Need to redesign bathroom for normal sized people!
This is the master and hall bath in our adorable dollhouse of a beach house. It was built in 1998 on the footprint of a 30s cottage and the beadboard trim you see in the photos is rescued and repurposed from the original cottage. The casement window over the tub needs replacement.
The biggest problem is that the space for the toilet is 21" wall to wall. The biggest waste of space is the humongous jetted bathtub that we have never used in the two years we've owned the place. Not to mention that the water heater does not produce enough hot water to fill the tub above the jets.
The sink is tiny and cramped and can't serve as a vanity area. And it's in the traffic flow into the bathroom. I have attached a sketch with some dimensions noted.
The bath is on the second floor. There are no expansion possibilities. Below the bathroom is a bedroom. The views from the windows are spectacular. You could theoretically soak in the tub and watch the crashing waves of the tide coming in.. Or you could rip out the tub, get by with showers, and go to the beach and soak in the salt water! This is an adult house. Tub for kids not necessary.
So. How to reconfigure the bathroom and make it more useful and comfortable?
The biggest problem is that the space for the toilet is 21" wall to wall. The biggest waste of space is the humongous jetted bathtub that we have never used in the two years we've owned the place. Not to mention that the water heater does not produce enough hot water to fill the tub above the jets.
The sink is tiny and cramped and can't serve as a vanity area. And it's in the traffic flow into the bathroom. I have attached a sketch with some dimensions noted.
The bath is on the second floor. There are no expansion possibilities. Below the bathroom is a bedroom. The views from the windows are spectacular. You could theoretically soak in the tub and watch the crashing waves of the tide coming in.. Or you could rip out the tub, get by with showers, and go to the beach and soak in the salt water! This is an adult house. Tub for kids not necessary.
So. How to reconfigure the bathroom and make it more useful and comfortable?
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And an exterior shot for flavor. The bathroom is in the upper right of the picture.
For scale on the picture -- the front room is 10 feet deep and 18 feet across the front, as if it were an old-time screened in and sleeping porch. Not a huge house, but just perfect for 2 adults hanging out at the beach.
Assuming not moving a ton of plumbing, I was thinking if you left the shower where it is, but made the inside dimension 32" x 45" and did a frameless glass enclosure on two sides, that would give your toilet some extra inches.
Then if you stole some space from the master closet, your vanity could go there with some counter space. Change out the door from the master to a sliding pocket (there are door swings every where in that corner!) OR, remove the door to the master all together, and use that space for your vanity. Change the swing on the bathroom door. OR, both (remove door, steal space from the closet and maybe there's enough room for double sinks).
Take the tub out and the tub deck and replace that with your egg shaped free standing tub which might take up less space visually.
I don't know how big that laundry area is, but as Sandy noted above, stackable full sizes are great.
2. Put a larger vanity (or maybe double if space allows) against that new wall.
3. Swap laundry and shower locations. Use stackables and give space to toilet. Shouldn't require too much plumbing.
You then have room for a 60" or 72" vanity and a storage tower that are mounted to the laundry wall facing the current shower. The toilet moves into part of the area the tub occupied; it would be facing the shower and can either be built in its own room or have a half wall. The shower stays in place but expands to fill in the area once occupied by the toilet. There would be room for a shower seat.
The shower would be about 36"x 56", toilet area 60" x 40" +/- with storage, this type layout would take advantage of the window. The window is unobstructed as the vanity is to the left and the toilet is to the right. The little corner sink would no longer be needed.
The laundry (which is small stackables) cannot face 90 degrees right -- the stairs are right there. It might actually be the landing and not the steps themselves, but I don't think it works. They could be relocated within the bathroom space and give up their closet to a shower or toilet room. There is no place to relocate the laundry within the house envelope.
I don't know if you could see from the pictures, but it's a slanty ceiling over the bathtub, so that has to be taken into consideration when thinking of stackable w/d in that space or a shower. And the windows are low to the floor -- sitting just above the tub deck.
Thanks for all the ideas -- we just love our beach house and keep thinking about living there full time -- but the bathroom HAS to be more liveable!
Lefty -- thanks for calling it like it is on the toilet space! It is really not OK and we've known it since we first looked at the house. We have enough hot water for showers -- just not for filling up monster tubs!
The master bedroom is about 15 inches wider than a king size bed at the far end, and maybe another 12 inches wider at the end near the bathroom. There's about 5 feet from the foot of the bed to the closet by the bathroom.
The shower to toilet to window wall dimension is 36(shower)+21(toilet space)+40(tub deck) = 97 inches.
I'm really thinking that the tub has to go. We're not using it, and I don't think my husband will agree to giving up his walk in shower.
I would put vanity along laundry wall,as you suggest, but not worry about the half wall for the toilet. Then you might be able to extend vanity to under angled window. If window is to low, you could lower counter for storage underneath window - and a spot for flowers on top! In this scenario, toilet is facing angled window (as it is now), but closer to front window (now over tub). I hope you have good blinds!
Source(s):
International Plumbing code.
Good luck.