Bath Design Basics

The purpose of the bathroom will dictate which bath design you opt for. You don't want to spend a lot of money on a jacuzzi tub for a child's or guest bathroom. However, if you're a bath lover, then investing in a jetted or soaking tub that will be used every day is money well spent. Beautiful bathrooms don't necessarily have to be expensive. You can choose from basic tub styles and then decorating bathrooms is as easy as adding gorgeous show curtains, stylish shower caddies and plush towels that coordinate with your color schemes.

You must also consider the available space and what it will take to install the tub. Check to see if additional carpentry will be required for installation and find out how much the tub will weigh when it's full. A tub full of water must be adequately supported, so check your framing. Cast-iron tubs, whirlpools, soaking and sunken tubs often require additional support. A tub sized for more than one person will put additional demands on the home's hot water heater too, so you may also require an upgrade or a separate water heater.

Besides the common rectangular shape, tubs also come in corner, oval, circular and freestanding styles. Built-in tubs can be alcove, drop-in or corner style. An alcove tub is standard in most homes and are often tub-shower combinations with waterproof surrounding walls. Drop-in tubs can be sunken into the floor or a tub deck. Drop-in models that are mounted into their own frame or deck will require additional carpentry or framework, which can add to the overall cost. Corner model built-ins are installed in the corner, with surrounds on two sides. A free-standing tub has legs or ball-and-claw feet. These tubs frequently have rolled edges and slipper backs for soaking.

The perfect bathtub should cradle you comfortably, so test drive a few different styles. The ideal bath design for a soaker tub should have a depth of at least 15 to 20 inches. The material the tub is made of will also dictate comfort and cost. Most are constructed of porcelain on steel because of its strength. For a cheaper alternative, fiberglass is an option, but it's not as durable. For something more showy, consider cast iron, solid surfacing and natural stone. No matter which tub you choose, add beautiful bathroom accessories and everyone will shower you with praise for your bathroom remodel ideas.

Author Steven Gaines takes us from New York's most expensive condominiums and co-ops to the offices of its most powerful real estate brokers to reveal the outlandish displays of ego, bad behavior, and status hunger that come into play when the best addresses in the city are on the line.

With his signature elan, Gaines weaves a gossipy tapestry of brokers, buyers, co-op boards, and eccentric landlords and tells of the apartment hunting and renovating adventures of many celebrities - from Tommy Hilfiger to Donna Karan, from Jerry Seinfeld to Steven Spielberg, from Barbra Streisand to Madonna.

Here, too, is a fascinating chronicle of the changes in Manhattan's residential skyline, from the slums of the nineteenth century to the advent of the luxury building. Gaines describes how living in boxes stacked on boxes came to be seen as the ultimate in status, and how the co-operative apartment, originally conceived as a form of housing for the poor, came to be used as a legal means of blackballing undesirable neighbors.

A social history told through brick and mortar, The Sky's the Limit is the ultimate look inside one of the most exclusive and expensive enclaves in the world, and at the lengths to which people will go to get in.

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