Recently moved into a historic house.
Looking for advice on the primary bathroom layout. It’s 9 by 9.5 ft with a corner cut out for the chimney (see pics in comments).
In the original layout of the house this area was a closet and sink connecting the primary bedroom to a smaller bedroom.
My first thought was to reconsider placement of the doors to not have a walk-through bathroom. The smaller bedroom doesn’t have much usable wall space so taking out a door could help, plus it would give more wall space to work with in the bathroom. On the other hand the primary bedroom has no closet so as a “Jack and Jill” bathroom the smaller bedroom, which has two large closets, can serve as a dressing room and/or nursery and together the three rooms create a master suite.
The first contractor who came through told me it’s much more expensive to change the positioning of plumbing elements, especially the toilet.
I tried a bunch of ideas with little cutouts (see pics in comments). The one I’m most drawn to is this:
where the tub is now create a walk-in shower.
Leave the toilet where it is.
Put a tub where the sink currently is (this could be a tub & shower, but a shower in front of the window isn’t ideal, and also I’d love to have a cool tub like maybe cast iron that is nice to not have combined with a shower).
Move both door openings over 16 in to make room for the tub.
Put a narrow vanity and sink on the same wall as the tub in the area that would be created by moving the door over (door molding would overlap with vanity). There is a chimney inside of there–this is the only place plumbing would need to be added. I’m wondering if that is feasible and how much depth it takes up just for the plumbing.
Make the window bigger. This is the only non-original window in the house. To keep it looking normal from the outside I would keep the same line of symmetry and top edge and try to go wider and lower, probably a French casement window. There would be sight lines to the ocean from there, at least in the winter (hopefully from the bathtub). Of course we could have curtains for privacy. This is also question of feasibility and whether we could get a permit.
Or
Have a smaller footprint shower and put the vanity between the toilet and the shower (see pic). Or add a shower to the tub under the window to have more room for the vanity.
A reason to not leave the sink where it is now is you can’t put a mirror over it because the window is there.
What do you think?
Replies
Couldn't get all the pics in the first post.
I think you can do all kinds of fun things with a window and a sink. For example, you can install a round mirror with a retractable arm and maybe a small shelf under the window. Most people only want to brush their teeth and be done with it. Hang a bigger mirror on the door or may in the bedroom closer to a closet if you need it. Maybe the toilet can be adjusted slightly closer to the radiator wall. Do you really need a tub? Generally, people prefer to shower these days. Tubs are rarely used, so why the added expense?
Keep it functional and simple.
Or if you really want a tub, create access to the bathroom from the hall landing and remove the 2 doors to the bedrooms so that the bathroom is no longer a Jack n Jill. There will be more functional space for a tub location.
You’re looking at a $75,000 remodel there, at least. I’d tear it down to the studs and joists and work out from there. Moving plumbing of course costs more but the whole idea of a remodel is to bring things up to date and make them nicer, it cost more to replace a door too. I’d move doors, windows, everything since it’s not going to be cheap and I sure wouldn’t try to save a couple thousand by working around old stuff. When I do bathrooms like yours I gut it and replace everything I can reach, water lines all go PEX, sewer lines are all PVC, electric is all new, I spray foam small holes, spray all exposed wood with Tim-bor and then start finishing.
Would you consider taking some space from the upper bedroom or possibly the hall?
What do you think about the floor? It's a little old-fashioned. I can suggest vinyl or rubber, they are 100% waterproof. And vinyl is available in different kinds https://www.floorsdepot.ca/vinyl-flooring. I really like the look, and practicality, and functionality, for the bathroom is perfect.