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jaymallin

Two baths and a master - layout dilemma

11 years ago

See the pic - trying to keep the guest bath from being too small but layout is causing heartburn. Plumbing stack locations mean we can't move toilet to the other side of the master tub, but otherwise open to suggestions!!


Comments (48)

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Sorry, I don't understand your dilemma. Do you want to reconfigurate your ensuite without using space from the guest bathroom? Do you want to enlarge guest bathroom? Is the layout above your current bathroom?

  • 11 years ago

    The guest bath is small but adequate. I wouldn't reconfigure everything as your master bath looks great.

  • 11 years ago

    guest bathrooms are supposed to be small, otherwise the guests wouldnt ever go home.

  • 11 years ago

    Good points all. This is a proposed plan for the guest/master bath. We were just a bit concerned that the guest bath was getting too small.

  • 11 years ago

    Just have a shower in guest bath, sloped floor w/no curb & Long linear floor drain at wall, floor tile can go right into the shower -it would make the bathroom appear much larger and can function as a handicapped bath if the need should ever arrive I wouldn't even have a glass panel so that the room has a clean look

  • 11 years ago

    Good advice by beckicu. Go with ADA toilet & tile entire room floor to ceiling with a good exhaust fan.

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    A shower in guest bathroom is good but you need at least one tub in the house.

  • 11 years ago

    Just curious...is there a value issue as to why another tub would be needed? Doesn't a bathroom w/shower still count as a full bath? (I thought bath or shower was a personal choice)

  • PRO
    11 years ago

    I played around with your plan and made a few tweaks. If toilet can be moved over about 6 inches, then the guest bath wall can also shift over to enlarge it. The closet gains back space and the MB gets a longer vanity/more storage.



  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    beckicu, when selling the house many families with young kids may turn away just because they can give a bath to their children.

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    The layout is the same but I just moved the entrance to the closet about 9 in. to the left. This gives you 9 in. extra to the right of the vanity (red area). You could extend the vanity and/or widen the toilet area or widen the guest bathroom. You could also make your toilet area 5.5 ft long. This would give you a little bit more space between the tub and the linen. or you could even place the linen on the wall where the guest bathroom's tub is.

  • 11 years ago
    Master Bathroom: Shorten the double vanity just a tad. Shorten the length of the water closet just a tad and shift it over 6". Find a linen cabinet to place on the wall next to tub. Guest bath: Shift the door over to the left about 6" to make for a longer wall. Move the tub to the entry, build a pony wall at the end of the tub, enclosing the rest with a glass wall. Place the toilet on the other side of the toilet and move the vanity in nook where linen closet use to be in the master bath.
  • 11 years ago

    Is the guest bath only used by the occasional overnight guest and company over for a visit or will it be used everyday by the kids?


  • PRO
    11 years ago
    This is a really great layout. The guest bath is a good size. It would be nice if it could be a bit bigger, but in my opinion, not worth changing your master bathroom layout for.
  • 11 years ago
    I absolutely hate bathtubs however one at least is needed for resale unless you live in a retirement community and sell to someone who never had kids.
  • PRO
    11 years ago
    I agree with Dar.

    I noticed the Guest Bedroom is sized for the guest to stay a weekend, but the guest closet is sized for them to stay six months.
  • 11 years ago

    I think your guest bathroom has a honest size, not big and not small, just honest. Comfortable without being overwhelming. Do not worry. Bathroom for guest is just to use quickly and go out to life.

  • PRO
    11 years ago

    Angle the tub in the corner....shower can back up to toilet wall and former shower space is now available to the guest bath for additional vanity space.

  • 11 years ago

    make an optical illusion. get an oval tub, have a more narrow toilet, and get a sink and counter where the sink comes out past the counter top. have lots of mirrors behind the sink. Gives the illusion of a much bigger bathroom.

  • 11 years ago

    I think the revised plan that Adalisa Frazzini proposed is spot on. You get a better master closet as well as a better master bath layout. The extra 6"-9" added to the guest bath will have major impact. I would also follow Beckicu"s advice about the shower with linear drain and glass wall. These two ideas of additional width and invisible shower will make the guest bath appear much larger than its plan implies.

  • 11 years ago

    Tried to find anything wrong with your blueprint. Could not find one thing that wasn't addressed -- it even has that extra floor space for stepping in/out of the master shower. Linens exactly where you most need them. Guest bath needs nothing.

    I would be ecstatic if this were my bathroom. Why fix and spend when it's perfect?

  • 11 years ago
    Thanks guys! We have 5 bathrooms in the house: 1 half, 2 on suite full with tubs, the guest full with tub and the proposed master, so plenty of tubs, just don't want to bring the guest bath below the rest of the spec in the house.
    The angled tub is great, could put a shelf in the corner for the tub filler and wine glasses etc
  • 11 years ago

    If you could move the guest shower down, where the master shower was going to be, it would add a lot of length and by adding a small window will open up that space too, added in some linen space for the quest washroom as well. The master shower can be combined with the tub area, do a partial wall to separate and have some biult in shelves or encolsed cabinets for your linens, above you can close in the shower/tub area with glass, as well as a glass sliding door, so you can still keep a lot of light coming in from your windows.

    Example of a nice shower tub area:


    Sunset Hill- Micro-Modern · More Info


  • 11 years ago


    Brettkelly Residence, Oakland, CA · More Info


    Pulp Design Studios · More Info


  • 11 years ago

    I think you should consider bringing your master closet wall in line with the sink wall and thus increase the closet size. I think you will enjoy having more closet space and I am wondering what you gain by having that recessed wall in the master bedroom? Sorry to be off-topic but thought you might want to consider it...

  • 11 years ago
    Our guest bath is almost the same and we love it. Even though it seems contrary, consider putting a 7/8th (or proportioned for your vanity) wall between the vanity and the toilet. Allows a generous hanging space for hand towels and some art to left of vanity. That, the open space at the top and the separation between the vanity and toilet makes it feel much bigger than other small baths with the same configuration.
  • 11 years ago

    I would bring your closet wall that is closest to the master bed south by three feet to line up with your twin sink wall, then turn the master tub sideways like chikiki said. Then you are free to bump everything over to make your hall bath bigger. Cornering the tub is also a good idea. BTW pocket doors suck- if you can avoid them...

  • 11 years ago

    Angled tub scenario


  • 11 years ago

    I think as it is the layout is just fine. This guest bathroom is the same size as the one in my MIL's house and it is the perfect size, whereas the one in my son's house was bigger than this - the same layout but about double the vanity length. I thought it was an annoying waste of space for a guest bathroom.

  • 11 years ago

    Sounds like you have way more than enough tubs then!

    If this bath is really only for occasional guest visits, you may not want to upset the great floor plan over least usage. If your guests are most often older, a large shower would definitely be the upgrade here.

    You could still make this room just stunning! Example -- I found out on the phone with Caesarstone, when inquiring about their Concetto Collection, that nobody normal :) can afford this. I have never, and likely will never, see this installed.

  • 11 years ago

    That angled tub scenario doesn't do much justice for the beautiful windows above. IMO it kind of ruins the initial beauty of the entire room upon entering, not only due to the windows/tub effect, but it then necessitates a little bottleneck to and from the shower because of the protruding linen cabinet. Think twice, as you surely would anyway :)

  • 11 years ago

    Three suggestions that may or may not work, but may trigger new ideas.

    1) Rotate the toilet 90-degrees (may be able to do without moving plumbing) so that tank is on the guest bath wall. May be possible to split the master vanity, leave one in present location and find a new location

    2) Does master shower have to be rectangular, or could it be moved into the master batn and angled to fit the space?

    3) Put a pocket door on the other side of the master toilet andeliminate toilet from the guest bath. Would then be space for a large vanity. Might work if guests were rare.

  • 11 years ago

    I think the size of your guest bathroom is fine, especially if you put just a shower & clear frameless enclosure. From the master you see the doorway & wall which is perfect for a great piece of art (I'd use something large) also add a return on the closet/ master wall- just deep enough to accommodate built in storage for shoes & handbags.

    I wouldn't bother with the pocket doors & to me angling the tub feels "tricky" & un necessary. With the slight tweaks by Suzanne M you have a bit more space- it is a great layout & going to be beautiful you will have to post photos!

  • 11 years ago

    Sally Unger - Re: Closet bump-out. The windows in the Master Bedroom are not moving and the augmented wall was to maintain balance on the bed wall as the bed is positioned - centered under the 4 transom windows.... It was envisioned that my wife would have a sitting area in that little nook... Not opposed to extending the wall, would make the bath/closet entry a lot cleaner as well. Opinions on the windows not eing centered on that wall??

  • 11 years ago

    I prefer the bed centered under windows if it must be on that wall, can bed be on a different wall? I always consider what I will see when I enter the room & my preference is a piece of art, a window w/beautiful view, or a piece of furniture (centered)

  • 11 years ago

    *As you enter room now you are looking at part of the bed & part of the chair, but nothing important (no focal point)

    I like that the bathroom wall is set back it gives the room shape some character

    Jason Mallin thanked Beckicu Cuellar-Han
  • 11 years ago

    Yes to keeping the symmetry of the 4 windows over your bed, no question! Closets can be customized to store so much more anyway.

    The master's size needs to look set apart from the others! Even more so in your case, as you'll already have 2 children's bedrooms with en suites.

    So my last 2 cents on the master bath. If you really like the angled master tub in that it allows a longer vanity in the guest bath, and/or small window in that room...which I have to admit is fantastic...

    I've often seen a scenario in custom homes for master bathroom linen storage in my area of the country -- and it works beautifully --

    It lives quite easily in the water closet room! Bonus is that it keeps the focal point the tub and/or shower, rather than a functional item.

    Here the back of the linen cabinet would go against the plumbed wall of the shower. (If keeping the same shower size shown, you'd have to enter the water closet room closer by that one sink.)

    Unsure if need to steal very few inches from the shower to accomplish this? However, wondering if much more awesome to turn the shower so that 2 heads are on the long wall, centered entry! Hmm!

    Anyway, it's going to be a great home no matter what.

  • 11 years ago

    I have a home built in 1960 - my main bathroom is the same size as your guest bathroom!

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Jason ... DONT´T CHANGE A SINGLE WALL!!!

    Your bathroom looks great and a guest Br is just that ...For GUESTS... no permanent use!!!

    Simply add mirrors in opposite walls and the multiplying effect will give the sensation that the space es huge... Try not to put them too low because no one wants to be refflected when sitting on the toilet ;)

    Here´s an example I found for you on the net
    http://math2033.uark.edu/wiki/images/f/f8/Infinite_mirror_elevator.jpg

  • PRO
    11 years ago
    Your current layout works just fine, without major reconfiguration. Be aware of pinching off access, while you're tweaking this. Hillman's suggestion of the combo open shower/ tub area, would be your least nuclear option for adding space to the guest bath. Also be wary of pocket doors in plumbing walls. They take cautious coordination.
  • 11 years ago

    Just a little detail: I would swing your bedroom's door the other direction. This way you will be looking at your bedroom and not a wall when you enter.

  • PRO
    11 years ago

    I love you plan AS IS! It looks like you had a good designer or architect who planned that out with many coordinating details in mind. The main aesthetic feature of the room is the freestanding tub that is centered on your windows, which is all directly across from the vanity. Since this is lined up, the image of that beautiful tub will be reflected in your vanity mirror. It will look amazing. The closet entrance is part of the bathroom space, which provides better space in the bedroom for furniture placement and it also provides you a little more privacy while getting ready in the morning (or provides someone who may still be sleeping a little less noise & commotion). It also hides your closet more if you ever have visitors to your bedroom and worry about a mess or privacy there. The tiny little "vestibule" for the bath/closet also provides a great space to hang artwork and it shields any bad views into the bathroom (glare from lights, awkward view of the toilet, etc).

    The size of your guest bath is totally standard. Most of the houses in America probably have a bathroom that size. It is the width of the tub (or shower), probably 60". It is perfectly functional, especially as a guest bathroom. If you are really worried, use a wall mounted toilet or a round front, instead of elongated. Also use an 18" deep vanity instead of 21". You could also make that floating. You may have to watch the pocket door on that room. Depending on where your water lines are coming from for your master toilet room (floor/basement or wall) the pocket may have to go the other way and you would need to re-locate your switches in the guest bath to the side wall. But you can get away with a regular hinged door in there.

    When you design your linen cabinet for the master, maybe use a chamfered corner so you don't have a square edge you will always be walking by when you go to the shower. Other than that, it looks great.

    IF you still feel like you need to change it, I also really liked Adalisa Frazzini's design. It is done really well and she kept the focus of the tub centered on the windows and it is even the focal point that you would see from the doorway. And you get some more closet space as bonus!

    Jason Mallin thanked DETAILS design studio LLC
  • PRO
    11 years ago

    You should address, in some way, the moisture generated in the master bathroom migrating into the master closet and generating mold & mildew.


  • 11 years ago

    I totally agree with DETAILS design studio. I also noticed that you have convenient locations to mount the towel bars for the shower and the tub. You can mount hand towels on each side of the vanity.

    Jason Mallin thanked suzanne_m
  • 11 years ago

    Thank you all for the great feedback. It is very likely that we are keeping it as-is, maybe tweak that toilet room to be a bit shorter, but otherwise we're good.


    Mark - thanks for the note - the moisture issues etc will be handled with a 4-port whole-houseventing system so we will have a vent in the closet as well as in the bath in order to maintain balance.

  • 11 years ago

    Side note - we're going with the Kohler vintage tub for the master to really make an impact!


  • 11 years ago

    Since you've decided to shorten up the "water closet", you might opt to getting a nice wooden display-case type of shelf unit to kitty-corner where the linen closet is.