I don't like the current door placement - makes it look like a short hall with the bathroom door at the end, but you have no door to your BR. Is this going to be a private bath, or would it be used by other BRs on that floor?

How about using the 74" x 50" space where the entrance to the bath is now as a "step-in" closet? If you are keeping the current BR door placement, I would rather have a wall in front (with nice art work, a console table, small dresser, whatever) as soon as I come in the BR door, than a bathroom door (our MBA door gets left open a lot and the BR door is *always* open), this would give you more privacy.

Or would you use the space if it just opened to the BR (bring the current closet wall straight across)?

I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind answering them.

Do you want a separate soaking tub and a shower?
Do you need a linen closet in the bathroom?
Is one sink enough?
Are those the only two places doors can go?

I'm having trouble visualizing the bedroom walls- can you do a sketch with the bedroom too, just for orientation?

Thanks, Renee

ajsmama - I'm not crazy about the current door placement, but we don't have much choice. As you'll see, the door to the master bedroom is right off the stairs. I suppose you could go straight, which would be the leftmost part of the current closet, but I think that would be worse (could see it from the front door!)

[note: this is just to show the context of the bath & closet; the images in original are actual layout]

This would be the Master Bathroom for use only by the grown-ups.

hosenemesis -
1) I'd prefer a separate tub - I have a bad back and when it is really bad lifting my leg over the tub to take a shower is too much.
2) We do not require a linen closet.
3) One sink is enough, along with enough counter space.
4) Pretty much, yep. See above.

I've had so many different ideas and versions that I don't know what is good anymore :) So I really appreciate any ideas you have.

I think I'd rearrange so that you don't walk into the bathroom when you come in. Instead, have the bathroom door where your closet door is. Have the bathroom reshaped and be the "end" of the space (closet/bath area currently), and then have the vanity and current bath door area be a new 1/2 closet accessible from the bedroom side wall. This way, when you walk into your bedroom, you can have a nice piece of artwork or something directly in front of you (as mentioned above). The bathroom door would be "behind" the main bedroom door, but I think that is okay.

I wonder why the builder didn't put the 2 baths back to back? Most do. But it's easier to move sinks/tubs/showers than toilets, so I say leave the toilet where it is, maybe compartmentalize it, could possibly put a sink where the shower is now (in compartment with toilet). Would you like a tub under the window? Then shower at the end of the tub (with glass wall between?), maybe a vanity (wouldn't be hard, b/c the other bath is right on the other side of the wall).

Pocket doors are great - you could put on right where the closet door is now, it won't exactly be behind the BR door but b/c it slides it won't interfere either. You'd still have room for a linen tower or something in your current closet area (depending on how you place the tub and shower), and maybe can put a shallow linen closet in with access from the hall, right at the top of the stairs, if you could use one.

The current vanity space could become a deep closet with bifold or sliding doors as mentioned above, and if you want that to be "his" closet, you could have a large WIC in the front of the room (with single window in it).

Sorry, if I knew how to draw a floor plan I would.

Just have to consider venting as well as plumbing and water lines. Can you put a bath fan in your current closet area? What's above it?

Oh, forgot, to make room for a linen closet in hallway you could move the BR door down toward current master bath a bit, just extend that wall to the right of the stairs and move the door down a couple of feet. I think it will also make coming around the corner from the stairs easier.

You could even take out that door entirely, and make the hallway a dead end where your current master bath door is, just then you'll have to put a door where I just said to put a closet (where vanity is now), or where the current closet door is, but you'd have to run across the hall from the master to get in there, and I don't know how you feel about that. You could also just do the WIC in the front of the room, wall off the current doorways, and put a door from the BR into the MBA right where the vanity is now.

Have I given you too many options for doors?

Thanks for your ideas, they are helpful!

Is this what you were thinking, ajsmama? (vanity is next to toilet)

Here are some other designs I came up with.

This one I was thinking short cabinets that could also be used as a bench/seating.

or how about a long narrow shower that would take up what is now the half closet, and leave the toilet & vanity where they are.

Here's one I apparently spent some time on apparently - forgot all about it :) upper right corner would be storage.

And I'm not too worried about the bathroom door being across from the bedroom door; we're used to it and it doesn't really bother us.

What about something like this?

I don't know how big a shower you want/need, I was thinking something along the lines of the 1st one you posted but with tub under window, or like 3rd, but not as big a shower so you could put in a linen closet in the hallway. And compartmented toilet with sink where I think you have a cabinet at end of tub.

I like the last one you posted (and mydreamhome's)with the shower in that corner (hadn't thought of that!), yours might be better since at least the toilet backs up to the one in the other bathroom, but mydreamhome's would be harder/more $$ to do since it's not that easy to move the waste stack for a toilet, even if it's just a foot or 2.

Maybe switch the linen/cabinet to end of tub where he/she has the toilet, like your last drawing (tub supplies coming up through floor), leave toilet in current location and put a sink against the shower in mydreamhome's plan (if it's deep enough), with toilet and sink compartmented from the tub/main area?

mydreamhome - thanks for posting that picture, it is different than anything I had thought of. I have a feeling the toilet placement won't work (those are two exterior walls in that corner), but I'm playing around with the rest of your plan.

ajsmama - sorry, I'm not following your last idea with the sink against the shower. where then is the toilet?

Sorry - that won't work, I just forgot the shower was taking up the old vanity space, but how about keeping the toilet where it is now, putting the shower where the vanity and entrance are now (as per mydreamhome's plan), and putting the sink where your shower is currently? Tub under the window. That way you're not moving the toilet - other drains (and supplies) are easy.

Of course, your last plan was good too - shouldn't be too hard to put a toilet back-to-back with the one in the other bathroom, but you should ask a plumber.

Here's another thought...

Ooh, I like that one too, and plumbing/venting should be relatively straightforward. You'd have to ask a plumber about removing the old toilet flange.

I like that one.

I tried doing that kind of layout with the toilet in the current/existing spot and it just doesn't seem to work well.

ooh, unless you put a sink/vanity next to the toilet on the right wall, keep a sink/vanity on the lower left corner (remove storage) and flip the storage+bath so storage+extra bit is on the left wall. I'm on a different computer so I can't draw it up.

I feel like I could design all day and still not be able to pick something!

If you had a choice, which would you pick and why?

If you could find a way to make the waste line work, I like the first layout I did for you. It feels very open & spacious. It gives you lots of linen storage, a larger toilet room & a makeup area. It just seems to layout better with each area of the room having a particular function.

The second layout is similar to one I had pulled as an inspiration pic for our bath. I like that there is still a toilet room & the tub is able to be a little longer. Hopefully with the toilet backing up to the other bathroom's toilet the waste line shouldn't be such an issue. If the cost or feasibility of doing the first layout is prohibitive, I would do the second one.

I think either one is definitely better than the smaller layout you are currently living with--so either would be an improvement & feel luxurious while adding greater function to the space. I'm a huge fan of "toilet rooms" as you can still use the bathroom space even if your spouse is indisposed at that moment. Additionally, looking down the road at potential resale, I think with a bathroom that big potential buyers would think it odd if the toilet was sitting right there out in the open--it may be a deal-breaker (the same could be said of having just 1 vanity/sink).

Just my $0.02.

And just to confuse the matter even further...

Toilet is not in it's own room, but there is some privacy at least from the door, shower & tub. Not so much from the vanity area, though. I would rank this one my third choice.

Hope this helps!

It does help! Thank you so much!