A line of Beaumont history
According to the Handbook of Texas, the Spindletop oilfield was found on a salt dome south of Beaumont on January 10, 1901, and its discovery marked the birth of the modern petroleum industry.
Figures from the Beaumont/Port Arthur station
NOAA's engineering weather data lists Beaumont/Port Arthur, at an elevation of 23 feet and about 9 miles southeast of Beaumont, as the nearest station to the city. For that station, NOAA gives a 1% summer design temperature of 92°F with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 79°F, and a 99% winter design temperature of 32°F. In an average year at Beaumont/Port Arthur, NOAA counts about 2,879 hours when the wet-bulb temperature is above 73°F and about 4,361 hours when it is above 67°F. These are the station's published numbers.
Measure the room before you shop
The rest of this page is about the bathroom in your own house. Before you visit a showroom, take a tape measure to the room you have. Sketch it on paper and mark the length and width of the floor, the ceiling height, where the window and door sit, which way the door swings, and where the toilet, sink and tub or shower are now. Add the location of any access panel, the attic hatch above the room and anything in the wall you know about, such as a medicine cabinet set between studs.
With that sketch in hand, two things get easier. You can tell quickly whether a vanity or a tub you like will fit, and every remodeler who visits starts from the same drawing. Ask each one to mark on your sketch anything they would change.
Where the wet zone ends
Decide early how far water is allowed to travel. A tub with a curtain, a shower with a door and an open walk-in shower each throw spray differently, and that decides how much of the room needs a waterproof surface. Questions to settle with a bidder:
- Will the shower have a curb, a low threshold or no threshold at all?
- If the entry is open, how far does the floor slope extend past the glass, and where does the water go if it gets past?
- Is a bench, a niche or a hand shower part of the plan, and where will each sit?
- Should the floor outside the shower be tile, sheet vinyl or another surface that tolerates splashing?
What goes under the tile
Grout and tile are the face of a shower, not its defense. The protection is a membrane, a liquid-applied coating or a foam or cement board system whose seams are sealed. Ask a bidder to name the product and to explain how it handles the corners, the valve and the drain. Ask whether they will fill the shower pan with water and leave it for a period before any tile goes down, and whether you can see that flood test in person or in a dated photo. If you are keeping a tub, ask how the edge of the tub will be sealed to the wall system above it.
Moving damp air outside
Here is general advice for any bathroom. An exhaust fan is worth only as much as the path its air takes. Ask the remodeler where the duct will end, and look for an answer that names a cap on the roof or an outside wall, not the attic floor or a soffit vent. Ask what airflow the fan is rated for, what its sound rating is, and whether a humidity sensor or a timer will let it run on after the shower stops. If the duct crosses an attic, ask whether it will be insulated and how it will be sloped.
The vanity wall
A lot gets decided along the wall with the sink, in not much space. Think about drawer storage versus doors, the height of the counter, one sink or two, and whether the mirror is a plain glass panel or a recessed cabinet. Ask whether the plumbing in that wall will be updated while it is open, including new shutoff valves under the sink. If you want a wall-hung vanity, ask what blocking goes into the framing to carry it.
Wiring choices before the walls close
Electrical decisions are cheapest while the studs are bare. Go through these with the remodeler before rough-in:
- light on both sides of the mirror rather than one fixture above it;
- a fixture over the shower rated for that location;
- outlets where you use a hair dryer or a toothbrush charger, with a question to the electrician: what outlet protection does the code the city applies call for near water?
- a heated floor or towel warmer, each of which may need its own circuit;
- a night light or a dimmer for late trips.
Questions for each remodeler
Ask these out loud and ask for the answers in writing:
- What state license, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Which city permits does this remodel need, and who files for them?
- Who will do the plumbing and the electrical, and do they work for you or for another company?
- Can you send proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation before the job starts?
- What does your written warranty cover, and for how long?
A one-page scope for bidders
Put your plan on a single page and give the same page to everyone you ask for a price. Include:
- your sketch with measurements and the fixtures you want to move or keep;
- the tub or shower type and the waterproofing approach you prefer, if you have one;
- tile, panels or other wall finish, and the floor finish;
- the vanity, top, faucet, toilet and shower valve, by model if chosen;
- the fan and where its duct should end;
- lighting, outlets and any heated features;
- who handles permits, cleanup and disposal.
Ask each bidder to price the page in that same order, and to list anything they left out. Tie each payment to a stage of finished work, and ask how long the room will be out of use.