Bathroom Remodel Layout Help

Rehabbing & House Flipping
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Bathroom Remodel Layout Help

Nikko Mason
Member since 2019 · 6 posts · 0 votes

Hi,

I'm getting ready to remodel my first floor garage space to include another bed and bath. Weirdly the garage is the first floor and is as big as the second floor living area so there's definitely room but I need help deciding on a layout for the bed/bath area!

I've taken all of the dimensions (SHOWN IN INCHES) I think I need and have drawn the layout using AutoCAD. A link to the PDF is here (https://drive.google.com/open?...). The PDF shows the bedroom space and the bathroom space but does not include the garage space west of the bed/bath or the laundry room east of bed/bath. 

For the space I would like to include a closet for additional storage and of course for hanging clothes. The closet location from what I see has two options which dictate the size of the bathroom.  

Option #1: My preferred option, however, my contractor thinks that the space will be too small from the shower to the vanity area. 

  • Bathroom shares the north wall with a closet and needs to be at least 7' in length to accommodate all bathroom necessities. 
  • The bathroom layout includes dimensions for a 54" or 60" vanity. This can be reduced too, not a hard need. 
  • The shower would be walk-in with glass door and panels and has a small built-in bench.
  • The closet would be used for hanging clothes on the east wall, would need to shimmy in to do this but would also include storage towards the back. 
  • Do you think this option leaves enough space? Would it seem too small?

Option #2:

  • The bathroom shrinks in length to 6' but expands to take up the entire north wall. 
    • The bathroom layout can also be designed to option #3 bathroom layout
  • The closet moves to the south wall
    • Closet seems a bit wide and also not sure will be able to store as many things such as luggage, storage bins, etc.
  • The bedroom shrinks by 1' in length

Option #3:

  • Bathroom shrinks in length to 5' but still takes up the north wall
    • bathroom layout seems kind of plain
  • Bedroom is as big as option #1 again
  • Closet is on the south wall

I plan to use the space for Airbnb and as a guest room for visiting friends and family. So, it won't be inhabited 100% of the time. Any input would be appreciated! 

    0Reply
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    Jim K.
    Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
    6y

    Again and again, I see the same sort of thing here on Bigger Pockets, and it's frustrating and for me, deeply disappointing. Here, look at my layout. Tell me if it looks good, if I'm using the space in the best possible way. Look at my diagram. Here are my options, here's the commode in three different places.

    Twenty people contribute and offer you aesthetic opinions. The licensed architect cautions you against positioning the vanity in an infelicitous place. I'm a designer, pay me and I'll help you. Sunlight versus practicality. Get a pocket door, they're so cute and darling. The closest we got to practical concerns was @Theresa Harris, who points out that you need to think about existing plumbing. You also delicately mention, "...the existing plumbing pipes that exit west of the bathroom." Which plumbing pipes? Oh, those pesky details.

    WHERE'S THE WASTE STACK, @Nikko Mason? Answer the first question first, worry about the rest later. The creative and aesthetic aspects of this that you are obviously so interested in and have invested so much time in thinking about and working through are of trivial importance next to The Facts of Crap. You can't make crap run a marathon and dance. You need to know where it's going FIRST. You must base your design on the location of the waste stack if you don't intend to do major surgery on your property to put your bathroom in. Yet that location is not on your diagrams. And how dare I be so crude as to bring it up, right?

    4Reply
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    • Nikko Mason
      OP
      Member since 2019 · 6 posts · 0 votes
      6y

      TL;DR take a look at the layout through the link and let me know what you think!

      0Reply
    • Nikko Mason
      OP
      Member since 2019 · 6 posts · 0 votes
      6y

      @Sarah Cleopatra Wilson thanks for the offer! Just looking for any opinions on the space requirements in the bathroom and the layouts in the drawing as a whole for right now.

      0Reply
    • Kevin Sobilo
      Realtor · Hanover Twp, PA · Member since 2018 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
      6y

      @Nikko Mason, I like option #1 the best. The doors are more co-located. Doorways eat space in a room, you its always good to look at where they are and envision the way people will move through the space. So, I think option #1 is more efficient with the use of space.

      If you are in a colder climate, I would flip the orientation of the tub so the drain is on an interior wall though. It will save you some space because you shouldn't run water pipes in an exterior wall if they could freeze.

      0Reply
    • Kevin Sobilo
      Realtor · Hanover Twp, PA · Member since 2018 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
      6y

      @Nikko Mason, One more thing. I might flip flop the closet and bathroom space so that the bathroom is closer to the main house. That will make running the plumbing a little cheaper and easier. 

      1Reply
    • Kevin Sobilo
      Realtor · Hanover Twp, PA · Member since 2018 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
      6y

      @Nikko Mason, one final thing, doors should swing into the room. So, all of your doors should swing into the opposite room as you have them, except the closet which isn't a room. So, the closet door is fine.

      1Reply
    • Nikko Mason
      OP
      Member since 2019 · 6 posts · 0 votes
      6y

      @Kevin Sobilo thanks for the feedback! I placed the bathroom on the north wall because its closest to the existing plumbing pipes that exit west of the bathroom. 

      I'm hoping the 34" is enough space between the vanity and the shower and doesn't make the space look too small. 

      0Reply
    • Sarah Cleopatra Wilson
      Interior Designer · Washington, DC · Member since 2016 · 7 posts · 2 votes
      6y

      You’re welcome 

      0Reply
    • Account Closed
      Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
      6y

      I like option 2. It puts the shower and poo away from the door (in case someone barges in), combines the shower and poo access space needed, separates the vanity from shower and poo and finally, appears to allow for the most walking space overall. Also, bigger baths are usually better. And because you are having so much fun with the canvas, I might suggest another option would be to build the closet in option 2 that is currently located on the opposite side of the room to instead be built adjacent/on the same wall as the bathroom (in front of it). That way the closet is close to the bath, you could maybe even sneak in a linen closet accessed from the bath, still maintain 3 open walls for furniture and don't lose any bedroom space. Thanks for sharing and happy designing!

      0Reply
    • DeeDee Cherubini
      Real Estate Broker · Salem, OR · Member since 2019 · 5 posts · 1 vote
      6y

      I like option 2 the best. The closet in option #1 seems really narrow for a walk in closet, and if you're using it as an Airbnb, some of your guests may have trouble getting in to hang their clothes. I also like the deeper vanity in option 2. I'd add a small linen pantry next to the vanity if possible.

      0Reply
    • Melissa Courtney
      Member since 2019 · 1 post · 1 vote
      6y

      Hi, I am a licensed architect in NYC/NJ. Typically a bathroom is designed so that when you walk in the door the first thing you see is the vanity/lav/mirror.  You never want to walk into a bathroom and the first thing you see is a toilet or a shower. Take a moment to think about every single bathroom you've ever walked into, either private or public.  The toilet and shower are usually not front and center as soon as you walk in the door, this is also for privacy reasons. I think some small reconfigurations in either scheme can make this an easy fix.

      1Reply
    • Andy Freeman
      Rental Property Investor · Orange County, CA · Member since 2019 · 37 posts · 23 votes
      6y

      Option 2 looks best, but 1 looks good too. Not a fan of #3.

      0Reply
    • Nikko Mason
      OP
      Member since 2019 · 6 posts · 0 votes
      6y

      @Melissa Courtney that is a great point. Thanks for the input. The only reservation I have about putting the vanity/mirror against the north wall is that it would block sunlight from entering through a window there. Sounds like I need to weigh the pros and cons of less sunlight vs bathroom design style. 

      0Reply
    • Theresa HarrisPro Member
      Member since 2019 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
      6y

      @Nikko Mason  Think of where there is existing plumbing above or in walls to minimize new plumbing.  Also avoid outside walls with plumbing.  As someone else said, it is important to think of what you see when the door is open.  Often a vanity is the preferred option.

      For your closet, a shallow and wide one is better than narrow and deep.  With the current configuration, once you have clothes on one wall, there isn't much room to 'walk in' and get the ones at the back.  I know everyone says they want walk-in closets, but I'd rather have one where I can easily access my clothes.

      If the entire first floor is a garage, why not think of the living space on the second floor and replicate what you like about that layout?

      0Reply
    • Max T.
      Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
      6y

      @Nikko Mason

      Have you thought about pocket doors?

      0Reply
    • Ann Lamm
      Winston-Salem · Member since 2019 · 13 posts · 4 votes
      6y

      @Max T.

      Love pocket doors. Save wall and floor space. They slide into the wall on a track. Cost is close to the same as a fitted door but watch install. Can be pricey. Good luck!

      Ann Lamm Interior Design

      0Reply
    • Jim K.
      Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
      6y

      Again and again, I see the same sort of thing here on Bigger Pockets, and it's frustrating and for me, deeply disappointing. Here, look at my layout. Tell me if it looks good, if I'm using the space in the best possible way. Look at my diagram. Here are my options, here's the commode in three different places.

      Twenty people contribute and offer you aesthetic opinions. The licensed architect cautions you against positioning the vanity in an infelicitous place. I'm a designer, pay me and I'll help you. Sunlight versus practicality. Get a pocket door, they're so cute and darling. The closest we got to practical concerns was @Theresa Harris, who points out that you need to think about existing plumbing. You also delicately mention, "...the existing plumbing pipes that exit west of the bathroom." Which plumbing pipes? Oh, those pesky details.

      WHERE'S THE WASTE STACK, @Nikko Mason? Answer the first question first, worry about the rest later. The creative and aesthetic aspects of this that you are obviously so interested in and have invested so much time in thinking about and working through are of trivial importance next to The Facts of Crap. You can't make crap run a marathon and dance. You need to know where it's going FIRST. You must base your design on the location of the waste stack if you don't intend to do major surgery on your property to put your bathroom in. Yet that location is not on your diagrams. And how dare I be so crude as to bring it up, right?

      4Reply
    • Rob Sawyer
      Rental Property Investor · Syracuse, NY · Member since 2017 · 156 posts · 72 votes
      6y

      @Jim K. "You can't make crap run a marathon and dance."

      HA! Great phrasing Jim!

      AND good advice that many never think about...

      1Reply
    • Tyler Weaver
      Investor · Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2008 · 319 posts · 243 votes
      6y
      Originally posted by @Melissa Courtney:

      Hi, I am a licensed architect in NYC/NJ. Typically a bathroom is designed so that when you walk in the door the first thing you see is the vanity/lav/mirror.  You never want to walk into a bathroom and the first thing you see is a toilet or a shower. Take a moment to think about every single bathroom you've ever walked into, either private or public.  The toilet and shower are usually not front and center as soon as you walk in the door, this is also for privacy reasons. I think some small reconfigurations in either scheme can make this an easy fix.

      Having the shower prominent from the entry can make the room more appealing. Especially if you are spending a lot of time and money making a tile shower with frameless glass shower doors etc. 

      I agree on the toilet though. Tuck that away. 

      0Reply
    • Jim K.
      Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
      6y

      SMH... The Expert (Short Comedy Sketch)

      0Reply
    • Bill Kramer
      Contractor · Evansville, IN · Member since 2019 · 142 posts · 208 votes
      6y

      @Jim K. With the right slope and venting you can make a poo do whatever needed.

      Done it. 40 feet across the house, nonetheless. Just gotta think ahead to make sure you can achieve a steep enough slope.

      Also, you need to keep building codes in mind. There are certain distances that thing have to be from each other. And as I alluded to, ventilation. You can only go so far before you need to add ventilation pipes/devices.

      0Reply
    • Nikko Mason
      OP
      Member since 2019 · 6 posts · 0 votes
      6y

      @Jim K., I completely agree with your input and I could have probably provided more information on this. The reason the bathroom is placed closest to the north wall is because the existing plumbing is located closest to there. The waste stack is west of where the bathroom is located in the layout. 

      Placing the bathroom where it is gives the crap the shortest path to my sewer line. 

      0Reply
    • Jim K.
      Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
      6y

      @Nikko Mason

      Can you go back to your AutoCad file and draw in the position of that stack? This is "a first-floor garage space," that is, a garage, so all the below-floor plumbing is going to be in or under a concrete slab. How thick is the slab? How deep is the connection to the sewer line?

      0Reply
    • Jim K.
      Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
      6y
      Originally posted by @Bill Kramer:

      @Jim K. With the right slope and venting you can make a poo do whatever needed.

      Done it. 40 feet across the house, nonetheless. Just gotta think ahead to make sure you can achieve a steep enough slope.

      Also, you need to keep building codes in mind. There are certain distances that thing have to be from each other. And as I alluded to, ventilation. You can only go so far before you need to add ventilation pipes/devices.

      I once had a local flipper hand me a remodeling diagram that would necessitate chopping holes for a 3-inch toilet line through four 80-year-old 2x6 joists to the nearest stack. He specifically asked me as I looked at his insane diagram if I thought he should go with a one-piece or a two-piece toilet.

      0Reply
    • Justin Sullivan
      Real Estate Agent · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2019 · 158 posts · 140 votes
      6y

      How big is your shower?? If that is 7’ space and your vanity is 21” and you have 34” of walk way then your shower is 29”? If this is the case I say run with the layout you have. Don’t over think it. 34” is plenty of space to walk. At first I thought you only had 24” and that would be pretty tight. In my personal master bath I have 10x7 roughly and we squeezed a 44x34” shower 36” vanity and 5x5 jacuzzi tub in there. We threw the toilet tucked away in a corner space against the return vent bump out with 24”. It’s to the left of the door which centers the room and we have roughly 24” between shower and vanity. It’s not a walkway so it works comfortably. We spent way to much time designing this and changing and fitting and refitting. We started with double sinks and ended with one large sink to fit the jacuzzi tub. I’ve attached a quick sketch of the layout. Point is there is many ways and opinions to layout your bathroom. What works for you? In my opinion as a contractor 34” will be plenty room between shower and vanity. I say option one and run with it. You’ve already done the most important thing and thought about the plumbing a reconfiguring the layout to make that easy. I added an extra vent pipe out my Roof to accommodate my layout. I also did everything myself so my cost were just materials and time nights and weekends. Looks like you got a good idea and handle on things just don’t overthink it and stress. The options you have will work just fine!!

      0Reply
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