A first-floor bathroom in Needham, Massachusetts.

It used to be a tub. When it became a walk-in shower, the entrance was deliberately lowered — that wasn’t an afterthought, it was written into the scope of work: so that nobody has to step over anything later.

Opening the wall exposed water-damaged studs and subfloor, replaced before anything went back. Part of the header over the shower entry was cut back to open it up, while the crown molding above was kept intact.

In this video:

• The four steps that come before tile — pan liner, sloped mud bed, cement board, full waterproofing

• A linear drain along the back wall, so the whole floor slopes one way

• 30×60 cm wall tile held flush with leveling clips

• A niche positioned before the first tile went on, in the same tile as the walls

• A medicine cabinet recessed into the wall, keeping that wall flat

Materials: 30×60 cm white gloss wall tile (EMILGROUP, Italy), hex mosaic shower floor, dark grey large-format floor tile, USG DUROCK cement board with EdgeGuard, linear drain, chrome fittings, sliding glass door, white vanity with a marble-look top.

On a first floor, a low curb is worth more than a pretty one.

Sun Shore Construction — licensed and insured, serving Greater Boston.

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