do a lot of soaking.

Four years of waiting (and saving) are finally over. My brand new bathtub was installed today. I'm overjoyed! At least, I will be when all the remaining work is done. I'm talking the tiling, painting, and those small yet oh-so crucial decorative touches.

Because my master bathroom is tiny and very narrow (58 in.), I expected my bathtub choices to be fairly limited. Wrong! There are tons of awesome, reasonably-priced tubs out there to choose from – including deep soaking tubs, which is what I'd had my heart set on.

Since my exhaustive search for the perfect tub is now behind me, I'd like to share what I've learned. Are you renovating a tiny BR? Today I'm going to run through a few shopping tips to help you make your selection. Next week, I'll expand on the theme with a list of quality, yet modestly priced, tubs ideal for small rooms.

Planning a bathroom renovation? Me, too. Right now, I'm shopping for the perfect bathtub.

Now, I knew right off the bat my budget wouldn't stretch to one of those luxe clawfoot models. But I also can't settle for a cheapo standard-issue (read: shallow, uncomfortable) tub. I'm looking for a bath that's comfortable and deep enough for soaking ... yet won't break the piggy bank.

If you're shopping for a tub, choose carefully. The cost of installation can easily dwarf that of the tub itself, so make sure the finished result is exactly what you wanted! You've probably already narrowed it down by size, shape and color. But wait: You still must choose the type of material your new tub will be made from. Let's take a look at the choices.

When a home is built, the architect and builder should always make provisions for future maintenance. Unfortunately, altogether too often, this is one place where corners are cut. One of these details is access to plumbing components. This means plumbing access panels in the walls.

These panels allow the homeowner to get to the tub water supply and drain, and the manifold (hot/cold water mixer). The access panel is generally located on the other side of the wall in a closet. But what if you have to do a repair and you search high and low for a panel and find nothing?

Well, you're just going to have to cut into the drywall -- but plan in advance. Before doing a thing, head out to the local home improvement store and pick up a plastic snap-in access panel. This type needs no framing and will only set you back about $12.00. Just cut the hole in the drywall and it snaps in!

You'll need to locate the spot in the closet where you need to cut. Then locate the studs with a stud-finder closest to the cut-point between adjacent studs. Mark the wall, open it up with a drywall saw, make the repair, and snap in the plastic access panel. Easy as pie!

Is it difficult to find enthusiasm about cleaning the bathroom? Are you living in a place that someone else rented or owned before you? If you said yes to both, try not to think about what may have happened in your bathroom before you moved in. Let's just get to making that place feel like you and your family or friends are the only contaminants.

Here are five inexpensive things you can do to make your bathroom truly feel like it is yours. Doing these will not make the room look new but it will make it feel much more new to you. You'll probably want to wear gloves for most of these. Absent from this list are the obvious cleaning chores that you should be doing regularly -- you know, things like scrubbing the toilet and washing the shower curtain every now and then.

Oh, happy day! We are finally going to renovate one of our nasty, outdated bathrooms. This is great news, although I can't help but dwell on the niggling problems. Problem 1: I will have to undertake the nightmarish task of finding good, pleasant, honest contractors who are actually available to do the work sometime this century. Although my hope is that this should be easier given the downturn in the housing market. (Hey, gotta make lemonade from lemons...) Problem 2: the room is very small and narrow. It also has an odd, sloping roof with no crawl space above the ceiling, so replacing the ancient light fixture could be tricky.

Can my dream tub fit within this weird little room? That is the question. Okay, the answer is probably a big fat "No" -- at least to the big bathtub of my dreams. However, I'm willing to compromise on a smaller, narrower tub. So last night I spent a little time surfing around on the Web looking for inspiration. First up: I continue to be shocked at the lack of practical planning advice on manufacturer web sites. I'm looking at you American Standard and Kohler. You both need to send your Web design monkeys back to the drawing board 'cause although your sites are stylish, they aren't much help to the confused homeowner!