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dolorescez

Cabin bathroom layout

4 years ago

We're going to remodel this bathroom (mostly DIY), and I'd love input on how the washer/dryer can fit better. Context: This is the ground floor bathroom in a 1,500 sq ft log cabin that we live in (it's not a weekend or vacation home). The cabin was built in 1980 and desperately needs updating. The former owner was a contractor who rarely worked on his own home; I suspect that some of our mismatched things (vanity, cabinets) are things he salvaged from projects. I'm thinking of a smaller vanity, but I'm not sure that would help with the hulking washer/dryer situation. There are currently hanging cabinets above the washer/dryer. In an ideal world, we might create a laundry room in our big garage, but we'd rather not deal with those plumbing challenges yet (garage is regularly below freezing in winter, crawl space doesn't extend below it).


What would you do? Leave washer/dryer placement as is, just replace with new machines and live with it? Or think about a stacking washer/dryer? Is it feasible to conceal them behind a sliding door of some kind? (Attached floor plan doesn't quite show how tight the fit is. The current vanity basically extends from the doorway to within an inch of the washer.)


The bathtub/shower is old but works. There is a floor-to-ceiling drywall/tile wall at the "foot" end of it (so that from the toilet, you look at a wall, not into the tub). A glass enclosure could be in our future, which would open things up visually.


There is a second bathroom upstairs, even more in need of updating. That one has a bright red 1970s Kohler clawfoot tub that I'm desperate to get rid of. We could think of making the ground-floor

room shower only and keeping some kind of tub upstairs, if that helps with washer/dryer arrangements.


But the real question is the washer/dryer, how to maximize our floor space and/or reduce awkwardness. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Comments (8)

  • PRO
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    only you know if you need two bathtubs. for me, I'd get rid of it and make a decent laundry space.

    stackable is a option too.

    can you post actual pictures of the room? floorpan is fine, but it's nice to have a visual.

    BTW, is that two doors into the bathroom? is that necessary? closing off one of those would give you a lot more space.

    making a pocket door out of the other door would be even better.

  • 4 years ago

    Thanks, Beth H.! We were thinking shower upstairs, tub downstairs, but could switch. There are indeed two doors. The second connects to a bedroom that I use as an office—we don't use it as a door. I agree, I'd like to close it off.


    I was avoiding posting a photo because the pink walls (and ceiling!) bother me. But here we go. This photo is from the original house listing. Curtain and shower curtain changed; over-toilet storage and shelf across from toilet are gone.


  • 4 years ago

    Just wanted to add that our cabin is very cute and in a beautiful setting. Please don't judge it by the peachy-pink bathroom.


  • PRO
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    ok, so what if you used the current spot for the WD, but closed off the other door (or one of them), installed a pocket door for the other (to gain more sq. footage inside) and moved toilet and vanity?


    If you no longer had the bathtub, you'd have a stand up shower, swing the vanity around to the now closed off door, bring toilet to where the vanity is, and you'd have that whole other wall for the washer/dryer, maybe a folding table, or tall storage cabinet,, etc?



    you might have the room to do a type of inset for the washer dry, and then close it off w/two doors. up to you if you want to take that entire wall, and move the toilet.


    (there are tons of ideas if you search combo bathroom/laundry room) I've listed an overload of pictures for you!


    without moving the WD or the toilet, that side of the wall could be like this (but reversed on your lay out) you get plenty of storage, looks nice, (ignore the sink part) and the other side of the room would be your shower and vanity




    If you have the room, maybe you could 'enclose' that side and do a sliding or some type of door?


    don't know how large the master is, but could you do this in it?






    or, swing them around to under the window and do something like this. if you remove the bathtub, you should have the extra room to do this WD layout. (ignore the other stuff)


    bifold doors on the lower portion! I love this look. completely hides the WD when all you want is a bathroom


    or, wall off that little portion and do this




    move the WD down closer to the window, and instead of this vanity in this position, you could do the toilet, or some taller storage cabs, or even the shower. you have plenty of room to switch things around


    do that wall like this next pic:

    do you need an exterior door? maybe remove that window and put in door (if you live by a lake or something and need a diff exit if you're wet or dirty?


  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Beth H., thank you so much for the visual brainstorming responding to the way our bathroom's current space is chopped up. Creating a functional laundry zone is what we need to do. Something that seems intentional, not squished in. Even though I'd hoped to keep all plumbing where it is, it doesn't make sense if the remodeled bathroom is still not as functional as it could be. It should be possible to move one part of the plumbing.

    I like very much the idea of bifold doors to hide new washer and dryer, with a counter across the top—not possible with the current bulky vanity but something that we could sort out with our remodel.

    No exterior door needed—we have a back door and a garage door entrance both in the kitchen and would have to cut through a log wall to add one here.

  • 4 years ago



  • 4 years ago

    Thanks cd7733 for this start on alternative floor plans!

  • 3 months ago

    Hopefully you were able to put the laundry on the same wall as the tub and put the toilet in the corner. That is the best use of space.

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