ᐅ Bathroom 18 m² – Concept Development and Planning

It was also mentioned that a bathtub can only be installed under a window if an additional safety barrier is provided, as otherwise the window sill height requirements would be violated. The construction company therefore rejected this, stating that they could not carry it out according to recognized technical standards, or that we would need to install a safety barrier.

77.willo schrieb:
And it was said that a bathtub can only be installed under a window if there is an additional safety measure, otherwise the minimum sill heights would be violated. The construction company therefore refused, as they could not carry this out according to recognized technical standards, or we would need to install a sill.

There is no sill height mentioned. I assume this is an elevated window with a sill height above 140cm (55 inches).

But anyway, it doesn’t belong there 😉

Thank you very much for the helpful tips.
The upper floor bathroom is located in a full story, so there are no sloped ceilings.

kaho674 schrieb:
What I see as an absolute worst-case scenario: the only window in the bathroom is practically out of reach, so you have to climb over the bathtub every time. That’s really inconvenient, especially since this window will probably be the one you want to open most often in the entire house.

In my opinion, this bathroom would really be a candidate for a T-shaped layout. However, does it really need that huge cabinet? What about the plumbing connections? Are they still flexible? And what about adding extra windows?

To free up the window, I would probably plan built-in appliances together with the sinks as base cabinets and create the T shape. Ideally, there should also be a window by the shower, which I haven’t sketched because apparently that’s no longer possible.

I’m not usually a fan of T-shaped layouts because they tend to make the room feel much smaller. But in this case, the bathroom is large enough. For me personally, it still wouldn’t work because it creates dark corners. I prefer lots of natural daylight.

In our bathroom, the window is completely fixed and cannot be opened at all. Thanks to controlled mechanical ventilation, I’ve never really felt the need to open it.

One thing I want to mention about having laundry in the bathroom: a lot of lint and dust is generated! And it tends to settle on the nice white bathroom ceramics.

I personally think the idea of placing the washing machine and dryer in the bathroom isn’t bad at all, as long as the laundry times don’t conflict with bathroom use. I don’t want to be showering, bathing, or getting ready with a running washing machine in the background. For using the toilet, that would bother me less. However, the appliances should be placed inside a cabinet so they aren’t always visible. Likewise, you should make sure that there aren’t piles of laundry or a row of laundry baskets cluttering the bathroom.

I also find T-shaped bathroom layouts very stylish and, compared to the traditional linear bathrooms of the past, something different. Unfortunately, these layouts are often impractical because they reduce usable surface area and make the bathroom darker. Toilets in particular are often real dungeon-like spaces. I’ve never timed it, but I probably spend significantly more time on the toilet than in the shower or bathtub. I don’t want to spend that time in a 1m² (11 sq ft) space staring at a wall. Whether the toilet is visible doesn’t matter to me personally. It shouldn’t be the focal point of the room, but otherwise it’s just there and in use. Most of the time you’re alone in the bathroom when using it, and if not, a privacy screen doesn’t help unless it also blocks sound and odors — do you really feel comfortable in a busy highway rest stop restroom just because the stalls are private?

So, I’ve complained quite a bit but unfortunately don’t have a really good idea for the bathroom layout. If the toilet is to stay where it is, I don’t see a better spot for the shower either. At most, it could go to the right of the door, where the closet currently is. That would create a nice corner for things you don’t want directly in sight, like the laundry area or maybe the toilet, but it would make the entry area feel very narrow and tunnel-like. I would always position the washbasin close to the door since that’s the area you need to reach before leaving the room. So that’s fairly well placed. If the toilet and washbasin stay roughly where they are and you don’t want to put the washing machine under the window, there aren’t many options left for the bathtub—even though I find its current position very unfortunate.

I also partly agree with 77.willo. If you just want to fit the four standard bathroom fixtures and aren’t aiming for a wellness spa, why 18m² (194 sq ft)? Heating costs aren’t such a big issue in modern houses anymore, but it’s wasted or at least expensively bought space without added value. You can easily reduce the depth by one meter (3 ft) without losing functionality.

Consider whether you could actually create a small utility room on the upper floor and reduce the bathroom size by a few square meters. With that fourth wall, a better bathroom layout would also become possible again.

Hello. I have taken your feedback into consideration and redesigned the bathroom. What do you think of it now?