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kendralh

PLEASE HELP! Floor Plan - Master Bathroom / Closet

kendralh
6 years ago

Hello! I posted about this yesterday but think I got carried away and word-vomited all over the post. So I'm gonna try again and hopefully not do the same thing!


Summary:

Please help me!!! I really, really, truly hate my master bathroom. I want to move the wall and door and hopefully reconfigure it a bit, but am not sure the best way to do that. I would like to do the lowest amount of plumbing work possible.


Background:

My house is 1600 sf 3 bd 2 ba, early 1980s, and I'm slowly doing a full remodel.

The master bathroom needs a new shower, but the bathrooms are the only thing the previous owners updated, so it technically doesn't neeeeeed to be totally remodeled...

It is on the smaller side (5' X 7'9.5") and awkward, and you have to close the door to stand at the small (28") vanity. I feel uncomfortable spending much time in it and usually end up carting all my things to another bathroom.

Luckily it's right next to my closet, which is much larger than I need (7'2" X 7'9.5"), and abnormally large for the house.

Long story short, the work I'm planning for the closet will mean (at a minimum) drywall patching on the wall between the bathroom and closet, and new closet flooring.


This is the lay out now, except I dimensioned the closet a few inches too short (horizontally):

From the right wall of the closet, the closet/bedroom opening is 3'6". The distance from the left side of the closet to the opening is 12.5". The top and right walls are exterior walls. I am not sure what's in the awkward square bonus wall in the bathroom corner next to the shower-- might have just been a shortcut to make a cheaper shower fit, or might be where the plumbing comes up from the downstairs.

I'm thinking of moving the wall between the closet and the bathroom to make the bathroom bigger, but am not sure how to reconfigure the bathroom. I would like to do a new tiled shower, and am hoping that weird square in the corner is empty and just because the builders were cheap and lazy so that it isn't too much extra work if I remove it.

I would prefer not to move the toilet or shower plumbing. Tearing up the bathroom flooring will be a pain but is doable.

This is the link to the post yesterday in case someone wants to read my ramblings or see some things my family has suggested: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/please-help-i-hate-my-master-bathroom-possible-floor-plan-change-dsvw-vd~4599451


Thank you so much!!!


Comments (8)

  • miss lindsey (She/Her)
    6 years ago

    Hi kendralh. I read your other post...OK I glanced at it...no more word vomiting now!!

    I don't know the good solution to your dilemma without a major renovation which would include moving the plumbing and losing some closet space. One thing you could consider is to change the door to a pocket door, either accessing from the closet where it currently is or from your bedroom, if there is no electrical running through the wall between your room and the bathroom.

    But from a practical standpoint, is it possible simply to use another bedroom as the master? You're already using a different bathroom, the closet in this one is too big for you (but maybe a great place to store all those holiday decorations?) and I'm guessing at 9x14 this room is not all that much bigger than the other bedrooms.


  • PRO
    RappArchitecture
    6 years ago

    Keeping the toilet and shower plumbing drastically limits your options. If you do this, the only advantage of moving the closet wall is to get the door farther away from the vanity. You don't say if you'd like a larger vanity, so if not maybe this option works. Budget notwithstanding, you need to start with what you actually want in a new bathroom and then go from there.

  • kendralh
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Yay! responses! Thank you so much! I'll try to keep reigning in the word vomit :)

    Lindsey-- The master is small, but the other bedrooms are miniscule, haha-- you can't put a queen bed in them unless it's up against one wall. BUT, it's just the two of us in the house, so it isn't a huge deal.

    A pocket door is a great idea! I was thinking of moving the wall into the closet another foot or so, then placing the door in the center of the wall, like this kinda:


    Which would give more vanity space and a much bigger shower and I think I could run plumbing for the vanity along the wall. Is it weird to have the door open up across from the toilet? It's really only a one person bathroom, anyway.

    Thank you again!

  • kendralh
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    RappArchitecture--

    I'd love to have a bigger vanity, and would consider moving plumbing if I could figure out how to make it work better! My mother suggested expanding the bathroom into the closet, and putting the entrance to the bathroom on the bedroom wall, but we couldn't quite figure out how to arrange it. Any suggestions are definitely welcome at this point!

    This was my mother's suggestion, but I think getting into the shower might be awkward:

  • kendralh
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    p.s. this is what it looks like now (taken before I moved in). Planning on removing the weird closet doors and replacing the shower enclosure at a bare minimum.

    from bedroom to closet, with weird doors that make putting anything in the corner difficult
    into the most hated bathroom, from standing in the closet

  • miss lindsey (She/Her)
    6 years ago

    In this room, without a major renovation, the *only* things I would do are to fix the shower, install a pocket door right where the current one is, and improve the lighting. A brighter white (cooler temp) bulb might make all the difference.

    My concern is you're going to do these tiny changes that won't improve your home's value and won't really improve your enjoyment of it either. Entering the bathroom through the closet is problematic and basically turns the closet from a good sized walk-in to a too-large hallway. You're right, opening the door directly onto tolhe toilet is not pleasing.

    For me, it wouldn't make sense to lose more closet space and live through the dust for such a minor change. I'd just move my stuff to the other bathroom, and save for a total reno that fixes these layout problems and the other little wrong things you've noticed. An ensuite is not vital to survival and some "investments" don't see a return monetarily or in quality of life.

    Sorry, that's probably not what you want to hear. Maybe some of the design gurus will stop by with the fantastic solution that I can't see :)


  • User
    6 years ago

    Hi Kendra

    I know your questions got answered but do you mind if I ask you what is behind your bathroom and closet wall or what is behind your bedroom wall do you have room to expand those walls?