Another angle

Here are some new mock ups. This was really helpful! I think the 10x7 size will work with a number of layouts. I like the idea of making the shower stall smaller to not have the toilet in the middle. For me giving everyone architect the changes in size is most important for the framing plans right now. I think the 5’ clear at the door should work. After looking at our current hallways they are sharp and narrow (3’) so this will just be another hall in the maze. Haha!

I’m actually wondering if we just change the entry to the room to something like the pics below. Let me know what you think.

5' overall width is pretty typical for a normal bathroom and it works, but for a master I'd shoot for at least 6' - then you could get a linen in there as well

So the more I think about I’m not a big fan of walking into the bedroom into a wall. And then that is really unused space in the bedroom. So my idea would mean I push the wall back to meet the bathroom wall and make the entrance on the side. That gives me plenty of space to move furniture while maintaining the longer bathroom size and getting more in the width as well. What do you all think. It would look something like this. Also current width of bathroom would be 6’10” based on where the current wall is. Then based on ya’lls feedback I have 2 layout potential - one with larger shower the other smaller so toilet and shower could be next to each other with space in the middle. IWould love some last feedback. I appreciate all these suggestions. Totally helped me rethink this.

@Kat thanks for sharing your photos. Your shower is really beautiful!!

I like your idea of moving the opening to the bedroom! I like both layouts you have. I think it’s more just about what’s important to you. I like my idea a bit better just because you can have bathroom door open and not be in plain view to the bedroom while at the vanity and the window can add light to the bedroom as well. If a longer shower is more important then you makes sense to do the other layout.

@Kat I’m leaning toward your layout as well. Something nice about having the center open and your point about the window bringing in extra light is something I though as well if we keep the door open.

Be very careful with your vanity sink size OP. What you show in the last two iterations is virtually zero vanity top space.

If you do have multiple people/kids & adults using the vanity sink at the same time, where will their toothbrushes/toothpaste and other bath essentials go while they are using the space? Take some time to measure out IRL the sink and vanity top to see what would work. Personally I would need more vanity top space (assuming there is plenty of storage available in the space). The insp pic below shows two sinks with lots of excellent storage (an example) . Scroll through the baths here on houzz to find the setup you like so you can adjust the dimensions in your new master to fit your vision.

PS - I like your solution for the entry door in the new master.

Traditional Chic · More Info

Since it is an addition, are you at liberty of having the windows where ever you want?

@denita - oh yes there will be plenty of vanity top space. My app is free and I was adjusting a sink to fit the the space itself. But love the picture you provided.

@suzanne_m - yes pretty much. Was just trying to get 2 windows in.

I like your latest rendering with enlarging the lading/moving the door in. I do think you probably do not want a trough sink as illustrated. I think they are impractical in real life because they provide little or no room for 'stuff' on the counter.

Since you have the ability to put the windows where you want, you may want to consider a layout where your bedroom is on the left side and the closet and bathroom on the right side.

This is one option if you can have your bedroom on the West wall.

Thanks Suzanne_m! I think we are trying to keep the bathroom on the same side as where the kitchen below will be to save on plumbing expenses. Our addition is 2 stories and this is the 2nd floor.

Hi Peony421: is there a reason why you want such a large master bedroom? 21ft is really big - are you planning to have a sitting area in it?

In one of the floor plans you posted 9 hours ago, you wrote 8 1 1/2. Is it 8'1.5" or is it 81.5"?

I wrote in that the current hallway is 81.5” based on me taking every measuring tape upstairs. But based on my plans the hallway is 6’10”. So that would be the width of the bathroom to be in line with the wall.

Seems big but with every bathroom and closet I think it will be a great size.

@Sharon Brindley Designs her closets will take up some of that space. Even if she does a reach in, it will take nearly 3' with walls (my reach ins in secondary bedrooms measure 29" on the interior) so now it's down to 18'.

Seems like a perfect size bedroom to me.

Ours is similar and our king size bed and side tables with the small inches or so space in between them measure 13' across. This leaves about 2.5 to 3' of wall space on either side of the bed, and a bit less than 6' of floor space on each side (including the area in front of the side tables)

If it was much smaller I think it would look like we were fitting our large bed and side tables in to a space it doesn't really belong.

I really like walking into the bedroom with the closet and the bathroom on the far wall.....make the bedroom seem more spacious....we put in two sinks and we never use them and have less vanity room for stuff....one sink is plenty if the bathroom is small. A larger footprint can handle more vanity and double sinks.....get a cost on plumbing; plus sometimes outside plumbing can be susceptible to freezing; interior walls are warmer.....just a thought.

I've lived with closets similar in size to the ones in your plan in several houses. I would not recommend sliding or barn doors on those. Actually, barn doors would probably be close to unworkable. The reach in closets that we found to be the most useful were the ones with double doors that opened into the room.

@jhug thanks for the tip. I was thinking pocket doors would be more efficient. a lot of folks were saying that it would look odd to have such deep closets...3.5' to 4'. But I had seen these photos where that I didn't think it looked awkward. I do like the doors in the first picture. I was doing some calculations and to go with 4' deeps closets would still leave me with a bedroom size of about 14'10" x 15'4" - which seems good to me. I am just considering making the closets just 3' deep which would give me another foot of space int he bedroom. Might just make better sense to do that.

One option with the closet closer to the bathroom:

Notes:

- I placed the sink on one side to give you wider drawers.

- If you like, you can have a window on the right side of the vanity but you need to look at pictures to see if you like a window beside a mirror and if you do, you should plan ahead on the size of the window and its exact location. Of course, you can have a window above the toilet.

- I placed the towel bar for the shower below the window but it might be better to place it on the wall opposite to the vanity for a better access when you open the shower's door.

- Actually, you would get a more efficient closet space and more storage if you access the closet inside the bathroom. You can get 2 parrallel rows (no corner) of 5'4" each.

- Correction: The bathroom is 11'8"x 10'5".

@peony421 - quick note about the closet depth you posted in the 3 pics in your last post. Each of those pics show a closet that needs to be deeper to get enough height for hanging due to the angle of the ceiling. If those particular closets were the standard 24" depth then they would be completely useless because they wouldn't be high enough for hanging anything other than shirts/skirts/pants folded in half (maybe) There would be no long hang and no room for medium hang and maybe even not short hang.

Your solution to go to 3 ft deep rather than 48 inches is a good one since you will get that foot in your Master. Plus you don't have that steep roof/ceiling angle to mess up your closet depth (at least it doesn't show that way in your original plan).

When you decide on the final layout make sure you plan ahead all the little details such as the locations of:

- Towel bars. You will see that there are few discussions on Houzz where the op has problem finding a practical solution on where to put them.

- Pocket doors. You don't want to have to mount something on a wall where a door is sliding inside.

- Extendable mirror for when making your hair (if you want one). This is quite often problematic. You need to find a place where, when the mirror is extended, you can stand between the mirror of the vanity and the small mirror. Like in this layout, the only 2 solutions I find are either on the side of the cabinet (visible when you enter the bathroom) or right beside the bathroom door (it won't be visible but you need a longer mirror).

- Television, if you want one.

@suzanne_m thanks for providing these drawings! This would be really nice but I just really want my window seat between my closets. I think it adds such nice character to the room. I'm going to really consider this change. Ugh!

Do you think it is possible to extend your addition a little bit? You could add fake closet doors on the walls.

I added a lot of windows on the West wall. You can choose how many and where you want them considering the look inside and on the exterior of the house

I think the shower is long enough to making it a curbless walkin shower (no door). This allows to move the towel bar and slide the pocket door of the closet the other direction. I added a pocket door to the bathroom entrance because of the proximity of the sink and slide the door towards the closet so you can add electrical on the right wall of the vanity.

Peony I think the plan yesterday would be very nice. Moving your bedroom entrance and doing the window seat with closets on either side does add character. If you could find it in the budget to do built in closets like the photo somebody shared that would add even more but could always be done later.

My issue with Suzanne’s plan which is well thought out in many ways and definitely and option is that it makes your shower only glass on one side and the potential for a dark hole feeling. I prefer showers with at least some glass on two sides so that’s something to consider as to what you yourself prefer.

I agree with Kat about the only one glass on the shower. It does not look as nice as having a 2-side glass shower.

A compromise would be to use white tiles, add transom windows and lighting inside the shower. Also, making sure that the floor of the bathroom continues inside the shower.

These are the closest examples of what I am thinking I could find:

The width of this shower is 4'0":

Master Bath open walk in shower · More Info

Counting the tiles on this one, I would estimate that this shower is 3'0" wide. I am not sure about the depth:

19th St · More Info

It seems that this one is also 3'0". I am not sure about its depth. This has a continuous floor. Of all the 3 examples, this one is probably the closest even though it has no windows and no lighting inside:

Santa Barbara Modern · More Info

Building on Suzanne"s idea, you could do a shower where the toilet is and a toilet where the shower is. If you are in a climate where the water can go on an outside wall, you could put the showerhead on the outside wall and do a pony wall with glass on top between the vanity and shower. I like having my closet near the bathroom and not walking back and forth.

Put a small shallow linen closet in the hallway outside your bedroom.

I have a shower 4 X 5 with the shower head on the 5 foot side. I would not like a shower 3 X 5 with the shower head on the 5 foot side (unless you do a rain shower) and then your hair get wet. You could put the shower head on the 3 foot wall and put the controls close to the shower entry on Suzanne's layout.

With a 3 X4 shower, you have room to turn on the shower without getting wet. Your toilet is also more private. I would not use a door on such a small toilet space.

@suzanne_m These are gorgeous showers! I gotta say! But also look very luxurious! Not sure if my budget fits these. I’m more middle of the road. That idea of the pop out window seat is cool but I’m not sure I can get away with it. My plans have already gone through approval.

I played around with some closets designs if I went with 4’ closet I could do something like these pics whereas a reach in gives me a lot less storage. And @kat I totally agree this is something I could do down through road.

You all think I should still go with the reach on?

Since you are asking, my preference is to have the closet closer to the bathroom.

I am not pushing my layout, I simply want to offer ideas/compromises. The layout below shows what Karenseb suggested. I think it is a nice option. With this layout, you might need to steal 2 in. from the bedroom to accommodate for a thicker wall for the niche in the shower. Even if you steal 2", I think 4'1" on each side of the bed is fine. I agree with Karen about a door for the toilet area. I would not put one and plus the space in front of the shower would feel roomier.

I made the toilet area 2" narrower because I wanted to slide the closet pocket door on the other side while making sure that it is not in conflict with the bathroom pocket door. The reason for this is that I want to place the shower towel bar on the closet wall. You have a better access to it when you get out of the shower.

I read that a 2-sink vanity is a must. I would not go less than 6'0" (and would put the sinks far apart to get decent size drawers in the middle).

As for the 1 ft storage on the East wall. I am not a 100% sure because I am not sure how much you can store in them but I just wanted to give you the window seat which I agree with you would look very nice.

I measured my luggages and they are less than 1 ft thick so this would fit in this place. You can put shallow hampers for your laundry. You could also store extra bathroom products and maybe towels too depending on how they are fold. You can also store cleaning supplies.

If you are a shoe lady, you can always store extra pairs of shoes there :).

EDIT: If you want, you can keep the toilet area 3'0" wide by having a 2'0" wide closet pocket door. A door that size would not be in conflict with the bathroom door.

If you can, when you design your shower, try not to put the drain where you stand when you shower. It is more comfortable for the feet. It is more of a luxury than a must.

Looking at the closet designs you showed us, I just noticed that one of them has drawers on the side. You might want to avoid this as you would probably have to stand on the side when you open the drawers. You do not have much space in front of them.

Suzanne, my walk-in closet is 7 feet wide with a pocket door and does not interfere with a regular door as shown in my layout. I'd want the toilet area to be at least 3 feet.

I like your shallow closets on either side of the window seat. You could store a lot of things in there if the interior is 12 inches deep. Shoes, folded pants, sheets, books.

Our bedroom now is 14 feet wide and is very comfortable with a king size bed and chest across from the bed.

You could also flip Suzanne"s layout and have the toilet on an outside wall with a window and the closet on the outside wall. That would put the entry door to the bedroom more in line with the end of the bed.

I don't think your 4 foot deep closets are wide enough to do hanging clothes on both sides. You ideally should have close to 7 feet width.

@suzanne_m @Karenseb thank you so much for your feedback and the time you spent coming up with this additional layout. It is so well thought out. So much for me to think about and consider now.

Good point about the drawers! didn't even think of that.

I really appreciate all the feedback on this post. This is my first home renovation and it's a big one. We are truly trying to make our home be the forever home we dreamed of. Thank you all!

Karen, I was saying that if both bathroom and closet have pocket doors. You can see in the layout above how close the closet door gets to the bathroom door when it is fully opened. A regular door for the bathroom is an option but the sink is close to the entrance, I think a pocket door is better.

I like the idea of flipping the layout as you suggest and I agree 14 ft wide is still very spacious. That is what I have too.

If you are interested, you could start a discussion on the layout of your first floor. Maybe there would be things that we can comment on.

@suzanne_m the first floor is a blank canvas right now. I have no idea what I'm doing down there! I know a few things I'm trying to accomplish but as far as layout, i was hoping to work with a kitchen designer

I guess one other thing I still worry about with this design is now I'm walking into the room into a wall and will this be enough clearance to get furniture in? It's hard for me to tell. I keep looking at this drawing.

I am sure that this is plenty. If the movers can get the furniture up in a turning stairs, I think the 5 ft entrance will be a dream for them.

Here is the drawing with Karen's suggestion to flip the layout.

You can see that if you mount a towel bar on the shower wall, you need to pay attention to not 'hit' the niche.

Note that I put a 2'8" wide door for the bedroom to get the furniture in more easily.

EDIT: BTW, I have a 42" wide turning stairs and the movers were able to get all the furniture in including my king size bed. I am not sure but I think one thing that made it possible for them is that my stairs is opened on one side (it has a railing).

^Much better opening and better location for the linen closet.

Only thing I think that needs to be changed is the 3 ft wide shower. Too small.

The WIC has better possibilities than the previous plans especially with the additional storage/slim closet space on the other side of the bedroom as shown. It's a very pleasant bedroom/bath design.

I think a 3 ft wide shower is not spacious but workable. I measured the inside of my regular tub. It is 23"x54". I must say it is not the greatest but it works. For sure, if you are building a new shower, you want more space.

Unless you don't mind having your clothes in 2 different places, I would keep the closet as is but enlarge the shower (3'0"x4'6"). I think a 14 ft wide bedroom is quite fine.

I recommend that you take a look at your clothes and see what you need to hang and fold and what could be stored in a different place.

If you choose to redesign the closet, the only way I can see is to have a single row running along the outside wall with access from the bedroom but then you still need at least a 4'9" wide closet (that is the very minimum). That would allow for a 3'3" deep shower. One thing you might consider is making your bedroom entrance alcove 3'3" wide instead of 3'6". It is a little bit narrow but not for a long distance. You could gain another 3" for your shower. The total dimensions of your master bathroom/closet would be 12'1"x10'5".

One with a bigger shower. The closet is 6'7" wide. A friend of mine has one that is 6'6" and she said it works fine.

Also, my software draws wall 4" thick but a wall is really 4.5" thick. In the previous layouts, I tried to write the measurements adding the thickness of the wall but on this one I started to find it confusing so the measurements may be off by 1/2 in. in some places. It must be because it is late and I am tired.

You can move the cabinet beside the entrance. This way a person standing in front of the first sink would not be as close to the bathroom door but if you do that and if you want a functional extendable mirror, it would need to be moved on the other side (which would be visible from the entrance).

Depending on where you live, you might have to install the shower plumbing on the wall where the niche is.

EDIT: If you want it more open around the shower, I would remove the wall between the toilet and the cabinet. You can then extend your vanity. Probably 6'6" vanity and 1'4" wide cabinet.

Just something to think about @peony421 is that the walk in closets are providing about 5' of hanging space per person. The reach in closets provide the same.

The walk-in takes up an additional 35 sq' ft. of walking space but makes your clothes handier while getting ready for the day.

The trade off for that though is a smaller bedroom footprint and smaller shower.

If it's important for you to have the closets nearer the bathroom then it's definitely a workable plan. Some people like this because they can close the bathroom door and not disturb a sleeping partner.

I personally do not like my closet inside my bathroom because then when my husband is in the shower if I want to get my clothes out etc. I have to barge in on him or vice versa

We moved our closet to outside our bathroom when we did our renovation although ours is right outside the bathroom. Moisture can also be a negative to clothing or other items stored in a closet.

I personally feel going from 18' down to 14' for your master with a king size bed is getting tight, but everybody has their priorities and the only ones that really matter is yours and your spouses and whether you'll have regrets once in the space.

@kat @suzanne_m thank you both for your perspectives. And the ideas from everyone on this post. It really made me reconsider how the room was set up. After exhausting and discussing ALL of these new options and dilemma with my architect and husband late into the evening last night we landed on keeping the closets and the bathroom separate. However many of the elements you suggested I have incorporated (reach in closets, linen closet outside bedroom and a few other elements). I can already tell this discussion board is really going to help guide me!

I do not know what the existing house looks like or the site conditions, but perhaps a different concept may spark new ideas.

@mark bischak - thanks for this drawing. This is an interesting concept as well!

I suspect that the plumbing in your kitchen will either be on the West or North wall. I don't know if the plumbing on all the same wall is less expensive but this is one idea.

I believe that in most regions, you cannot have plumbing on an exterior wall. However, I wonder if you can double the thickness of the exterior wall to be able to put the plumbing of the shower on the West wall. Mind you that if it need repairs, it should be easier if the plumbing is on the South wall as you have access to it by cutting in the drywall instead of removing the shower tiles.

I put a thicker wall where the toilet is to add some extra insulation for noise barrier.