Keeping Our Piggy Toes Toasty (Installing Heated Floors)

As our bathroom reno continues, I am excited to have hit this milestone.  I am a huge advocate of heated floors in bathrooms.  Not only are they luxurious, but they are also a nice selling feature.

People always assume they're very costly but if you're already renovating, they're really not.  We chose electric heated floors over hot water, mainly because Corey works in electrical.  For only $350 (The cost of our kit with an upgraded touch-screen thermostat) we have now added some real Wow-Factor to our washroom and it was actually fairly easy to do... For Corey.  I realize that we don't all have a Corey at home.  Still, I think the instructions were pretty straightforward.

Since our walls were already open, it was easy for Corey to add a box for our new thermostat.

And the rest of this post is going to involve some guessing on my part.  I don't understand some of these pictures and this is what happens when Corey takes pictures of his work while I'm not around.  I have absolutely no idea what is happening in these next three photos, although I can see that there are subtle differences between them.

My father would be so disappointed if he knew I'd forgotten all the electrical stuff he taught me when I was little but, here we are.  I know nothing about this stuff, so I'm going to make up a good story to go along with the pictures.  Enjoy and try not to cringe too much if you happen to have actual electrical knowledge.

Here is the wire which forms some sort of resistor and heats up to warm the floor above.  You lay this directly on your subfloor and then cover it with a conductive material like mortar and porcelain tile.

Here is Corey testing the current resistance to ensure everything is working properly before he lays the wire.

I can only assume he's either recording his readings or calculating how far apart the wires should be for maximum floor coverage.

Now he's laying down these metal strips with slightly raised hooks.  They sort of look like the metal fastener on an old-school tensor bandage.

We skipped the areas under the tub, toilet and sink, which actually gave us a pretty manageable surface area.

Then Corey ran the wires.

... And as wrong as this sounds, the instructions actually say to secure them with hot glue until you use the mortar to affix them permanently.

Unfortunately, when we turned on the thermostat, it told us that we need to wait 28 days before activating the heating system  Story of my life.

How did I do, Corey?

This last section is going to be written by me, Corey.  For the most part Taylor did really well here, there were only two things I could clarify.  First of all, BRAVO!!! The statement about the wire heating up by resistance is correct!  As for the testing and recording, I have to test the wires out of the box, again once they're installed, and again once the tile is installed.  For warranty purposes you need to record all the readings at each step.

Great job Tay, overall I don't think you should be too disappointed in your electrical knowledge. ;)

Bathroom Design Trends for 2013

Spring is renovation season and with it looming around the corner, many home owners want to ensure that their choices on finish are current and appeal to a large demographic so that their renovation will add value when they decide to sell.  When clients ask me this, I remind them that unless we're discussing paint, it is rare to see a 100% return on a renovation.  Kitchens come closest to this and a nicely done bathroom is high on the list so I recommend spending money on these rooms first.  I also ask them to consider how long they intend to live in the home.  Unless you're selling within a year, it is most important that you choose finishes that work for you and your family.

When a client asks me for specifics regarding what buyers currently want, I look at my own experience and I turn to the multitude of blog articles on the subject.  I used Style at Home's article, Kitchen and Bathroom Trends of 2013 as a foundation here and selected my favourite trends and the trends I feel are most likely to last.  Most of the trends I highlight here follow a spa theme, which I believe is an overall trend which is here to stay.  With our hectic, work focused lives, who doesn't want a place to unwind?  Please thank me in advance, as I did not include the Japanese Talking Toilet in my list of top trends.  Let's hope I am right.


1.  Heated Floors are here to stay!  They feel luxurious in bathrooms and kitchens and also save energy by allowing us to reduce costs associated with heating.

2.  Brass Faucets like this one from Overstock.com are a beautiful way to do something a little bit different.  They feel warm and luxurious in an otherwise stark bathroom.  I also happen to like satin nickel.

3.  This Free Standing Tub by Acritec is simple and beautiful.  Most buyers would love it.  For me, it wouldn't be functional since I prefer showers and only use the tub to wash the dog.

4.  Nothing feels more spa-like than a warm towel after a shower.  This Electric Towel Warmer has the added trend bonus of also having a brass finish.

5.  Towels in exotic prints like these Indian Printed Towels (left) featured on The Beautiful Life or these Moroccan Printed Towels (right) featured in the LA Times are a great way to embrace a trend (which I personally think will be over in a year) without a large financial investment.

6.  Wood Accents were not specifically mentioned in the style at home article but they are always at home in a spa.  This Wood Framed Mirror from CB2 is a lovely nod to the theme.

7.  This Spacious Shower featured on HGTV is beautiful.  Many large showers also include a variety of different shower heads at different angles, a bench and even a steam shower option.

I searched the web for some beautiful bathrooms which implemented many of these trends.  The powder room, (left) featured in West Elm's Blog is an excellent reminder that patterns can look very sophisticated when used in dark or monochromatic rooms.  The spa-like bathroom (above) featured on Design emo is one of many featured in a 2011 article and shows a freestanding tub, wood accents and am overall spa feel.  The sleek bronze faucet (right) was featured on Remodelista as part of an article featuring several brass-tone faucets.

Personally, I prefer the heated floors and large showers!  Which is your favourite trend?