Small Bathrooms, Big Ideas

A leaky shower head this morning — drenching everything in our tiny bathroom but me — reaffirmed my long held wish for a real walk-in shower and not the kind that’s part of a tub. But we have very limited space (not to mention resources) so here are some examples to consider while I hire a plumber and start saving up.
Architect Jonathan Feldman is particularly adept at coaxing an airy functional elegance out of small bathing spaces. This shower occupies one end of the long narrow room. We don’t really need two shower heads but the idea of using the width of the space as a “shower room” is compelling. Another even more compact ensemble also appeals to me.

The deep window shelf, minimalist materials and fixtures, and natural light coming from two directions give this tiny bathroom a measure of serenity. On the other hand if one must have a bathtub then the Feldman approach seems right.

Again, he cleverly uses the width of the space; this time turning a tub into a liquid bay window (photos by Paul Dyer, courtesy Feldman Architects).
Architect Sarah Susanka used a novel window/mirror combination to make her narrow bathroom seem larger in her Not So Big Prototype 454-3 Plan.

The mirror and the window draw the eye to the end of the bathroom, blurring the edges of the space beside the steps up to the tub. Where there’s a little more space take a look at this example, with a platform tub and  shower, that’s in our Flexahouse Plan 445-3 by architect Nick Noyes.

Though the drawing is schematic you can see the orderly simplicity of the arrangement — there is no wasted space. Or look at a platform tub and shower design by Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects.

The skillful use of small mosaic tile to delineate the room-within-the-room make a fairly generous space feel even more open and bright and the skylight above the shower floods both the shower and the tub with light. This idea — of a wet corner — could easily be applied to smaller spaces.  And finally, because it’s summer and I am a fan of the outdoor shower here’s a particularly handsome example, also by the Turnbull firm:

Look closely or you might miss it — the shower is against the leafy wall in a private patio off the master bathroom. Now that’s a place where a plumbing leak could create a geyser and it would be just fine (photos courtesy TGH Architects).

Home Equity Loan

With credit card interest rates rising right through the roof, some homeowners may be wondering whether a home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC) is the way to get their debts under control. The answer is a definite maybe.
While it's much harder to tap your home equity than it was in the past, it's not impossible. Yes, credit is much tighter in general these days, the decline in home values in recent years means that many homeowners no longer have any home equity to draw upon and banks are concerned about possible further declines in home values.
But many homeowners still retain considerable equity in their homes, particularly those who don't live in states like Florida, Arizona, Nevada and California, which have borne the brunt of the housing market decline. Such homeowners continue to be attractive clients for lenders. And many homeowners retain untapped credit in their HELOC, which is still available for them to draw upon.

Lower interest rates on a home equity loan

Compare Home Equity Rates

Compare rates from up to 4 lenders for home equity rates

GO »

The question is, should they? They are some very attractive reasons for doing so. To begin with, a home equity loan or HELOC will very likely have a much lower interest rate than what many credit cards currently carry. In some cases, the rate on a home equity loan or HELOC may be one half or one third of the 17 percent to 24 percent currently charged on many credit cards - many of which were charging a mere 5 or 6 percent a few months ago. On a balance of $5,000, $10,000 or more, that's a hefty savings.
As mortgage interest, interest paid on home equity loans and HELOCs is also tax-deductable, up to a point. A couple can currently deduct the interest on up to $100,000 in home equity loans, and even more if the loan is put into home improvement.
So yes, it's possible to save a lot of money by borrowing against your home equity to pay off credit card debt. But many financial advisers say it's still a very bad idea.

A HELOC is secured debt

For one thing, you're trading unsecured debt for secured debt. Your credit card debt is unsecured - if you can't pay it off, there's nothing the lender can do to you, other than report you as a bad credit risk. However, any time of mortgage debt - including a home equity loan or a HELOC - is secured by your home.
If you can't make those payments, the lender is entitled to take your home. And particularly in the current economic climate, that extra $10,000-$20,000 you take out to pay off other debts could be the difference between mortgage debts that are manageable and those that are not should you or your spouse become unemployed or otherwise suffer a loss of income.
Another reason financial advisors recommend against using home equity to pay off credit cards is that it encourages continued dependence on deficit spending. Too often, the reasoning goes, someone who wipes out their credit card debt finds it too easy to start running them up again - after all, there's a zero balance and a few small charges won't matter. Pretty soon, they've run their balance back up again and now must contend with the twin perils of credit card debt AND a home equity loan tacked onto their regular mortgage.

Back into the credit card debt trap

This is how many homeowners got into trouble in the current housing crisis. Some people, it seems, are addicted to debt - they can't avoid the temptation of those seemingly insignificant purchases that quickly pile up into big balances on a credit card. For them, tapping a home equity loan doesn't so much provide them a way to get a handle on their debt as it does wipe the slate clean so they can start all over again! Only they're not yet done with their previous debts...
If you do take out a home equity loan to pay off your credit cards, take them out of your purse or wallet and put them away, so you're not tempted to use them for spur-of-the-moment purchases. Many experts advise that you actually cut them up at this point, so they can't be used, but you'll want to retain at least one for emergency expenses, such as a major care repair or as a reserve while traveling. But most of the time, keep it put away to avoid the temptation.
Tapping a home equity loan or line of credit can offer considerable savings for homeowners burdened with credit card debt. But only if they're disciplined enough to keep a lid on future expenditures and not fall back into the same credit trap.