ᐅ Bathroom renovation of 8 sqm in a timber-frame house built in 1986
Created on: 23 Jul 2024 13:42
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Sandra&ThiloS
Sandra&Thilo23 Jul 2024 13:42Hello Forum,
My family and I fulfilled our dream last year by buying a (used) house and have already taken care of the most important things. Now we are slowly focusing on the interior, especially the master bathroom.
The bathroom is currently just adequate, with about 8 sqm (86 sq ft) it is rather small and in an outdated condition, so it definitely needs to be replaced. For completeness, I’m attaching a floor plan here since I have already looked through many bathroom threads, but I’m hoping for some collective wisdom and maybe a few more ideas before we get more specific with the planning.
Here are also some current pictures of the bathroom:
The essential fixture in this bathroom is a double vanity from Geberit that we would like to keep if possible.
Here are the key considerations:
- As a family of seven, we haven’t used the bathtub even once in the past year, so we would not plan to include one. This probably benefits the floor plan. What are the pros and cons here? There is no other bathtub in the house.
- I would like to place the shower as a walk-in style at the back right to give the room more depth. The drain would be a tiled channel at the floor level directly on the wall. This should work since the bathtub currently has its drain there as well. The entrance to the shower would be from the left, with a towel rack on the left wall just outside the shower entrance.
- Since we plan to replace the windows sooner or later anyway, I’m considering moving the window to the left wall right in the corner and making it floor-to-ceiling, with the lower part fixed glazing and the upper part opening for ventilation. Possibly an additional transom window could run across the full width on top. However, I could also imagine having ventilation equipment in the room plus fixed glass, if there is no objection. I suspect the current wooden window cannot remain as is due to moisture issues in the shower’s sloped ceiling area, right?
- For the surfaces, I would prefer large light-colored tiles but only in the splash zone, with the rest covered by water-repellent clay plaster, which also helps regulate moisture well.
- I would place the toilet where the shower currently is and possibly keep the existing partition wall, although it currently makes the space feel very narrow and corridor-like. Therefore, I’ve thought about removing this wall and instead hinging the door on the other side so that a person using the toilet is not immediately in full view.
- An outward-opening door could also be an option.
- The bathroom tends to be on the darker side in terms of natural light since our large walnut tree stands in front of the window, so I would like to maximize the existing window area if possible.
- The left wall is a so-called “installation wall” made of lightweight concrete. All the plumbing connections date back to the original build year. I assume it should be fully replaced as part of the renovation if the wall is to be worked on anyway. The water, waste, and heating pipes are all known in location because we have photos from before the screed was poured. Above this bathroom are the pipes from the upstairs bathroom directly above, which pass through this wall.
Since we will be working on the structural elements anyway, I considered two possibilities to enlarge the bathroom area:
- Remove the left boundary wall of the shower and install a new door at a 45° angle --> less narrow corridor feeling, plus 0.5 sqm (5 sq ft)
- Give up about 50 to maximum 70 cm (20 to 28 inches) of the living room space by moving the wall. This wouldn’t bother the living room. This would create a new room width of about 2.5 m (8 ft) and a new floor area of 10 sqm (108 sq ft). The only downside in the living room is that the ceiling height rises up to 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) (open space). From my point of view, this area could not be used sensibly and would need to be closed off with a drywall partition.
Regarding usage: We currently have two bathrooms with showers plus a guest toilet, which serve us well during busy times. However, our children are now aged 4, 8, 9, 10, and 11, so I expect shower times to increase significantly soon, and the morning demand on the bathrooms to last longer. Perhaps a future-oriented layout allowing simultaneous use of the shower and toilet while maintaining some privacy could be considered.
I hope all relevant information is included yet the text is not too long. I look forward to your feedback.
Best regards,
Thilo
My family and I fulfilled our dream last year by buying a (used) house and have already taken care of the most important things. Now we are slowly focusing on the interior, especially the master bathroom.
The bathroom is currently just adequate, with about 8 sqm (86 sq ft) it is rather small and in an outdated condition, so it definitely needs to be replaced. For completeness, I’m attaching a floor plan here since I have already looked through many bathroom threads, but I’m hoping for some collective wisdom and maybe a few more ideas before we get more specific with the planning.
Here are also some current pictures of the bathroom:
The essential fixture in this bathroom is a double vanity from Geberit that we would like to keep if possible.
Here are the key considerations:
- As a family of seven, we haven’t used the bathtub even once in the past year, so we would not plan to include one. This probably benefits the floor plan. What are the pros and cons here? There is no other bathtub in the house.
- I would like to place the shower as a walk-in style at the back right to give the room more depth. The drain would be a tiled channel at the floor level directly on the wall. This should work since the bathtub currently has its drain there as well. The entrance to the shower would be from the left, with a towel rack on the left wall just outside the shower entrance.
- Since we plan to replace the windows sooner or later anyway, I’m considering moving the window to the left wall right in the corner and making it floor-to-ceiling, with the lower part fixed glazing and the upper part opening for ventilation. Possibly an additional transom window could run across the full width on top. However, I could also imagine having ventilation equipment in the room plus fixed glass, if there is no objection. I suspect the current wooden window cannot remain as is due to moisture issues in the shower’s sloped ceiling area, right?
- For the surfaces, I would prefer large light-colored tiles but only in the splash zone, with the rest covered by water-repellent clay plaster, which also helps regulate moisture well.
- I would place the toilet where the shower currently is and possibly keep the existing partition wall, although it currently makes the space feel very narrow and corridor-like. Therefore, I’ve thought about removing this wall and instead hinging the door on the other side so that a person using the toilet is not immediately in full view.
- An outward-opening door could also be an option.
- The bathroom tends to be on the darker side in terms of natural light since our large walnut tree stands in front of the window, so I would like to maximize the existing window area if possible.
- The left wall is a so-called “installation wall” made of lightweight concrete. All the plumbing connections date back to the original build year. I assume it should be fully replaced as part of the renovation if the wall is to be worked on anyway. The water, waste, and heating pipes are all known in location because we have photos from before the screed was poured. Above this bathroom are the pipes from the upstairs bathroom directly above, which pass through this wall.
Since we will be working on the structural elements anyway, I considered two possibilities to enlarge the bathroom area:
- Remove the left boundary wall of the shower and install a new door at a 45° angle --> less narrow corridor feeling, plus 0.5 sqm (5 sq ft)
- Give up about 50 to maximum 70 cm (20 to 28 inches) of the living room space by moving the wall. This wouldn’t bother the living room. This would create a new room width of about 2.5 m (8 ft) and a new floor area of 10 sqm (108 sq ft). The only downside in the living room is that the ceiling height rises up to 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) (open space). From my point of view, this area could not be used sensibly and would need to be closed off with a drywall partition.
Regarding usage: We currently have two bathrooms with showers plus a guest toilet, which serve us well during busy times. However, our children are now aged 4, 8, 9, 10, and 11, so I expect shower times to increase significantly soon, and the morning demand on the bathrooms to last longer. Perhaps a future-oriented layout allowing simultaneous use of the shower and toilet while maintaining some privacy could be considered.
I hope all relevant information is included yet the text is not too long. I look forward to your feedback.
Best regards,
Thilo
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Sandra&Thilo23 Jul 2024 13:51A brief addition: the window faces south-southeast.
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Sandra&Thilo23 Jul 2024 15:25I tried using the free planner from Kaldewei. This software is practically unusable for most purposes, but well, I created something with it.
The idea is to install a glass panel on the wall in front of the shower, extending all the way to the top, and possibly extend the wall with glass as well, which this tool does not support. Maybe make the entire wall out of glass, with frosting or a film on the lower part.
The idea is to install a glass panel on the wall in front of the shower, extending all the way to the top, and possibly extend the wall with glass as well, which this tool does not support. Maybe make the entire wall out of glass, with frosting or a film on the lower part.
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Sandra&Thilo23 Jul 2024 16:35The Elements planner is significantly easier and faster to use.
I actually think the location of the shower is quite good where it is now.
I would try to place a cabinet under the existing washbasin instead of the space-consuming unit on the left.
With the cabinet, the toilet would be somewhat shielded. If that’s not enough, a privacy screen could be installed.
I wouldn’t want to do without a bathtub—there are plenty of other uses for it. However, it could be rotated and placed in the left back corner. If you want to skip it, then that’s your choice.
I would always prefer the toilet to be by a window, if possible. Also, having short pipe runs from the drain to the exterior wall provides reliability.
I would try to place a cabinet under the existing washbasin instead of the space-consuming unit on the left.
With the cabinet, the toilet would be somewhat shielded. If that’s not enough, a privacy screen could be installed.
I wouldn’t want to do without a bathtub—there are plenty of other uses for it. However, it could be rotated and placed in the left back corner. If you want to skip it, then that’s your choice.
I would always prefer the toilet to be by a window, if possible. Also, having short pipe runs from the drain to the exterior wall provides reliability.
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motorradsilke24 Jul 2024 04:42Sandra&Thilo schrieb:
The planner from Elements is clearly easier and faster to use. I would like the bathroom like this. I would make the glass partition a bit wider to prevent water splashing out.
I wouldn’t keep the shower in the recess either; it feels too cramped for me.
We also don’t have a bathtub and haven’t missed it for three years; we hadn’t used one for years in our previous house either. For the few times a year when I need it, for example for washing large laundry items, I have a plastic tub that I keep in the laundry area. I wouldn’t sacrifice the rather limited space for a bathtub that isn’t used. Plus, it needs regular cleaning.
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