Can you have open space? Does the cabinet *have* to touch something on both sides? Some furniture-look vanities don't look good w/ fillers (cabinet-look ones do), but those usually look best if theyv'e got a little air around them. Sometimes I think it's the space between furniture and walls (and between furniture & floors) that makes a room look spacious. Even if it's 2 inches each side. And 60" is common--is there no way your GC can help you shave a little bit of dimension off the walls (or something else) to get you an extra 3/4 inch? Maybe that won't work, since 60" vanities are sometimes bigger in the front, w/ the fancy feet, etc. But if you can--can he shave a little off the studs, use a thinner drywall, shift something else over? There are 54" vanities--but not many, of course a 56" vanity--$1,000, though http://www.chansestore.com/q008.html a 59" vanity (modern style, more extreme than the one below) $900 55" wide, sort of Craftsman looking, $825 (on sale) Here is a link that might be useful: a contemporary (but not too extremely so) 54 inch vanity $1,000

It isn't whether the buyer will pay more for the new shower, it is whether it will APPRIASE for more. (buyers really hate to come up with more money because it will not appraise.) Around here, this is how baths and their fixtures are counted on appraisals. * Full bath (toilet, sink, shower/tub or shower and tub or tub since a shower can be added easily) = $3000 * 1/2 bath (sink and toilet) = $1500 * 3/4 bath (sink and toilet and shower) = $2250 Unless it has a tub, it is NOT a "full" bath with just a shower. It is a 3/4 bath. So in terms of the appraised value, that shower is only worth another $750 above the value of a 1/2 bath. And it does NOT matter whether it was $300 fiberglass thing with a shower curtain or a $5000 thing with a custom built base and high-end frameless door. $750 on appraisal around here. (And the median priced home in this county is $435,000. Less than 10% are under $200K High end area 40 mile round trip from a large grocery store) It is a nice-that-it-is-there thing on a sale but not make or break if it is obvious there is enough space to put in a shower. Minor plus if the buyer does not have to put it in. HUGE minus if you go with freaky colors and have a black tile shower or other 'out there' thing that is not widely popular (and I do not mean popular with designers but popular with the masses.) Keep it neutral if you tile - creams, almond etc. You will NOT however, get the cost back on sale. Plan accordingly.

First off, my condolences and I agree if you are not planning on selling now, give yourself the time to grieve and push this to the back burner. And if you are staying in the home, definitely keep what works for you. I'm a realtor, in Pittsburgh suburbs so your market may differ. I would talk to your contractor and obtain a bid for closing off the door. I have no idea what tiling or finishes this may impact, but this sounds like a small job. If and when you decide to sell, have the agent share the estimate with potential buyers if they push back on this. Sometimes buyers are scared off because they think something will cost a lot of money and really have no idea. I recently used this strategy for a listing that lacked a first floor powder room. Estimate was about $7000 and sharing this helped.

I'll be a contrarian. I would never knowingly rent a room with a shared bathroom in the hall. That would be a complete pass - I don't even like having to use a hallway bathroom in a sleeping situation in which I would share with friends and family because if I need to use it in the night I would have to wake up more/get more decently dressed and I hate having to shlep stuff to take a shower or perform normal grooming stuff in a bathroom. I don't have the horror of viewing a toilet from a bedroom that some houzzers seem to have. It certainly wouldn't bother me on a temporary basis. I have a master bath in my home and I can't remember the last time I actually shut the door. I don't have issues with smells or humidity but perhaps that is because my Toto washlet has a built in deodorizer AND I have an excellent Panasonic fan which runs based on ambient humidity levels. I don't generally even have condensation on shower doors or mirrors after exiting let along huge amounts of humidity wafting through my bedroom. The question really is one of economics. There is a cost to installing the bathroom and OP would need to decide whether they would make up the expense by having increased rent and/or renting it out more frequently. Certainly any prospective renter would see a picture and determine whether they wanted the ensuite with a curtain in the room or use of a bathroom in the hall. Also resale value is a red herring. At such point that OP wanted to sell it would be relatively inexpensive to convert the bathroom into a closet if having the ensuite in that room was a negative.