Our house has two full bathrooms, which is pretty incredible given the geriatric status of our 105 year-old abode. Each bath is equipped with one cast-iron clawfoot bathtub...sans shower. However, we do have a limestone-walled basement shower...my mom told me that people pay big money for large, stone-walled, spa-like showers.
During initial tours and final walkthroughs of our home, I said there is no way I'd ever shower in the basement. Never say never. I ate my words the first morning in the house after attempting to wash the moving-in day grime off by taking a bath upstairs the night before. The tub wouldn't stop draining and required serious ingenuity...a plastic dixie cup placed upside down over the drain (thank you, one semester of engineering) to complete the bathing task.
We came downstairs the next morning to recenty-showered parents who informed us that they used the basement shower and it wasn't bad at all. I ran back upstairs, grabbed my towel and headed for the basement. It was actually quite fine...and you could watch for leaks in the plumbing throughout the entire basement while you showered. Multi-tasking at it's best. The shower was built into the space where the old cistern was taken out in 1949 (the date was recorded in new cement) and a 2-inch tall cement boundary to corral the water to the floor drain was added in 1957 (also inscribed). Using galvanized wire, c-hooks and a plastic, mildew-resistant shower curtain and hooks, I added a bit more privacy.
Since this picture was taken, Chris painted the entire shower area and floor joists above the shower with bright-white specialized paint containing moldicide and mildicide. The shower chair did not come with the house. It was a thoughtful gift from Chris' mom because she was concerned he would hit his head on the floor joists...which he did a few times.
I was talking with my family at our Thanksgiving party and gleaning lots of great ideas for house improvements and tricks of their trades. My Uncle Carl asked "Wait, you (Keri) really shower down there?" to which I emphatically nodded yes. He was totally impressed..I beamed with pride. Whether you are horrified (common reaction observed) or impressed, we love this house and do what we have to until we can afford to redo/fix things how we want them to be. And...have great stories because of it.
