Build Bath & Shower

Ted Marules' new bathroom is neither subtle nor cheap. "We had visions of grandeur," he says of the $20,000 renovation to his Houston-area home. "We planned to have some wonderful moments in there." Marules and his wife sprung for all the frills: special- order Spanish tile , marble floors, gold faucets and the Texas- sized whirlpool bathtub . "We got some really nice, fancy stuff, and we spent the damned money for it," says the 53-year-old accident reconstruction expert . "Looks like a Roman whorehouse, but it's beautiful." The centerpiece of Marules' marble palace is the hourglass tub, a 10- jet Jacuzzi mounted like an acrylic altar at one end of the room. It set him back $1,897.70. In its promotional materials, Jacuzzi says the tub Marules bought , the Real model, "surrounds the bather in sumptuous curves for an exceptional bathing experience ." Through the Magic Touch controls and PowerPro jet system , it promises ...

Whirlpool bathtubs are a perennial favorite for new homes and remodeling projects alike . And while not particularly difficult to install, they do involve some procedures uniquely their own. While whirlpool tubs are available as a tub/shower combination, which comprise a fiberglass bathtub with a three- sided shower enclosure , you’ll find the biggest selection is in bathtubs by themselves. Most of the tubs are designed for platform mounting, meaning that they are open and unfinished on all four sides and are installed by placing them into a site- built wooden platform . Some types of tubs also have an optional finished front panel , allowing the tub to be mounted into a three-sided alcove like a conventional bathtub and have the finished panel facing into the room. Platform installation To install a platform- mounted whirlpool tub , you first need to construct the platform. There is no set way of doing this, as sizes, configurations and on-site conditions will vary widely. You’ll nee...

Spa-like details such as glass tile and soothing colors are a trend in home bathrooms, as in this one by interior designer Lori Graham . When it comes to the latest in bathrooms, spa- inspired spaces rule . Goodbye, fussy details. Hello, Zen oasis. “Turning your bathroom into something you might see at a luxury resort is really big right now,” says Shannon Kadwell, a designer for Anthony Wilder Design/Build in Cabin John. Spa-like details range from showers with multiple body sprays and rainfall “water tiles” to walls bedecked with dazzling glass tile . But the trend goes beyond finishes and fixtures. “In years prior, a bathroom was just a shower, a toilet, and a sink,” Kadwell says. “The modern bathroom is a multi-function room with separate areas.” Think distinct but connected spaces designated for cleaning, changing, relaxing, and even admiring the scenery. A house’s master suite, she says, has become a living space in which the bathroom and bedroom are connected via dressing are...

Arriving at the St. Moritz station , I was able to arrange for a pick-up from the hotel. Normally guests should request a pick up with their train arrival information by e-mail though for some reason, I had forgotten to do until the day before my train journey and by then the hotel did not seem to receive it in time. While there is a shuttle van to ferry passengers to and from the hotel, the driver picked me up in a Range Rover Evoque . It was a 15 minute drive to the neighouring town of Surlej where Nira Alpina is located at. Nira Alpina hotel exterior That is right, Nira Alpina is not exactly located in St. Moritz proper. Instead there are the neighbouring towns of Silvaplana and Surlej across the lake. In fact the hotel is a ski-in/ski-out property that is attached to the Corvatsch ski area . Guests could purchase ski passes that allows access to Corvatsch, Corviglia and Diavolezza and there is even a promotional price of CHF35 (~$38)for guests staying more than one night at recog...

August 14, 2017 No matter how well we clean, our homes are full of bacteria, germs, dirt, and all kinds of invisible particles. If there were an easy way to quantify just how many there are, even the most blasé among us would make a swift shift to full-on germaphobe mode. The germiest places in your kitchen, for instance, are objects and spots you should really clean regularly to stop harmful bacteria from flourishing. But how often do you wash out the vegetable drawer in your kitchen or sanitize the water dispenser? When was the last time you washed the knobs on your stove or washed out your knife block? A month ago? A year ago? Never? Oops. ")}; If you’re grossed out by all of the germs and bacteria that might be lurking in your kitchen, you should know there are plenty of other places for such organisms to hide in your home. And, like those random nooks and crannies in your kitchen, you probably aren’t regularly cleaning these germ hot spots . Ready to see the error of your wa...