Expert: Albert A. de Santis - 11/30/2011

Question
QUESTION: Hi!  My name is Kurtis Donnelly and I am hoping you might be able to help me.  My wife and I are purchasing a house (closing at the end of the year) and I really want to redo the bathroom for my wife.  I am a very experienced renovator and can handle all of the enhancements (save major plumbing work, I would have someone do that for me).  My problem is that I can't figure out how to lay out the bathroom to get the most out of it.  The house has only one bathroom so it needs to be great!  Is there any way you could give me any tips as to how best to layout the space?  I am attaching a diagram with dimensions of the current bathroom that may help.  A couple of the things that I would like to include:

I would like, if possible to have a separate shower and tub.  I am 6'4" so I would love a tub that is a little larger than a normal one.

The shower is super important.  I plan to put in a rain shower head and possibly one or two other heads. so a good sized shower would be great.

My wife really wants a dual sink vanity.  You will see in the diagram that there is a small closet (right now there is no door between, just an opening into the bathroom.  We don't necessarily need to use that as a closet.  One initial thought I had would be to move the toilet in there, but that would require a good bit of plumbing based on where the toilet is now.

Thank you soo much for any help you can throw my way.  This will be a wonderful Christmas surprise for my wife!

Thanks!

ANSWER: Kurtis
I am happy to help and will offer some layouts and tips for your consideration.  Below are some tips but before I develop some sketch plan options for you, I need to know your window sill heights (assuming the openings on the left are windows) and I need to know if the door can move along that wall.  For example, if the door moves to the center of the wall, you can fit something on the wall to the left of the door, potentially.  Just looking at the plan, your closet can make a good shower as well.

Otherwise, here are some tips:
TUB
1. Are you thinking drop in?  This requires a tub enclosure made of tile or wood and means you will need a bit more space to fit it in.  This type typically has or allows for a jet tub.  I recommend this type because you have more options and the tub surround is a good way to manage the inevitable splashed water. Keep in mind the recommended access to fittings, heater, etc when designing the enclosure's access panel look/location/size.
2.  Perhaps you are thinking claw-foot or some other stand alone tub.  These look beautiful and are, I think, more appropriate for a second, lesser used tub, as they require more attention to keep clean.  Since you only have one tub, Again, I suggest a drop-in.
3.  Overall Size:  8'Long for a 7' tub minimum length.  I would pick a tub you like but can afford before you commit to your remodel plans.

SHOWER
1.  4'x4' is very comfortable for turning about #or showering with another!#
2.  Consider the door:  glass?  Curtain?  Glass will look bad even when slightly cloudy.  I keep a squeegee to wipe off excess water to lengthen the times between cleanings.  Curtains feel can get icky but are easily replaced and are inexpensive. I like the transparency and elegance of frameless glass, personally, but it is very expensive.  Lowes and Home Depot can sell you a kit.  Frameless Glass is a bit unnerving for some to be naked next to a bare piece of moving glass.  Give room for the door to swing without banging into anything.  Be aware there are dual swing #in and out# which do not have a seal and there are single swing #in only or out only# that do have a seal.  You have to decide if a little water on the floor is worth the clean gasket-free look, or if you want to seal that up tight.  There are also bi fold sealed doors as well that are not as open since they have a frame.
3.  A hand held wand is good to have to rinse out the shower, bathe a dog, or to 'get underneath.'
4.  They make one piece prefab shower units from Fiberglass or you can construct one with a pvc liner and tile.  It depends upon how much time you have and how handy you are.  Shower liners take quite a bit of skill and research if you've never done one before but they can sure look great!  Make sure you select and know the size of the prefab unit before you finalize the plans, if that is the way you go.

TOILET
1. Don't cheap out, get a decent toilet.  Some don't flush well or even leak.  I like Kohler and Toto.
2.  Be aware of elongated toilets they may hinder your planning efforts by sticking out further than you expect.
3.  Give plenty of knee and elbow space if in a toilet.  A toilet stall is a good indicator.  30" is comfortable for smaller frame people and is minimum, 36" wide is comfortable, 5' Wide for handicap access.  If in a closet I'd suggest 5' Long for knee space.

SINK
1.  Again give 30"-36" aisle access to your sinks.
2.  If your sink is in a vanity #cabinet# it is typically 21"Wide - 24" wide with a drop-in sink.  Since this is your only bathroom, I recommend a vanity; you will need the counter space and cabinet below.
3. Pedestal sinks, again, look beautiful but are much less practical for an only bathroom.

MISCELLANEOUS
1. I suggest you squeeze in a linen cabinet, unless you have one in the hall.  You will love me if you include one when you are dripping wet looking for a clean dry towel.
2. Use porcelain ceramic tile.  You can get it in any size/pattern you like and it is very water proof and easy to install and virtually maintenance free.  Some even have a stone look.
3. Fixtures:  buy high quality brass fixtures, again, it is worth it.  Grohe and Kohler are good values.
4.  Don't forget to plan where toilet paper roll and towel bar backing goes.  Drywall does not make a firm bearing for these and Studs are never where you need them.
5.  Consider lighting.  You will want a vanity light at the mirror.  Make sure it has enough output for your wife to see her pores!  Never use Ikea fixtures.  Most use Aluminum wiring.  I have replaced more Ikea light fixtures than any other.
6.  Be aware of matching all metal finishes!!  This can be insanely difficult to do if you do anything other than a chrome finish.  Each manufacturer has a select few and one brand's Nickel is often different than another's.  Chrome is easiest to match.  Sticking with one Manufacturer helps immensely.  But remember there are towel bars, toilet paper holders etc.  Make sure you select them all and they all match before you commit/install.  Make sure your light fixtures match too.  
7.  Consider your toilet fixture finish too.  Same lessons from #6 apply here with the difference being that white is easiest to find and to match.  Other colors are wildly expensive and difficult to match if you end up with a tub from a different company than your toilet or sink.  Again, sticking with the same manufacturer for all plumbing fixtures helps dramatically, even if you think you can save by mixing manufacturers.  You bathroom will look very elegant if your finishes and styles match.
8.  Consider your wall finishes.  If you are installing tile or wood wall covering or wainscot, make sure you plan this out with your fixtures.  You want to plan your plumbing to hit the middle of your tile #if 12x12 for example#. It will look better than if you have to chip out two or four tiles around your valve.
9.  If you use glass for an enclosure, be aware that hard water or chlorinated will make it look cloudy in a year.  The only cleaner I like is Bruce's GSR.

MOST IMPORTANT: I know it is a surprise but consult your wife. My bet is that she will want things you never imagine.  Here are a few surprises I've seen wives want:  a full length mirror #requires a place to stand, far enough away to view your entire self#, a make up table and bench #takes a lot of space!#, a steam option in the shower, heat lamps in ceiling, heated radiant flooring #electric type can be installed under tile imbedded in grout#, sound system, heated toilet seat #Toto#, dimmer lighting.

There is always more to add but I can draw some sketches for you after you respond to my questions in the first paragraph regarding your plan.  You can just ask another question via all experts or visit my website at www.PILLARchitecture.com and use my contact page.

PS, I am originally from MD and go back every year to visit family, so glad to help a fellow Marylander.  

Thanks for the fun question!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Albert!

Wow this is so fantastic thanks so much for everything.  Great to find another Marylander out there!  I am going to try and answer all of the questions you posed as best I can.  I don't have the exact window heights.  It is something that I just didn't think of back when I was there.  The house is still occupied for another two weeks so it is hard to get in it.  Based on being in there and comparing them to the windows in my current place I would say the sill is about 3 feet off the ground.  The current vanity is in between the two and they were close to the same height.  

As for the door there is pretty much no way to move the door (one of the issues I saw when thinking about how to tackle this project).  The door is right at the top of the stairs off a landing.  

One of the things I am stuck on, and maybe I shouldn't be, is to try and keep the plumbing as close to where it is currently.  I plan to hire a plumber to do the new plumbing and I will do basically all the rest.  I don't really know what it would cost to run plumbing all the way to the closet area, maybe that wouldn't be too much, and if not I would be completely okay with doing that.  If it would be pretty tough though we should keep things as close as possible to where they are now?

For the tub, I am definitely thinking a drop in.  I am very experienced at laying tile and construction so I could build the encasement without any issues.

For the shower, I think 4x4 would be great.  I would lean toward some sort of glass door and maybe tile walls.  I want to stay away from the curtain I think.  Would frosted glass be an option?  Not sure about the liner.  I think I could do it, never done one before but I have done a lot of framing and tiling so I think with some research I could figure it out.

For sinks, we would need a vanity, preferably with a double sink, but if necessary we could have just one, since, like you said, it is our only bathroom.

One other thing (and this goes with your linen cabinet tip.  There is a second closet adjacent to the one in the bathroom that runs the rest of the length of the bathroom to the wall with the door.  This then opens onto the landing.  The same one right outside of the bathroom door.  We were hoping to use this for more clothes but if it makes or breaks the deal we could somehow include this in the bathroom design.

Ok I think I addressed all of your questions.  Again thank you so much for your help this is so wonderful!

Kurtis

Answer
Kurtis,
As a picture is worth 1000 words, here are 3000.
I've annotated and revised your plan with a little help from my favorite pdf reader/editing program BLUEBEAM.

Cheers
Al
ps it may not let me upload the third.  If you email me your address to adesantis@PILLARchitecture.com, I'd be happy to get it to you as a pdf