Coastal durability specialists serving Weko Beach and Lake Charter Township
WTS II Contracting is a licensed Michigan residential builder specializing in sand-resistant bathroom design for Bridgman's lakefront properties, utilizing Sand-Trap Drain Technology with linear drains and Spectralock Epoxy Grout systems that withstand abrasive silica sand tracked from Weko Beach dunes. Our expertise in navigating permit jurisdictions between the City of Bridgman and Lake Charter Township—combined with seasonal winterization protocols for cottages that experience freeze-thaw cycling—ensures durable, code-compliant bathrooms built for coastal Michigan's unique challenges.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Permit Jurisdiction | City of Bridgman OR Lake Charter Township (verify property tax bill before applying) |
| Usage Profile | High sand tracking from Weko Beach / Seasonal freeze-thaw cycling |
| Plumbing Code | Michigan Plumbing Code (IPC based) |
| Waterproofing Standard | ANSI A118.10 (Epoxy grout recommended for sand abrasion resistance) |
| Common Challenge | Sand abrasion on grout / Seasonal cottage plumbing winterization / Lake Michigan humidity |
| Estimated Timeline | 3–5 weeks |
| Typical Project Cost | $18,000–$35,000 (sand-resistant systems, seasonal cottage adaptations) |
Bridgman's proximity to Weko Beach and Lake Michigan's extensive dune system creates a unique challenge for bathroom durability. Fine silica sand—tracked indoors on bare feet, swim trunks, beach towels, and wet dogs—accumulates in shower stalls and bathroom floors throughout the summer season.
Unlike regular dirt that washes away, silica sand acts as an abrasive compound. When wet feet grind sand particles into standard cement-based grout, it functions like sandpaper, gradually wearing away grout surfaces. Over 2-3 summer seasons, this abrasion erodes grout joints to the point where water penetrates behind tile, saturating cement board and eventually rotting wall framing.
The visual warning signs of sand abrasion:
Standard Portland cement grout—even sealed varieties—cannot withstand this level of mechanical abrasion. Sealer wears off within months in high-traffic beach house showers, leaving the porous cement exposed to both sand damage and moisture penetration.
WTS II Contracting installs Laticrete Spectralock Pro Premium Epoxy Grout in all Bridgman lakefront bathrooms. Unlike cement-based grout, epoxy grout is a two-part resin system that cures into a virtually impenetrable, glass-like surface.
Epoxy grout is chemically inert—it won't absorb water, doesn't require sealing, and resists staining from mold, mildew, soap scum, and harsh cleaners. Most importantly for Bridgman beach homes, it's exponentially harder than cement grout, making it immune to sand abrasion that destroys standard installations.
Performance characteristics that matter for beach properties:
The trade-off is installation complexity. Epoxy grout has a short working time (45-60 minutes) and requires specialized installation techniques. It cannot be installed by DIYers or inexperienced tile setters. WTS II Contracting's installers are trained specifically in epoxy grout application and have completed hundreds of beach house bathrooms using these systems.
Beyond grout abrasion, beach sand creates a secondary problem: drain clogs. Standard shower drains with perforated covers allow sand to wash directly into P-traps, where it accumulates over time and eventually blocks drainage. In vacation rentals where plumbing access is limited, a clogged shower drain mid-season means lost rental income.
WTS II Contracting installs linear drains with removable basket traps in all Weko Beach area showers. Unlike traditional center drains, linear drains feature a channel drain with a full-length grate that removes for cleaning. The basket trap catches sand, hair, and debris before it enters the drain line.
After a beach day, homeowners simply lift the grate, remove the basket trap, and empty accumulated sand directly into the trash—takes 30 seconds and prevents clogs entirely. For vacation rental properties, this simple maintenance step can be explained to guests, preventing emergency plumber callouts during peak season.
Additional benefits of linear drain systems:
Many Bridgman properties near Weko Beach operate as seasonal cottages—occupied Memorial Day through Labor Day, then winterized and unheated November through April. This usage pattern creates a plumbing nightmare that most contractors don't account for.
When pipes freeze, water expands by approximately 9% in volume. In an unheated cottage, supply lines and drain traps freeze solid. The expansion force exerts thousands of PSI on copper or PEX tubing, causing catastrophic splits and cracks. When owners return in spring and restore water service, they discover burst pipes, flooded basements, and destroyed finishes.
The amateur mistake: exterior wall plumbing. Many DIY bathroom remodels and even some contractor installations run plumbing in exterior walls because it's "convenient" for layout purposes. In a year-round heated home, this works fine. In a seasonal Bridgman cottage that drops to 20°F indoors during January cold snaps, exterior wall pipes are guaranteed to freeze.
Interior Core Plumbing Strategy: We design bathroom layouts to keep all supply and drain lines within the thermal core of the home—the interior walls and floor cavities that retain residual heat even when thermostats are set to 50°F for winter.
If a bathroom layout requires plumbing on an exterior wall (common in older cottage additions), we build "false walls"—a 2x4 stud wall in front of the exterior wall, creating a thermal buffer zone. All plumbing runs in this false wall, which remains several degrees warmer than the actual exterior wall due to dead air space insulation.
Even with interior plumbing, drain traps hold standing water. In a winterized cottage, P-traps can freeze and crack, requiring replacement when seasonal residents return.
WTS II Contracting installs low-point drain valves on all supply lines in Bridgman seasonal cottages. These are simple compression valves installed at the lowest point of each plumbing run (typically in the basement or crawlspace directly below the bathroom).
During fall winterization, owners:
This 15-minute procedure completely drains the plumbing system, eliminating freeze risk. In spring, owners close drain valves, restore water, and the bathroom is operational within minutes—no damage, no repairs, no stress.
Despite best winterization practices, Murphy's Law applies—someone forgets to drain a line, or an unexpected October hard freeze hits before winterization is complete.
WTS II Contracting uses Uponor PEX-A tubing with expansion fittings for all Bridgman cottage supply lines. Unlike rigid copper (which cracks instantly when frozen) or PEX-B (which can split after multiple freeze cycles), PEX-A has "memory" properties.
When PEX-A freezes, it expands radially to accommodate ice formation. Once thawed, the tubing contracts back to its original diameter—no damage. We've had Bridgman cottages experience accidental freeze events where PEX-A lines survived multiple freeze-thaw cycles without failure.
This is not a license to skip winterization (drain traps still need protection, and repeated freezing degrades any material over time), but it provides a safety margin that copper and PEX-B cannot match.
Many older Bridgman cottages were built with operable windows in bathrooms instead of mechanical ventilation—adequate for code in the 1950s-1970s, but catastrophically insufficient for modern moisture control in a lakefront environment.
Lake Michigan creates a microclimate of elevated humidity along the immediate shoreline. Summer humidity regularly exceeds 70-80% even on clear days. When hot showers are taken in this already-humid environment, moisture has nowhere to go—it condenses on cool surfaces (mirrors, windows, exterior walls) and soaks into porous materials (drywall, wood trim, insulation).
Relying on an open window for ventilation fails in multiple scenarios:
The result is chronic mold growth—black staining on ceilings, musty odors, peeling paint, and eventually structural rot in wall cavities. We've opened walls in Bridgman bathroom remodels to discover insulation completely saturated with mold, exterior sheathing rotted through, and wall studs decayed to the point of structural concern.
Michigan Building Code requires mechanical ventilation in bathrooms—specifically, an exhaust fan rated for the bathroom's square footage (minimum 50 CFM for bathrooms under 100 sq ft, 1 CFM per square foot for larger bathrooms).
WTS II Contracting installs Panasonic WhisperCeiling fans sized appropriately for bathroom volume and vented through the roof via rigid duct. These fans meet Energy Star requirements, operate at near-silent levels (0.3-1.0 sones), and move sufficient air volume to expel moisture before it condenses on surfaces.
Critical installation details that DIY and budget contractors miss:
For vacation rentals, we often install timer switches or humidity-sensing switches that activate the fan automatically. This removes the "guest forgot to turn on the fan" problem and ensures consistent moisture control regardless of occupant behavior.
Bridgman has the same dual-jurisdiction complexity common in Berrien County. Your property is governed by either the City of Bridgman Building Department or Lake Charter Township Building Department—never both.
Many addresses that say "Bridgman, MI" on mail are actually in Lake Charter Township. DIY homeowners pull permits from the City of Bridgman, only to have inspectors reject the project because they have no jurisdiction. Resubmitting paperwork to Lake Charter Township causes 2-3 week delays while plans are re-reviewed.
How to verify jurisdiction: Check your property tax bill. The taxing authority listed determines building permit jurisdiction. If unsure, WTS II Contracting verifies jurisdiction before submitting permits, preventing bureaucratic delays.
Michigan Residential Code Section R303.3 requires bathrooms to have either an operable window of at least 3 square feet OR a mechanical ventilation system exhausting a minimum 50 CFM directly to the outdoors.
Most Bridgman cottage bathrooms have windows, leading DIY remodelers to skip exhaust fan installation entirely. However, if the bathroom has a shower or tub (which nearly all do), modern inspectors require mechanical ventilation in addition to the window due to moisture load concerns in coastal environments.
Attempting to pass final inspection without a properly vented exhaust fan will result in a failed inspection and project red-tagging. Installing an exhaust fan after tile and drywall are complete requires cutting drywall, routing duct through finished spaces, and patching—far more expensive than doing it correctly during rough-in.
ANSI A118.10 requires waterproofing membranes in shower enclosures and tub surrounds. This means cement board alone is not sufficient—it must be covered with a waterproofing system (Schluter-Kerdi, RedGard, Hydro Ban, or equivalent) before tile installation.
DIY installers frequently tile directly over cement board with no membrane, believing the cement board "is" the waterproofing. Cement board is water-resistant, not waterproof—it allows moisture vapor to pass through. Without a membrane, water penetrates behind tile, saturates wall framing, and causes catastrophic mold growth.
Inspectors in Lake Charter Township and City of Bridgman now routinely require visual confirmation of waterproofing membranes during rough inspection. If you've already tiled without a membrane, the only remediation is complete demo and reinstallation—$8,000-12,000 in wasted labor and materials.
WTS II Contracting applies Schluter-Kerdi or RedGard waterproofing membranes on all wet area surfaces, documented with photos submitted during inspection to prove compliance. This adds approximately $600-1,200 to project cost but eliminates catastrophic failure risk.
We use contractor-grade materials engineered for coastal Michigan's sand, humidity, and freeze-thaw challenges:
Yes. Any bathroom remodeling project involving plumbing modifications, structural changes, or electrical work requires a building permit and inspections in Lake Charter Township. Many "Bridgman" addresses actually fall under Lake Charter Township jurisdiction—check your property tax bill to verify. Permits are required for shower/tub replacements, fixture relocations, wall demolition, electrical circuits, and ventilation system installations. WTS II Contracting verifies jurisdiction, handles all permit applications, and coordinates required inspections (rough plumbing, rough electrical, insulation, final plumbing, final building) to keep your project moving forward without delays caused by submitting paperwork to the wrong office.
Porcelain tile or rigid core luxury vinyl plank (LVP) are the optimal flooring choices for Bridgman beach properties. Porcelain tile is completely impervious to water and can withstand constant sand tracking when installed with epoxy grout (cement grout wears away from sand abrasion). Rigid core LVP offers 100% waterproof performance with better impact resistance—valuable for vacation rentals where furniture gets moved and items get dropped. Avoid wood flooring, laminate, or engineered wood products near Weko Beach—the combination of wet feet, tracked sand, and Lake Michigan humidity causes warping, cupping, and delamination within 2-3 years. WTS II Contracting installs porcelain tile over Schluter-Ditra uncoupling membrane to prevent cracking on wood subfloors that shift with seasonal temperature changes common in cottages.
Bathrooms in seasonal Bridgman cottages require proper winterization to prevent freeze damage during unheated months. WTS II Contracting installs low-point drain valves on all supply lines specifically for easy seasonal shutdown. Winterization procedure: (1) Shut off main water supply, (2) Open all faucets to drain supply lines, (3) Open low-point drain valves in basement/crawlspace to evacuate remaining water, (4) Pour RV antifreeze into sink drains, shower drains, and toilet bowls to prevent P-trap freezing. This 15-minute process completely protects your plumbing system. We design cottage bathrooms with all plumbing in interior walls or insulated chases—never in exterior walls where freeze risk is highest. For cottages with PEX-A plumbing installed by WTS II Contracting, the system has additional freeze tolerance, but proper winterization is still required to prevent trap damage and ensure longevity.
WTS II Contracting also serves surrounding communities. Learn about our bathroom remodeling services in:
Get a detailed estimate from a licensed Michigan residential builder who understands sand-resistant design, seasonal cottage winterization, and Lake Michigan's unique coastal challenges.
Request Your Free Estimate