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 In response to Erik's bathroom design challenge (below), I'd like to offer this bathroom that was remodeled by Kristina and David in the Glassell Park area of Los Angeles.
I'd been out to the house recently to see their new kitchen, which will be appearing soon in my Pardon Our Dust series in the newspaper. While I was there, they showed me this bathroom, and the "before" photos. It's amazingly similar in style and layout to Erik's bathroom.
The main issue I'm focusing on here is the shower, which was previously little more than a boring box in the wall. Because there was water damage, Kristina and David were motivated to make more radical changes than one normally would in an already functional space.
To add interest to the shower (besides redoing it and making it waterproof), they added an arch over the top to match other arches in the 1941 house. This raising of the doorway into the shower makes it so much brighter in there, and thus makes the whole showering experience more enjoyable.
Plus, they had that great door custom-made for about $500. In Erik's bathroom, I think such a door would add a touch of class, and allow him to get rid of the white shower curtain (echoing a thought by reader "tarbubble"). Also, the tile the couple added was complimentary to the original yellow and blue tile you can see on the vanity and walls, but they didn't even try to replicate it, which I think was wise.
And finally, see how the light-colored walls really help the original tile pop? I think that Erik's bathroom would benefit from lighter walls.
This bathroom update, which included a whole new sub floor and floor tiles, cost about $5,000.
How do you think Kristina and David did with their bathroom update?
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 Let's put on our design caps and see if we can help Erik, a reader with an old tiled bathroom he'd like to update. He writes:
"I've got a Monterey Spanish house in the Hollywood Hills, where there is no master bath, and the main bathroom for the bedrooms is fairly large, and is tiled in what I think is original tile.
"There is a large tub and a separate stall shower. There is a sink with a cabinet built around it and a window on either side of the mirrored medicine cabinet.
I want to keep the original feel of the house, so would like to update it, but tastefully.
Granite or marble would be overdoing it, and I'm not really sure what else to consider."
Any advice for Erik?
Got a remodeling design challenge for us? Or want to show off a design challenge you successfully met? Email pictures and your tale to PODBlog@aol.com.
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 I've often suspected that the house I live in (built in the 1970s?) was made from "found materials."
We have ceiling beams of different thicknesses, various kinds of siding and window sizes that make no sense other than that's what someone found cheap or free.
But what I'm happy the original builders found was a whole bunch of tongue-and-groove cedar boards, which they used liberally inside the house, including this bathroom, the home's main bathroom.
(A second bathroom was added about 20 years ago in the basement area, and it's an awful, cobbled-together mess. More on that later. Much later.)
This bathroom is a bare 5 1/2 feet wide and 6 1/2 feet deep. Unless something major happens in that downstairs bathroom, this will be the size of my bathroom for many long years to come, maybe through the end of my days. There's just no way to make this bathroom bigger, as the bedrooms on either side of it are not large enough to borrow space from.
And so I think we'll adopt the "not-so-big-house" philosophy here and enjoy this modest space. For me, as long as I have a bathtub, I'm happy and healthy.
You can see the challenges:
1. Horrible stainless-steel mirror-light combination.
2. Bad, cheap tile on the wall.
3. Molded sink-countertop with peeling paint (yes, it's been painted), rust and mineral stains.
4. Cheap, style-free vanity.
5. Ten-dollar sink fixture that failed about five years ago.
6. Molded shower-tub surround topped with a cover that blocks most natural light.
7. Shower and bath fixtures have failed.
8. No natural air flow (high window is fixed glass) and the exhaust fan has failed. Unless you leave the door ajar during a bath, you will be frantic for oxygen in about three minutes.
9. Cheap vinyl floor that's worn and torn.
And, oh yeah, there's probably some water damage behind the shower surround on account of the broken fixtures. On the positive side, the toilet seems to be fine.
So, isn't this a dandy challenge? I've been ashamed of this bathroom for years and cringed when Bill invited people to come and stay. But now that we're fixing up the house, I'm happy to expose my misery.
What do you think? Any ideas that don't involve dynamite or a moving van?
See more of My Remodel
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 Question: My wife and I are getting ready to remodel our master bath. However it's small and our options are limited. We can get a better look and use out of a huge walk-in shower, but I'm fearful a bath/shower combo may be better for resale. Any expert thoughts out there would be appreciated.
Answer: From Los Angeles Realtor David Kean:
"A home’s master bath can be a major selling point or a deal breaker. If you create a space too specific to your taste, potential buyers will deduct the cost to re-do the room from the price they offer, if they make an offer at all.
"To qualify as a full bath, there must be a toilet, sink and tub. If there is only a shower and no tub, the bathroom is considered a three-quarters bath. Most buyers expect a bathtub in the master bath. While a walk-in shower tends to get the most use and is practical, you still need the tub for optimal resale.
"There are several ways to create a tub and shower combo that gives you the best of both worlds. By adding a glass shower enclosure to a large soaking tub, you will create the feeling of a walk-in shower while retaining the tub. Or you can build in the tub and use a tile or marble surround that encases the tub. This will tie it into the overall design of the bathroom and create a more custom look."
My Take: Even though I'm a bath devotee, I was rooting for you to get the huge shower. As I found out in a poll titled "Shower or Bath Most Important?," the votes were overwhelmingly in favor of the shower, versus the bath. While a hardy 56 voters stuck with me on the importance of the bath, 195 said showers reign supreme.
I think it depends on how long you will be in the house. Why deny yourself a huge walk-in shower if you'll be in the house for five to seven years or longer? If you're going to sell next summer, fine. But for years of use, gosh, get what you want. And maybe when you go to sell, it will be a seller's market (remember those good old days) and you'll get multiple offers no matter what you've done.
Or, consider these before-and-after photos of a bath remodel in Palm Springs. This is a sunken shower and bath combination. It looks like a very uncomfortable bath to me, but you still get to say there's a bathtub in the room and you also get a walk-in shower. Obviously, this would require more work than just placing a shower or bathtub at floor level, and may not even be possible.
Any other ideas for this guy?
See more Q&A • See more on SoCal baths
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 Question: What are the minimum dimensions for a half-bath that the city of Los Angeles will permit? In other words, how small a room can I convert to make a powder room and still get a permit?
— Kris in Highland Park
Answer: From licensed general contractor Alon Toker of Mega Builders:
The minimal dimensions of a powder room would be dictated by the elements that are in it.
The door needs to be 32 inches wide. The toilet must have a wall space of 30 inches minimum (15 inches to each side from center of drain). Then, 21 inches are needed in front of the toilet and in front of the sink.
Once all of these minimal requirements are met you will have your minimal room space. To meet these requirements and still keep the room size to a minimum, try a wall-mounted toilet (which is more expensive than a typical floor-mounted version) and/or a corner-mounted sink.
This said, I would advise you to revisit the notion of going to the absolute minimal size possible. Allow yourself a bit more space, if possible, so the bathroom has some visual "breathing room" as well as physical room. For example, 32 inches of wall space for the toilet, rather than the 30 inches required, would provide an adult with a more adequate amount of elbow room.
See more baths
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Photo courtesy of Kitchen and Bath Design News
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 Ever notice how designer toilets are so curvy and sensuous?
Not this toilet, by Toto, which is going in the opposite direction. It's big. It's solid. It's angular. It's a man's toilet.
This toilet was included in a "gentleman's retreat" bathroom, designed by Christy Schneider of Mariposa Design Group in Dana Point, and featured on the Kitchen + Bath Business website.
The masculine room also includes marble and brick walls, a marble floor, a great big shower (of course) and (perhaps surprisingly) a great big hydrotherapy whirlpool tub.
See the gentleman's retreat here.
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 The good news is that I have a perfect example of a bathroom that breaks some of the basic rules of green building.
The bad news is, the bathroom is in my house.
Ideally, to cut back on energy use, a bathroom should have natural light and natural ventilation. This bathroom has neither.
Despite the fact that this house is in coastal California where the air is gentle and sweet. Despite the fact that this room has an outside wall and no second story above to preclude an operable window or skylight for ventilation.
Despite all these wonderful attributes, when you enter this bathroom, even in the middle of the day, you must turn on the light and you must turn on the fan. No fossil fuels burning, no light, no air. That is preposterous.
Green building is not about tofu and sprouts. It's about channeling the power of nature -- as in sunlight, wind, air -- to benefit us in our homes, and it's about not blocking that power. This room blocks that power and insists that you artificially replace it.
So, we are now at the point of redoing this bathroom. While the original builders had a good idea by installing the clerestory window above the shower area, to allow in light if not air, that benefit was later blocked by the wooden trim over the shower.
I will keep you posted as we tear out that offending structure and attempt to bring natural light and air back into this room. These green improvements are 30 years late, but, I believe, not too late.
 Have you ever wondered how an accessible bathroom could look less like a nursing home and more like a tropical retreat? Check out this missive I received from Debra B. in Carlsbad:
A leaking shower pan became the impetus for a long-postponed bathroom remodel.
The dark, narrow, corridor-like master bathroom (pictured below) in my 1950s California tract home had been in desperate need of a makeover since the day I moved in but had been repeatedly overlooked in favor of other work.
In addition to updated fixtures, I knew that my master-bath remodel plans must include handicap accessibility.
With two total hip replacements behind me, I needed a bathroom that could accommodate surgery aftercare as well as any future mobility constraints.
 However, the last thing I wanted was a bathroom that resembled a nursing home. I had a specific vision for my bathroom and it did not include aluminum rails and plastic benches. I wanted a bathroom that would remind me of a waterfall grotto in Hawaii — sunlight streaming down onto black lava rocks and tea-green waters.
My mission was to merge my vision with medical practicality. The result is a harmonious blending of tranquil beauty and function. The style could be described as Zen-like — minimalist with accents from nature.
The bathroom gets rave reviews from everyone who sees it, especially fellow weekend warriors with knee and hip pain who see the beauty of being able to sit down in the shower.
What do you think of Debra's new bathroom?
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 Here's one of the latest creations posted on Ikea Hacker blog, where clever people find ways to create cool environments on a budget and mostly with Ikea products.
The coolest thing in this $1,400 bathroom, from my perspective, is the simple wall-mounted sink set into a wooden shelf with a hole cut in it.
This Hollviken sink costs about 80 bucks, and wall-hung sinks start at about $70 at Home Depot. And the Stolmen shelf is nothing special at about $10 to $15. Put them together, though, and you've got a hip, upscale design.
The Duravit toilet is pretty cool, also, and homeowner Matt says he got it from Home Depot for $350.
All materials cost $1,400, plus the labor of the homeowner. Not too bad, especially if you can't get a home equity loan on account of the current mortgage loan meltdown and you need to save up the money for your remodel. At this price, such a goal seems possible.
As a commenter on the Ikea Hacker site warned, the Effektiv storage unit is not meant for moist areas, and so the particleboard should be well sealed.
What do you think of this bathroom redo?
See more pictures of this bathroom
 We're pretty stuck in our ways in this country when it comes to bathroom fixtures. Despite decades of marketing efforts by fixture manufactures, it still comes down to: Toilet? Yes. Bidet? No. Urinal? No.
Of course there are exceptions, but for the most part we accept the standard toilet and reject the rest. As an unenlightened female, I don't appreciate the allure of a home urinal. Apparently, though, such a fixture is a common male fantasy. So why should it not become reality?
L.A. Times columnist Joel Stein weighs the pros and cons of a home urinal in his essay titled: The impossible dream: Every home needs a urinal — doesn't it?
When he decided to put a urinal in his new bathroom, Stein writes, "My contractor, obviously, thought this was the best idea anyone had ever come up with, and immediately went shopping with me for a classy, retro porcelain model, the kind you can saunter up to in a tux and slap a highball on. But then my neighbor, Holly Purcell, a very successful real estate broker, informed me that I absolutely could not install a urinal of any kind if I ever hoped to resell my house. Noting my confusion, she slowly explained that urinals, to my shock, gross women out."
Agreeing with Stein, however, is Uncrate, which bills itself as a Web magazine for guys who love stuff. "We're men," Uncrate declares, "we're made to pee standing up. Install a home urinal and never again lift a toilet seat (or remember to put it back down, if you have a woman)."
Among Uncrate's favorite urinals is Kohler's Bardon Touchless with motion sensor, which lists for more than $1,000. Other home urinals are less than half or a quarter of that. You can find 29 urinals at Every Faucet, including a kid's model for stand-up potty training.
What do you think?
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In response to Erik's bathroom design challenge (below), I'd like to offer this bathroom that was remodeled by Kristina and David in the Glassell Park area of Los Angeles. 
