How we turned a tiny 3-piece bathroom into a modernized 5-piece oasis!
The first project we did when we purchased our home was the bathroom. The entire house needed to be renovated (floor to ceiling), but this was the project that garnered priority. Why this space?
The bathroom is the room where you start and end the day. Therefore, knowing that the house would require blood, sweat, and a good amount of patience, it was important to have a place that would provide relaxation and centering.
Pro Tip: When living through an entire home renovation, it's important to have a space where you can unwind and escape from "all the fun". :)
If you've been following along, you know we've been renovating a1920s bungalow. Though these homes were built as sturdy as ever (and with all the charm), modern standards have evolved past their modest beginnings (especially when it comes to bathrooms and kitchens).
Older homes typically have what is called "3 piece bathrooms". This means that there is plumbing for 1 sink, 1 tub/shower combo, and 1 toilet. However, modern bathrooms have (gloriously) evolved into "5-piece", consisting of 2 sinks, 1 soaking tub, 1 walk-in shower, and 1 toilet.
It's amazing how thinking outside the box (or thinking outside the walls, in our case) can have huge impacts on the functionality and amenities possible in a space and how it allowed us to go from a "3-piece" to "5-piece".
The floor plan diagrams below explain how we carefully thought through spacial organization and took advantage of wasted space, by moving a wall, to achieve additional amenities and function.
Existing Bathroom Demo Plan (above)
1. This space was probably the original bedroom closet. The previous owners installed a much larger closet on a different bedroom wall, leaving this space underutilized. It was here that we moved the shared wall, expanding the space within the bathroom.
2. These hallway closets are common in 1920s bungalows. I LOVE storage, but this closet was really deep and not very functional. Besides that, I had incorporated plenty of other storage throughout the house, so this closet wouldn't be necessary. We eliminated the closet to further expand the bathroom footprint.
3. We removed the shower/tub, toilet, and single sink, in order to replace with all new fixtures.
4. The door entry would end up shifting a bit to accommodate a double sink.
New Bathroom Layout (above)
5. This is the new location of the wall dividing the bedroom and bathroom. It's hard to believe it only moved 2.5 feet, but that allowed for the space we needed to accommodate the additional fixtures.
6. New large walk in steamer shower, in place of old small shower/tub combo.
7. New cast iron tub (I adore clawfoot tubs!)
8. New toilet location, now located out of the sightline of the open door. This was really important because who wants to look at a toilet when you've got a clawfoot tub with chandelier?
9. Shift door and reverse the direction the door opens. This switch allowed for more usable sapce.
10 Add double sink
Below Photo: Original underutilized hall closet that was removed.
See #2 on Bathroom Demo Plan Above
Below: Bathroom prior to renovation.
Below: Bathroom following renovation. (Walk in shower is to the left of the tub).
Below: Walk in steam shower
I hope you've found inspiration in this post and it encourages you to "think outside the walls" on your own project! Be sure to catch all future posts by subscribing at the link below!
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