Master Bath Ideas and Best Practices

[dbbarron]

I am a homeowner working with an integrator on a C4 implementation in my home.

At the same time, we are renovating a Master Bath (complete gut) and I am looking for control/integration ideas and best practices for the master bath project.

 

The bath will have dual sinks, a separate tub and shower - pretty standard mid-high end.

Heated towel rack

Heated floor (NuHeat - for warming the toes only - actual heat for the room is tied into the second floor HVAC)

There is a TV in the adjacent MBR with DirecTV - likely with a C4 controller.

Lighting has several circuits:

1)Over tub

2)Over shower

3)Sconces by mirrors

4)overhead cove lighting (skylight well)

 

Exhaust fan likely automatic (motion sensing) and not hard switched.

 

So - here are the thoughts:

1)C4 touch panel in bath.

2)speakers in bath ceiling part of C4 whole house audio setup - related matrix audio switch will likely have Sonos, C4 controller for native C4 audio sources and MBR TV output as inputs (among others); so in the bath we can listen to just music or route the MBR TV audio.

3)Lighting scenes activated from a keypad (or touch screen).

4)C4 controls circuit for towel rack heat and floor heat (floor controlled as cutoff of fixed setpoint NuHeat Tstat) based on time, occupancy and outdoor temp.

 

Some questions:

1)Can the C4 touchscreen tolerate a bathroom environment (steam, etc.)

2)Should we hide the switch bank (there will be a linen tower adjacent to the entry) only exposing the touch screen and keypad? 

3)Other thoughts for features or programming in a master bath?

 

db

[eggzlot]

one change I wish I made....I too have hard wired motion sensor exhaust fan.  It is very temperamental.  Sometimes it stays on way longer than it really should stay on, or if the door is open and you walk by the bathroom sometimes it goes off (this happens in our smaller bathroom often, lack of placement options forced our hand).  If I were to do it again, I'd have a fan running on a C4 switch.  Have a keypad in the bathroom to control it.  1 tap for 10 mins, 2 taps for 20 mins, 3 taps for 30 mins and/or get a motion/humidity sensor installed, and program it to run off the motion and/or humidity readings in the room.  Gives you both automatic and manual control.  

[ILoveC4]

Put the fan on a switch. I do almost exactly what eggzlot mentioned. An Axxess motion sensor can sense humidity to turn on the phone when needed, and also trigger the lights.

 

Put light switches where you'd expect them to be. When you go fumbling in there during the middle of the night, you want to be able to reach for a light switch. I've got 5 circuits in my master bath (4 lights 1 fan) and they're on C4 dimmers/switches located in the same place you'd do conventional ones.

 

RE: the touchpanel - I have an SR250 in there. I use that most the time, sometimes I'll use MyHome app. I listen to music in the bathroom almost every day while getting ready.

 

I also take the approach with installing switches/dimmers, that I want to be able to yank the C4 out, put conventional stuff in and have it work. Another reason to put switches/dimmers where people expect them. I don't anticipate ever doing that, but I want the option.