Crown Heights Reno

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March 25, 2007

plumbing particulars

the fixtures

do you love your kitchen faucet?
this seems to be a hot topic...
and i can understand why
one of the things i ended up replacing in my last kitchen was the sink
i splurged and got a 3 basin stainless w/drainboard
it required an over sized goose neck faucet (to hit all 3 basins properly)
it wasn't installed properly
and no matter how many times it was fixed it always ended up leaking and wobbling
eventually i began to hate the whole thing...

what about your toilet?
honestly, this is not a place where i need to make a major design statement
there is actually one old toilet in the house that we will probably refurbish because its design is far more appealing to me than any modern interpretations that i have seen
(no pic yet because it's in a little dirty alcove and there is no way i could make it look even remotely appealing)
but if you have a great recommendation, i'd love to hear it

shower heads!!!
big issue: looking for major pummeling power
question:
do you sacrifice power with a rain head?

tub
we will be putting a tub in the guest bathroom which is 6' wide, the tub will sit width wise in front of a window.
(as we have windows in both upstairs bathrooms we are considering selling the viewing rights to help finance the renovation)
we are deliberating between 3 scenarios:
1. free standing claw foot (much like the b's)
2. free standing contemporary
3. built in tub
i guess what i am curious about here is anyone's experience with restoring old tubs...

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Comments

we got two toilets, one american standard and one eljer. Hate hate HATE the american standard; love love LOVE the Eljer.

Posted by: Anonymous at March 25, 2007 6:47 PM

Rain showers require a sacrifice in power from a regular shower so if you want a pummeling, its not for you.

The way we are going to "resolve" this by having a rain shower and also a handheld sprayer so that we can switch from the softer pelting of the rain to a full blast from the handheld.

If you want get really crazy you can have a regular shower head and a rainshower from the ceiling.

Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at March 26, 2007 8:33 AM

We have a Toto toilet and several American Standards. I strongly recommend the Toto -- uses less water, much cooler design.

Posted by: Anonymous at March 26, 2007 4:41 PM

I second Toto toilets. Good looking, and you can store your plunger in the basement. I would stay away from American Standard.

Posted by: Anonymous at March 27, 2007 8:56 AM

"The way we are going to "resolve" this by having a rain shower and also a handheld sprayer so that we can switch from the softer pelting of the rain to a full blast from the handheld.

If you want get really crazy you can have a regular shower head and a rainshower from the ceiling."

This is what I installed in my house (crazy on the ceiling like). The rain shower is like rain, the hand shower is for power. Works great. My wife, who was a rain shower skeptic, is now a convert.

For toilets, I went with Toto, and am very happy. I particularly like the Acquia, with its dual flush. They flush nice, look nice and fill quickly.

Kitchen faucets are pretty personal. One place you might try buying from for their good prices is hudsonreed.com. I haven't purchased fixtures from them, but their radiators are great for the money, and it seems other fixtures might be as well. I love my kitchen faucet, but I splurged and got a Dornbracht.

--an architect in Brooklyn

Posted by: Anonymous at March 27, 2007 10:07 AM

I vote for a dual flush toilet. Toto and Caroma are both highly recommended.

Posted by: Debre at March 27, 2007 11:58 AM

Everyone here seems to rave about the toto toilets but they don't look right to me unless you have a really modern bath (and maybe you are all for all I know).

Ive had a plain old cheapie from American Standard in my house for 8 years. Longer if I count the previous owners as well. Ive never had any clogging. Maybe our waste products are less voluminous than most but I don't know why the not clogging thing wins people over on the toto - I would think even the most basic toilet does the job of flushing.

Posted by: mrs.limestone at March 27, 2007 1:20 PM

Mrs. Limestone--your old American Standard toilet probably is great because it likely pre-dates the low water usage requirement that became law sometime in the late 90s, I think.

Regarding kitchen faucets, we have a Chicago Faucets model with the hinged faucet arm that you can extend or fold back. You can move easily over a large area, and it looks both industrial and older at the same time. Chicago Faucets overall are very good quality at a reasonable price--my plumber gives them a thumbs up.

Posted by: tinarina at March 28, 2007 10:28 AM