Same thing happened to us... but not a bathroom, it was a bedroom which isn't near as bad, however, one wall is only 58inches! Since you didn't include the layout of your bathroom, is there anyway you could move the toilet to the short wall? Change it to a powder room, or just forget the tub and do a shower stall? Just some ideas, hopefully, others will give some good input here. Good Luck!

Have you asked your architect for a solution?

It is the bath and toilet area of the upstairs bedrooms. It is a Jack & Jill bathroom. There are only two bedrooms upstairs sharing this bathroom. A master on the first floor. My contractor is trying to get ahold of the architect but I really can't imagine what he is going to be able to do at this point. They are putting on the second floor right now and there is absolutely no way to change that roof line. I cannot believe that wasn't caught by the architect. I even had a longer tub ordered to put in there because we might have to move upstairs if my mother has to move in with us in the future and we would have given her our master and gone upstairs. I am a HUGE bathtaker, I take one every night. I'm probably going to have to eat that bathtub and purchase a shorter one and still have it be screwed up.

Don't panic. It's not impossible to change the roof; it's impossible to take a shower without hitting your head. Ask the architect to offer a solution. If he can't, then you can panic.

I second that; that you can perhaps publish your floor plan for house/ bathroom and surrounding rooms so people can suggest reconfigurations.

I assume you are in the process of building where roof line is up but the rest of rough plumbing and interior work is still not ready.

How can you be so sure that the one who srewed it up was the architect and not the truss manufacturer? By the way, a good general contractor usually catches mistakes like this one before starting construction.
There have to be a solution. You will see.

I agree dont panic YET. Can there be a small dormer incorporated into the tub area raising the height ? Dont give up just yet. Have them all get together and brainstorm.

They haven't got the roof up yet they are just beginning to put up the perimeter walls on the second floor.
The only thing I can think of doing which is soooo disappointing is forget the separate toilet and tub area and Jack & Jill bath. Push the tub in toward the interior of the house and have a regular bathroom with a toilet sink and tub. Put the entrance door in the hallway. Even then I'm not sure yet about head room in the tub area. I can't put the plan on line, I have no idea how to do it. I'm to bummed to even try to figure it out right now. :(((

Problems occur like this from time to time in any complex endeavor. What is unusual and terribly unfortunate about this event is that the contractor told you first instead of alerting the architect so he/she could tell you and offer a solution at the same time. In this day of easy communication by email, it is unforgivable for the architect and contractor to not be able to work together to protect your interests and avoid causing you unnecessary aggravation. After all, they both work for you.

If the architect and contractor don't give you reasonable hope that the problem can be solved by this afternoon, put the plan and elevation of the bath area on the forum right now. This sounds like a tough design problem and there is no reason for you to try to solve it by yourself. Get as many minds working on it as possible starting with the architect and builder and then, if necessary, include the forum. Your task should be to define the problem accurately instead of listing unacceptable solutions and framing impossibilities. So far the description is only adequate to cause members here to offer impractical solutions so give us full documentation or rely on your professional team.

More often than not, problems like this force such an intense collaborative study of alternative design ideas that the result is a better design even if it forces you to reorganize your priorities a bit.

If you'll permit me a war story: the best project super I ever worked with was a calm, good-natured former First Sergeant who called these kinds of events "opportunities" and refused to allow anyone to use the word "problem" in his presence. It sounds silly but it was incredibly effective. He would call to tell me he had an opportunity for me and I began to look forward to his calls. It felt as if he was doing me a favor to give me first crack at all the opportunities big or small even though that was what was required by our contracts with the owner.

What you have here is one heck of an opportunity. But don't keep all the fun for yourself; give us a crack at it too.

I just noticed that you said you don't know how to put the drawings on line. Don't worry; it's easy. (But first ask your architect for a high resolution JPG file of the plan and elevation, ie 1600 x 1600 pixels or 8"x8" at 200 dpi)

You can get a high resolution (200 to 300 dpi) JPG (photo) file by scanning the drawings (go to a copy center like Kinkos, etc. if you don't have a scanner) or simply photograph the area in question (plan and elevation) with a digital camera set for JPG format and the highest resolution (whatever results in the fewest photos on your memory card) making sure the paper is flat and there is no reflective glare. Sometimes shaded daylight is best with the flash turned off but try several lighting conditions especially with even light from both sides. Keep the camera perpendicular to the drawing and zoom in so you don't throw your own shadow on it.

Then download the JPG files to a computer and open TinyPic.com. Browse until you find the files and select them. Then select the Download button. Then click on the top address (HTML) so it is highlighted (no need to copy it that is automatic). Then open the Forum message box and paste the HTML address into the text box. Select Preview Message to see how it will look. Then submit it.

If you have trouble with image size or putting it on the forum, put your email on your Member Page long enough for me to see it and I can do it for you.

This is an opportunity to learn how to post images online since you are motivated enough to get through the digital hassle.

Thanks so much Macy, I have to go to work this morning but I'll try to get to it as fast as I can when I get home.
Boy is it going to be hard to concentrate at work today.
Once again thanks, I'll be back later.
Deb

I love the opportunity story! In my situation, boy do I have some "opportunities"! Much more interesting to look at this type of opportunity, as there will be a real solution quickly determined by all of these great minds.

gardengirl, I would certainly take advantage of the offers of help on here --- you've got quite a few of the sharpest minds already responding to you. Luckily, you may be able to uncover a great fix which perhaps wouldn't be considered by your contractor or architect.

Good luck and take a deep breath. It will be OK.

Can they heighten the perimeter walls to offset the angle.
This way they won't have to change the trusses. It will give you more head room in the rest of the rooms. I am not sure how high your ceilings.
Just an idea.
There is a solution - Your paying them to figure it out.
Good luck

In the house I grew up in, the upstairs had dormers in every room. The shower in the bathroom accommodated the slant. All fixtures were on the inside wall and and the roof slant took up about half the shower space. It never bothered me, either bathing or showering, but then again that is what I grew up with.

Well I hope I've done it! We'll soon see. Nycefarm, was yours a new house. My contractor drew a picture with the shower stall. If we turned the stall the other way I would have 3'8" of head space then slanting up and be about in the middle of the tub at 5'1/2 ft. He seems to feel this is a viable solution and still keep the separate toilet and tub. It would also narrow the space to 36" between the counters and the dividing wall. Kind of snug. For a very expensive house. I would have approx 36" from the front of the tub where the shower head would be before I bumped into the slope. I realize it would be usable but certainly not desirable. Thoughts? I'm obviously going to have to make concessions. Just what the best one.

http://www.box.net/shared/u3dg8vtani
http://www.box.net/shared/gg18ikpu87
http://www.box.net/shared/u3dg8vtani

I have no credientials, and haven't built yet, but I wouldn't do your proposed solution. You're basically asking for a moisture issue on the ceiling.

Also, in my area I don't think it would meet code. I personally think you're giving up too much to have a jack and jill bathroom. I'd redesign the bathroom, the door off the hall, put the sinks on 1 wall, put the tub on the other and move the toilet to the end. but I can't tell if you have the width for that.

I don't know what the solution is, I just know there is one--even if the architect has to redesign the entire 2nd floor at his or the builder's expense.

Do not accept a bathroom without everything in it that you wanted, or without all of the ceiling at a height you are comfortable with NOW, or I think it will always be an irritant. My mother's house had a tub/shower with a shorter than normal ceiling under the slant of the roof, and I hated using it.

Anne

I've decided to just suck it up and put in a regular bathroom with just a single sink toilet and tub. I agree with you guys that it just is not worth it. I do mourn the jack & jill bath but the reality is that to keep the roof line with that look I never could have accomodated all that. I know if I had been told earlier that it wouldn't have fitted I would have been disappointed but I would have opted for the regular bathroom before destroying my roof line. I just wish I could have at least been able to squeeze in a double sink.

I'm not going thru having the architect redesign everything. I've already had to go through a variance process with the city, between that and the time it would eat up along with changing all the quotes, lumber, blah blah blah I think I'd lose my mind. Thanks much for all the feedback, if any of you can think of a way for me to get my double sink though, I'd really appreciate it! :)

I could only find the front and rear elevations since one URL was a repeat.

This probably isn't what you wanted to hear but I would try leaving the plan as it is and adding a shed dormer in the tight little space between the central cross gable and the garage roof with the roof of the dormer starting below the gutter line of the central cross gable and extending up to meet the main roof at the height of the ridge of the garage roof. I can't be sure if that actually fits without seeing a side elevation or a section.

I know your architect will not be enthusiastic about altering the exterior design so this will probably get nowhere but in any event I think something needs to be done about the tiny French Inspired dormers that are jammed so tightly against the American Tudor central cross gable.

Hi,

Ouch .... We had a similar issue. We had a tray ceiling in the bedroom. Everything looked cool. The the builder calls and says hey you have a roof joist running at a weird angle right through your ceiling and cuts across a corner of the room.

In the end we had to lower the ceiling a bit, and the interior ceiling line had to be fixed, but is is not exactly super good, some small kinks. The outside remained untouched, which I guess is the right thing to do. I suppose the solution is to have a 3D modeler in a CAD-CAM system so that you can spot this sort of stuff. But doing that is expensive.

My only comment is as a solution is to loose the bath. Just have an extra large shower. We had a jaccuzi tub installed, and just never have time to use it. Showers though we use alot.

So my thinking would be to almost combine the dual sinks into the shower. i.e one of the sinks would almost be in the shower. The floor of the bathroom would be sort of shared space: (a) standing at the basin, and (b) as shower space. The shower would not have any doors, but a piece of glass to prevent splashing, only 1/2 way across the room.
The floor would be perhaps tavertine small tile, this floor would act as "normal" floor and be the shower floor. It would be slightly sloping for shower water. There would be no shower threhold.

In the bath area where you have the low roof line. Put the loo / toilet in there. Note not too snug so that you do not bash your head when you stand up. You would then have to move your items around a bit to fix, possibly also move the doors a bit.

Consider using sliding doors. Hence no in-swing giving you more room in your cramped bathroom. Alternatively have then swing out into the bedrooms where you have more room to accomodate the swing.

My brother, who is an architect, used some of these tricks in the hotel that he now runs.

Chin up and keep smiling. Building is an adventure and sometimes a challenge gives you very nice solutions which are even nicer than your initial thoughts.

Good luck. warmest regards, Mike.

Here is a link that might be useful: Moravola: Umbria Italy

I understand where your coming from Macy. I agree that the dormers are very cramped up there. I have been concerned about snow up there as well. I have thought about removing the dormer above the bathroom and just keeping the one over the entrance. I have also thought about the shed roof idea but feel it would so majorly alter the French look but perhaps I'm wrong. Today I'll put pencil to drawing and play and see how it would look. At this point I think it will be just a matter of discussing my options with my contractor and seeing if we could get the architect to change something within the time frame that we are working with. Obviously though I really don't want to compromise the look TO much. But I am extremely disappointed about the loss of the Jack & Jill bath. Making concessions is really difficult. I am really surprised how this disappointment has taken the wind out of my sales :(

Thanks so much for your input and telling me how to post the drawings.

I'm confused about the use of this bathroom. It looks like a bathroom shared between two minor bedrooms rather than serving a master bathroom. If this is the bath you will love to use every night I think it needs to be redesigned for that reason alone. It needs more space, some separation from the toilet, and a real window.

Are there two unfinished spaces across the hall? Could one be the second bedroom allowing the bathroom expand to the right and gain more closet space, etc.?

A ground floor plan would be helpful.

It also appears that the adjacent bedroom will lose some headroom if not floor space.

After rereading your comments I realize that you might use this bathroom if your mother comes to live with you. Frankly, in that case, I would find the original Jack & Jill bathroom intolerable even if there were adequate head room. It's not really an adequate adult bathroom.

I would redesign the upstairs bedrooms so they would fit your program options better and you could use the larger tub. If you can locate the plumbing quickly, it shouldn't delay construction. Your architect certainly owes you a redesign for free ASAP.

If this were a home that is for me, or if it is for someone else and that person ask me to do what I think is best:
I would not do a Jack and Jill.
On the other hand, when I went to Venice, our bathroom had a shower in a similar situation and I found it "charming" -I can not wait to go to the same place. The best in our whole trip and it was very cheap, with gourmet home made breakfast. The place is called "La Mansarda", if someone wants to know (hope you guys do not consider this a spam).
Now, here in USA, I suggest you to get rid of the J&J.
You are going to have a cute home.

This bathroom was not OK from the beginning. There is a conflict of doors (bed to bath door and toilet/tub door).

Marthaelena, thanks, you make me feel better. Macy they are minor bedrooms where one would be used by us temporarily while my Mom was living with us. I tried to design the home so we could have guest rooms upstairs and then across the hallway unfinished to have an area where if someone wanted when they drag us out of here they could add a master with a master bath and big closet or two more bedrooms with another bathroom. We are leaving the whole back of the house unfinished so we don't have to pay taxes on space we won't use anyway. (Well at least not as much). So the bedrooms are minor, really. We don't want to spend the money to finish that back area and make another master suite so we'll just live upstairs while Moms with us in a "minor" bedroom. But if I have to sacrifice living upstairs I at least wanted a somewhat bigger bathtub hence the 5'6" tub. We live in the Chicago area and Jack & Jills are going in everywhere. I'm attaching (thanks to Macy) the first floor plan and a couple of ideas that I can't believe my architect got back to me so soon!! I think he failed to lengthen my tub though. Thanks to all for any feedback.
Deb
http://www.box.net/shared/0fffnvoyls - attachments_2009_11_20.zip

The ideas are kind of weird, but maybe?

I can't access that address.

We'll try again :)

http://www.box.net/files/0/f/0/1/f_358262250
http://www.box.net/shared/0fffnvoyls

Did you select the one that you are going to use?

I'm not going to use any of them. I talked to a neighbor of mine that has a number of kids and she has a jack & Jill and told me a number of problems with them. One of the biggest being that one child will lock the door on one side and forget to unlock it. Or one won't remember to close the door and wake up or bother the one in the other bedroom. She brought up a couple of very good points. Fighting, bickering, not the same sex. You know kids, they'll drive you crazy. One keeps it clean the other doesn't. I'm really happy to have talked to her. She said if she was purchasing a house it definitely wouldn't be a deal breaker for her. So I've had an attitude adjustment and am accepting this as not as bad as I've previously thought. We're you able to take a look at the other pictures? I think they're working but I don't know how to do what Macy did and enlarge and post them on the site.
I'm just going with a regular single sink toilet and bathtub shower combination. As I said before, I'll just pull the tub forward till the headroom is ok.

Thanks for asking Marthaelena. Deb

I have been thinking about the notion of keeping the finished area of the house small to minimize taxes and have decided it is a poor strategy because it endangers your large long term investment for a small short term gain and reduces your comfort and use of the house.

I would delete the cramped multi-door J&J bathroom, enlarge the two small bedrooms and put one (or two) bathrooms across the hall. Access directly from a bedroom to a bathroom is a luxury no child or guest should expect or need.

Lining the plumbing fixtures up along a plumbing wall (or placing two bathrooms on either side of one) and reducing the number of doors and hardware is a better way to save money. I find it hard to believe that slightly larger bedrooms will raise your taxes enough to notice.

If you try to meet all possible design goals you will end up with a mess; you need to carefully prioritize your goals. I would put the tax bill at the bottom of my list.

Privacy between bedrooms is sometimes as important as private access to a bathroom especially if the bathroom is shared anyway.

Macy, this looks really good! They are currently building the second floor obviously beginning again this Monday. We are suppose to rough in a second bath. Looking at this I would forgo the 4 bedrooms and just figure 3 with a possible 2nd master upstairs. I'm going to pour over this to figure out how I could put a closet and master bath in the area that you have move over. Any chance you could play with it and see what you would do? I need to have this figured out by Monday, talk about pressure, so I would have some idea where to rough in the plumbing for the 2nd bath/master bath. I understand if you don't have time. This does look really good, I'm excited. It does enlarge the rooms as well. Thank you, now I'm going to be immersed in figuring out that other bathroom layout until Monday. I won't even be able to sleep. I hope this works, I really like it Hugs to you Deb

Deb,
I am glad that you are not going to use those options. What bothers me the most is the odd shape of bedroom 2.

Something that you should know, is that if you are going to rough in the other bathroom, it will be A LOT cheaper to finish it now, while your are building, than later. Maybe the GC can give you a decent price to install the fixtures, tile (or linoleum if you can not afford tile now) and drywalling after the "fiasco" as my DH would say. At least, they should drywall it to avoid the mess later.
I like Macv concept. You will have nice size/shape bedrooms.
I doubt you will have a tax increase, and if you do, God will provide.
Good luck.

For me to develop it further I would need to have a better understanding of your needs, a plan of the first floor, and the side elevation. I'll go back and read your earlier comments.

Macy, I think you misunderstood me, I wasn't trying to create small bedrooms to lower my taxes. I was just trying to have two finished bedrooms upstairs and the back portion of the house unfinished with a roughed in bath for possible future expansion by the next owners. If we finish another one or two bedrooms with another finished bathroom we will be paying to finish rooms we will never use AND paying taxes on them. One bedroom for us, one for the Mom and one for guests. A three bedroom 2 1/2 bath homes taxes will be much lower than a 4-5 bedroom home and 3 1/2 bath. When we retire we are really just trying to have the lowest taxes possible so we can stay in the home as long as we can afford it.

Marthaelena we have been debating on bringing drywall up there and just leaning it up against one of the attic walls.
Thanks for lookin out for us :)

Macy, can you still not access those links?

They're not links, only URL's. If you put them into the "Optional Link URL" box below the message box they become links.

One takes me to the BOX membership form and the other shows me pdf's of three different bedroom layouts with the bathroom where it always was.

The earlier URL's didn't have the side elevations or the ground floor plan since one was a duplicate.

I was confused because of the discussion about kids sharing a bathroom and the fact that J&J bathrooms are usually for kids since adults normally expect greater privacy between bedrooms.