Sarah Baeumler Wasn't Thrilled With This Battle On The Beach Showerhead Placement Mistake

When renovating a bathroom, fixture placement is a big deal. You want every item to serve a purpose or elevate the interior's appearance. For example, during one of HGTV's "Battle On The Beach" episodes, a bathroom remodel resulted in a rain shower and handheld showerhead situated next to each other. Judge Sarah Baeumler wasn't too happy to see the setup. The two showerheads didn't allow any room for a second bather, which defeats the purpose of a second handheld. It was a good example of why you should carefully plan a shower renovation to prevent mistakes.

Homeowners don't often have a say in how they want the inside of their home to look when they move into a pre-owned house. However, that's where renovating comes into play. You can knock down a whole bathroom and start from scratch, and if you do, think about fixture placement. Try creating a design layout beforehand to visually see where items will go. Larger appliances like sinks, toilets, and counters are more challenging to move around than minor things like showerheads, towel racks, toilet paper holders, etc., but they should still be considered. Luckily, small fixtures are easy to move around. Here's where Barumler recommends placing a handheld showerhead.

During the "Main Suite Face-Off" episode, Alison Victoria's team, with Corey and Paige, renovated a vacation's home main bedroom and bathroom. They transformed the mundane bathroom into a luxurious open space. The old interior had a small walk-in shower with a walk-in closet next to it, which they knocked down and opened up, enabling them to install a soaking tub and two showerheads in its place.

While the spacious area is large enough for two, it makes things awkward with both showerheads placed on the same wall. Judge Sarah Baeumler claims, "We have one rain head and a handheld, but do you feel like you're missing something? I do, because it can't be a two-person shower." Moving the handheld shower to the center of the main wall allows easy access for a second bather instead of waiting in the cold while the other person rinses. While the rain head is attached to the ceiling, placing the handheld showerhead in the center allows the bathers to have their personal space if needed.

On the other hand, if the handheld shower head gets moved, it would be ideal for an extra shower niche to be installed to make shower products more accessible. The bather wouldn't have to invade the other person's space to get some shampoo.

To avoid making similar mistakes to Corey and Paige, consider different ways to renovate your bathroom to accommodate any number of people. For example, if you have a smaller space to work with, you might opt for a walk-in shower with one showerhead, a toilet, and a sink. However, if you have kids, install a shower with a tub and a handheld showerhead instead of a walk-in shower to make bath time easier. When thinking about storage, you can make the most out of small spaces, such as using the area under the sink or installing an over-the-toilet storage unit.

On the other hand, you have more wiggle room in a more expansive bathroom. For example, you can install a soaking tub and walk-in shower like Corey and Paige did for the vacation home. Or, if you want more vanity space, installing a shower with a tub to create more room for a double vanity might be a better choice. However, having a larger bathroom makes installing fixture placements complex, since you'll need to make sure you can use each of them comfortably while also keeping aesthetics in mind.