Condo Shower Renovation

[Barefoot Frank]

Ahoy!

This is definitely my first shower renovation, and being that I am in a 30+ year old condo I want to make sure I won't have any problems down the road.

I have the shower area demo'd down to the original mud base and the studs. I plan to extend the mud base out another ~18" to a new curb that I set. This will give it's final dimensions about 3' x 5'.

Questions:
1. Is this the best time to install a seat along the 5' portion of the wall so I can attach it to studs?

My problem: The previous owners installed a jacuzzi tub on top of the shower area and just poured mounds of concrete underneath it to support/level the tub. It was horribly done. The drain is located fairly close to the wall (for the tub) and this limits me from being able to use a standard seat that is built up from the floor.

I assume I need to just use a single piece of stone/material to make the bench. I would like it to be strong enough to support 2 people.

2. What material should I use for the seat? Stone, pressure treated wood, kerdiboard, etc?

3. What adhesive/hardware should I use to attach it to the wall? I will only be able to attach 2 of the 4 sides to the wall.

Sorry if this post is long! I wanted to provide enough detail to give you a basic idea of what I am trying to accomplish.

Please let me know if you need additional info from me. Thank you for all of your time and help!

[muskymike]

Hi Frank, welcome! What waterproofing are you planning to use? If you use Kerdi you can frame the bench put some plywood on the top then wrap the whole thing with drywall then Kerdi it. If you have a plywood subfloor you can cut the floor open and relocate the drain to the center then patch the ply back in by using cleats.

[Barefoot Frank]

Mike, thanks for your reply and the warm welcome!

I have attached a picture that shows the layout of the bathroom and shower area. It is a few weeks old. I will try to get a new picture up tomorrow, but basically the Durarock is gone and the new curb has been set. As you can see, we kept the sauna and got rid of the old jacuzzi tub that was in the shower area.

Red line = where the new curb has been set
Blue line = new subfloor will be poured with slope to meet old pan subfloor
Orange line = proposed seat area (attachment points would be along the long wall to the left and the far wall)

We are going to put a 12x24 beadboard tile on the wall up to 36" with chair rail tile around the top of the beadboard tile and then darker tile up to 7'. There will be a piece of glass between the toilet and shower, but it will be open at the angle where you can enter the shower or sauna.

I have purchased Hardibacker panels for the walls and a vinyl shower pan that will go up ~6-8 inches on each wall and will cover the curb.

This is a 5th floor condo unit and it's a solid concrete floor so I don't think moving the drain is an easy solution... but I have not looked into this option yet because I thought it would require either permits or getting the condo involved.

Any thoughts/comments are appreciated! Am I on the right track or is this a disaster in the making?!