skip to main content

Help me renovate my bathroom closet

15 years ago

I was inspired by bathroom closet photos on another thread to seek help from the greater GW community. We have a typical 1950 bathroom: peach tile, solid old tub, tile floor (on slab) and closet with access to tub/shower plumbing.

The closet currently holds the water heater. The w/h can be relocated to an adjacent utility closet. If we move the w/h, how to handle the space? The closet's framed opening is 30" W; the closet interior is 34" W. Closet is 34" D to front of door framing; 28"D inside of framing. We removed a full height, folding, louvered door for painting and, 2 years later, still have a curtain in its place. Time to deal with this!

Two problems:

1. closet is wide: use 2 doors or leave open?

2. Floor tile does not extend into the closet. Short of retiling entire bathroom floor, what can we do?

Floor view, with curtain

Tension rod view(!)

Behind the curtain. See uneven tile line. Looks like the doorway was widened at some point?

Water piping leads into adjacent utility closet, through the wall down there...

And reappears here (white plastic piping under air handler)

And goes across room to this set-up

Which makes me think the w/h must have been in here originally. Perhaps had to be relocated to bathroom closet when the enormous old air handler was installed (we replaced it in 2006).

Thoughts?

Comments (4)

madtown_2006_gw
15 years ago
Hi again Abby! I forgot to mention before that I found some inspiration pics online, I'd post them here but I think one is from a GW poster and I don't have their name so I'd feel bad posting a pic. Anyway, put "linen cabinet" or similar variations (I think I also did built-in cabinet and maybe bathroom cabinet) into Google Images and see what you get!
abbycat9990
Original Author
15 years ago
Anything?
Related Discussions
I have no idea what I'm doing. Help me design my bathroom
Q
Comments (33)
Benjesbride, where does she lose the 2"? It appears that she is not aware of the loss. Rebeccamomof123, are you pulling permits to do the work, or do you live in an area where the city/town/county inspectors are going to become aware of the work and expect to come in and inspect it? Or is your area more like where I live and anything short of an addition is something that no one will notice and that inspectors don't drop in when workmen are around unless it is really obvious that a big job is being done? The reason I ask is that your clearance for the toilet-to-tub distance is right on the edge of being okay. Some towns will not let you get that close. If you could get inspected by the code enforcement officer, or if you are doing this with permits, you need to draw this up and get it approved before assuming it is going to be approved. If you need to steal back a couple of inches to make it fit, one option is a wall-hung toilet. Your contractor opens up the wall behind your toilet and puts the tank and flushing works inside the wall (not the stuff you have, it is custom made for this purpose) and then the toilet part actually hangs off the wall and never touches the floor. It is much nicer for cleaning. All of Europe has been doing it this way for years, I hear. http://www.geberitnorthamerica.com/en_us/target_groups/enduser/products_enduser/toilets_2/concealed_systems_1/for_toilets_1.html
...See More
Help me layout my mater bathroom & bedroom with load bearing wall
Q
Comments (0)
We are remodeling our house and building an addition. We are wanting to expand and redo our master bathroom and bedroom in addition to a few other things. Right now I have a load bearing wall going through the area we have to work with, an I do not want to completely move it. They're are 8 ft ceilings in this area. The entrance to the bedroom area is on the load bearing wall and we could do one more door way either leading to the bathroom or closet area etc. I am attaching a pic. The two large rectangles are the spaces we can use for the master areas. Anyone have any ideas for how we could make this a master bedroom and bath without crossing that middle wall (labeled 17ft) too many times? You see the bedroom entrance to the left of the pantry. We COULD enter this area from the right of the pantry (making a short little hallway where it jogs back. The large opening below the pantry opens to the kitchen dining and great room. To the right even further we have a mudroom/powder room. Let me know if this doesn't make sense! It's quite a big area!
...See More
Layout help with my bathroom/closet extension?
Q
Comments (3)
Jslzart, I see what you mean, but as we are in the middle of nowhere, we’ve got slim pickings on who to hire. Plus, all of the GCs I used to know (my FIL included) have moved or passed away in the last 20 years, so I feel like I’ve got to go into this with some of my own knowledge, ideas, and creativity or I’m just going to get the same starter-home set-up as the next guy.
...See More
Help with bathrooms. Divide to two bathrooms or do one large bathroom?
Q
Comments (15)
I agree with Cpartist"s layout and like moving the closet over as suggested by D M so that bedroom 3 has easier access to the bathroom. Do you have room to have the toilet face the tub and add a linen cabinet next to the toilet? How wide is the tub toilet area?
...See More
slateberry
15 years ago
What are your goals for the closet? That might shake some posters out of the trees.

Personally, I'd do double doors, maybe even split half way up, so you have upper and lower double doors. OK, while I'm dreaming, bottom half would be a laundry bin. Top half storage.

The way the tile is cut is problematic. AO may be able to get you a similar color in octagon and dot. Otherwise, what about buying white octagon and dot, then painting with color-matched epoxy paint before you grout? Alternatively, a clever threshold (clever because It would have to project out a bit into the room bc of that unfortunate tile cut) could bridge the space into the closet. You could get the threshold made out of anything that looks simpatico to your overall bath; marble is common, or black granite, travertine, painted or stained wood (easier to shape and cut into place!). If you did that, no need to match tile for the closet floor. In that case I'd get floor paint and paint the closet floor a color that gets along with your tile.

I have a closet in my bath and the depth makes it difficult to get full use of the space in it. We use a lot of bins and trays, so we can pull them out and get what we want, or access less frequently used items stored behind them.

That tile, by the way, is a beautiful, distinctive color. It may be harder to work with than many of the white tile bathrooms you see here, but I hope you keep it. It looks great! (And best of all, it doesn't look like a million other bathrooms.)
abbycat9990
Original Author
15 years ago
slateberry51 - Thanks for the input. I like the idea of double doors, and also of making the lower half a laundry hamper area... Maybe also a vacuum storage area. Hmm...

Yes, we'll have to come up with a creative threshold. In all the other closets in the house, there is a raised wooden floor, like in this just-before-we-moved-in photo:

I've been thinking that's our solution. Just build it to protrude a little from the door frame, and that will cover the weird tile line.

I'd love to see photos from other bathrooms!

Sign Up to Comment

Related Stories

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: 38 Years of Renovations Help Artists Live Their Dream

By Esther Hershcovich

Twin art studios. Space for every book and model ship. After four decades of remodeling, this farmhouse has two happy homeowners

Help Me Design My Wine Cellar - Please!

SELLING YOUR HOUSE 10 Tricks to Help Your Bathroom Sell Your House

By Mink Home Staging

As with the kitchen, the bathroom is always a high priority for home buyers. Here’s how to showcase your bathroom so it looks its best

BATHROOM MAKEOVERS Room of the Day: See the Bathroom That Helped a House Sell in a Day

By Annie Thornton

Sophisticated but sensitive bathroom upgrades help a century-old house move fast on the market

BATHROOM WORKBOOK Standard Fixture Dimensions and Measurements for a Primary Bath

By Steven Corley Randel, Architect

Create a luxe bathroom that functions well with these key measurements and layout tips

BATHROOM DESIGN Key Measurements to Help You Design a Powder Room

By Steven Corley Randel, Architect

Clearances, codes and coordination are critical in small spaces such as a powder room. Here’s what you should know

BEDROOMS Before and After: French Country Master Suite Renovation

By Becky Harris

Sheila Rich helps couple reconfigure dark, dated rooms to welcome elegance, efficiency and relaxation

LIFE Decluttering — How to Get the Help You Need

By Alison Hodgson

Don't worry if you can't shed stuff and organize alone; help is at your disposal

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: Online Finds Help Outfit This Couple’s First Home

By Jane Vorbrodt

East Vancouver homeowners turn to Craigslist to update their 1960s bungalow

ORGANIZING 7 Habits to Help a Tidy Closet Stay That Way

By Jennifer Phelps: Organize. Design. Reinvent!

Cut the closet clutter for a lifetime — and save money too — by learning how to bring home only clothes you love and need

Sponsored

Remodel Repair Construction

9 Reviews

Industry Leading General Contractors in Westerville

More Discussions

Medicine cabinet says "recessed mount." Can it be flush-mounted?

3

Shower tile problem?

3

looking for a porcelain slab / thin panel installer in PA

2

Maax shower enclosures

2

Need help collaborating on house

2