William Auerbach Vollmer

Only a few years ago, sanitary conveniences, which were very crude when compared with those of to-day, were considered luxuries; to-day they are necessities, demanded for our physical comfort and welfare. The old-fashioned Saturday tubbing was a much dreaded and messy event; but with sanitary house plumbing, bathing became a pleasure and a valuable adjunct to good health. It is, therefore, interesting to note the treatments of the present bathroom.

The average house to-day contains at least two bathrooms, the simplest equipment being a water-closet, lavatory, and tub, the two latter fixtures supplied with hot and cold water supply pipes. From these three fixtures of the simplest kind, installed in a room not smaller than 5 ft. 6 in. × 6 ft. 6 in., we may enlarge the scheme to contain a shower-bath, with floor receptor to catch the water, a sitz or foot-bath, double lavatories, if for the owner's bath, with marble or porcelain pier slabs for toilet articles. These fixtures may be simple in pattern, of enameled iron or of porcelain or marble, in a room having tile or marble floors and wainscot. There are, happily, inexpensive fixtures of good quality that are just as efficient as the most expensive ones, and the plainer the lines of the fixtures the more beautiful they will appear in the finished bath; heavy ornamentation in color or molded design should be avoided—it is not so easily kept clean, nor is it so beautiful.

In many houses having but one servant, a separate bath is provided for her use, and in a house costing $8,000 it is customary to provide a private bath connecting with the owner's chamber, as well as a general bath for the family and guests, and a servants' bath in the attic. The importance the bath and sanitary plumbing have attained is shown by the fact that seven or eight per cent of the cost of a house is taken for plumbing, and in houses costing from $8,000 to $15,000, three bathrooms are installed.

Two oval lavatories are generally representative of the latest convenience for the modern bathroom

The model servants' bath should have a floor of small hexagonal white, unglazed tile with hard plastered walls, above a sanitary base, painted with four coats of moisture-resisting paint and equipped with a five-foot enameled iron tub, quiet syphon-jet closet, with oak seat and tank, and a plain pattern enameled iron lavatory. A medicine closet should be built in the wall over it, having a mirror set in the door. The fixtures cannot be properly set in an area less than 5 ft. 6 in. × 6 ft. 6 in., and 5 ft. 6 in. × 7 ft. 6 in. would be much better.

The owner's bath is largely a matter of personal taste and cost. Usually this has a floor of 2 in. white, unglazed hexagonal tile, with a 4 × 6 in. white glazed tile for walls, with cap and sanitary base, marble thresholds and plinth blocks. The height of the wainscot is optional; but 4 ft. 6 in. is usual, with the walls and ceilings above it oil painted. The room should not be smaller than 8 ft. × 10 ft. and may open from the owner's chamber or dressing-room. Its equipment usually comprises two lavatories of vitreous china, placed at least six inches apart, unless a double lavatory is used in one slab, over which may be a medicine closet built into the wall with mirror door set in; the bathroom door should have a full-length mirror. In the illustration that appears on page 95 is shown a silent syphon-jet closet with low-down tank finished in mahogany. The "low-down combinations," as they are called, are made in oak, cherry, mahogany, and white enamel. The tub should be at least 5 ft. long, of enameled iron or porcelain, finished on both sides if enameled, and supported on porcelain block feet, with standing waste and mixing cocks. The tub must be set far enough from the wall to permit cleaning.

The great problem in planning a bathroom is not to sacrifice all warmth and color to sanitation. At present there are washable and sanitary papers made by the decorators that are very proper for bathroom furnishings. The seagull design in blues and greens and the kingfisher in a brilliant, cool green are both suitable and attractive

The upper left hand plan shows excellent spacing and good arrangement combining all the desirable features and conveniences of a bathroom. The upper right hand plan shows a desirable arrangement for minimum space. The lower left hand plan shows a modern idea of dividing the bathroom into two sections. In the lower right hand plan there is a complete equipment, well arranged, but with few more than the necessary conveniences

Every fitting or exposed pipe in the bathroom should be nickel-plated. The shower may be installed over the tub, as in one of the illustrations, or made a separate fixture with a floor receptor to drain off the water. It may be inclosed with a cotton duck curtain, which is more agreeable to the body than rubber or marble slabs. The merits of each fixture and its equipment I shall leave to the reader, because these things he can readily determine for himself; but the arrangements and number of fixtures required must be considered—the quality is a matter of price. The general bathroom of a house should be similar to the owner's—in some cases it is divided into two compartments, as shown in one plan, with the water-closet by itself—permitting independent use.

One especial convenience that should not be neglected is the shower with the duck curtain arranged over the top. For bathroom floors the hexagonal tile is very suitable and enduring

In homes costing from $15,000 up, the number of bathrooms is in proportion to the number of occupants. Every room may have a connecting bath with tile floor and wainscot, completely equipped—in such a case the visit of a guest is not fraught with hasty skirmishes to the nearest bath, perhaps only to retreat, and wait and listen for an opportunity to use it.

Plumbing fixtures are made in many materials; the most popular of these, on account of durability and cost, is cast iron with an enamel glaze fused on the iron. This ware will stand hard usage, is not easily fractured, does not craze, and therefore holds its color. The vitreous china ware is, I think, more appropriate for bathrooms finished in tile, because the materials, being similar, are in harmony, while the enameled iron is not quite as heavy or substantial looking when used with tile. Vitreous china is potter's clay, properly fired, with a vitreous glaze baked on; porcelain is similar and their cost is about the same, except that this increases rapidly with the larger pieces; because fewer perfect fixtures are obtained. Fixtures cut from solid marble block are the most expensive and their relative merit with their relation to cost is a question for the owner to determine.

A sunken bathtub is a form of luxury that is desirable but requires low ceiling in the room below, or that the bathroom be built on the ground floor. This is oftentimes an impossible arrangement

There is little difference between the enameled iron, vitreous china and porcelain or marble as far as the retention of heat is concerned, or the feeling from bodily contact. There are in every kiln some fixtures that are not quite perfect; they are called "seconds," and catalogued as "Class B" goods, with a lower price.

The weight of massive plumbing in a frame dwelling is considerable and will cause a settlement of the floors unless carefully supported.

The fashions in tubs are many. The usual shape is square at the foot and round at the head-at the foot are the waste and supply pipes which are made in several combinations. The double bath cock, which gives hot or cold water or a mixture of both, is advisable for tubs-the small cup between the faucets is a ring tray and can be replaced with a soap dish if desired. Most shower-baths have a shampoo attachment or body spray that can be used instead of the overhead shower, so that the head and hair are kept dry if desired, and if a shower is not to be installed this can be provided in the tub.

The bathroom to-day finds great need of such built-in conveniences as wall chests and cupboards. These should be arranged for at the time the house is built

A tub incased in tile is a perfectly sanitary treatment, and in some cases the tub has been sunk into the floor a foot and then incased to avoid the high step necessary to get into the tub. The plunge—sunk in the floor—is an unusual treatment that permits more freedom of movement than the tub; but the tile, when wet, is slippery, and I should expect one might carelessly slip in with fatal results. Roman tubs are alike at each end—with fixtures in the middle of one side of the rim. Solid porcelain tubs rest on the floor, set into the tile. The ideal position for the tub, if there is available room, is with the foot against a wall and ample room on either side to get in or out of it. Tubs are made in lengths ranging from 4 ft. to 6 feet, and about 30 inches in width over rims.

This room contains the desirable articles and fixtures for the modern bathroom in a very satisfactory arrangement. There is the latest thing in nickel plumbing and modern equipment, but at the same time there is an attractiveness that is so lacking in the cold, hospital type of room

The small hexagonal floor tiles permit sections to be taken up with little difficulty and replaced at small expense. Wall tile, however, should be made of the larger rectangular units with a cornice at the top and a rounded surbase that obviates a sharp angle at the junction with the floor

The lavatory is an important fixture that is made in a great many varieties. The old-fashioned bowl is obsolete—the oval has taken its place, though probably the best is the kidney-shaped bowl, as it permits a free and natural movement of the arms in raising water to lave the face. The bowl should be at least 14 × 17 inches, in a slab 22 × 32, with a space surrounding the bowl countersunk a little to form a border that tends to confine the splashed water. All the fixtures manufactured by responsible concerns are equipped with nickel-plated faucets, wastes, traps, and supplies that are very satisfactory; but quite often the plumber who installs the work buys the fixtures without the selected trimmings and substitutes a cheaper pattern. Some tubs and lavatories are sold in "A" and "B" qualities, and it will be to your advantage to select the fixtures with your architect, who knows the grades and fittings.

All the wood that is in these bathrooms is heavily enameled in white. Both rooms show a good use of colored tile worked in attractive designs. The room on the left has a mosaic pattern in several shades as a decoration, while in the right hand room there is a bright border and vertical strips making panels. The tiles between them are laid in herring-bone fashion. Both tubs are without supports and rest flat on the floor

This European treatment is particularly effective for the owner's bath, which opens into his bedroom. The glass doors provide all the lighting necessary and are very decorative with their curved segments

A particularly pleasing treatment is the bath opening from the owner's chamber, and separated from it by glass partition. This arrangement is good where outside light cannot be afforded or obtained, and a curtain effectively screens it.

A simple bathroom where waterproof enameled paint was used in several coats instead of a tiled wainscot, and above this an attractive waterproof paper that suggests tiling. Such an arrangement is a possibility where tiles may not be purchased

Bath-room accessories should be arranged with care and consist of the following devices: Plate glass shelves supported on nickel-plated brackets are the best; towel-racks; toothbrush holders; clothes-brush hangers; clothes hooks; soap dishes; and soiled towel baskets. Hardware is usually of nickel-plated tubing screwed into the tile. The accompanying photographs and plans will illustrate the subject further and are self-explanatory.

A. Raymond Ellis