I'm no expert by any means, but what about switching the vanity and the shower, then, I think, you'd have room to get in and out of the tub and room for storage. Have you considered a pocket door?

What if you make a door from the shower to the bath tub so that you may enter from the shower? I think I've seen this somewhere, but I can't think where. You might even make your shower even larger (maybe 5' wide) to make that door even larger.

Alternatively, moving the tub faucet and hand shower to the outer wall (rather than the end where you climb in) would give you more room to access the tub. However 2' still seems like a very short amount of space for climbing into (what I am assuming is a deep) tub. I would mock something up (maybe with card board or MDF) to see how climbing in would feel.

As another option, what if you swapped the location of the toilet and the sink? You could change the swing of the door to hide the toilet when you first enter the room. I realize you wanted to keep the toilet in the current location, but since you are already having the plumbing added for the new fixtures, maybe the cost would not be that much more. This would probably also give you more space for a larger vanity and more floor space next to the vanity.

What about swapping the tub and shower? Then you'd have the tub edge that faces the toilet to climb in from.

BTW, you've got 30" (not 24) to get in the tub, as you've drawn it, since you have a 6" lip that pushes it out from the far wall. That doesn't seem too bad.

Well,

Had our first meeting with design/builder with plans today. He had actually put the toilet in the 'old bathroom' and just made a closet rather than a walk-in closet. I was aghast at the idea of losing my walk-in, so we contemplated adding a couple more feet of length- he put the toilet facing the vanity, and had the short wall enclosing one end of the shower which would run lengthwise 6' X 3', and tub placed centred on end wall- so basically turning everything I had drawn above 90 degrees.

Have to admit, much better plan than I had had. Visually so much more appealing, and gave more room for everything including a 6 foot long vanity with two sinks. Adding two feet would actually give us a 6' vanity plus a 2 foot wide linen tower across from the toilet.

However, while in present bathroom tonight, got to thinking... perhaps having toilet in a separate room is not a bad idea- and I really would only be losing a few feet of closet space and gaining a much more elegant and spacious looking bathroom. AND we could probably forego having to add another 2 feet to bathroom.

So, here is an updated plan, now I have SO much space for bath tub, I need ideas!!!

Note- there is no door into bathroom from closet.

I'm confused. Where's the toilet on your plan? And are you saying you are now free to move the location of it?

No door from the shower/bath to the toilet! That would not work for me at all!!

I am building a bathroom with the entrance to the tub within the shower room because I had the same problem you have.

Here is a link that might be useful: My layout

Sorry, typed my last post in the wee hours of the morning...(couldn't sleep). So, to make it clear--we presently have a 9 X 5 bathroom, and our design/builder is suggesting we leave the new toilet in the present bathroom area, and have the addition just for the shower/bath and vanity. There is a doorway into the new bathroom, he just didn't have a physical door. We are keeping present 6 foot closet in bedroom.

So, this is one option, the other is to add two more feet to the addition, place the toilet in the new bathroom area facing the vanity, and make the shower slightly shorter- but leave it in same location. We might also put a 2 foot wide linen tower across from the toilet. So, obviously Option 2 would be more expensive, but perhaps not that much... and I would gain back my walk in closet. But, as his initial rough estimate is about double what we'd been hoping for...time to step back and really think things through....

Don't know if this layout is acceptable to you. It's 9 x 12, with a pocket door for the WC, and a diagonal slice taken out of the shower.

Thanks Suero,

that layout certainly utilizes the space very well. We wanted the toilet as close as possible to its present location, which is on the lower wall of my drawing (facing doorway into bedroom). I also have a huge garden which I would like to have windows open to to take advantage of the view. Our property line is 10 feet or so away from the bottom of my drawing with noisy neighbours with big barky dogs and not what I want to be looking into.

it's getting to confusing. swapping the tub and shower in the first layout would do fine and you could have a longer vanity/2 sinks. you could use the prev toilet location for a linen closet.

would suggest choosing the bathtub first, then designing around it. you may find you don't want something so huge once you price them out, and realize how much hot water and time it takes to fill and actually enjoy it.

if you have no intentions of having two in the bath, it changes things significantly. after going thru this exercise, i found i only wanted a 60" long tub, which is going into a space originally intended for something much larger... i could have used the space more wisely had i thought about this more carefully first.

Good point Detroit!

We've been wanting a tub for two for as long as we've been married (33 years), but in reality, I would be the one having baths by myself most often. I do hear what people say when they avoid having baths because their tubs are too big, and it takes too long, and too much water to fill.

I am now thinking I may lean towards a 66" long tub, rather than the 72", but haven't climbed in any, and guess that's the next step. I really want something comfortable to lounge in- I am so tired of my tiny old bath that puts a crink in my neck...

Here are the plans from the builder:
I'm considering extending the counter and shifting the tub towards the other end to gain some plant shelf place, and we would leave it open for sundries underneath, May add another window on the East side of the pic (or leave space for TV). But, I think I want to keep the bathroom a TV free zone....

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