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vbnagle

Advice please...1 or 2 sinks in this guest Jack and Jill bathroom?

7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago

Hi there! I'm in the process of designing a house. Two guest bedrooms will share a Jack and Jill bathroom. The bathroom is 6'x12' with a 6' vanity (see drawing below). While I believe counterspace is extremely valuable when two are sharing a bathroom, I wonder if adding a 2nd sink would be more valuable. I want guests to feel comfortable and have a place to put their 'stuff' but am torn about adding a 2nd sink to the space. I would appreciate your thoughts...pros and cons. Thank you!


Comments (51)

  • 7 years ago

    One sink. Storage and counter space is key. "active" time in front of a sink / actually using it, is rather brief.

    Val Nagle thanked just_janni
  • 7 years ago

    If I'm a guest, and there's a guest in the other room, too, I would feel so odd about locking THEIR door when I go in. Can you make it a common bath, one door opening off the hall?

    And yes, one sink. I want room for my "stuff". Bank of drawers on each side.

    Val Nagle thanked bpath
  • 7 years ago

    I vote for one sink as well.

    Also, I think it makes more sense to have a door that segregates the toilet/shower from the sink area, rather than having 2 pocket doors from each room. One door to deal with, so no one will lock anyone else out (or forget to lock themselves in). Make it a frosted door, to allow light from the window to reach the sink/mirror, and you're golden.

    Val Nagle thanked One Devoted Dame
  • 7 years ago

    Two sinks may be great for a couple, who like some companionable time during morning and evening toilette, but I suspect that two guests in separate rooms are going to take turns using any shared bathroom, so a single sink with lots of counter is far and away the best choice. Agree with those suggesting a hallway entrance, though.

    Val Nagle thanked acm
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    2 guests 2 bedrooms ,equals one sink , if it was 2 guest 1 bedroom then 2 sinks, on the first one, 1 person at the time will be allowed in the bathroom on the second one a couple would be allowed , I don't think that I would like to share a bathroom with a person who has never seen me naked, thank you very much ! :))

    Val Nagle thanked Geneviève
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Door in hall without a connecting door to either room. Tub across the end. Toilet next. One sink by door. Door opening in (not a pocket)(that way you can have a robe hook on the inside of the door. Jack and Jill baths don't work for all the reasons stated above.

    If you have the space, a bath in each room would be the best.

    Val Nagle thanked Sherry8aNorthAL
  • PRO
    7 years ago

    I second the one sink idea too. Also, upvote for One Devoted Dame's idea of a separate door to the toilet, although I think you could still have the two pocket doors from the bedrooms. Pocket doors are fussy sometimes, so they could be left open to expose the beautiful vanity and mirror (and make the space feel bigger) or closed for additional privacy.

    Val Nagle thanked Rauch+Co
  • 7 years ago

    Thanks-one sink it is! One Devoted Dame thx for idea of adding frosted/obscured glass door to tub/toilet area. Will consider using hallway door only as well. Thought guests would rather enter bath from bedrooms instead of going out in hallway. Still a work in progress. Thx all!

  • 7 years ago

    If the hallway is, in fact a hallway (and not open to the living room or something), the hallway should still be relatively private.

    Val Nagle thanked AnnKH
  • 7 years ago

    AnnKH - Bath could open into a the hallway instead of having entrances from bedrooms. Still considering doing that & trying to determine what guests would prefer. We do have a powder room as well so the j&j bath would be primarily for overnight guests.

  • 7 years ago

    I think it depends on who you expect your guests to be. Most of the time as a guest I'd rather go out to a hallway bath than feel like my room was weirdly connected to that of someone I don't know well. On the other hand if you're expecting adult children with their children (or adult siblings, or others who know each other really really well) to be the main guests there's a lot to be said to connecting the rooms via a bathroom.

    Val Nagle thanked Kristin S
  • 7 years ago

    In answer to your question, yes, one sink. As others have said, two sinks would be too crowded for practical use ... plus you'd have no storage space at all with two sinks ... and since you have no linen closet or anything else, you're even going to have to have towels stored in the vanity drawers.

    Other thoughts:

    - You seem to have about 1' of bathroom /closet protruding into each bedroom. this is going to look odd. Bedroom 2's closet would be better placed against the wall shared with the other bathroom ... it would provide some acoustical privacy against the flushing of the other toilet.

    - I don't like the layout with the toilet being so front-and-center.

    - You really don't want pocket doors on a bathroom. They're great for doors that're left open most of the time (for example, a laundry room or mudroom), but they're more difficult to open and are prone to breaking with heavy use.

    At this point, it isn't a very good plan.

    Val Nagle thanked Mrs Pete
  • 7 years ago

    Mrs. Pete, you bring up a good point about closets (I didn't like the jog in the bedroom walls either). Is there a closet in Bedroom 3?

    Val Nagle thanked AnnKH
  • 7 years ago

    Still trying to figure it all out. This is a redesign of a plan that's been in the 'works' January. There is a closet in Bedroom 3. On the other side of Bedroom 3 closet and laundry is the Master bedroom. Don't have space to move Bedroom 2 closet to the shared wall with the half bath. I would have to do away with the half bath.

  • 7 years ago

    Why would you do this to your guests? Put the door on the hall so they can use it in peace. One sink is enough.

  • 7 years ago

    Here's a larger photo. To move the closet in Bedroom 2 to the wall where the door is, I'd have to eliminate the powder room in the mudroom area. The garage is to the right there. The Master Bedroom is on the other side of Bedroom 3's closet and the laundry room. Guess the bath wall 'jut out' into the bedrooms to allow sufficient/required space for the toilet. Not sure how to get around it.

  • 7 years ago

    Is the half bath open to your dining room?

    Are these bedrooms accessed by walking through the dining room? Sorry, just confused by what I'm seeing, which I realize is just a partial floorplan.

    I definitely agree with above commenters who have advised to nix the jack 'n jill and go with a single door to the hall on the full bath.

  • 7 years ago

    Oh, I just saw that that's the garage on the far right, not the living room.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Don't have space to move Bedroom 2 closet to the shared wall with the half bath. I would have to do away with the half bath.

    Sure you do ... we're not talking about more square footage ... just a shift of location.

    I also tried something different with the bathroom layout -- it's far from perfect, but consider this: Divide the 6x12 into two spaces. Start with a 5x6 half bath open to the hall ... with a pedestal sink, you might even go a little smaller than 5x6. Keep the tub where it is ... allow for a 3' hallway through the middle, open to both bedrooms ... and go with a narrow, space-saving vanity and sink. It's lots of doors, but it serves both bedrooms and the hall ... which means you could do away with the half-bath at the upper right, make that the closet, and enlarge the bedroom.

    Seeing that "overview" layout, I see a couple items of concern:

    - The dining area looks small, especially since it is also the pathway to these two bedrooms.

    - The half bath layout is odd ... I'd lose that little "outer room" and allow the half bath to expand into a comfortable size.

    - The hallway with its 90 degree turn strikes me as "odd", and I can't exactly say why.

  • 7 years ago

    How many people will live in this house? The garage entry looks tiny.

    If you open up the guest bath to the hallway, you don't need the powder room.

    How about if you flipped bedroom 3 and the laundry/closet? The closet could be a reach-in, and you could use some of the extra space to reconfigure the bathroom.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    No to pocket doors. It's much better , for reasons outlined above, to have a single door opening into the hall. In addition, real walls between the bathroom and bedrooms are more solid and sound dampening than a pocket door. A guest getting up in the night and going to the bathroom would be easily heard by the occupants of the adjacent bedroom. No one wants to listen to bathroom sounds in the night, or any other time of day for that matter.

  • 7 years ago

    If you open up the guest bath to the hallway, you don't need the powder room.

    My thoughts, too.

    As an aside, I prefer showers to not have windows, but if the only way to get a window in a hall bath is to have it in the shower, it's better than nothing. :-)

  • 7 years ago

    Here's a version as AnneKH suggested (and many agree with) about putting door to guest bath in hallway and eliminating access from both bedrooms. It may also straighten out wall in Bedroom 2 and 3 and allow a bit more sf since pocket doors require 6" walls. Walls will be insulated regardless of design.

    As for the small half bath....it's right off the mudroom area/entrance from the garage. It's intent was convenience if working outside you wouldn't have to track through house to get to a bathroom. This house is a 2nd home at the coast. It's less than 1900 sf and is L-shaped and designed to 'fit' around a massive majestic live oak tree. Hence the 'weird' shape of the dining area which is actually the 'connector' from the front of the house (open living room and kitchen). The hallway from the dining area will be widened to 4'. The laundry and Bedroom 3 closet would provide some separation and privacy for both the Master and Bedroom 3. Y'all have given me a lot of food for thought and I appreciate it!


  • 7 years ago

    Usually the most simple version is the best and doing a door from the hallway is the most simple. Why reinvent the wheel. Additionally if the bath is for adults primarily I would do a shower and not a shower/tub combo. Especially if you plan to have older guests.

    Val Nagle thanked cpartist
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Looking at what little you're sharing, might I suggest you vet your plan first on this forum? The entry from the garage looks a bit convoluted and I'm wondering how much of the house is convoluted.

  • 7 years ago

    Thanks cpartist. An additional thought is to move the entry door to the other side, completely out of the site line from the dining area. Moving the closet in Bedroom 3 would reduce the sf in that room so that may be an issue. Will most likely do tub/shower combo (for future grandchildren). Both a walk in shower and tub are in the master bath.

  • 7 years ago

    Cpartist the plan is in it's final stages of development. I don't really see anything convoluted about the entry from the garage. It's a small entry with access to a half bath (if working in yard or coming in from the beach) along with a bench. The other wing of the house is just an open family room and kitchen. I was just having a concern about the number of sinks in the hall bath and whether or not to keep the pocket doors. Thank you for your vetting suggestion.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    It's too small an entry. It looks to be about 5' deep? Imagine coming in with one or two kids and all their backpacks, etc. Having to then make a turn and then walking through your dining area to get to other parts of the house. It's convoluted.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    No, no, no! For a shared bath, it needs to be compartmentalized with the most private uses in a closed space with a private door (toilet, bath/shower). Jack and Jill doesn't work for anyone of any age.

    Redesign the bath with access from the corridor to at least one lavatory, and a separate room for toilet, bath/shower. You will be glad you did!

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    The entry from the garage looks a bit convoluted and I'm wondering how much of the house is convoluted.

    Wait, wait ... THIS is the garage entrance? I thought it was a weird outer room for the bathroom.

    I don't think I'd go with convoluted. I'd say undersized. It's only about 3' wide, so people will all squish into this area, trying to reach the bench to set down their things, take off their shoes ... but since the bench is behind the door, someone's going to have to step out into the dining area (and run into the table). And your view upon arriving home is ... the bathroom.

    No, this just isn't big enough.

    What if you take out the half bath ... with the full bath only steps away, it isn't necessary ... removing those walls opens up the area, allowing people arriving together to disperse a bit ... and you can have a longer bench more accessible for everyone. It also means that the dining room will feel more open. Of course, the negative is that your bedroom and bathroom are now totally viewable from the dining room table.

  • 7 years ago

    1 sink

  • 7 years ago

    My husband and I have 2 sinks in our bathroom. When we go to a hotel with one sink, it's hard to share. I like what cpartist did, door to the hall.

  • 7 years ago

    One sink. Door between toilet and sink area if keeping jack and Jill.

  • 7 years ago

    If I were a guest, and there was another guest in the other bedroom, I would be really weirded out by a J and J bathroom accessed through both rooms. And by pocket doors, no less!

    Even if the other guest was one of my adult siblings, I would still hate it.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    @vbnagle You have plumbing in three different places with the 1/2 bath, the guest bath, and the laundry room. This is more expensive to build.

    Consider moving the laundry room and the guest bath to the space where Bedroom #2 is-- you will probably be able to have a larger and more comfortable "mudroom" this way too. Then, since these are guest rooms, they don't need full wall closets. You can put the two bedrooms next to each other (moving over into the current laundry space and guest bath space) and they can each have half a wall of closet space between them, which should be more than sufficient for any guest situation.

  • 7 years ago

    Am I reading the dimensions right that your laundry room is 5'x4.5'? That is way too tight to fit a washer & dryer and be able to do anything at all.

  • 7 years ago

    I missed the laundry room. As stated it is too small.

    Who is designing this house for you?

  • 7 years ago

    Thank you everyone for your comments. I plan to leave the guest bath design with one sink. And as many suggested, add a door to the toilet/tub area.

  • 7 years ago

    Most suggested you change it so you enter from the hallway.

  • 7 years ago

    I keep meaning to add pocket door between bedroom and bathroom on one of those lists of home building regrets/things to never do.

    We have a hall bath that has 2 doors, one from the hall and another pocket door to the bedroom. I think the pocket door must be hollow, its like an echo chamber, definitely not appreciated by guests. Light also comes from under the door and one side of it. We will most likely take it out and redo the wall in the next few years.

    Have you thought of putting the full bath beside the garage and getting rid of the half bath? The door between the toilet/tub and vanity sounds like a good idea.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    It's so simple! When there's a bathroom designed for use by more than one person, just think about how frustrating it will be if all of the facilities are behind one lockable door. First person in locks the door and no one else can access the facilities!

    If these are small up through adolescent children, think how long they remain in the bathroom looking at themselves in the mirror, using all the hot water and leaving a mountain of mess behind them when they eventually depart, sometime before day's end!

    What's the solution? It's so simple! Design the bathroom in a segregated fashion so that private usage (toilet and bathing) are behind one door. Better yet, behind two doors! Provide multiple lavatories and storage in another accessible space! Ta-dah! Everyone can use at least part of the bathroom at the same time!

    It's so simple!

  • 7 years ago

    The flaw with the compartment with bath and toilet is that few ever scream in agony that they need to use the sink — NOW! With this setup, he or she who ties up the bath or shower also ties up the toilet. If there is a powder room to serve in such a crisis, wouldn't that also be the go-to for any hand-washing emergencies?

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    It's so simple! If this is likely to be a continual concern, then put the toilet and the bath is separate spaces, behind doors! One really does have to think through how a house will be used and establish priorities. Putting all the plumbing fixtures in a single space to be used by multiple folks isn't a thoughtful solution! :-)

  • 7 years ago

    Pocket doors are prone to fail with frequent use. A real, hallway door, NO J&J. 1 sink is sufficient since it is unlikely that guests will want to share with other guests at the same time in any case.

  • 7 years ago

    I just remodeled my jack and jill bath into a hall bath. I have accidentally locked guests out of the bathroom from my side. Have had people lock 1 door and get walked in on from the other side. Also all the doors take up a disproportionate amount of space in both the bedrooms and bathroom for fixtures and furniture placement (is the bed going under the window in bedroom 3?).

    My new bath has a vanity compartment and toilet/tub compartment as Virgil suggests, which is nice too. They're divided by a pocket door that can be closed, but is open 99% of the time. So someone can use the shower/toilet while someone is using the vanity. Usefulness probably varies by how close your guests are.

  • 7 years ago

    Putting all the plumbing fixtures in a single space to be used by multiple folks isn't a thoughtful solution! :-)

    Sorry Virgil, but on this I disagree. Many of us managed just fine sharing a single bathroom while growing up. If we were desperate to use a toilet, we ran downstairs.

    What I particularly dislike about the toilet in a room separate from the vanity, is then once you're finished with your business, you are unlocking the door and turning the door handle. Not exactly sanitary.

  • 7 years ago

    [...] once you're finished with your business, you are
    unlocking the door and turning the door handle. Not exactly sanitary.

    Using one hand to clean yourself, and the other hand to operate knobs and faucet handles, is how I've always done it.

    This strategy obviously presents problems for folks who only have the use of one hand, though.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    "...Many of us managed just fine sharing a single bathroom while growing up..."

    Yep, I know, believe me I know. But if we are harking back to days of yesteryear as the design barometer, where did cubbies and mud rooms come from? And who had a 4-car garage back in the Good Old Days? Or two gimongous islands in the open floor plan kitchen...need I go on?

    Life was so much simpler in the days before electricity.

  • 4 years ago

    @Val Nagle I came across this post now and looking to do something similar for our bathroom. wondering what was your final decision on it and the end results?