The Santa Cruz Glass and Glazing Blog - Hosted by Chris Phillips

This is an interesting innovation that we came up with for our customers who have very little space in their bathrooms. In the past, having a small bathroom meant that you had no choice but to use sliding bypass doors. Today, most customers want heavy glass, frameless, "euro-style" shower enclosures. What you see below is our solution.

I call these "Saloon Style" doors. Instead of having one fixed panel and one swinging door, both doors hinge, like the doors in in old-time western saloon. Each door swings both in and out, doubling the size of the opening, and giving the customer flexibility in how they use them. The doors don't require any knobs or pulls, and make cleaning a breeze.

July 28, 2010

Business has been good lately. We have been installing a lot of shower doors in Santa Cruz County. This is a 1/2" shower enclosure that we completed in Aptos this week. The customers were very pleased with the way it turned out. This enclosure is made with 1/2" clear glass and chrome hardware.

It is often a real challenge to get a good photo of a shower enclosure. Bathrooms are typically too small to get the whole thing in one frame. Even though we are really busy, we still have time to do YOUR shower door, so give us a call. Currently our turn-around time is about two weeks.

July 6, 2010

I had a really interesting conversation with a customer this morning. He was calling me back about an estimate we provided a few days ago. After answering a few of the standard questions that customers normally ask, he said "I have one more question for you..." He then went on to tell me that my price was a lot lower then my competitors, and he was wondering why. I jokingly said that I would have to raise my prices, and after a little chuckle I told him frankly; Any smart business owner wants to offer the lowest price possible for the product or service that they provide. Now we don't have the lowest prices in the industry. There are some companies that have slightly lower prices than we do... and there are others who charge much more.

We are able to keep our prices low by being organized, efficient, and not spending a lot on overhead. Showcase Shower Door Company is strictly a mobile service... we don't have a brick-and-mortar showroom location. We do work by appointment, and go directly to the customer. So far, this has worked really well for us. We use this website as our showroom, and are able to bring product samples to our potential customers personally. Another way that I am able to keep prices competitive is by doing the work myself. This allows me to bring the highest possible level of quality to each project while minimizing problems and mistakes. Now, as time goes on our business is increasing. The day will inevitably will come when I can no longer do every job myself for the same price. It's basic supply and demand. When that day comes I will have to decide if I will raise prices and continue doing the work myself, or keep prices the same and have employees do the work. Until then, I will continue to do each project personally.

June 18, 2010

At Showcase Shower Door Company we do a lot of work with local builders. Contractors who have worked in the area for a long time know that Showcase Shower Door Co. has the best value around. Most home owners will only purchase one or two shower doors or enclosures in their lifetimes. General contractors make these purchases over and over again. There may be companies that can charge a lower price initially, but there are a lot of things to take into consideration. Safety, dependability, quality of products used, skill of workers performing the task, service after the sale, to name a few.

Yesterday, I met with a couple in Scotts Valley to discuss their shower enclosure project. The shower stall is not very large... it will be a small project for me. We talked for an hour-and-a-half about their shower enclosure. I brought a glass sample, hardware color samples, photos, and a catalogue with me to their home. The three of us sat around their kitchen table and talked about the project, and other things. They were referred by a friend, as are most of my customers. The enclosure is not finished yet... I will have to go back to take finial measurements when all of the tile has been set. I have to say, in all modesty, that they were very impressed. When they complimented me on my level of service leading up to the sale I had to bring up the fact that I would also be installing their shower enclosure personally. I have made some new friends as well as new customers. That's what it's really all about.

May 30, 2010

Many people are using less glass in their shower enclosures for various reasons. Some customers are having their shower stalls built in such a way that no glass at all is required to keep the water in. Probably the greatest challenge in designing a shower enclosure is containing the water while maintaining as much of the beauty of the tile or stone work as possible. While it is possible to make a frameless shower enclosure completely water-tight by using clear polycarbonate edge-seals, it is not always a good idea. The plastic seals detract from the natural beauty of the glass, and should be used sparingly. The key is to find just the right balance of waterproofing to aesthetics.

In this application we installed only a single fixed panel. This is often called a "shower screen." Shower screens are most often used on shower / tub combinations where a sliding or hinging shower enclosure is less desirable. The glass is 3/8" clear tempered, and the hardware is brushed nickel. If the customer decides at a later date that the shower screen is not containing enough of the water, there is no reason that a door cannot be added.

May 13, 2010

Lately, we have been doing quite a few shower door repairs and glass restorations. Money is tight for a lot of people, and some customers are looking for ways to make their shower doors last longer instead of replacing them. Showcase Shower Door Company is the right place to go for help making an old shower door or enclosure look and work like new. Whether someone has a sliding bypass type of enclosure, a manufactured shower door, or heavy glass enclosure, we are always happy to help.

We have an arsenal of tools and products that we can use to remove water stains and calcium build-up. Once the glass is restored to good condition we can treat the inside surface with TEKON to keep it looking “better than new” forever. It's true that some doors are simply worn-out, and have to be replaced, but many times there is much we can do to get them working the way that they should. I would be happy to come to you and take a look free of charge.

April 27, 2010

April has been a busy month! We have been having a lot of fun meeting new people and installing beautiful shower enclosures. I get a lot of compliments from customers and people who are visiting our web site. That makes me feel great! What we try to do is build the shower doors and enclosures that our customers are imagining for their own bathrooms. Our customers are very sophisticated and have really great ideas and taste. The truth is that I have to give my customers much of the credit.

Many glass companies will try to get you to buy the shower door that they want to sell you. It makes the job easier for them, and takes the challenge out of the job. If you are a company owner who is sending out employees with limited skills, it only makes sense to do this... That's not the case at Showcase Shower Door Company. I plan to participate in the installation personally, so the added challenge of doing something that I have never seen done before is appealing to me.

This steam shower enclosure was installed in a beautiful home located in Aptos, California. The home owner was great to work with, and made getting the job done a real pleasure. The glass is 3/8” clear tempered, and the hardware is chrome. The granite in the shower is really nice, some of the best I've seen... Each wall is cut from a single piece of granite.

April 16, 2010

This inline shower enclosure is 78" tall. As you can see, the fixed panel is notched to accommodate the shape of the buttress it is anchored to and around. This customer elected to have the fixed panel secured using brackets, rather than aluminum channel. The glass is clear and the hardware finish is chrome. The project is located in Scotts Valley, California.

At Showcase Shower Door Company, we take pride in working with other local professionals. We enjoy doing projects with a number of contractors, designers, and realtors. This particular shower enclosure project was done in cooperation with Santa Cruz Kitchen and Bath. This shower enclosure has also been treated with TEKON surface protection. The TEKON treatment will keep the glass from becoming stained by water spots, and make it easy to clean.

April 1, 2010

This past week I have had the pleasure of working with a local homeowner on his vinyl replacement window project. I used to do a lot of vinyl windows in Santa Cruz County when I first started out as a glazing contractor. It's hard work, and takes quite a bit of skill and expertise to do the job correctly. Some may chuckle at this statement, but you would be shocked to hear all of the horror stories I could tell about leaking windows, rot, mold, and the like.

There are so many unqualified people doing this type of work that I had to get out of it. What began happening to me was that I would go to people's homes and spend hours measuring, looking up window prices, and putting together estimates just to lose the vast majority of bids. Now losing bids is just a part of the contracting process... you don't get every job, and honestly, you don't want to! Other contractors were writing bids that simply couldn't cover the cost of doing the job right. It was easier just to stop doing that type of work than trying to explain the economics of window replacement to every potential customer I spoke to.

Ken, the owner of this Santa Cruz home, was referred to me by a common friend. Although I do this type of work for friends and previous customers, I am leery about working up estimates for window projects for the reasons I have discussed. I told Ken that I would be willing to do the project on a "time and materials" basis. This allowed Ken pick the windows the he wanted, and buy them directly from the supplier. He was also able to decide how much of the low skilled labor he wanted to do himself. Ken chose to replace his aluminum single pane windows with double hung Milgard Tuscany windows. An excellent choice. Some of the siding was rotted out, due to the previous window installation, so we replaced it as well. New trim, tar paper, fresh polyurethane caulking... Ken is very happy, and ended up saving some cash.

March 23, 2010

This is a bypass shower enclosure that is made utilizing 5/16" clear tempered glass as well as chrome aluminum and hardware. The customer had a very specific idea of how she wanted the doors to look and function. We were able to provide exactly what she was looking for, and to get the project done quickly.

This home is located in Aptos, California, near Seascape Resort. The customer was referred to us by Joshua from "McAuley and Son Custom Tile." He is the contractor that did the excellent tile work that you see here. If you need a good tile setter, I highly recommend them. Here's the email address:

 mcauleytile@sbcglobal.net.

March 2, 2010

The shower enclosure that you see here is known as an "inline" type enclosure. This is because the shower door and the sidelight are inline with each other. This customer selected an obscured type of glass that is called "rain." It is 3/8" thick and has been tempered for safety and added strength. The glass panel on the left has been notched to fit the shape of the tiled area.

The hardware and aluminum used in this application are "Oil Rubbed Bronze" finish. As you can see, the combination of the dark hardware along with the rain glass work really well in this particular bathroom. The customer has selected a towel bar and pull handle combination for the door. This was a lot of fun to install, and the customer is very happy.

This week at Showcase Shower Door we are working on this unusually shaped steam shower enclosure. There have been a number of challenges involved in providing the customer with all of the features that he wants. At Showcase Shower Door, we enjoy a good challenge. The Glass will be 3/8" clear, and the hardware will be "Antique Brass." The transom above the door will be pentagonal, and will vent to allow steam to escape.

We are also going to install a glass shelf in the steam shower for soaps and shampoos, as well as two other shelves just outside of the shower for towels. The home is located in Scotts Valley, CA.

Now and then customers contact me to find out if there is a way to make repairs to their existing shower doors rather than replacing them. I have found that it is often possible to extend the life of a shower or tub enclosure by repairing it. Today's American-made shower doors and enclosures are usually quite similar from one manufacturer to the next, so it is usually pretty easy to find parts and materials to make basic repairs. Shower door and tub enclosures have changed a bit over the years. Many companies that once manufactured shower doors have long since gone out of business, so it isn't always possible to find parts for every enclosure.

There are also a lot of Chinese made shower doors and tub enclosures on the market today. These are the kind you will find at Home Depot and other similar stores. I have found these products to be very complicated and "over engineered." The parts are cheaply made and break easily. Once a part breaks or strips out, it is nearly impossible to replace it. I can normally tell you in just a few minutes if I believe your shower door can be successfully repaired. Its always free to have me take a look, and I have a very fair policy about how I price repairs. Give me a call to find out more.

Redwood decks are quite popular in the Monterey Bay area. Almost any place that you live in Santa Cruz County has a great view. Whether your back yard has a view of the ocean, the redwoods, the river, or the mountains, you probably want to do as little as possible to obstruct it. Glass handrails and guardrails are a great solution for that very reason. There are many different styles and configurations of handrails to choose from. We are able to design, fabricate, and install a handrail to match your existing architecture to provide safety, functionality, and beauty. We also design, fabricate, and install handrails and guardrails for staircases and balconies. There are new technologies available to protect your glass... it can include a surface treatment that will protect it from water stains,  keeping your glass looking beautiful year after year. As always, we are happy to provide you with a free estimate.

It used to be that, if you wanted a shower enclosure for your bathtub, you were limited to bypass doors. In recent years shower door companies began offering shower screens. A shower screen is basically a glass panel, usually on hinges, that extends approximately one half the width of the bathtub. This provides a frameless look and at the same time does a fairly good job at keeping the water in the tub. A shower screen is a good, inexpensive alternative to the run-of-the-mill sliding bypass enclosure.

A couple of years ago my customers started asking me if there were any other alternatives for their bathtub enclosures. After giving it a little thought, I came to the conclusion that there is no reason we can't install the same type of heavy glass shower doors in tubs that we do in full-size shower stalls. We started doing just that, and have achieved a lot of really nice results. Our customers definitely appreciate the uniqueness that custom tub enclosures provide. The tub enclosure shown in the photo to the left is installed on a Greek style tub. The home-owner opted to use 3/8" thick 'rain' style obscured tempered glass in order to minimize the appearance of water spots. This provides a more low-maintenance shower door. The enclosure worked out very well and complimented the bathroom nicely.

One of the most common questions that I have been asked lately is how the slowing economy is affecting sales in my company. The fact of the matter is that we haven't seen a decrease in our sales at all. Showcase Shower Door Company is competitive in terms of our prices. That being said, we are not the most inexpensive shower door company in the area. It seems that when the economy was doing better we were loosing more of our bids to companies offering a cheaper product. My theory is that, with finances tightening, people are putting more thought into how they are spending their hard-earned money.

We all know that there is a difference between the lowest price and the best value. I think that the line between cost and value comes into sharper focus as money becomes tighter. You can tell the cost of an item simply by looking at the price tag. It is a bit harder to judge the quality of a product. Quality is where we excel, and that fact is well-known. The product that we sell is our service. We are purchasing our glass, hardware, and other building materials from the same vendors that our competition is. The glass business is a very small and specialized field. Since there is nothing that I can do to lower my materials cost I can only compete by providing a superior level of service and quality. So that is exactly what I do.

Another exciting development in the glass industry is the use of spandrel, or painted glass, as wall coverings and back-splashes. Painted glass has been used in commercial glass applications for many years. In curtain wall systems, where a building utilizes a glass wall extending two or more floors, color glass is often used to hide the deck edges at floor lines. The spandrel produces a seamless appearance in the system. It has only been in recent years that the process has been refined, offering an unlimited selection of colors and applications. Many designers, builders, and home owners are now using color glass in place of tile or granite. Glass is actually a very sturdy building material that can be used for wall coverings, countertops, backsplashes, and more. It only makes sense, when you think about it. Glass is easy to clean and disinfect, it has a beautiful appearance, it never requires repainting, and gives any room and instant touch of class. Nowadays, glass is being used for floors and even stairs. The possibilities for the uses of glass are limited only by the imagination.

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