Inspiration

During a Brauer reunion in Southern Illinos at the end of August 2021, a relative staying at Mom's house tried to adjust the rain-head showerhead, and it broke off (not entirely her fault; it was piece of cheap plastic). I told Mom it needed some deep fixing, since the plastic pipe was broken off behind the shower. She said, Why not just redo the whole shower?

I did the demolition for her. In mid-September, I took out her fiberglass tub and shower, and then I backed away. A local handyman took it from there, putting in a walk-in shower with custom tile. He got it done shortly before Thanksgiving. Parts of it were inspired by my Uncle Rich's DIY shower at his house by Lake Petersburg. I saw Mom's shower, and went home thinking (a) it looked pretty good, and (b) I could do better.

Demo'ing Mom's downstairs bathroom, September 2021

In early October, for our master bath I had put in a dedicated water heater (more on that later), as a prelude to my own upgrade project.

When Grace and I stayed over at my sister's house during the holidays, I took a look at their bathroom they had done themselves. I loved the Roman-style textured, light-colored tile, and decided to use something similar. I also liked the bench, the wide grout spacing, and the use of large tiles.
Jim and Megan's bathroom

I eventually found a travertine-style tile at Home Depot, "Travisano Trevi". That pattern guided me to further Roman-themed design choices expressing a simple, uncluttered, calm atmosphere. Travisano Trevi came in six-inch and twelve-inch sizes.