Renovation 4th Edition
Page 89
and many kitchen outlets. See chapter 11 for
causing claustrophobia. To block the view of
more information.
380 chapter 13
Choose easy-to-clean details. Counter-
makers show their wares and offer design and
tops with integral bowls are much easier to
installation downloads. One of the most elegant
keep clean because there’s no seam for crud to
and informative sites is www.kohler.com.
collect in. For the same reason, undermount
Lavatories (bathroom sinks) are available in a
sinks are preferable to sink rims or mounting
blizzard of colors, materials, and styles. Styles
clips that sit atop the counter. Nonporous
include pedestal sinks, wall-hung units (including
baseboards or backsplashes allow you to swab
corner sinks), and cabinet-mounted lavatories.
corners with a mop or sponge without
Wall-hung lavs use space and budgets economi-
worrying about dousing walls or wood trim.
cally, but their pipes are exposed, and there’s no
Finally, you can mop bathroom floors in a
place to store supplies underneath. Pedestal sinks
flash if you have wall-hung toilets.
are typically screwed to wall framing and sup-
ported by a pedestal that hides the drainpipes.
an overvieW oF
Counter-mounted lavatories are the most diverse,
bathrooM Fixtures
and they use many of the mounting devices dis-
cussed earlier in this chapter for kitchen sinks.
This short section provides an overview of what’s Less common are vanity top (vessel) basins,
available and a few buzzwords to use when you
which sit wholly on top of the counter, as shown
visit a fixture showroom. Start your search on
in the photo on p. 382.
the Internet, where most major fixture and faucet
The tile on the tub surround and floors is Solnhofen
limestone, which was formed 150 million years ago in
the Mesozoic Era, when warm seas covered present-day
germany. close up, you can see fossilized sea snails in
the stone.
The understated beauty of nature continues in this cabinet’s soft, beveled edges and muted
finishes. Slip-matched “ropey” cherry doors and drawers are edged with solid wood. Note
the fine-grained “absolute black” granite countertop and matte black metal pulls.
kitchens and baths
381
Lavatory materials should be easy to clean,
tured. Finally, solid-surface lavatories are typically
stain-resistant, and tough enough to withstand
bonded to the underside of a countertop of a
daily use and the occasional dropped brush or
similar material (see “Countertops for Kitchens
blow dryer. The most durable lavs are enameled
and Baths” on p. 371).
cast iron. Although lighter stainless-steel lavs are
Important: Make sure lavs and lav faucets are
tough and stain-resistant, their sleek, polished
compatible. Most lavatories are predrilled, with
look is distinctively modern, so they may not look faucet holes spaced 4 in. (centerset) apart, or
good when matched with traditional porcelain
8 in. to 12 in. (widespread) apart. There are single
fixtures. Vitreous china (porcelain) lavs have a
lavs for single-hole faucets. And undermounted
hard, glossy finish that’s easy to clean and dura-
lavs may have no faucet holes at all; you need to
ble, but it’s not as durable as enameled cast iron.
drill the holes in the counter itself.
Hard use can chip and crack vitreous fixtures.
toilets and bidets are almost always vitreous
Spun-glass lavatories are made from soda lime
china and are distinguished primarily by their
glass, often vividly colored and irregularly tex-
types and their flushing mechanisms. Close to
99% of toilets sold are of these three types: tradi-
tional two-piece units, with a separate tank and
bowl; one-piece toilets; and wall-hung toilets. The
other 1% includes composting toilets, reproduc-
32 in.
zzzzzz bath-Fixture clearances
tions of Victorian-era toilets with pull-chain
flushing mechanisms, and so on. As noted in
chapter 12, toilet-base lengths vary from 10 in. to
14 in. (12 in. is standard), which can come in
handy in a renovation when the wall behind the
toilet is too close or too far.
Choosing a toilet is a tradeoff among factors
Shower stall
such as water consumption, loudness, resistance
to clogging, ease of cleaning, and cost. Wash-
down toilets are cheap, inclined to clog, and
Lavatory
6 in.
15 in.
banned by some codes. Reverse-trap toilets are
minimum
quieter and less likely to clog than wash-downs.
30 in. to wall
6 in.
36 in. to wall
16 in.
minimum
Toilet
30 in. to wall
Tub
6 in.
Fixture
Fetching as the rough granite lavatory bowl is, the
Bathrooms with minimal clearances are a tight fit.
showstopper in this Japanese-inspired bathroom is
If you’ve got room to spare, by all means space fixtures
the band of loose river stones at the base of the
farther than the prescribed minimums.
cabinet. Barefoot, you can give your feet quite a
massage with them.
382 chapter 13
The quietest and most expensive models are typi-
faucet finishes are applied over faucet bodies to
P R O T I P
cally siphon-jet or siphon-vortex (rim jet) toilets.
make them harder, more attractive, and easier to
Siphon toilets shoot jets of water from beneath
clean. The most popular finish by far is polished
a well-made faucet has some
the rim to accelerate water flow. Kohler® also
chrome, which is electrochemically bonded to a
heft to it, and when you turn its
offers a Power Lite® model with an integral
nickel substrate; it doesn’t corrode and won’t
handle or handles on and off,
pump that accelerates wastes to save water and
scratch when you scrub it with cleanser.
they feel solid—like the thunk
a Peacekeeper® toilet that “solves the age-old
Manufacturers can apply chrome plating to
of a well-made car door when
dispute over leaving the seat up or down. . . . To
brass, zinc, steel, and even plastic. But although
you close it. to compare faucet
flush the toilet, the user simply closes the lid.”
chrome plating protects faucet surfaces, their
quality, play with the most
A Nobel Prize for that one!
inner workings will still corrode and leak, if
expensive faucets in the show-
they’re inclined to.
room. then, if you find a less
Bathtubs and shower units are manufactured
By the way, brass-finish fauce
ts consist of brass
expensive model with some of
from a number of durable materials. And site-
plating over chrome (over a solid-brass base). Brass
that satisfying solidness and
built tub/shower walls can be assembled from
finishes oxidize, so they should be protected with
in a style you like, it might serve
just about any water-resistant material. Bathtubs a clear epoxy coating. Alternatively, faucets fin-
well enough.
are typically enameled steel, enameled cast iron,
ished with physical vapor deposition (PVD) coat-
acrylic, or fiberglass; preformed shower units are ings gleam like brass but won’t dull or corrode.
most often acrylic or fiberglass. Steel tubs are
economical and fairly lightweight; set in a mortar faucet handles are an easy choice: one handle
bed, they retain heat better and aren’t as noisy if
or two. Hot on the left, cold on the right—who’d
you knock against them. Cast iron has a satisfy-
have thought you could improve on that? But
ing heft, retains heat, and is intermediate in
there’s no denying that single-lever faucets are
price, but it’s brutally heavy to move. For that
much easier to use. Also consider the valves
reason, many remodelers choose enameled steel,
inside the faucets. Ceramic-disk and brass ball
acrylic, or fiberglass to replace an old cast-iron
valves will outlast plastic and steel.
tub. Acrylic and fiberglass are relatively light-
Spouts should have a little flare and be long and
weight and are available in the greatest range of
high enough to get your hands under them to
shapes and colors; their prices range widely, from lather up properly. If you’re a hand scrubber, look
moderate to expensive.
for a spout at least 6 in. to 8 in. long that rises a
Standard tub sizes are 2 ft. 6 in. to 3 ft. wide;
similar amount above the sink.
lengths are 4 ft. 6 in. to 5 ft. However, if space is
tight, you can opt for a compact tub or replace a
tub with a shower stall. Shower stalls come as com-
pact as 32 in. sq., but that’s a real elbow knocker.
Stalls 36 in. sq. or 36 in. by 42 in. are more realis-
tic. One-piece molded tub/shower units don’t win
beauty prizes, but if properly detailed and sup-
ported, they are virtually leakproof.
choosing a lavatory Faucet
If you’re buying a new lav and new faucets, make
sure they’re compatible. As noted earlier, lavato-
ries often have predrilled faucet holes spaced
4 in., 8 in., or 12 in. apart. Most inexpensive to
moderately priced faucets with two handles have
valve stems 4 in. on center. Beyond that, the big-
gest considerations are faucet bodies, finishes,
handle configurations, and spout lengths.
faucet bodies will last longest if they’re brass,
rather than zinc, steel, or plastic. Brass is less
likely to leak because it resists corrosion and can
be machined to close tolerances. Forged brass
A classic: chrome over a solid-brass
parts are smoother and less likely to leak than
lavatory faucet.
cast brass, which is more porous. If you spend
five minutes operating a nonbrass faucet, it will
likely feel looser than it did when you started.
kitchens and baths
383
Energy
Conservation
14 and Air Quality
In the good old days, houses were often
drafty and cold, but because energy was cheap
homeowners could make do by cranking up the
thermostat. All that changed in the 1970s, when
energy costs went through the roof—literally, in
houses with uninsulated attics. In response,
builders yanked fuel-guzzling furnaces and
replaced tired windows and doors. They caulked
air leaks and installed weatherstripping to block
air infiltration and slow the escape of condi-
tioned air, and fervently insulated walls, floors,
and ceilings. The insulated layer between inside
and outside was reborn as the thermal envelope.
Although tightening the thermal envelope saved
energy, it created a whole new set of problems,
including excessive interior moisture, peeling paint,
moldy walls, punky studs, and a buildup of pollut-
ants that were never a problem when windows rat-
tled and the wind blew free. Today, some houses are
so tight that furnaces lack enough incoming air to
burn fuel or vent exhausts efficiently. And in others,
turning on a bathroom fan or a range hood can cre-
ate enough negative pressure to pull exhaust gases
back down the chimney ( back–drafting) or suck
mold spores up from crawlspaces.
Fortunately, there’s help. The rise of resource-
efficient and environmentally responsible build-
ing— green building—has spawned a number
of excellent websites that address energy con-
servation, air quality and related issues. Among
my favorites are www.GreenBuildingAdvisor.com
(GBA), www.BuildingGreen.com, www.USGBC.
Air-sealing is a crucial first step before insulating. Here,
org (US Green Building Council), www.
polyurethane foam is used in the attic floor to seal gaps
BuildItGreen.org, and www.BuildingScience.
along the top plate of a partition. Penetrations for
plumbing pipes and electrical cables may be small but they
com. The last site is the home of Joe Lstiburek,
can add up to big heat loss.
whose Builder’s Guide series on climate-specific
building is unrivalled. The JLC Guide to Energy
384
How Heat Moves
zzzzzz How Air Moves through a House
Kitchens and bath fans
Heat is transferred in three ways: radiation, conduc-
Ridge vent
expel air and create
negative pressure in the
tion, or convection. Radiation is the movement of heat
house, which draws cold
air in.
through space, in the form of infrared waves; heat and
light waves radiate in all directions from a central source,
Ceiling
light cans
such as the sun or a hot stove. Conduction is the passing
Soffit vent
of energy from particle to particle, usually between
Trap door
objects touching each other, as when a stovetop burner
touches a tea kettle. Convection is the transfer of heat or
cold by the movement of air, with warmer air rising and
cooler air descending.
Windows:
Gaps around
Heat transfer in houses is usually a combination of all
big heat
chimney and
three mechanisms. For example, sunlight radiates into a
losers
pipes
room and heats a dark tile floor. A cat lying on the floor
receives radiant heat from the sun and conductive heat
from the floor. And even in a room where the air seems
still, there will be convective
loops as warmed air rises
from warmed floors and heat vents, and falls near cold
windows. As likely, there will also be convective heat
Cold spots
loss—that is, air moving through walls can account for
behind
outlets
20% to 30% of the total heat loss of an insulated house.
Building materials conduct heat at different rates. The
more resistant a material is to heat transference by con-
duction, the higher its resistivity value, or R-value. In gen-
Sill and
Crawlspaces are
eral, the less dense the material, the better insulator it is
rim
a source of cool,
joists
damp air.
and the higher its R-value. And the denser the material,
leak air.
the better it conducts heat or cold and the poorer it is as
an insulator. Thus, masonry materials tend to be poor
insulators, while fluffy cellulose fibers are excellent.
Glass, being very dense, is an excellent conductor but a
poor insulator, so enormous sums have been spent to cre-
By insulating living spaces, you create a boundary—a thermal
ate triple-pane windows with respectable R-values.
envelope—between inside and outside air. Leaky walls and windows
are obvious energy losers, but so are holes and gaps inside the
Recently, heat loss through wood framing— thermal bridg-
envelope, which al ow warm air to flow into unheated attics, creating
ing—has received a lot of attention and is generally reme-
negative pressure in living areas that draws in cold replacement air.
died by covering framing with rigid insulation panels.
It’s important to note that insulation is a thermal bar-
rier—it resists the transfer of heat—because of trapped
Efficiency (Hanley Wood, 2011) is very helpful.
air pockets within it. Most insulation* does not stop
Lastly, Martin Holladay’s GBA blogs are often
airflow, however, and if air flows through insulation, its
witty and always well informed.
R-values plummet. (Air leaks can also carry a tremendous
A Nine-Step Energy Retrofit
amount of moisture into wall cavities.) Thus, to be an
effective thermal barrier, most insulation must be used
In the last decade or two, the importance of sav-
with an air barrier that is continuous and contiguous.
ing energy has hit home. For many homeowners,
Exterior air barriers are usually assemblies of sheathing,
however, this awareness has come with a price: