Here is your Option #2:

With #1 Do you have to walk through the shower to enter the tub? Would not like the fake window, would rather have a niche there. Prefer to look straight onto a tub. With the shower in front of the tub you are losing the aesthetics of the tub surround. Are you able to move plumbing entirely? If so, I would put the shower in the far right corner, have the shower bench shared with the tub which will run on right wall where you have your linen closet now. Sinks could run in an L shape back wall where window is planned(eliminate window) and on side left wall. I am assuming the toilet has to stay where it is due to plumbing. Upon entry, it looks closed in instead of open with the wall on the right.

With #1 Do you have to walk through the shower to enter the tub? Would not like the fake window, would rather have a niche there. Prefer to look straight onto a tub. With the shower in front of the tub you are losing the aesthetics of the tub surround. Are you able to move plumbing entirely? If so, I would put the shower in the far right corner, have the shower bench shared with the tub which will run on right wall where you have your linen closet now. Sinks could run in an L shape back wall where window is planned(eliminate window) and on side left wall. I am assuming the toilet has to stay where it is due to plumbing. Upon entry, it looks closed in instead of open with the wall on the right.

Neither is optimal. Walking through a shower to use the tub is a really bad idea. For the second, having the opening of a shower with the entry on the short end and the controls on the opposite short end means you can't turn on the controls from the outside and will always get a good shot of cold water on your naked body before it warms up enough to really consider using.

Consider splitting the vanities and have the entire back wall be the tub and shower. Then one vanity can be to the right and one to the left. The tub deck can continue into the shower to form a bench and a glass wall can act as the partition between the two. With the controls to the shower on the right, you can reach in from the door and turn on the water and still stay dry while you wait for the cold water to purge.

Most of the pictures I have seen of this type of layout, the area is in an alcove, so the shower controls can be on a different wall from the shower head. When you have two open sides, this is more difficult. Your layout number two would allow you to put the controls on the left wall. But, I think it makes the room look more open if the tub is against a wall. How about something like this, but with the door on the right side?

This post was edited by dekeoboe on Sun, Dec 9, 12 at 20:42

GreenDesigns: why do you say "Walking through a shower to use the tub is a really bad idea" ? Curious, because I am planning a bathroom with this design (controls are on opposite wall from showerhead).

The initial question I had was similar to what others are asking; are the shower and tub together in a common wet area?

I don't like the proposed frosted window on the back wall. That, to me, is very awkward.

I'm not a fan of the serpentine path to the sinks. But again, it's your plan.

There are so many variables to this floor plan that more feedback from you is needed in terms of what you really want, or like, or don't want. To include the intention within the original designs that you laid out.

Regardless, for grins, I swapped things around a bit. A little good, bad, and ugly in each of the following:

Thanks, everybody! Because this is a reno, we are trying hard to minimize moving plumbing. The toilet and vanity are staying in their same locations. The tub-shower area is currently the home of a gigantic whirlpool tub (circa 1981).

The tub-shower area will be cohesive in terms of tiling and flooring, but not enclosed as a separate room. In #1, it's open on the short end of the tub and shower, next to the vanity. There's no glass wall, it's just open. In #2, it's open on both sides - there's no glass panel at all. The bathroom is warm plus we're installing a heater-fan, so we're not worried about being cold in the shower.

The attached link is one of the inspiration photos for this type of wetroom.

I'm strongly leaning toward ditching the picture window. The real issue is, what configuration of tub-shower in this 7' x 7 1/2' area would be more pleasing?

Here is a link that might be useful:

Neither of your plans works really well. Those combo areas look really cool, but they are cold and drafty to use. Not to mention that using the shower 9 to 1 over the tub still means you are cleaning a lot of square footage with all of the overspray that get onto the tub. It's really for people who have maids that clean for them, and keep their baths energy wasting greenhouse hot.

I like the idea of separating the vanities as it allows both a functional tub and shower. And while it might not giv you as much contiguous counter space to spread out all of the products that people use these days, it's actually better for the other partner whose space is being encroached upon to have separate spaces.

Ah, it helps to know that nothing can really be moved and it's a simple choice between options #1 and #2.

In that case, "as is" I'd recommend option #2.

It has no floor-to-ceiling glass panel, so in addition to saving a bit of cash there it'll be a more "open" bathroom with fewer barriers at eye level. You also have better access to the tub in terms of cleaning, wiping it down, etc.

Think about traffic patterns and stepping in and out of the shower. Some people prefer to enter and exit the shower and be near a sink. Some people prefer the drying off area just outside the shower to not be in a traffic pattern footpath.

Option #1 has the shower entry near the second vanity. Option #2 has the shower entry in the middle of the traffic pattern.

I'll toss out one other simple variation; use Option #1, but swap the shower and tub locations.

That will put the shower on the back wall with the shower entry/exit near a sink, but deep into the bathroom. You can have a towel rack on the wall right next to the shower entry. You can have the supply/control valve on that same wall just inside the shower.

It also rids you of the need for the floor-to-ceiling glass panel, saving $$. And it gives you a more visually open plan. And it affords easy access to the tub for wiping down and cleaning.

Best of luck with your bathroom.

Mongo, I think you've much improved it with this switch. In the event that the shower does prove to be too drafty or overspray the tub too much (neither of which I think is actually going to be a problem for us), we could always install a glass panel from the tub surround to the ceiling, which would make for a smaller and more manageable piece of glass. Would that be an improvement, do you think?

" In the event that the shower does prove to be too drafty or overspray the tub too much...we could always install a glass panel from the tub surround to the ceiling, which would make for a smaller and more manageable piece of glass. Would that be an improvement, do you think"

Sure, adding a glass panel between the shower and the tub would make sense in that case, it can also help if you have trouble with moisture control; ie, shower "steam" wafting all over the bathroom due to the shower being so open.

Just prepare for the possibility of a glass panel now regarding tub deck/surround structure and slope (if needed). Then if you do have to shift gears, the glass installers can simply set the glass into place, no modifications required.

For a bathroom as large as yours, especially with the possibility of an open shower, consider a two-grill ventilation system with a remote fan. One grill over the shower for primary moisture evacuation and a second grill elsewhere in the bathroom to evacuate residual vapor.

Pure personal opinion, but I do like the Fantech two-grill remote fans. Previous link as an example only.