Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

CTyankee

(63,926 posts)
Sun Feb 5, 2012, 06:02 PM Feb 2012

hand held shower devices

Are they generally popular in this country? Do they add or subtract from the value of the house?
or does it not really matter? I know nice bathrooms are a big selling point.

I recently had to get one for our bathroom because my husband has mobility problems due to nerve damage in his leg. We're in for a long haul.

We also have installed 2 more grab rails. The bathroom is well kept, very clean and shiny and everything looks good. Was just wondering if the hand held shower (which attaches to one of the grab bars so he can access it from the shower transfer bench he sits at when he showers) is a downer when we go to sell the house...

11 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)
2. Are they not fairly easily removeable????
Sun Feb 5, 2012, 06:44 PM
Feb 2012

As I understand it, they just hook onto the showerhead outlet.
Seems one could put a new showerhead in if needs be at selling time?

CTyankee

(63,926 posts)
3. Yes, this one does but I didn't install it and wouldn't know how to de-install it...
Sun Feb 5, 2012, 08:04 PM
Feb 2012

does this tell me that you wouldn't want one in a house you were buying?

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)
4. oh, to answer your question:
Sun Feb 5, 2012, 08:20 PM
Feb 2012

It would depend on the actual shower, to be honest.
We have a very small shower in the older part of the house and there would not be room to comfortably use a hand held shower head,
but
we have a larger bathroom with an old fashioned claw foot tub that I am thinking of turning into a shower and I could use a hand held in there, it would be easier in many ways, and I could bathe the dog, which would make one handy.

Mr. Dixie, who cannot stand easily on both feet, would prefer to NOT have a hand held unless, like you said, there was a bench in the shower.

So it depends on a lot of factors.

CTyankee

(63,926 posts)
5. I think it sounds like there are variables of opinion here. I do not have a "high end" house.
Sun Feb 5, 2012, 08:35 PM
Feb 2012

It's 3 bedroom (the 3rd being used by an office by us cuz it's so small) and 1 1/2 baths. A good starter house or, for us, an "ender" house since our kids were grown and gone. As such, I think a hand held shower head might be a plus, esp. for young couples with a baby. A hand held shower would be nice for the kid!

It is also helpful for cleaning the shower, I have found. For women, that is a great advantage...

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)
6. Agreed on the cleaning part.
Sun Feb 5, 2012, 08:59 PM
Feb 2012

Some showers have both, a nice feature. If I had one in the tiny shower, I could bathe the dog, sorta. The shower is too small for him and me to fit in it ( he is huge) but now that you mention it, a hand held would work.
Hmmmmmm.

I honestly do not think it would be a big deal in selling. Switching out hand helds to shower heads is very easy for most folks to do.

CTyankee

(63,926 posts)
7. I have kinda come to that conclusion. At first, I was unhappy about the change but when I look
Sun Feb 5, 2012, 09:05 PM
Feb 2012

at it, I can see it looks kind of artful and nice, esp. since I have "bathfitter" space-age acrylic covering on my shower walls and tub (the best investment I have ever made....I literally never have to scrub tile!). So my bathroom always looks clean and very nice.

I am convinced that a clean pretty bathroom is a BIG part of the sale, esp. for women!

Warpy

(111,470 posts)
8. Hand held showers are great and if there isn't one already in a place
Sun Feb 5, 2012, 09:58 PM
Feb 2012

it will be one of the first things I install. Not only does it allow you to direct the shower at what needs one the most, it also makes cleaning out the tub and stall much easier because you can just hose it down after you've soaped it and scrubbed it.

They're an absolute must for anyone with mobility problems.

They don't affect the purchase price of a house because they can be put on any shower, the connections (at least in the US) are universal.

northoftheborder

(7,575 posts)
9. Just sold my home, which had needed a lot of general repair and replacement of various things.....
Mon Feb 6, 2012, 12:37 PM
Feb 2012

.....one of them being my handheld shower heads. The terrfic repair man didn't even ask me...they were just gone, replaced, including anything "brass" in the house (apparently totally out of style, what do I know). Also my beautiful cranberry kitchen walls had to be reduced to their previous whiteness (red walls out of favor, what do I know?) Realtor agreed, so I just took their advice. Got top price, so I'm not complaining.

Hassin Bin Sober

(26,366 posts)
10. I'm not sure if you are saying the hand-held is in addition to a regular shower head or ....
Mon Feb 6, 2012, 07:24 PM
Feb 2012

........in place of a regular head.

Either way, I think they are a plus. If you hav ONLY a hand held, you can always install another hook up high to make it a regular shower. I've seen some units that have a sliding adjustable pole for variable use.


We installed one at waist height in our new shower to give the dog baths. We have a regular head and rain head so we only installed the hand unit for the dog. An added bonus is it works great for cleaning the shower too.

We are going to be building out our neighbor's shower installing two regular his and hers heads and a hand held to be used as a mini shower for their now 2 year old when he gets a little older (and for their dog).

Here's ours. We kinda went all out because we did it ourselves. It was my plumbing opus:

CTyankee

(63,926 posts)
11. yeah, we're seniors so we'll be selling our house in the future (don't know exactly when) so
Mon Feb 6, 2012, 08:33 PM
Feb 2012

I am concerned about this stuff.

I actually like the look of the hand held shower head. Since the rest of the bathroom is extremely clean and actually shiny I think this won't be a big problem...

Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»DIY & Home Improvement»hand held shower devices