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crl_

Layout for hall bathroom

crl_
9 years ago

We are planning a kitchen remodel and if budget permits, we will do the hall bathroom at the same time. I'd like to have plans far enough along that our contractor can give us a bid when we meet with him after the holidays.

We have a small house with small bathrooms. There is no way to expand the footprint of this bathroom, except to encroach on the existing linen closet. I'm loathe to do that as this house really lacks storage already. But if it would be a big improvement in the bathroom, I would consider it. There is a window on wall opposite the door into the room. I didn't show it on the plan because it will need to be replaced and I want to talk with our contractor about whether to replace it with a similar window or with an operable celestory above the tiled part of the shower. I'd prefer to leave it where it is because that suits the exterior of the house the best.

The plan below shows a wall hung toilet on the wall of the linen closet. I would plan to use those six inches that are required for the concealed toilet tank above the toilet as recessed storage space.

The vanity is just 18 inches deep and probably would realistically be around 32 inches wide (thought the plan shows 36) to fit next to the shower.

The shower is fairly spacious at 74 x 36. (Our other bathroom has a bathtub so I'm okay with losing the tub in this bathroom.) The line between the shower and vanity represents a wall. I am thinking a tiled wall up to about shoulder height with glass above that. The shower head would be at that end of the shower, on the same wall as the vanity.

This bathroom was last remodeled in the 1960s and while everything is curently functional, some of the finishes are looking quite worn. In addition to re-freshing things, we'd like to make this bathroom somewhat more accessible. We currently have no need for that, but plan to stay in the house long term. I think the space is too small for true ADA accessibility, but I'm hoping to improve the situation somewhat.

Accordingly, we are considering a curbless shower. I would like a vanity with as much storage as possible because this is the bathroom our eleven year old and four year old use. I'm assuming that if we tile behind the vanity and beneath it, we can remove it in favor of a wall mount sink if that is ever necessary. I will talk to our contractor about widening the hall doorway as much as possible. I don't know that we can get all the way up to 36 inches, but maybe we can eke it out to 33 or so. I plan to install a couple of grab bars in the shower and one next to the toilet.

Any thoughts on the layout or other aspects of this possible remodel would be appreciated!

Comments (16)

  • palimpsest
    9 years ago

    For me this is upside down so I uprighted it and highlighted the dimensions

    If you widened the door to at least 32", did a wall hung sink, and made narrow storage in the wall adjacent and had some accessibility of the linen closet from inside the bath, you could get something to near universal access.

    This is a 10x6 bathroom which is a decent size: technically almost big enough for two basic, minimum dimension bathrooms.

  • dekeoboe
    9 years ago

    Check with your plumber, but I think if you want to make this curbless you are going to have to drop the floor in the shower in order to get the necessary slope.

    Is there a reason why you are not doing the often seen below floor plan? You would even be able to get a deeper vanity and perhaps a linen closet too.

    Here is our basement bathroom. There is a linen closet next to the vanity that is not visible in this photo.

  • palimpsest
    9 years ago

    If you could rotate the toilet it might work even better. Also is there any reason you can't bury this 6" in the wall at the bottom between it and the next room? This is assuming that in general the plumbing needs to stay where it is. It may work better all on one wall.

    This post was edited by palimpsest on Fri, Dec 12, 14 at 18:30

  • crl_
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I did not line things up on one wall because I thought I could get a bigger shower the way I drew it. We would really like a bigger shower, both in general, and to allow more room for a shower bench and assistance in the shower if ever needed. (Dh made a face that it would only be 36 inches wide as I drew it above). It's possible I'm wrong about how the dimensions would play out and I will fiddle with that option.

    I originally thought I would do it the way you drew it palimpsest. But then I thought it would be easier to bury the tank in the linen closet. The wall where you show it is adjacent to a small closet which will become the washer dryer closet in the remodel and there is no room to borrow from there at all. It is possible one of the 4 inch concealed tanks would fit into the existing wall space without narrowing the room further though. I also thought it was slightly nicer to "hide" the toilet more by backing it onto the linen closet wall.

    I generally like the idea of a wall hung sink, but since this will eventually be a teenage girl's bathroom, I think there needs to be some counterspace to allow for curling irons and hair dryers and make up. Perhaps I can find a wall mount with a bigger deck or a sink could be put into just a counter with a small false front to hide the bowl. (Or a vessel sink on a small counter might work, but I'm not crazy about that style.) I think I also need to allow for storage of those items. Make up should fit fine in a shallow cabinet, but a hair dryer and such might be more challenging.

    Assume the plumbing can be moved anywhere--my layout above moves the shower and toilet from their current locations. This is over a crawlspace and I am assuming it will be totally gutted. I think floor joists would have to be shaved and sistered or whatever to allow for the curbless shower so it's all going to be open anyway I think.

    Thank you!

  • crl_
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Maybe a console sink? They seem to more often come with some deck space. Though I think the one have linked is a bit too deep. Even with the lesser width, I think it might conflict with the minimum distance to the toilet.

    (The house was built in 1926 and is a French revival, for whatever that's worth. We aren't going for period perfect in our remodeling, but I am trying to make choices that are at least somewhat suitable to the house.)

    Here is a link that might be useful: Console sink

  • crl_
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Okay, lining things up as suggested above. With the console sink linked above (is it accessible?). And with tall narrow storage across from the sink. I think 12 inches deep would allow for hair dryers and curling irons and such?

    (I am trying to post so it shows right side up for everyone, but since it always shows correctly for me I'm not sure if this will work.)

    Thank you!

  • palimpsest
    9 years ago

    I don't think there is any reason not to do something like this which is what dekeoboe has suggested. With a wall hung toilet and a curbless shower they could also sort of blend together footprint wise.

  • crl_
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Palimpsest, thank you. I did another layout, see above, with the fixtures lined up on the same wall, but the toilet and sink are reversed from your layout.

    I thought given the location of the linen closet, that would "hide" the toilet better? Is there a competing reason to have the toilet go next to the shower instead? I am planning on a partial (full height) wall separating the shower from whichever fixture is next to it if that makes a difference.

    I found a possible wall mount sink, linked below.

    Thank you everyone!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Wall mount sink with deck space

  • palimpsest
    9 years ago

    I don't think there is much "hiding" a toilet in a bathroom that's one open room. I can see trying to get it away from the main view from the door, especially if you can see it from an important spot in the house (front door, LR, kitchen table)--But in a room this size, as soon as you are at the door, there it is.

    I think it makes sense to put the toilet next to the shower for a number of reasons, especially when you start talking about accessibility. If you keep the sink away from the shower you can also do a conventional vanity.
    If you are concerned about concealing the toilet more than it is you could do something like this:

    But each "layer" you add takes up room and reduces accessibility. The most accessible bathroom is essentially a giant shower with a wall hung toilet and sink inside it.

  • crl_
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I thought the suggestion was to avoid a conventional vanity because it wouldn't be accessible? What are the other reasons to put the toilet next to the shower?

    Thank you!

  • palimpsest
    9 years ago

    Conventional vanities aren't wheelchair accessible unless they are large and have a kneespace underneath them kind of like an accessible kitchen sink.

    If you are talking about being fully accessible, it's nice to be able to transfer from the toilet seat to a shower bench in a lateral move and vice versa. But if you are going to that level of accessibility, the area to the right of the toilet above would have to be clear enough for a wheelchair to back into to transfer from it onto the toilet as well.

  • crl_
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you so much for explaining to me!

  • weedyacres
    9 years ago

    Having the vanity next to the shower creates 2 issues:
    1. Harder to reach the shower water controls (blocks more than a toilet)
    2. Wood can get wet more easily.

    If you've got a 4-year-old, you don't sound old enough to be on the verge of needing an accessible bathroom. Unless a family member has a condition with known deterioration and the need in the next few years, I wouldn't worry about making it accessible now. If you're talking 20 or 30 years from now, then you'll probably want to be ripping out the bathroom for an update anyway. If you're even still living there.

    BTW, lining up everything on one side of the room is a much better option than toilet and sink across from each other and the resulting obstacle course.

  • palimpsest
    9 years ago

    Weedy I know you constantly renovate properties and the idea of redoing a bathroom now, and then having to redo it again in 20 years doesn't seem like a big deal but I don't think it's very sound advice to say not to worry about it now because you are going to want to do it over later anyway. (And that's probably not really what you mean anyway)

    There's a big difference between updating a bathroom cosmetically and having to redo it for functional or accessibility purposes.

    There's nothing wrong with getting an accessible door (32'-36" wide), an accessible shower (Even if not technically fully handicap accessible) and a layout that it at least fully adaptable NOW, and not having to think about it again. It would be very easy to get the shower right and use a wall hung toilet, and with the vanity and linen cabinet toward the lower right corner at least get the Plumbing right for a wall hung or accessible sink with finished floor and wall around it. Then you could install a more conventional vanity and a linen cabinet for now and if you Need it to be accessible in the future take out the conventional cabinetry and put in the wall hung sink

  • crl_
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you!

    My plan as drawn has a partial, full height, wall separating the shower from whichever fixture is next to it. So it won't make any difference as to reaching the shower fixtures or to direct water exposure to the vanity. Obviously we could still chose to not have the wall and then your comments would be pertinent.

    We are older than you might assume for having a four year old. But regardless, we prefer to remodel things just once--less waste, and less cost and inconvenience. Our current house has a mostly original kitchen, so 80 plus years old and we are just now remodeling it. And the bathroom we are remodeling was last remodeled in the 1960s, so fifty plus years old. Our first house had the original bathroom from 1939, with just a newer vanity, so at the time, over sixty years old--and we left it all in place. So I see no reason a bathroom remodel can't last the next thirty to forty years. Even if fixtures need to be replaced at some point, getting the layout right now would make that a much cheaper and easier process.

  • crl_
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Palimpsest, thanks. We cross-posted.