If you want a shower that is as impressive to look at as it is to enjoy, you probably want a luxury shower. These showers are usually custom built right in the bathroom and have top of the line fixtures. Custom built showers have a heft price tag, since you are paying for a lot of labor as well as the material the shower is made of. These luxury showers are often made with marble or other pricey materials. If you decide that a custom shower is right for you, you should:

* Make sure you have a comprehensive plan before you build. Deciding you want a bench seat or another spray nozzle after you've already started construction is a lot more costly, since you may have to order additional materials at rush order prices and you may have to have something ripped out.

* Take a close look at the materials you'll be using before you start building the shower. Let your us know that seconds aren't acceptable. There is nothing worse than building a beautiful marble shower with flawed tiles and having the tiles crack a few months later. Once the tiles crack, the shower will leak and all the work will have to be redone.

If you can't afford custom bathroom showers, you may want to look at a budget friendly alternative - bathroom shower enclosures. These showers are easy enough for most handy people to install themselves, but even if you are using a contractor, they are cheaper than custom showers. To successfully install bathroom shower enclosures, you should:

* Look for a shower style that fits the available space with room to spare. You'll want to be able to clean around the enclosure and hang towels without injuring yourself on sharp corners.

* Be sure plumbing is up to date and in good working order before you begin installation.

* Follow the manufacturer instructions completely. This is one time that assembly without reading instructions can be downright costly.

Finally, no matter which of the many styles of bathroom showers you decide on, make sure you allow all the caulk to dry thoroughly before you use your new shower for the first time. Having to redo your caulk is no fun, especially if you have to worry about the water that got behind the shower wall.