Does that 5x5 incl the tub, or is it 5x5 plus the tub?

I just remeasured. The total space is 7 x 5, floor space without the tub is 4.5 feet x 5. My hall bath is 8 x5 but feels so much more spacious. Maybe replacing the tub with a shower makes sense but I do like to take a bath after a long day.

Our MB is 5' wide x 7'3" deep, hall bathroom is 5' x 7'8" and we have a tubs in both. Floor space is 4'8" x 5', hall bathroom is 5'2" x 5'. MB has a window, hall bathroom does not. FWIW, the linen closet is in the hall bathroom--door/closet is behind the door to the bathroom (can't be seen when the door to the room is open).

We just reno'd both bathrooms (total gut jobs), and are extremely happy with the way both turned out. Here are links to before and afters of each. Pictures aren't the best (tiny rooms, hard to photograph!), but you can get the idea. I think I have some pics on the camera taken from inside the tubs. I can look for them and upload them (if I find them) if you need to see more.

Hall Bathroom: http://s141.photobucket.com/albums/r53/cat_mom/Bathrooms/Hall%20Bathroom/

MB: http://s141.photobucket.com/albums/r53/cat_mom/Bathrooms/Master%20Bathroom/

A few ways we maximized storage:

24" vanities with both drawers and doors (local guy made them for us; modeled after the Sonia Europa style vanity (ours are taller, which maximizes drawer height/storage).

Recessed medicine cabs (don't jut out into the room); MB's is 6" deep--DH "stole" a few inches from the bedroom closet directly behind it. Hall bathroom's is 3.5-4" deep. Both from Robern.

Bath towel bars mounted on the tub surround wall (on the wall opposite showerhead/controls)--so you don't need to take up space hanging bath towels on the back of the door or on the wall in the room itself.

I've seen this done in "small bathroom ideas" magazine articles; recessed/built-in cabinet (4" or 6" deep depending on your stud size) for storage (behind bathroom door or on any wall that works out logistically). You can use glass doors, wood or laminate doors, framed wood/glass doors, etc. The use touch-latch hardware, or lift-up hinges with finger pulls, or.....

Also, niches are a great use of the "dead" space in the walls, not only in/on your tub surround walls, but on the wall adj to your sink, or over the toilet even. Again, build them to the depth your studs will allow, frame them out, and voila--more storage!

We didn't use towel/train racks over the toilets, but I've seen them in others' bathrooms. and they're another way to store unused towels.

HTH!

Dear Catmom,

Thanks for the suggestions and the links to your photos. I've got a couple of questions. It looks like you have the vanities in the corner in both bathrooms. How is that working out? Did you have the vanity tops custom made or were they prefabricated? Also, are your vanities "furniture style" with legs? How much did your cabinetmaker charge you to make them?

Thank you!

Yes, the vanities are in the corners in both (the one in our guest bathroom is as well). We basically stayed with the same layout(s) as the original(s) in each bathroom. Even though some pipes/fixtures were moved, it was still less involved than moving them to the opposite side of the room for example.

It's working out fine for us. The med cab doors can't open flat in the hall bath or MB because we chose to have them swing open towards the side wall (because of planned towel bar placement in the MB and planned wall hangings over the toilets in each bathroom, and we didn't want to hit them with the mirrored doors). Not terribly inconvenient by any means, though I sometimes wish we had just a little more space so I could open the door fully--it's mirrored on the inside, too).

The tops are the Sonia sinktops. We'd gotten the larger version for our guest bathroom, because we had a wider version of the vanity made for that room (we originally chose that vanity/sinktop because the f to b depth is narrow, and the guest bathroom is long and narrow). The sinks are actually bolted to the wall, and then there are bolts that also hold the sink in place on the vanities.

While we could have gone with deeper (f to b) vanities/sinktops for the hall and MB's, we liked the sinktop and vanity design a lot, so decided to stick with those for these bathrooms as well. FYI, the sinks are shallow, but it hasn't been a problem for us.

The vanities are on legs (with plastic feet/caps nailed to the bottoms so the wood doesn't sit directly on the floor).

I'll have to look to see what the guy charged us, it was a long drawn-out process with him because of personal issues (on his part, not ours). I think we ended up giving him extra $ when all was said and done, but I know what we paid was about 1/2 the cost (or less) than the Sonia vanities. Also, we were able to customize the height (Sonia vanities were only 31.5" H or so, ours with the sinktops measure about 36" H), which allowed us to have deep enough drawers to store towels in the guest bathroom (we lost the closet in that bathroom when we put in a shower stall).

The vanity in the guest bathroom is walnut with an espresso stain, hall bathroom is cherry with a bordeaux stain, and MB is cherry with an ebony stain.

Thanks for the additional info. I took a look at Sonia online. $2000+!!!! I am just blown away by vanity prices. I found something I liked made by Strasser but it is $1700 for a 24" inch vanity and with a granite top I'd be over $2000. I've thought about using an Ikea vanity but I don't like to to think of particle board and water in close contact!

How did you work with the cabinetmaker? Did you take him the specs and ask him to reproduce it with your modifications?

Suzan, if you're on a budget check out overstock, home decorators, etc.

Writersblock--thanks for the tip. I've looked but I am having difficulty finding something that has the look I want within my budget. I am thinking of this one I found on signature hardware.(link is below) My kitchen is done in natural maple with shaker doors and I'd like to keep a similar but not identical look going in my bathrooms. All my furniture is either maple or cherry and the espresso finish that is popular (and beautiful) doesn't seem to fit. I want some sense of unity throughout the house. Also, neither of my bathrooms has a window so I am trying to think of ways to lighten up the space.

Here is a link that might be useful: cadmon vanity in creamy white

I will definitely look the price(s) up for you--have to pull out the paperwork/receipts. No way did we spend anywhere near that am't. The sinks were expensive, but since we didn't have to purchase countertops, I'm sure they weren't drastically more expensive than sinks + granite.

We showed the cab maker pictures of the Sonia vanity (from the website and ones we took at the showroom) as well as whatever specs/dimensions we could get from our salesperson and online. I think it was the cab maker who first suggested making that first the vanity taller (I guess the trend is toward having vanities the same height as kitchen cabs/counters). Since we needed the drawers to be deep enough for towels, as I'd mentioned, it seemed a good way to go.

I found a great bath base cabinet at a local decorating company for only $60.00 brand new! It was a return and they also had a couple of other wall cabinets that had been overstocked. I bought one of those for my utility closet for $75.00. Call around if you are looking for a bargain. I put a new granite countertop on it and it is lovely.
I also had a corner hanging medicine cabinet in one of my other bathrooms which saved a lot of space for me. The corners are usually dead space anyway.

Suzan, Kohler has a 48" acrylic bathtub with deep basin for soaking. It is available with or without Jacuzzi jets. I saw it once in a showroom and thought it was adorable. The model name is "Grecian" (I just checked) but you can google 48" bathtub. Personally I don't think Jacuzzi jets are worth the maintenance troubles but the deep soaking tub is lovely. Shop online for variations in price.

Catmom, I love your photos and have a tiny MB like yours. I was particularly impressed with the decorating you did in the bathroom with the orange shower curtain. Did you use one or two paint colors in that bath, I can't really tell for sure? I recently completed a hall bathroom which formerly had wall paper. It is now painted a beige/taupe color that works with the tiles in the tub, BUT my overall impression at this point is that there is too little color on the walls which makes the bathroom look stark. While I do not have any wall fixtures up yet, and my feelings may be premature, I already have a nagging feeling that some change is needed.
Thanks and congrats on two lovely baths!

momotom--thank you! Everything we've done in our house has truly been a labor of love, but if you looked at the before pics of the bathrooms, you can really appreciate how meaningful that phrase is! If you can believe it, we lived with the before versions for ~12 years.

We used one paint color in the hall bathroom--BM Affinity color Handmade in Aura Bath and Spa matte (reg Aura in satin finish on basemolding).

We've been branching out with color in some rooms. The kitchen/LR/DR/Foyer/Hallway upstairs, are painted Super White (mixed up in Aura matte), but we've been using "color" in the smaller rooms, and really like the look.

oops--messed up the italics--sorry!