ᐅ Plumbing Quote – Realistic and Fair?

Live and let live. If you can do it yourself, then buy the parts and have them installed. Don’t expect to find a plumber who will work for very low wages and install cheap internet-ordered components for you.

ypg schrieb:

I would say: it’s not ideal, but we had to save money back then... maybe we cut costs in the wrong place?

What exactly do you mean by "not ideal"? Do you think that having a higher-quality rain shower or a professional installation would make the experience better now?

Hausbaer schrieb:

Do you think a higher quality rain shower or a professional installation would improve the experience now?

Good question! Very good question!
If other "professional" rain showers also feel about 2 degrees Celsius (4°F) cooler at the top, then the experience is probably the same.
But honestly, thinking about it, the "experience" only lasted the first couple of times, or the first 10 seconds. In the end, my daily routine drives me to be a quick showerer, where efficiency matters more, so I usually prefer the handheld showerhead. To be clear, I find the rain shower completely overrated, and a fixed overhead spray isn’t exactly practical either. But it does look cool—and that’s the thing for us: we now have one more hose, since we already had a good thermostat.
We rather seek that experience when taking a bath.

Would we choose a $1000 rain shower now? Phew... probably not.

ypg schrieb:

Good question! A very good question!
If other “professional” rain showers also feel about 2°C (4°F) cooler from above, then the experience is probably the same.
But to be honest (thinking about it), the “experience” only lasts the first couple of times, or the first 10 seconds. In the end, I’m rushed by my daily work, so I’m more of a quick shower person who needs it to be effective—usually holding the showerhead in hand. To be clear, I think rain showers are totally overrated, and a fixed spray coming straight down isn’t exactly practical. But they do look cool—and that’s the thing with us: we have one more hose since we already had a good thermostat.
We’re more likely to seek that experience when bathing.

Would we choose a $1000 rain shower now? Well… probably not.

I basically had the option here or just pay the price difference for the product. In the end, I went with the Grohe Raindance Select S240 after even speaking directly with a woman from Grohe.
I like the fixed shower overhead (maybe that’s different for men), but honestly, although I tested the “rain function,” and visitors have too, I really don’t use it. In the other bathroom, we have the Tempesta 210mm (8 inches), and I honestly couldn’t tell if there’s a noticeable difference.
I’d say it’s nice, and if it doesn’t cost much more, it’s fine to go for it—including the built-in installation—but you can definitely have a great shower and shower experience without spending that much. At first, I wanted one of those huge shower heads, but luckily I got advised against it.
I just checked, the Tempesta is available online for quite little money, so you could consider adding something like that later if it’s too expensive or complicated now. I definitely wouldn’t want to pay a big premium for it—I’d rather invest that money in comfortable seating or something similar.

So far, I have never missed having a rain shower. When I stay in a hotel or visit someone and use their shower, it’s nice, but only for a short time. For me, the feeling of showering doesn’t change significantly. What matters more to me are the view, water temperature, and general well-being. A rain shower is not nearly important enough to make a difference. I haven’t installed a rain shower. I use the handheld showerhead, sometimes holding it and sometimes fixed to the bar.

ypg schrieb:

Good question! A very good question!
If other "professional" rain showers also feel about 2 degrees colder coming from above, then the experience is probably the same.
But to be honest (thinking about it), the "experience" only lasted the first couple of times, or the first 10 seconds. In the end, my daily routine drives me to be a quick showerer who needs efficiency, so I usually hold the showerhead in my hand. To be clear, I find the rain shower completely overrated, and a fixed overhead spray isn’t exactly practical either. But it does look cool – and that’s the thing for us: we have one more hose because we already had a good thermostat.
We tend to seek the experience more when bathing.

Would we choose a €1000 rain shower now? Hmm… probably not.

Okay, I was more wondering if you think that the extra cost of about €800 (€200 deducted for the standard option that isn’t chosen) would lead to the same result as your DIY setup with Amazon parts (€80 plus the value of your own working time).

Whether a rain shower itself is good or bad is a different debate altogether.