Bathroom renovation and layout

dmorganti

Hi There!

We are planning to renovate our bathroom and possibly add an ensuite by combining the toilet space and taking some of the BIR.

We would like to do the renovation ourselves (where possible) and this would be our second room renovation (laundry already completed).

The challenge we have is we already have a small bathroom and the only way we can create an ensuite is to cut the BIR in one bedroom and link it. We want to avoid window or major wall moves so that limits us to the configuration. Below is our current bathroom layout

And here is what we have thought up so far. I know it's a little funny with the corners, but the idea was to maximise the flow of the ensuite whilst keeping it as compact as possible. We would rather not use up the whole BIR and do not want to move windows so the wall positions below are really our only option.

It would be great to get your opinion on how we can lay the rooms best to maximise space. A shower over bath would be ideal in the main bathroom though open to suggestions if it is really needed these days?

Any comments/feedback greatly appreciated

Jason

Hi @dmorganti,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's wonderful to have you join us and share your bathroom renovation journey with the community.

Apologies for the slow reply, but I'm sure the ever-helpful @EricL is very keen to assist. Let me also tag the amazing @Adam_W who just shared this helpful guide with the community: How to plan a bathroom renovation. Experienced renovator @2Belindas might also like to share her thoughts.

Please let me know if you ever need a hand getting the most from the site. We're here to help.

Jason

EricL

Hello @dmorganti

My apologies for the late reply. Thank you so much for sharing your question about your bathroom layout.

I'm sure this is an exciting time for you as the possibilities for your bathroom renovation are numerous. I've kept your dimensions as you've stated in your first post. Everything you see on the drawings is close to real-world appliance sizes.

Below are my suggestions:

Keep your wall straight in the bathroom to avoid complicated construction and tiling.
In the ensuite bathroom move the door frame all the way to the front to gain full use of the wall near the vanity.
I suggest using a bi-fold shower door in the second bathroom

You can use a standard shower enclosure in the ensuite but it will not allow you to use the full length of the wall unless you change your window. I strongly recommend using a heat-light-fan combo to make sure you get good ventilation in both bathrooms. If you wish to see the layout in another configuration please let me know.

Please keep us updated, we look forward to seeing the start of your renovation.

Eric

dmorganti

Thank you @EricL for drawing that up for us and the further recommendations.

Using a bifold door in the smaller bathroom is a really good idea for space saving and we were planning on putting an integrated wall toilet in the small bathroom to maximise space. I think we will go with something very similar to what you have drawn up, including moving that door forward and keeping the walls straight.

I believe we need a structural engineer to have a look before we start anything as I am quite sure there is a load bearing wall between the bathroom and bedroom so this will slow us down especially since Melbourne has gone into another lockdown! Progress on getting this started may be slow, but our aim is for the end of this year.

Will update here once we move to the next stage!

EricL

Hi @dmorganti

I'm glad my suggestions helped. I'm so sorry to hear about the lockdown, we've recently gone through one as well here in Queensland. The mask-wearing rules have been extended for another week. It does put a wrinkle in the scheduling, but it's good to know that your determination to proceed with your renovation is still strong.

If you need further assistance or information with your renovation, please let us know.

Eric