adding a small full bath (shower) in an already small master bedroom?

[Anonymous]

Freeman wrote:Just to add my two cents, if I were looking for three bedroom houses and saw a listing with 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, I would immediately discard it. If it listed three bedrooms and two baths, I would at least give it a look.

I pretty much filtered my house search with 2+ baths. I was willing to work with one guest hall and one jack and Jill bathroom. Having two full baths with one of the bathrooms being accessed directly by the master bedroom was a must have for me.

I would agree that you should look into designing efficient space with storage. We expanded our tiny masterbath to no longer have a pedestal and instead a small cabinet. We also have a pocketdoor which made a huge difference in the layout of the bathroom and where we could place a dresser in the room. We have a shower niche and a wall niche besides the medicine cabinet. We also have a train rack. We had to steal a foot from the closet to make it happen but after I added a closet organizer and used the vertical closet space, I found I didn't miss giving up space for the bathroom.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for the master bath. We also discarded the listings that only had 1 bath pretty much right away without looking. We did go to the homes that had 3 bedrooms 2 baths listed, but we didn't like the homes that only had 1 bathroom on the 2nd level where the bathrooms were. It seems to be a common situation in NW DC where we looked, with tiny colonials. We saw some of the remodels like I think you are trying to do and the tiny bedrooms didn't turn us off, we really really wanted a master bath no matter how small. As long as you have your master bedroom able to accommodate a larger size bed and a dresser, I think you are fine, children's bedrooms size doesn't matter as much, because they use twin beds and honestly, will have to get used to small living spaces when they go to college into these tiny dormrooms!

I'd say go for it, creating a master bath will bring more buyers for you, who otherwise would not consider your property. Master bath is a big deal for many people, just having a toilet and sink in your master bedroom is already a big plus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our master bath is tiny, and while we didn't expand it, my husband - who's handy - redesigned the entire thing by using some top of the line products that are sleek.

Much of the room was tiled in a neutral color with a cool glass border.

We used:

frameless shower door - example: http://www.framelessshowerdoors.com/

glass basin - actually this exact one, as it's great for small spaces
http://www.newbathroomideas.com/bathrooms/wp-content/uploads/small-wall-mounted-glass-basin.jpg

and something like this -
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EJ2YNh_TOgU/Tby0w355u1I/AAAAAAAAAQM/WsmpZBkUqDo/s1600/Picture%2B1.png

We shopped around for the best deals.

I would love to see an "after" picture - can you post one?

I don't know how to post my pics to this site - if it's possible - b/c I'd definitely share them with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I would love to see an "after" picture - can you post one?

I don't know how to post my pics to this site - if it's possible - b/c I'd definitely share them with you.

the pics will have to be on the internet already, as you can only put URLs to the posts not the real image file.

if i were desperate i'd probably create a craigslist ad with pictures and use that link here.

[Anonymous]

http://www.loanhiloan.com
OP here -

wow! thx everyone for all the great posts! i was second guessing myself (hence the thread...) but now i'm feeling really excited about it. special thx to those who shared the links/pix.

to one PP who asked - i haven't decided on a contractor (it's still in the 'planning' stage) but if you know some good ones please share.

oh btw, i suppose getting a permit for such project shouldn't be an issue?

tks again!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
glass basin - actually this exact one, as it's great for small spaces

just curious - i know the space is tight but a sink with no vanity/counter like this is not a big deal in your master bath? tks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
oh btw, i suppose getting a permit for such project shouldn't be an issue?

There will be design requirements that may, for example, prevent you from using some of those French layouts. Code often requires a certain amount of space on either side of a toilet or a certain clearance for someone stepping out of a shower. So don't fall in love with any designs yet.

[Anonymous]

You can get 16" wide vanities with cabinets. Look into Fresca vanities, you can buy them on Overstock and via a bunch of online resellers. If you are into modern look, they have a few and quite inexpensive, we bought ours with the additional cabinet that matches the vanity for extra storage to be put on the wall and instead of the mirror that the vanity came with, we bought a spacious mirrored medicine cabinet. Our bathrooms/closets are very small, so every shelf counts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
oh btw, i suppose getting a permit for such project shouldn't be an issue?

There will be design requirements that may, for example, prevent you from using some of those French layouts. Code often requires a certain amount of space on either side of a toilet or a certain clearance for someone stepping out of a shower. So don't fall in love with any designs yet.

tks for the post. are you referring to state plumbing code (we're in VA)? i found the followings on toilet:

Section 405.3.1 A water closet, urinal, lavatory or bidet shall not be set closer than 15 inches (381mm) from its center to any side wall, partition, vanity or other obstruction, or closer than 30 inches (762mm) center-to-center between adjacent fixtures. There shall be at least a 21-inch (533mm) clearance in front of the water closet, urinal, lavatory or bidet to any wall, fixture or door...

and shower:

Section 417.42 Access: The shower compartment access and egress opening shall have a minimum clear and unobstructed finished width of 22 inches (559mm)...

i think we're in good shape. tks again.

[Anonymous]

13:20 here -- I don't actually know whether plumbing code is the only thing at work. We have an older house with some quirks, and when we were remodeling, there were things we could grandfather in and things that had to be changed no matter what had been done at the time the house was built.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:13:20 here -- I don't actually know whether plumbing code is the only thing at work. We have an older house with some quirks, and when we were remodeling, there were things we could grandfather in and things that had to be changed no matter what had been done at the time the house was built.

tks. so did u use a contractor who knows about these thingas?