How about a 60” vanity and a linen cabinet for greater storage? If two of you plan to share to get ready you will like the more space of the longer vanity. If you are like my husband and I and we are not going to brush our teeth together, a 60” will work fine.

Most 60" vanities are double sinks, but that feels like so little room for two sinks. One sink seems a better idea, but there must be some reason these are all doubles, right?

Keep looking. There are several to choose from with one sink if you look online. I did a search for 19 to 20.25" deep ones at Build, and this is what I came up with. 60 inch shallow vanities

I chose the shallower ones because that space looks a bit narrow. My vanity is 16" deep and we love it. Normal bathroom vanity tops are 22" and if you go down two or three inches, you get more room in that narrow space. Some of the ones sold without tops fell into the smaller size but once you put a top on it, it will be 22" deep, so be careful when looking at them.

[Houzz has even more 60 - 64" vanities under 21" deep[(https://www.houzz.com/products/prbr4-br~t_469~a_72-555--75-574--76-575-576)

What are your needs? Linen storage? Double sinks so two can use the vanity at once? Budget considerations? Only willing to buy a vanity off-the-shelf?

You can't go too modern in an older home where everything else is traditional.

You can never have too much storage. Add the linen closet.

You need a custom created 83” vanity to exactly fit what is there or you will be paying a plumber more to to move pipes than custom would cost.

I agree with Green Designs. Fit the cabinet to the space and build in your storage inside the vanity. Whether or not you need linen closet depends on whether you have linen storage close by elsewhere. I have never had a linen closet in the bathroom and don't understand why having one there is a big deal. When I renovated my bathrooms in my city apartment in 2011, my space was narrow too. I custom-fitted the vanity to use every bit of available space. I assume you want two sinks--if so, 60" is way too small, in my opinion.

Keep it the same size as the old one...83". Replumbing isn't worth it AND cabinet space IS storage.

Moving the plumbing in the wall is not a big deal. It will cost additional, should not cost more than 200 to 300 dollars.

I agree with GreenDesigns. A custom 83" vanity will give you the least cluttered look, the most storage and the lowest plumbing costs.

Another vote for an 83".

I just replaced a vanity because the last owners put one in that didn't fit the space. It looked wrong, it looked like they had picked something from a big box store to shove in the space even if it didn't fit right.

Get an estimate from a couple of plumbers before you decide if you want to move plumbing.

The lowest estimate I got to move the drain and shower plumbing in my bathroom over by a couple of inches was $550.00. (Going from a 33" to a 36" tub - house has a crawlspace under the bathroom.

Plumbing and electrical are always expensive.

I changed my plumbing from two sinks to one sink--$400. But I would have spent that much for a second sink and faucet.

"We're first time homeowner in the overwhelming position of renovating a house right off the bat and know nothing about how to make things aesthetically pleasing."

First rule - live in the house for 6 months before renovating. (Exceptions are any renovations that must be made to make the home safe and habitable). During the 6 months you will figure out what you hate/love about your home and prioritize your renovations.

Second Rule - Figure out your budget. In addition to mortgage/taxes/utilities and other regualar expenses, you should have a budget for major repairs ( How long till you need a new roof, furnace, hot water heater). Plan on the greater of $1.00 per sf or 1% of the purchase price of your home per year for major maintenance. (2000 sf = $2000 per year or $200,000.00 purchase price = $2000 per year.) You should also have a similar budget for renovations and furnishings. In addition to these two budget items you need to have 6 month cushion in case you lose your job or are unable to work, you need to be saving 10%-15% of your income toward retirement and you need a budget for major medical incidents - 10% of your annual out of pocket maximum per year).

If you have money left over at the end of each month after expenses and required savings you are ready to start renovating.

Plan on spending 2x the time you expect on each renovation and 2x the money you expect to spend on each renovation. Renovate per your priority list as you can afford each renovation.

If you happen to come in at/under budget, you have some money to start the next renovation.

The space felt claustrophobic with a wall to wall vanity; there isn't even space for a trash can. My hope was that a smaller vanity would help the room feel a little larger, and that a furniture-style freestanding vanity would not look out of place in the space. If wall to wall is the better choice, then I've probably made a terrible mistake having the existing vanity removed instead of just refacing it. A custom-built replacement is going to cost much more than we are able to pay right now. I was given some bad advice by a cabinet refacer who told me it'd be more economical to replace the vanity than reface it.

It is not necessarily bad advice that you got. It may be that the vanity, being primarily doors and only a few drawers, is not the best use of storage space for you. Drawers are far more accessible, even in this tight space. You can step to the side and open a drawer for easy access. To get to the back of a 22" deep cabinet behind a door, though, would be a bit tougher in this space. Look for a cabinet with as many drawers as you can get. Decide if you want a linen tower at the end, or all counter top. The bottom of a linen tower can be that hamper you mentioned, without feeling cluttered. The top can hold folded towels. Do you prefer a long counter top? Do you like things left out, or does that feel cluttered to you? These are all things that only your family can decide. You can still do this with stock materials. You do not have to have a one-piece vanity. Even Lowes will sell you 18" drawer bases to put next to your 24" sink bases and towers. Strasser sells wood vanities that you can order configured in countless ways. Check out QualityBath.com and see them in dizzying numbers.

Can you make a floorplan on graph paper with measurments and post it?

Newer bathrooms have counter height vanities. Yours looks like an old-style low one. The backsplash looks dated to me. I would use vertical space for a tower or two. Drawers are so much better than doors by a landslide. So don’t feel bad about removing the vanity. You can do so much better. It’s your master bath. You spend a lot of time there. Slow down and do this right.

As far as a trash can, hide it!!! I can’t stand seeing a trash can in the bathroom. Can’t you get a really small one and tuck it next to the toilet?

Chris, in my nyc apartment, I have a really narrow master bath. Long but really narrow. I posted pics in 2012. Take a look google ”nycbluedevil pics of my new bathrooms”. The third photo shows the fitted vanity with one of the towers. We built in the hampers and got a ton of storage. I think the vanity is about 89 inches so not too different from your space.

This space needs either:

an 83" custom vanity (can still be furniture style with open shelf below)

a 65" double sink vanity with a 18" linen cabinet

a floating vanity 60" wide with a single trough sink centered on the wall

I can't make a floorplan right now, but I have a couple of photos of the other side of the bathroom. The three photos together do show the entire bathroom.

A vanity we like a lot right now is this:

https://www.wayfair.com/home-improvement/pdp/ivy-bronx-melillo-59-single-bathroom-vanity-set-ivyb2205.html?piid=21792088#t79gvdl4bhm-3

For a low budget project, put the old vanity back until you can get this planned out better. It will work for now. Concentrate on removing that wallpaper and then patching the wall and painting. That will make a bigger visual improvement than you realize. Also if you are having the floors removed and replaced, that is the time to replace the toilet. It has to be pulled to do the job.

The walls and floor were a mess throughout the entire house, so we've already had the whole interior repainted and flooring wraps up tomorrow. Because I was planning on a furniture-style vanity, we had the vanity removed so that the whole space could be refloored. Given that, what do you recommend The Cook's Kitchen?

Scootcha, you're absolutely right that I know what I think I'd like. I've gotten some great advice that's made me change other decisions though, so knowing more potential pain points is great. My primary concern is that I don't want to make any decision that is so bad that it would noticeably affect resale. We've picked some exciting paint colors because we love them and know repainting often needs to happen, but I'd rather not replace the vanity twice.

Have you looked at your local "Habitat/Restore"? Ours "had" three of those vanities you like awhile back. They were one third the price of ordering one. And...it's a really nice choice BTW.

Slow down and post a floor plan if this is agut job IMO there are better ways to design the bathroom but maybe along with the to scale floor plan you give us an idea of your budget. I think what you have could be reconfigured to work much better .As for the vanity I would check put the Godmorgon from Ikea but honestly post a floor plan before doing anything.

I actually like the idea of a shorter vanity and a linen closet - plus some tiny space for a trash can near the toilet. If you don’t need 2 sinks, you have a lot of ideas and options. Have you considered a vanity with a open shelf bottom? It will visually open up the space more than the modern one you like. There are SO many ideas. Take it slow. I understand you’re without a vanity right now but use Houzz to see photos of other small bathrooms that are narrow.
Keep us posted.

The thing that worries me in this space is feeling claustrophobic. It gets a lot of sunshine which is great but it is pretty narrow. If you add towers / linen closet it might start feeling squishy. I second what someone else said about current vanities being higher and using drawers. That will give you some more storage. If you are worried about the garbage can and hamper I would get a pull out and use one can for the hamper and one for the garbage. We have pull outs in our bathrooms and I loved them with laundry bags and I just throw the bags down the stairs to get to the laundry room and it works great for us

I love the vanity you picked out! Trust your gut for what you like and run with it. You are on Houzz, you’ve looked at tons of photos I bet, and are worried about making a mistake. Mistakes are fixable and a 60” vanity will give you lots of space and open up that room. I suggested the linen cabinet because I like having my towels, extra toiletries, toilet paper, medicine, sun tan lotion, bug spray, etc. all organized in one space. Now that I have one in each bathroom I’m never having to yell to someone in the rest of the house to bring me something from the hallway or kitchen when I’m soaking wet and need conditioner.

This really isn't a gut job. We're repainting, reflooring, and changing the vanity. We don't have the money or desire to change plumbing, electrical, or drywall. We're looking more for a visual update. Without extending the bathroom into the bedroom, there's just no space for a much nicer layout.

We talked it over and we're going to go with a single-sink 60" vanity, though we'll keep looking at styles for a bit longer. The deciding factor was the narrowness of the bathroom. Two sinks makes a lot less sense when there isn't room to comfortably walk around someone to get to a second sink. I like floating vanities quite a bit, but I feel like that makes an already bad storage situation even worse. We'll definitely look into one with a shelf underneath though! Thanks everyone for your input!

Don't forget to look for vanities that are not as deep as the standard 21-22"! A lot of the "console " type ones with shelves underneath are narrow, front-to-back. I would also suggest that you consider ones that have that matching tower in case you decide to get it in the months to come.

I would look for 18" deep vanities, towers. for that side of the room. It will also feel much less clostrophobic when you get rid of the busy wallpaper and flooring.

When I re-did my bathroom I couldn't buy a vanity that would fit the space and not require me to move plumbing (Sink off center). I had several major health events in a row that ate into my reno budget, so custom cabinets were out of my price range. I went to Home Depot, picked a cabinet that I liked and ordered an 18' drawers, 24" sink base and 12" drawers. It cost no more than a prefab vanity, fit my space and was the style I wanted.

Original vanity had a 7" gap between the wall and the start of the vanity. Useless space that things fell into and were a pain to retrieve.

before

After (Handles and mirror were added after these photos.

I don't have a breakdown for just this vanity, but this vanity, top with integrated sink and a second vanity top with integrated sink that was 8' long ran $2400.00 Vanity was self install, tops were installed, solid surface.

The Wayfair vanity you like won't last very long. The top is plastic or acrylic--not sure what that is--and it has the same material for a sink. The box is MDF, not plywood. The three drawers are all shallow and look poorly constructed. I don't even see how you'd open the top and bottom drawers--no pulls, no notch.

You can easily get a high-quality wall-to-wall vanity if you buy American-made ready-to-assemble cabinets. Two sink bases and a center drawer stack isn't too expensive and it will last you for twenty years. Barkers, Scherr's, and The Cabinet Joint all make quality cabinets. With Barkers, you can price it out online. The expense is in the custom countertop though--quartz, granite, or Corian will cost over $1000.

If you want one sink, the best thing to do would be to add a linen cabinet at the end near the toilet. Not the best placement but I'd prefer a cabinet rather than the sink there. You'd want to buy a 30" sink base, which will move the sink away from the wall a few extra inches and give you elbow room. Divide the ~50" difference between a 3-drawer stack and a linen cabinet.

When it's time to remodel the shower, use a half wall between the shower and toilet and that will open up the space.

The reason that I’d put the old vanity back temporarily is that you've already experienced the inevitable first time remodelers scope and budget creep. If you don’t have the budget to address what really needs to be done properly, which is a custom vanity and top, then live with what you have until you do have the budget. That goes for the acrylic shower too. Ugly won’t kill you. Trying to fix ugly can kill your budget though.

You've learned the the first lesson of first time remodeling, though, so hopefully future jobs will go smoother. :-) Never do demolition without a fully documented design plan, with all product selections, that is fully costed out on the front end. That is the designer’s secret. Obsessive front end planning. And a contingency budget. You’ll always need that contingency in an older home.

I agree that you shouldn't do something if you don't have the budget to do it right the first time. Why do you say a custom vanity and top is doing it properly, though? That strikes me as an expensive luxury feature for a relatively low-end house. For context, this is a ~1680 sq ft Craftsman home. This will not be our forever home. Also, no one has really replied to my notion that two sinks doesn't make much sense in a bathroom so narrow. Is that wrong, and if so, why?

It depends on how narrow and how important it is to have two sinks from a use point of view. Our master bath is five feet wide (max), which is pretty darned narrow. We made our counter 24" inches deep but probably could have gone to 22". My husband is a sink hog. My sink is the one in the back so I have to pass by him if I want to use mine. It's never a problem except when he leans over to use the small makeup mirror when he trims whatever he trims. Then his butt sticks out and he skootches in to make room for me on those occasions. But I would never give up my sink. We each have towers on our sides where we keep lots of the small stuff, radio, hair dryer, etc. So the function is important for us. But it may not be important for you.

In terms of the custom build, you might be surprised--it might not cost as much as you think and you can get the materials you want. I would stay away from MDF in a bathroom. Water gets in it and it expands and then becomes a disaster. If you do custom, you can also get the depth that works best for you.

It's your master bath. For me, we spend way to much time in there to compromise about two sinks. But it may not matter that much to you. But you really should check our what it might cost you to do something you really like. And you might end up in the house for longer than you think. It has been known to happen.

I would go with 60 as well

Chris,

I commend you for using common sense.

You want to compare your home with the other homes in your neighborhood to determine the quality of the upgrades you make. The truth is that homes in your neighborhood sell for x $ per square foot. Make your home nice, plan on upgrades that will still look good when you believe you will be selling. Look at the homes that are for sale in your neighborhood and compare their price to what you paid and keep track of what types of improvments you need to make to keep your home in the same price range as the others. The first thing buyers will reduce offers for are homes that look like they are not well maintained. They really don't up their offers for the highest end fixtures. You only need the highest end fixtures if that is what your neighborhood demands. Invest more in furniture and things that will go with you to the next house. Save your money for your forever home.

Renovations seldom have 100% return on investment, so assume 50% of whatever you spend will be a loss. Renovate for your enjoyment and to keep the house looking well maintained.

Keep things clean and neat and pay attention to the little repairs that are needed so they don't become big expenses.

You can see that my master bath - the one I posted pictures of - has one sink.

My guest bath with the 8' vanity also has one sink.

My parents had a 12' vanity with one sink. They had 6 kids and the girls room and the boys room also had decent sized vanities (probably 60") and a sink. We shared the sink (3 girls / 3 boys) and each had one drawer in the vanity for our stuff (makeup, hair brush, toothbrush . . ..)

My sister has one sink in the master, but she has two daughters and each of them have their own vanity and sink. My parent's vanity was actually not in the bathroom, it was in the master bedroom. My sisters and I lined up next to my mom at her vanity and all did our hair and makeup and tried on jewlery and helped each other with our hair and makeup. We never had an issue with only having one sink, but it was great having the space for us all to set our stuff on the counter.

My sister took that idea when she built her home. Upstairs there are two bedrooms. Each bedroom has a walk in closet and next to the walk in closet is a hallway that leads to the bathroom. In that hallway is their vanity with a sink and on each side of the bathroom there is a door that leads to one of the bedrooms. No more fussing that one girl is taking too long in the shower while the other wants to do her hair. The bathroom has the toilet a shower and a bathtub.

In general, women need more time in the bathroom doing their makeup and hair, but they really don't need a sink except for a few minutes to wash their face and brush their teeth. Men need a bit more time at the sink to shave. If you can't work out 5 minutes for the wife to use the sink your marraige may be doomed.

Make your own decision based on what your needs are. If it is going to be an argument every time you go to use the sink and you can't share the space, get two sinks and fight over the drawer space.

I love having one sink in my 60" vanity. Nice to have the extra room on the sides for a makeup mirror, hot rollers, etc. So handy, and since there's room it doesn't look cluttered. Two sinks would have been a waste of space, as they wouldn't have been both used at the same time anyway.

Two sinks in the master doesn't make sense for me. We share one sink and his stuff is on one side and mine on the other. I am a big fan of wide countertops running wall to wall and shallow in depth. I prefer a mix of drawer and cabinet space, especially if you don't have a linen closet. Have you tried to store bath towels in vanity drawers? Small drawers have their place but I prefer shelf space for towels and extra toilet paper

You can do semi custom, and get a lot of functional storage. Something like this, in Merillat Classic, is 3 pieces that you attach together in the field, with fillers on the ends. It's $1800.

It seems to me that one sink in a tight bathroom makes sense. For resale, the one sink issue won’t be a deal breaker. I would take to heart the construction concerns regarding the vanity you chose. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out why vanities range in price but construction materials is a huge reason. If you have it in you, try to piece together the things you need in a narrower style so you have more turnaround space in that room. I think the vanity + matching narrow linen closet will be a great use of space.

You can not underestimate the plumbing portion of your decision. Especially if you are going w a stock cabinet with drawers in the middle. The plumbing has to be PRECISELY located. If you order the online stock cabinet inspect it fully before the driver leaves. Those one piece tops are chipped or cracked 90% of the time. Then you need to wait for a new cabinet. This alone can take weeks to get right. Assuming the cabinet arrives in perfect condition then and only then have the plumber locate the plumbing. Otherwise you may pay twice for plumbing. Are you sure electrical can stay as is with the new vanity configuration? I think Cooks got it right w the last image and game plan with stock cabinets. Best of all worlds and value / resale. I can not caution you enough about the stock Wayfair cabinet.

Ask me how I know of these things :). Our boys bath had the old low wall to wall vanity and we replaced with a stock one piece similar to what you are looking at. Honestly the wall to wall vanity actually made the space FEEL bigger. And less counter space is never a good thing. We have a bit of regret with our decision. First boy heading off to college soon so only one user so it will be fine. When we go to sell we will deal with the chip - the box had sat unopened while construction went on and when it was opened this chip was revealed. We were past the point of returning it. Nor did we wish to wait another 2 weeks. We got the plumbing right but had the plumber just centered it at the existing height of the old plumbing it would have been too low. And the tightness of the interior drawers was very tricky for them to work with. Live and learn. Good luck!

Another option that has not been mentioned is the use of a dresser in the space. Good used furniture can be found on craigslist/estate sales . . .

You can also find good used cabinetry and some unused builder surplus at habitat for humanity or other non-profit surplus housing supply shops.

I have an extremely narrow master bathroom in my urban high rise condo and wanted to maximize storage, functionality and of course attempt to have it not look like a narrow dungeon.

My vanity runs wall to wall - it was custom built and although not seen in these pictures, there is a tall cabinet on the right end (next to the makeup/grooming station) which has a built in hamper on the bottom.

I wouldn't want a vanity that didn't run counter to counter because I despite having small spaces which accumulate dust and other crap - I just want the ability for me (or my housekeeper) to have to clean around as little as possible - that's also why I opted for a skirted one piece toilet :-).

I went from two sinks to one sink for all the reasons mentioned by previous posters - I stand in front of a sink a minimal amount of time compared to time spent on grooming needs which don't require running water and are in fact performed better with lots of counter space - and for me a comfortable spot to sit while doing so. That's why I opted for a lowered makeup/grooming area.

My vanity contains as much storage as possible - there is a rollout under the sink cabinet; there are pullouts behind cabinet doors - there are interior plugs - I have a special rollout which is configured specifically for hair stuff like dryers and curling/flat irons.

In terms of opening the space, I opted for wall to wall mirrors as well as having mirror vanity doors. When my designer first suggested the mirrored doors, my initial reaction was no too Vegas :-) but the antiqued mirrors I selected are I think tasteful and give a much more open feel than wood or light colors.

My bathroom door is completely opaque glass as are my bedroom door and door to my guest bathroom. Again this was on the advice of my designer who wanted to open up the space as much as possible. The glass is completely non-see through - not even a shadow illuminated and they are very sound proof as I have had to deal with loud construction workers in my living area on many days and closing the door deadened their sounds.

Pictures aren't great because these are snapped and it is difficult to snap in a narrow bathroom.

My vanities were custom (as was all my cabinet and woodwork) and done by a local guy recommended by my designer. The cost was less or about the same as going with a semi-custom line and I wouldn't have been able to eke out every last bit of space with a semi-custom option.

I do NOT recommend a dresser for a DIY project. It is very hard to get done correctly with plumbing.

Like others have mentioned the expense of a plumber needs to be budgeted in as relocating/capping off pipes can cost a pretty penny pending where you live.

Two thoughts, if you can even absorb any more:

1) there is no right answer on number of sinks. you know how your family lives. some value counter and never share the space, others keep stuff stored away (so counter needs are minimal) and get ready at same time so two sinks is huge. match your lifestyle.

2) the single thing that would make your bathroom feel less crowded isn't a narrower vanity, but not having walls enclosing the functional units on the left -- a glass shower enclosure makes every part of this bath feel twice as big. of course, that's a totally different scale of project, but keep it in mind when making your other choices. someday a windfall might enable you to do the shower area by itself (tray floor, tile walls, glass enclosure, pony wall by toilet), and if you have just one extra (small) box of floor tiles in the basement, that will still be possible.