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Samll bathroom: bath & shower advice

last year

Hi, we are renovating our bathroom and facing a dilema with the bath & shower layout.

We are a family with young kids so a bath would be valuable, although nowdays the kids mostly use the shower.


We are going for a 150cm bath and a 80x110cm shower. We don't want to go any smaller than this.

We were adviced to put a dividing wall between the bath and shower as the space betwen them will be too small.

We are worried of a few things:

1. Will putting a stud wall make the bathroom too dark and crampy? should we try to change it to glass (at a seemingly much higher cost)

2. How will it feel to be in the bathtub behind this stud wall? given it will be 80cm of wall and a 150cm bath, it will cover more than half of the bath. We don't lan to use it too often so might not be a problem.

3. Will it feel too cramp in the bathroom overall?

4. is there a good reason to giveup the bath alltogether or would this layout/or another can help?


We also thought about extending the shower wall a bit further towards the stairs and breaking it just before the door, but not sure there's be room for a door and vanity unit with this layout.


This is the suggested floorplan:



And this is the suggested layout:




Comments (10)

  • PRO
    last year
    last modified: last year

    HORRIBLE! So sorry , that is a big NO.

    Pick tub or shower, and not both.

    Put feet and INCHES on your plan for us lazy USA TYPES. that means walls, windows, entry all.

    No to a "stud wall" too.

    Far too small a bath to support four bedrooms... but provide more info.

  • last year

    Agreed with kandrewspa—I would do a shower/tub combo where the current shower is, possibly bumping into the hallway a bit, put toilet between tub and window wall, and preserve the length of the other wall for a double vanity. Kinda like quick sketch attached

  • last year

    And whatever you do, you don’t need to add a wall inside of the bathroom and block the natural light— it’s pretty easy to have an L-shaped metal bar fabricated to hold a shower curtain around your shower area.

  • PRO
    last year

    Why can't you do a tub/shower instead of two separate footprints? Here's what we did for a recent client.


    Beauty and the Baths: Guest Bath · More Info

    Here's another for a different client:


    Burlwood Drive Bath · More Info

    Keep the windows inside the tub/shower, but either raise them to clerestory height or get frosted glass:


    Tamara Mack Design - Interiors · More Info


    Volunteer Park Residence 10 · More Info


  • last year
    last modified: last year

    Jumping on the bandwagon here:

    - You just don't have space for a tub + a walk-in shower. Your obvious answer is a shower-over-tub. DO NOT try to cram in too much. Your proposed floor plan will never, never be comfortable.

    - Absolutely no to a dividing wall anywhere in this space. They're not a great idea, even in a larger space.

    - Consider storage. You won't be able to have a linen closet ... but maybe you can squeeze in a 16-20" floor-to-ceiling linen tower. I've had such a thing in a bathroom, and it absorbs SO MUCH STUFF. Towels, cleaning products, etc. I also like the yellow and white bathroom above, with its drawers above the toilet.

    - Still thinking of storage ... could you place a shallow storage unit at the top of the stairs? A short cabinet with a lamp on top could hold towels. A closed wardrobe could hold towels and extra toiletries. But it has to be shallow, or you'll cut in to your walking space.

    - Forget tubs with larger footprints. A builder-basic tub is usually 30-32" wide x 60" long. Unless you're big or tall, this is enough ... but consider getting a DEEPER tub, which is nicer for soaking. Again, deeper ... not wider or longer.

    - Try hard to work in a larger sink vanity. Consider a toothbrush holder, soap dish, and grooming items. You will not enjoy balancing things on the edge of the sink ... you need some counter space.

    - Four bedrooms'll share this small bathroom. So be sure to include space in each bedroom for doing hair, make-up, etc. I grew up with 5 siblings sharing a bathroom (2 girls, 3 boys), and it was never a problem ... but we dried /fixed our hair, etc. in the bedrooms.

    - I like the sketch PD Schlitz drew ... except that I wouldn't try to squeeze a duplicate sink into this small space, and be sure you don't put a mirror dead-ahead of the toilet. Not the most pleasant view while you're sitting.


    - Starting from your own concept, I'd keep the shower ... move the toilet to where the tub is now ... give the lower wall to a wide vanity + linen tower.

    - Consider that toilets must have 30" of width.

    - A wall-mounted toilet could save you a few inches. Its only negative is that it's harder to install, but you're probably having a pro do this work for you.

    - Perhaps your door could hinge OUT instead of INTO the room; that is, save the door swing space.

    - Go with a light-colored tile and use the same tile on the bathroom floor and behind the tub. Visually this'll make your space look larger.

    - I personally prefer a shower curtain, but -- in a space this small -- this is a space for a frameless glass door, which will make the space feel larger.

    - Try to make the mirror over your vanity as large as possible -- again, this about making the room feel larger. Just don't provide a view of yourself on the toilet in this mirror.

    - Do not fail to consider where you'll hang your towels ... make sure they're easy to reach from the tub/shower. You do not have space for this towel warmer.

    - Consider where you'll place your trash can. Small things like that can turn into small irritations every single day.

  • PRO
    last year

    Without a doubt, no wall.
    You can install a 3/8" clear tempered glass divider after extending the shower to the bathtub. To save money, the plumbing system does not need to be redone.

  • last year

    Sabrina, how did you waterproof those drop-in (undermount) tubs? And how did you provide the proper slope on the ledges to drain into the tub?

  • PRO
    last year
    last modified: last year

    @Catbuilder

    You buy this





    and you get this......when you read all the specs and have a competent contractor, and pro tile guy: ) ( ala Sabrina above )


    If you're showering? The liner is INSIDE the tub. The glass shower door is no different than on a curb at a shower entrance.....you aren't going to have a flood : )

  • last year

    Than you all for the advices, you have helped us make a change in the design and avoid stud walls inside the bathroom.