Frameless Shower Enclosures
Frameless shower enclosures from Dulles Glass and Mirror bring the ultimate in luxury to any bathroom and represent the next "it" thing in home design. Here is a quick analogy test for you: a plasma TV is to a living room, as a Viking range is to a kitchen, as what is to a bathroom? If you guessed frameless glass shower enclosures, you guessed right. Well, maybe it's not exactly the perfect analogy, but you get the point.
In case you're not convinced, just consider how much of your life passes in the bathroom. Between brushing, showering, bathing, shaving, applying your makeup, and well, the list goes on and on, the average person spends a substantial amount of time in the bathroom per week. Its no wonder the ancient Romans considered the bathroom one of the most important rooms in the house, and even more so why they were willing to invest in it to make a luxurious space. If you are going to spend that much time in that room, why not at least make it a pleasant experience?
Enter frameless glass enclosures. Never seen one? You've come to the right place. In the past, shower doors required metal frames around the edges to hold the glass in place. With such "framed enclosures" metal surrounded the entire glass door and left no exposed edges. Because these doors were constructed of thin, relatively inexpensive glass ranging from 1/8" to 3/16" in thickness, they required the metal frame to maintain their structural integrity. However, durability was limited and water and soap scum could easily deposit into the metal crevices, creating mildew and corrosion.
Frameless glass enclosures, as its name so ingeniously implies, eliminate the need for such metal framing. These enclosures are made from tempered safety glass ranging from 3/8" to 1/2" thick, making the door sturdy and structurally sound independent of any metal framing. Maximizing the use of glass and minimizing the use of metal creates a more open and inviting look by adding light to the bathroom. But beyond just opening up a tight space, these enclosures also add style to a room that has all too often been overlooked.
And depending on your budget and starting point of your bathroom's design, the options are limitless. These glass showers can be used for both standalone showers as well as for bathtubs. You can get anything from an In-line shower door covering one side of the shower to four glass panels surrounding the entire shower or bathtub. You can get neo-angled panels, which fit in a corner and have three sides of glass, the middle panel being the shower door. You can get clear glass, tinted glass, etched glass, reflective glass, or glass embedded with designs. And that's just the beginning. With the enclosures as the anchor of the room, you unleash your artistic side on the rest of the bathroom. Surround it with tile, marble, or granite for added depth and luxury. Tack on a stylish metal door handle and towel bar to create the illusion of structures floating in mid-air. In short, you can let your creativity run wild and design the perfect space for your lifestyle.
If you are concerned about costs, you can take a deep sigh of relief: you don't have to break the bank. While the initial cost may be greater, frameless glass doors work out to be less expensive than framed enclosures in the long run. For starters, they are more durable than framed enclosures and can easily be cleaned to "like new" condition. Thus, they hold their look and value for years. Moreover, whether you plan to sell your home in the near future or years down the line, you can likely expect an increase in its resale value, courtesy of the frameless glass enclosures.
Bathroom upgrades offer one of the greatest returns of investment on your home. According to Remodeling Magazine's 2002 Cost vs. Value Report, the national average rate of return is 88 percent. Translated, that means that if you spend $10,000 to update your bathroom, you can recoup on average $8,800 when you sell your house. Not every room in the house offers such a return. Remodel your kitchen and you can only expect about a 60 percent return.
With this handy little piece of information, the cost seems marginal compared to the benefit which probably goes to explain the recent surge in popularity. As these enclosures have increasingly been recognized as the sleek, innovative trend in home design, famous renowned architects have begun incorporating them into their projects. And homeowners have not lagged too far behind. Dulles Glass and Mirror reports that whereas five years ago there would only be approximately one request or so per week for these enclosures, today the demand has exponentially multiplied and more than twenty requests are received each day. Apparently, people are catching on to this little secret.
So why not turn your outdated wash room into a deliciously luxurious space where you can pamper yourself? It does not take much to turn your bathroom into a space where you will actually want to spend more time; a space where you can retreat into a haven of relaxation and blissful solitude; and a space from which you can emerge soothed, refreshed, and energized. Sound better than your moldy, not-so-fabulous shower curtain that is hiding some not-so-microscopic bacteria? You're probably right. It's time to upgrade. And when you are unwinding after a long day of work in your own private oasis that will put any spa to shame, you will grow to have a little respect for the ancient Romans.
We want you to shop with the confidence of knowing that Dulles Glass and Mirror offers a comprehensive and straight forward warranty on all glass shower doors sold and installed by our technicians for a period of two years. Please click here for more information.
In most cases we can install this type of enclosure in less than two weeks from the time of your approval. Call Dulles Glass and Mirror for your free, no obligation estimate today, or simply submit a request for Quote.
