Small Bathrooms

I think the topic of small bathrooms has to address both full baths and half baths (or guest baths).

Full baths (those with a shower and/or tub) are either family bathrooms, or master bathrooms, and are found in the bedroom portion of the house. Half baths (sink and toilet only) are typically used by visitors and are found close to the living spaces of the house.

Half Bath - Usually, these rooms are only 20 to 25 sq. ft. in area. Since these are typically off a hallway, you don't want the door swinging out. Swinging the door in makes for tighter maneuvering, but it's necessary.

The good news is that you don't need any storage capability in these small bathrooms. I would consider a pedestal sink rather than a vanity. Use a corner cabinet (either on the floor, or wall hung) if you want a place to put a few rolls of toilet tissue and other bathroom items.

Industry standards might give you additional insights regarding the spacing of the fixtures in small bathrooms. The center of the sink should be at least 15" from an adjacent wall or edge of toilet. And the same for the toilet (15" from center to wall or edge of sink).

Your decorating choices are unlimited. Obviously, smaller fixtures will allow more movement. Lighter colors are better for giving the illusion of spaciousness, but dark colors are more dramatic.

Of all the small bathrooms I've seen, one of the prettiest belonged to my brother. He once had a guest bath under a stair that was only 20 sq. ft. (4 ft. x 5 ft.) and had a slanted ceiling. The tiles and fixtures were all black. With the creative use of lighting and mirrors, this was a lovely room that allowed a feeling of comfort when you were in it. Nothing is impossible.

When thinking about doing a small bathroom makeover, get the magazines and do the research. When you see something that really makes you smile, you'll know to go for it.

Full Bath - For both master baths and family baths, talk about whether or not you will ever have more than 1 person in a bathroom at any time. When most families discuss this, they discover that the answer is an emphatic NO.

In the unlikely event that your family answered YES, there are certain planning decisions that will be different than those families answering NO.

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Issues to consider (while planning the remodeling of small bathrooms)are: more than one entry; single sink vanity vs. double sink vanity; separation of sink from toilet and bath; or separation of toilet from sink and bath; or separating all three. Of course, space and layout of the house might diminish your options.

In 2-story homes (like colonials), these bathrooms are on the 2nd floor. I mention this because it affects the cost of a renovation. Carrying everything up and down a flight of stairs usually adds 5% to 10% to the contractor's price (not that there's anything you can do about it).

This also gives you a choice you wouldn't have if the room was on the first floor. You could push the ceiling up to the roof and add a skylight. Family bathrooms usually are entered from a common hallway. So your only options for expansion are sides (usually into a bedroom), and up.

Master baths are often entered from the bedroom, so expansion of that bath into the bedroom might seem like a logical way to go. In a typical builder's model (of about 80 sq. ft.), the master bath takes up 15% of the master suite.

The bath usually has 2 sinks, a dressing area, a tub and separate shower, and a toilet that's not in a separate compartment (usually called a water closet). A survey of home buyers was taken to determine which options these builders should offer.

Let's see what the survey says:

Would you take space from the sleeping area to enlarge the bath?

76% said NO.

Would you diminish your walk-in closet to a regular wall closet, adding space to the bath?

72% said NO.

Would you eliminate the tub for a larger shower & separate toilet?

69% said NO.

Would you eliminate the tub and enlarge the closets or sleeping area?

84% said NO.

Would you replace the separate tub & shower for a combination, and put the saved space into closets or sleeping area?

56% said NO.

Where should a walk-in closet open into?

Master bath got 31%

Master bedroom got 69%.

Well, if nothing else, you have several things to think about when remodeling small bathrooms. When you have it all figured out, let me know. You can contact me with any questions about small bathrooms by clicking here.

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