Bathroom Design – The Process Vol. 4

4.  Layout

You now know the space, or shell, available for this design.  You know how the room is going to be used and by whom, and you know an approximate budget.  It is time to layout the new bathroom in this space (floor plan examples at the end of this article).  Many remodelers may think that this step is all there is to a bath design.  I hope you are beginning to see that the design is a process; one that requires all six of these steps.

I’ll break down the layout into these parts:  General rules of thumb, Accessibility, Configuration, Accessories, and Lighting.

Here are the six steps in a bathroom design process:

1. Space - what space is available for this bathroom?
2. Function - how is this bathroom going to be used?
3. Budget - how much do they plan to invest in this bathroom?
4. Layout - what is the best use of the available space?
5. Product selection – within the defined budget, what products fulfill the function of the bathroom, fit their lifestyle and their budget?
6. Building the bath – what process will be used to build this design?

General Rules of Thumb – Most of you probably know these already, but I’ll mention them anyway.  The first thing that we try to do in any bathroom, is to make the toilet as inconspicuous as possible.  In other words, when you walk in the bath, if possible, the first thing you see shouldn’t be the toilet.  Consider your door swing.  Put it behind the door if you can.  Or build a knee wall approximately 48″ high, to hide it.  Sometimes, if you build a linen closet in the room, you can leave three feet between the adjacent wall and the closet for the toilet.  For larger baths, you can build a small room for the toilet, with its own door.  Many master suites have two of these.  If possible, get some light in these confined spaces, either with a window or a sun tunnel.

Make the shower as large as you can.  A minimum for showers is 3′ x 3′, as in a neo angle shower.  This is really tight and should be used as only a last resort, or if this shower is rarely used.  A 4′ x 3′ is a better starting point and will fit in most baths.  If you can accommodate a 3′-6″ x 4′ shower, you will be pretty comfortable.  Another option is to have a tub/shower, which is a good combination.  I like the larger tubs for this application, such as the cast iron Kohler Bellwether K-876.  They have higher sides and are a little bit wider, giving you more room inside.

[Tip: Adding a curved shower rod will give you even more room inside.]

If possible, place the tub/shower valve on an inside wall.  This will make it less likely to freeze and also make it accessible from the opposite side of the wall (It’s easier to repair sheet rock than it is tile.)

Lighting is always priority, and should be plentiful.  Open floor space should be preserved as much as possible, so the bathroom is easy to navigate.  Framed linen closets take up considerably more room that cabinetry, so use tall cabinets when possible.  Floors should be slip resistant, so check the coefficient of friction on the tile that you specify.  A coefficient of 0.5 should be a minimum.  ADA recommends at least 0.6.  One of my preferences is the use of a tile baseboard, rather than stained or painted wood.  This lowers maintenance and keeps the room looking good longer.  The walls of a bath will get a lot of moisture during their life.  Always use a high quality paint.  I prefer using a semi-gloss, but check with your client, because semi-gloss may have too much sheen for some.

Accessibility - No matter if you are young or old, you need good accessibility in your bathroom.  Make your doors at least 32″ wide, and keep the floor space as wide open as possible.  Curbless showers are becoming more and more common, and give the shower a more open feel.  Several of my latest shower designs have no curbs or doors.  You just walk right in.  Surprisingly little water escapes through the entry.

[Tip: Many shower valves can be placed wherever you want, so place them near the entrance to the shower so they don't have to get in the shower stream to turn the water on.]

If you are familiar with Universal Design, then you know that accessible design is for everyone’s safety and convenience.  Specify grab bars in every bath you design.  They make a lot of sense.  Even elderly clients are resistant to this, and will say that they don’t need them.  It is up to you to educate them about good design and safety in the home.  One of my favorite grab bars are the Moen collections.  You can finally get grab bars in matching finishes that match your other accessories.

[Tip: Moen's new SecureMount has made retrofitting grab bars a cinch, since they require no blocking.]

Configuration – This will be largely dictated by your available space and the location of openings such as windows and doors.  You want to leave about 18″ from the center of the toilet to the nearest wall or bathroom fixture.  By code, a minimum distance of 15” is required from the centerline of a toilet to any bath fixture, wall or other obstacle.

In older homes we have come across windows in the tub/shower area.  One solution we have used is to install an all vinyl casement window.  Another way is to install a piece of etched glass in front of the window.  These can be installed with very attractive stainless steel fasteners which don’t even look like screws (see picture), so you can remove the glass for repairs or maintenance. 

If room permits, install a linen closet or cabinet.  If space is at a premium, use shelves or nooks for the linens and towels.

Accessories - In general, you’ll need one or two 24″ towel bars, a towel ring or small hand towel bar, toilet paper holder and one or two robe hooks.  Medicine cabinets can be very useful, and double as the sink mirror.  One of my favorite medicine cabinets is the Kohler Archer K-3073 that has a mirror on the outside, on the inside of the door and on the back of cabinet.  When you install two of these, opening away from each other, you’ll have a 360° view of yourself.  Another handy amenity are heated towel bars.  Remember to choose your accessories during this planning stage, and install the proper blocking for each as you rough-in the bathroom.  Usually wood blocks of 2×8, 2×10 or 2×12’s work well.

[Tip: Make a diagram or "map" of your bathroom when all of the blocking is in place.  Measure from an adjacent wall from one end of the blocking to the other end and note this on the drawing.  For height above finished floor (AFF), it is best to measure off the ceiling, since the finished floor may not be installed yet.  Don't measure to the center of the blocking, but rather from the top to the bottom, so that if a location preference changes, you will know how much latitude you have.  Also make sure that you photograph your rough-in thoroughly.  You'll find this to be a real life saver someday.]

Lighting – I love lighting and all the different effects you can create with various fixtures.  Lighting can be beautiful and is very important, especially in the bathroom.  Showering, grooming, shaving and applying makeup all require good lighting.  One of the simplest ways to add some pizazz and convenience to lighting is to put it on a dimmer.  My favorite dimmer is the Lutron Maestro.  Looks good and works great. Put dimmers on most of the lights in the bath.  Your client will thank you when they get up and turn the light on first thing in the morning.

[Tip: I usually put the shower light on the first switch you come to as you enter the bathroom.  The shower light is usually out of the way enough so that it doesn't blind you in the morning, or if you want to use it as a night light.]

The best lighting for makeup is not always the most attractive.  You’ve seen theatrical makeup rooms with lights on the side of the mirror and over the mirror.  This is the best arrangement for lighting your face in mirror without many shadows, but the look can be downright ugly.  Most of the time you will have to put a multi-bulb fixture above the mirror with nothing on the sides.  At times I have installed sconces on each side of the mirror and put a 4″ recessed low voltage over the sink on a separate circuit.  This is a compromise, as it will throw shadows on your face, but at least the lights can be controlled separately.  Always place at least one recessed light in the shower or tub area.  Be sure that the light is made for moist areas.  If the bathroom is large, place some lighting near the door, as well as toilet area.  And if you build a linen closet, place a light inside (check codes for the proper type of fixture) and put a switch in a convenient place near the door.

Now you have a very general checklist to review as you plan your next bathroom layout.  I’ve always said that most of what we do is just common sense.  Trouble is, common sense is in short supply these days.  Dedicate some time to think through all the information you’ve gathered so far, and I think you will come up with a good layout for your next bathroom design.

Here are some examples of Before and After floor plans:

In this design we want to increase the open floor space, remove the old, unused whirlpool tub, move the shower over where the tub was, move the toilet where the shower was and remove the wall you see as you enter the room.  The shower will be curbless and has no door.  The only enclosure in the room side is a slab of glass from the floor to 84″ high.

The next example requires some real shuffling and thinking outside the box.  You’ll notice that the entrance to the master bedroom is from the hall.  The new entrance will be cut into the wall between the bottom of the stairs and the laundry closet.

The wall with the entry door to the bedroom will be removed, and the hallway will become part of the new and improved master bathroom.  The coat closet under the stairs made a perfect place for the toilet.The whirlpool tub was removed and a beautiful free-standing white soaker was put in its place.  The shower was completely rebuilt in the same location.  The vanity was turned 90 degrees.

You can see that with a minimum of wall removal, and with very little additional framing, the entire configuration of the bathroom was changed.  It is much more open now, with the toilet in a private space.

Here are some finished pictures of the bathroom:

And here’s the soaking tub with shower, enclosed by reeded glass.

I’d love to hear your comments on these ideas.  Tell us about your methods and add to this discussion.  Till next time…

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www.RemodelerBiz.com is published by Randall S Soules, a 37 year construction veteran. The intent of this web site is to help builders, remodelers and those in the trades, create a rewarding career and lifestyle.  At Remodeler Biz you’ll find helpful articles on niches, marketing, graphic standards and the design-then-build field.