Hi all,

I'm buying my first house. The first thing I want to do is open up the bathroom to the master bedroom and close up the hallway door for it so that it's like an en suite. The only thing in between the bathroom and the master bedroom is the closet, so I wanted to do a walk-thru style closet with a bathroom that doesn't have its own door.

This is the current layout (I just took a layout picture from online and modified it to be my bathroom layout): [ATTACH=CONFIG]31810[/ATTACH]

This is what I was considering, with that opening being the threshold/doorway to the walk-thru closet: [ATTACH=CONFIG]31811[/ATTACH]

Of course, I'm a dumbass so what do I know. For all I know this could be a super weird layout, right? The foundation is a slab foundation and I have to route the water hookup to the other side of the bathroom for the washer hookup so I thought this might work.

Standing in the living room looking at the hallway where the bathroom door is currently: https://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/...96388972_n.jpg

Standing outside the bathroom door: https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...50418895_n.jpg

Closet I want to make a walk-thru: https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.n...32465402_n.jpg

Vanity: https://scontent-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/...40515326_n.jpg

Mirror and light fixture: https://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/...05932935_n.jpg

Tub that will remain in place: https://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/...59188537_n.jpg



Thoughts?

 

If its drawn to scale... super weird is one way to describe it. I guess it would work if you like sitting on the toilet sideways, or like jumping over the toilet to get your legs in front of it. It just doesn't look like there is much clearance there between the toilet and your proposed sink location. You'd probably have to change that sink to a pedestal, and get rid of that giant vanity and sink in order to have room to get around it.

Better yet, move both the toilet and sink to the opposite wall to simply reverse the layout of the bathroom so that the doorway can be on the wall that you want, opposite the sink. You will be cutting the floor open either way to do your proposed plumbing. I'm not sure I would dig the idea of a bathroom with no door on it. But hey, its your house.

IMO the existing bathroom door swings the wrong way... it should have been RH so that it lays against the wall when it's open, not against the toilet.

 

Is there another bathroom guests can access from the hall? You don't want house guests or the kids stumbling through the bedroom at 3am to get to the bathroom..

 

Yeah! It's a two bathroom house with a roommate sort-of design with two separate hallways off the living room. This is technically the "master" bath but they just didn't connect it for whatever reason.

 

I was wanting to do this, but then I was looking it up online and it said it'd cost a ton to move the toilet drainy-thing. What is it, the stack? I don't know. It removes the waste?

The closet itself will have the door so it can be closed, but the bathroom won't have a door since it's already very, very small.

Thanks for your input! I don't know a thing, haha!

 

So I did reverse both the toilet and the vanity in the picture, like this: [ATTACH=CONFIG]31814[/ATTACH]


But my concerns about the cost of moving the stack thing that far, and also I can't have as large of a vanity with that layout.

So maybe if I rotated the toilet instead like this! [ATTACH=CONFIG]31815[/ATTACH]

I kind of only wanted to spend a max of $3,500 for all of this. Oh, my step-dad is a door fixer/contractor/tile guy so he'll do all the labor in exchange for a percent equity in the house. I only have to pay for the plumber and the materials out of pocket, I believe. But my step-dad has absolutely no know-how on designing bathroom layouts and neither do I.

Thanks.

 

You don't have to move the stack necessarily... as it might be close enough to the existing stack to leave it where it is. It shouldn't cost much more, as you already will have to open up the floor to make a path for the new sink location and for the laundry plumbing. The laundry plumbing and sink will probably require their own stack since they are on the opposite wall, while the toilet drains into the floor and will probably still be within 4 or 5 feet of the existing stack. Maybe once you determine your layout you could ask one of the plumbers for their approval or suggestions in the plumbing forum.

But your final layout isn't half bad. Would there also be space for the sink to go on the same wall as the toilet? Now that would really open things up, giving full access to the tub.

 

Thanks for the great thoughts, XSleeper! We have to measure everything out, but I am considering nixing the tub altogether and going with a frameless glass door shower so the bathroom really feels open. I also want to do a really modern tankless toilet to save even more space.

Ideally, I want the bathroom to look like a master without having to take space from anywhere else since it's pretty tiny!

 

You dont know where your stack is, but regardless you need to jackhammer the floor up. You will need to move venting from where the sink was...etc... Reroute all in floor plumbing and venting....

Demo walls and slab, new fixtures you looking 10k plus . Dont know Cali prices but if like east coast your talking at least 10 k minimum...

IMO leave it and spend the 3k on updating whats there...

 

When you say venting, can you elaborate? I thought that since this bathroom has a window instead of a fan, that it didn't have a vent!

Hmm, you may be right! Although since my step-dad has done contracting, tile, etc., we were going to do the demo and all the rest ourselves except for the plumbing. I might need to price this out quite a bit if I'm off that badly in price!

Oh and I forgot, we have to add the plumbing for the washer hookup right at the wall I wanted to move the vanity to anyway. Since it's currently in the kitchen, which is pretty bad! So I thought that if we're already ripping everything up to do THAT, then the bathroom too...

 

Drain vent. Not room vent. All drain systems must be vented to prevent water being drawn out of the traps that prevent dangerous sewer gas from filling the room.


Image source cornerhardware.com

 

Looking at your second picture in post # 6, I'd suggest moving the sink/vanity into the lower left hand corner, "next to" the toilet, if space allows, and facing it towards the tub/shower area. I'd also think about a pocket door separating the closet from the lav. You might only use it on occasion, but
it might help in situations where one person is getting clothes from the closet, and another "has to go".
Good luck with your project.

 

If you rotate the toilet 90° and move the lavatory to the left wall next to the toilet you may be able to do it with out changing any vents if your local code permits air admittance valves instead of vents for sinks.

If the toilet flange is 12" from the left wall you may be able to do this by opening walls, not the slab.

 

ray2047:
I am researching AAVs further and I will get in touch with the housing authority about this. It seems like, from what I've read, California (Sacramento city) allows or disallows AAV permits on a case-by-case basis.

I have to look into this and take measurements when I go to the house tomorrow. Thanks for the great input! Really helpful stuff, and a great suggestion that could possibly save me a ton of cost and work.


Mikedel:
I moved it in the picture I have so it looks like this:



I am going to take measurements, and this might work out really well on top of being visually appealing.

I have to check the cost of adding a pocket door. Thanks for your ideas! If the construction and plumbing costs exceed my max of around $3,500 to $4,000 then what I'll do is make the necessary plumbing changes now since I already have to do the washer hookup in the garage right behind this bathroom, then update the bathroom floor/tile/fixtures/vanity/mirror/etc at a later time instead. My main concern is making the bathroom accessible from my bedroom and I can live with the out-dated bathroom for a while.

 

Actually the current sink vent may work without moving it. The AAV was if it didn't. Even if the flange is too close to the wall you may be able to use an off-set with only minor concrete removal. Toilet wise plan B would be to look for a 10" rough-in toilet.



New drain line would run in the wall and come into the side of the cabinet. Assumes cabinet side is touching the wall.

Plan B, gives more room in cabinet.



No way to easily turn a corner in the wall so line would come in near the back of the cabinet side. It would waste less room.

 

Great thoughts. I'm a complete girly girl with all sorts of things to put in my cabinet so I'll need as much space as possible. Thanks for all the help. Now I know where to go from here since the design looks good now.

 

You may not be able to do the pocket door if your vent stack is currently inside the wall behind the toilet and because your water lines to the shower block the wall on the other side. Moving the vent stack is out of the question on your budget.

 

But lets not forget the often maligned but sometimes very useful accordion door.

 

Or the blanket on 2 nails. LOL

 

Luckily I'm single (snirk "lucky") and without children, so I don't have to worry too much about anybody other than me wanting to get clothes while I'm in the bathroom, so I think just having french-style closet doors with a lock works, leaving the bathroom threshold itself without a door.

 

Good thoughts, Xsleeper,about the pocket door possibly being not possible, and I like Ray's suggestion of the accordion door, or the blanket.
Another thought, although somewhat unusual:I once saw, in one of my cousin's house, a sliding door that was a sliding door, sort of like a "pocketless" pocket door, but mounted on the surface of the wall. it hung from tracks attached to the wall above the door.I think that my cousin called it a "mini barn door".
Good luck with the remodel, and please keep the questions, if any, coming.

 

Oh! I have seen something like that on HGTV before. It's very neat in those exposed-beam urban style lofts or apartments that really aim for like an industrial feel. Like this http://porterbarnwood.com/wp-content...325-150213.jpg in a house which is mimicking this http://img.archiexpo.com/images_ae/p...62-2006839.jpg

That is a good thought to consider.

 

Just an FYI... You will not know what you can move until you open the wall where your new door will be....

If the slab manifold is there for the water lines you will have real problems.

If the drain for the sink comes right out of the slab there where the sink is , you will need to jackhammer.

Ill say it again.. In this case I am a true believer of leave well enough alone....

Just my two cents

 

It would be best to remove the drywall first [on one side] so you can see what's behind the wall, that will help you determine the viability of the proposed changes. Repairing the wall isn't that big of a deal if you find the job is too big to tackle at this time, if you use care removing the section of drywall you can probably reuse it.