Denver/Stapleton temperatures, as NOAA lists them
NOAA's engineering weather data names Denver/Stapleton as the nearest station to Boulder. It sits about 25 miles southeast of Boulder, at an elevation of 5,332 feet. For Denver/Stapleton, NOAA gives a 1% summer design temperature of 91°F, paired with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 60°F, and a 99% winter design temperature of 4°F. These are published figures for the Denver/Stapleton station, not readings taken in Boulder.
Where Boulder's drinking water comes from
A drinking-water fact, set apart from the rest of this page: Boulder draws its drinking water from several high-elevation sources, namely Barker Reservoir, North Boulder Creek, Carter Lake and Boulder Reservoir. Depending on the season, the water that reaches a given home may come from any one of them.
Everything below concerns the bathroom itself and the people you might hire to rebuild it.
Grievances first, finishes later
Tile samples are fun, but they make a poor starting point. For a few days, keep a running list of everything the current room does wrong. A typical list might read like this:
- The mirror fogs over and stays fogged after a shower.
- There is nowhere to set down a phone, a razor or a coffee cup.
- The door swings into the vanity or the toilet.
- The tub is awkward to climb into or hard to clean.
- The floor feels cold underfoot on winter mornings.
- The light over the sink throws shadows across your face.
- The toilet runs, or the faucet drips.
Each complaint becomes a line in the scope of work. A remodeler who sees this list can propose fixes for real problems, and you can check later whether the finished room solved them.
Keep, swap in place, or relocate
Go through the room fixture by fixture: toilet, sink, tub or shower, and any linen cabinet. For each one, decide whether it stays exactly as it is, gets replaced in the same spot, or moves. Swapping in place lets the existing drain and supply lines carry on. Relocating means new pipe runs. Ask the plumber how the drain would slope to reach the stack, how that path would be routed, whether the floor or the ceiling of the room below would have to be opened, and who patches it afterward.
Soaking, showering or both
Think about who bathes in this room and how. A household with small children may want a tub for years yet. Someone who only showers may prefer a larger walk-in stall. Questions to settle before the design is drawn:
- Will the shower have a curb, a low threshold or a level entry?
- Glass door, fixed panel or curtain?
- Is a bench, a hand shower on a slide bar or a recessed niche part of the plan?
- Where will the valve sit, so the water can be turned on without stepping into the spray?
The layers a shower wall is built from
What you see is tile or panel. Behind it sits a backer board or foam board, and with it a waterproofing layer, either a sheet membrane, a liquid coating or a board system with taped seams. Ask each bidder to name the waterproofing product, to show where it starts and stops, and to explain how corners, the valve opening and any niche will be sealed. Ask whether the shower floor will be plugged, filled with water and left to stand before tile goes down, and whether you can see that test or get a dated photo of it.
Floor surfaces near water
Wet tile can be slippery. When you choose floor tile, ask for its slip-resistance rating and compare it with others in the same showroom. Smaller tiles in a shower floor give more grout lines for grip. If you want a warm floor, ask about an electric mat under the tile, which circuit it would use and how its thermostat would be placed. Ask, too, how the new floor height will meet the hallway at the doorway, and whether the subfloor will be checked for soft spots once the old floor is up.
An exhaust fan that earns its switch
General advice for any bathroom: the fan matters less than where its air ends up. Ask where the duct will terminate, and look for an answer that names a cap on the roof or an exterior wall. Ask the airflow and the sound rating of the fan, how long the duct run is, and how many bends it makes. If the duct crosses an unheated attic, ask whether it will be insulated. A timer or humidity control keeps the fan running after the shower is off, so ask which one the plan includes.
Seeing your face at the mirror
A single fixture above the mirror lights the top of your head. Lights on each side of the mirror, or a lit mirror, light your face more evenly. Ask about the color of the light the bulbs give and whether a dimmer is possible for night use. Ask whether the fixture over the shower is rated for that location. For outlets, put a question to the electrician: what protection does the code the city applies call for on outlets near water?
Changes for later years, made while walls are open
Some choices are simple while the studs are bare and harder afterward. Ask each bidder to price these as separate lines so you can decide one at a time:
- solid blocking in the walls where grab bars might go someday;
- a wider doorway, or a pocket door that does not swing into the room;
- lever handles on faucets and the shower valve;
- a taller toilet;
- a hand shower that can be reached from a seated position.
What to ask a remodeler at the walkthrough
Ask these in person and request the answers in writing:
- What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Which city permits does this remodel call for, and who applies for them and schedules the inspections?
- Who will do the plumbing and the electrical work, and are they your employees or subcontractors?
- Can you send proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation before the start date?
- What does your written warranty cover, and for how long?
Questions about your own homeowner's policy during construction go to your insurer.
One packet for every bidder
Put your grievance list, a measured sketch of the room, a photo of each wall and the floor, and your fixture choices into one packet. Give the same packet to each remodeler. Ask them to price it in the same order, to name every product, and to list what the price leaves out. Ask how many days the bathroom will be unusable, and tie each payment to a stage of finished work rather than to a date.