When we moved into our new house, one of the very first things we did was fit a shower in the main bathroom because somehow, there wasn’t actually a shower in there at all and that was a non-negotiable for us. 🚿
At the time, we decided to save a bit of money and cut a corner by using a shower curtain instead of fitting a proper shower door straight away. It felt like one of those “that’ll do for now” jobs while we focused on everything else that comes with moving into a house that needs updating.
Fast forward to this morning though, and the shower curtain pole has completely fallen down. 😁
Quite spectacularly too – I thought there was an explosion in the bathroom as the pole took down a stack of bottles from the windowsill at the same time.
So this weekend, we’ll finally be fitting a proper shower door instead, which got me thinking about how much difference something as simple as a shower door can actually make to a bathroom.
A good shower door isn’t just about stopping water ending up all over the floor, although that’s obviously a bonus. It can completely change how the room feels, making it look brighter, cleaner and much more finished overall. In smaller bathrooms especially, clear glass doors can make the whole space feel more open because they don’t visually cut the room in half in the same way a shower curtain does.
I think one of the reasons we originally went for the curtain was because I assumed fitting a shower door would be one of those complicated “definitely need a professional” jobs. But the more I’ve looked into it, the more I’ve realised that for many bathrooms it’s actually a realistic DIY project if you’re comfortable with careful measuring and taking your time.
Obviously one of the biggest advantages of doing it yourself is the money you can save on installation costs, especially when moving house already seems to involve spending money every five minutes. But it’s not just about saving money. Doing it yourself also means you can take your time over all the little details that make a difference to how the bathroom actually works day to day.
Things like:
- which way the door opens
- whether there’s enough space around the sink or toilet
- where the handles sit
- and how the seals line up
all make much more difference than you’d think once you’re using the room every day.
I also like the idea of being able to work on our own timeline rather than waiting around for tradespeople to fit us in. Bathroom jobs have a habit of dragging on for weeks because you’re constantly waiting for someone to come and do the next bit, so being able to measure one evening and fit the door over a weekend is definitely appealing.
From what I’ve read, preparation is the biggest thing with this kind of project. Shower doors don’t leave much room for error because if things aren’t level or measured properly then you’ll usually notice pretty quickly once water starts escaping where it shouldn’t.
That’s why so many people recommend spending more time measuring and planning than actually fitting the door itself. If you like to see exactly how things work before starting a project, then resources like DIY guides for shower enclosure projects can be really useful because they break everything down step by step before you start drilling into tiles.
Another thing I’ve realised is that shower doors are usually much easier to keep clean than shower curtains. Curtains seem to end up looking grubby really quickly no matter how often you wash them, whereas a glass shower door just needs a quick wipe down every now and then to keep it looking nice.
There’s also the practical side of things. A properly fitted shower door can help stop water escaping onto the floor, improve airflow around the shower area and generally make the whole space feel more polished. Compared to a curtain that bunches up, sticks to you while you’re showering and occasionally collapses completely like ours did this morning, it definitely feels like a better long-term solution.
I also think shower doors make a bathroom feel much more intentional, even if the rest of the room is still a work in progress like ours is at the moment. We’re slowly making our way through decorating and updating things in the new house, and this feels like one of those smaller jobs that will make a surprisingly big difference without needing a full renovation.
Of course, there are situations where getting a professional in probably makes more sense. If your walls are uneven, your tiles are expensive or you’re dealing with custom glass, then paying someone experienced to fit it is probably worth it. But for a fairly standard bathroom setup, it actually seems much more manageable than I originally thought.
So this weekend’s plan is fitting a shower door instead of repeatedly picking a shower curtain pole up off the floor. Honestly, I’m starting to think we should have just done it properly in the first place. 😄
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