One very simple thing to do would be to put in a standard 60" tub and increase the shower by the space you gain. It looks like the shower could end up more like 68" and 60" in the other (It looks like the total of that wall is not 115" but 135" to the corner) and that would be a generous increase.

Ahhh, you are right- it is 135" on that wall, I corrected below. I didn't take into account the 20" depth of the closet. Thank you! That is a great suggestion. If only I could come up with a way to increase the vanity length as well, I'd be in business!

For simplicity sake- the only thing I can think to do would be to steal 12" from the closet in the spare room. That would give me an 85" vanity which would feel much more spacious. I would gain a larger shower by going with a 60" tub and plumbing wise, everything could stay where it is.

That would make the closet in that room measure ~48" x 24" depth. Not horrible- it is the smallest bedroom and currently used as an office/spare room.

Can you move any plumbing? And are there any windows?

We could move plumbing and we could move windows- currently there are 2 windows above the tub on the 128" wall, that is the only exterior wall.

I just noticed the laundry chute. Do you use it? If so, how far off the floor is it, and what are the dimensions?

Hi, Yes, I love the laundry chute and it is heavily used. It is 34" off of the floor and 22" wide. It could definitely be reduced in width, we reduced the width in the laundry room below when we refinished that space. It could also drop lower in height.

Photo of laundry chute adjacent to closet

I'm revisiting this thread as we haven't begun this project yet. Since last year we've purchased a second home and have spent time updating that. I'm still thinking about this master bath update with my main goal being to get a larger vanity. I thought of an idea below.

Current layout

I liked your very first layout better - and I think you should consider stealing some space from the closet in the other room to make your vanity area wider. That pretty much leaves all the plumbing and the door where it is now, which will be a huge savings.

If you are not a tub person and have a tub in another bathroom, I would get rid of the tub here and make larger shower. I think that would be great for resale. Not sure if the windows are existing or planned, or if they could be replaced with vinyl or waterproofed.

Another possibility might be to swap the location of the closet and the current vanity. That might give you more layout options.

numbersjunkie- thank you for your thoughts. I would really love to avoid moving fixtures if possible- well especially the toilet.

Your suggestion to swap the closet and vanity gave me a thought. What if I move the shower to the vanity wall? I am not sure what size shower I can gain- the length of that wall to the door trim is 50" and to the existing wall switches is 40". I guess if we change the swing of the door, the switches could be put above the pony wall near the toilet but then the door opens against the shower. Also not sure how to enter/exit shower? The depth of that bump out where the vanity was is only 27.5". I do not want to shrink the spare bedroom closet and I want to try to keep the tub.

After some more thought on this layout. We could just fill that entire space with a shower. It would be narrower but long.

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Could you put the toilet where the vanity is now and change the door to open the other way? Then put a longer vanity on opposite wall or one on opposite and one where the toilet was? I hope I'm making sense. A freestanding tub would be nice and give room to expand shower.

sunfeather- I'm' trying to consider other layouts without having to move the toilet. When I proposed the idea to my husband, and our contractor who recently updated our kitchen, they both said it would be quite a disruptive undertaking!

I'm actually really liking the idea of switching the shower and vanity locations and thinking of a free standing tub would make for some space. I am even considering re-configuring the windows above the tub and perhaps doing 3 windows along that whole wall. I just don't want a too narrow feeling shower.

Oh, yes - I forgot about the venting. I like switching the shower and vanity. You don't have to keep to the recessed area for the shower - it can come out some. Could you turn the toilet to face the laundry shoot area but it may get in the way of the closet. Also, there is the possibility of changing to pocket door - just random thoughts.

A shower that narrow would be horrible. Width is more important than the extra length. I don't even think the 27.5" you have in your drawing would meet code. I think 32" is the minimum I would ever do, and even that is too narrow in a large master bath space like yours. The pic you posted is probably out of proportion due to the lens. You can do better. Keep at it.

Can you move the door anywhere on the wall where it is located now? Can the window be changed/moved? You have a nice sized space to work with.

One thing I have found in my last 3 remodels is that sometimes moving a wall, even by 12" can really open up possibilities and allow for a much more functional layout. Unless it's load bearing, it's not that big of an expense.

I know numbersjunkie- that's too narrow- I'm thinking and playing around with things. My current shower is 30" wide by 44" long- interior space.

Moving the door anywhere on that wall is not an issue at all, but if I don't move the toilet, I'm not sure the door moving anywhere else will gain me anything.

The windows can also be changed and moved anywhere on that wall. I made 3 across the back wall in my latest sketch. And my drawing is likely out of proportion- I have to get it to scale.

I can make the shower 40"x 60"- that will leave me with a 13" wide x 27.5" deep spot at the end- not sure what to do there. Also not sure I like where the shower door opening would have to be. I also don't like how this looks, the shower looks like it doesn't fit.

I was thinking of moving that closet wall into the bathroom some- where I drew the arrows. If I gain some inches there, the shower could be deeper than 27.5" and the tub would shift over

OK, if you can move the door, why not put the toilet all the way to the left, and then a partition wall -or a full wall with (pocket) door, and the door. When you walk in, you should have a wide open view of the tub/shower/vanity. The end wall of the toilet alcove (against the closet wall) could have a storage cabinet. That leaves you with a wide open rectangular space to play with.

What is the style of your home? What finishes are you planning to use? That may help to determine how to configure the rest of the room.

Hmm, I'm not fully following the layout you propose and I had hoped not to move the toilet now, but perhaps left in the same line could work better than diagonal from it's current position. Where would the shower go in what you are suggesting?

Our house is fairly traditional. here is our kitchen we just had finished last year. It still needed the can light fixed and garage door painted and a few other things but it's the only nearly done photo I have.

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/laundry-room-reveal-dsvw-vd~2869755[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/laundry-room-reveal-dsvw-vd~2869755)

I would have the same cabinet maker make our bathroom cabinetry so it can be fully customized. I would likely do the same cabinetry and in the white dove color and I love our quartz countertops, which is lattice. Not sure I want an exact replica of the kitchen, but definitely light and bright.

In your last layout, I was proposing that you put the toilet where the shower is, so the toilet would be on the same wall where it is currently. There would be a wall where the front edge of the shower is on your last drawing. The bathroom door would open on to the wall seaparating the toilet from the rest of the room. I hope that explains it better.

That leaves a wide open space for everything else. Do you know which was your joists run? What's under the bathroom? Can you access the space from below? That will help determine what would be involved in moving the toilet drain line. We moved ours but had to cut into our family room wall below to run a break drain line.

Love your kitchen and laundry. Great job! You obviously took your time designing those spaces, so do the same here. I've done kitchens in two houses and doing a master bath now, and for all of them it took me several years to get my layout figured out and finishes/fixtures selected. Well worth the time spent up front!

Ah, OK. Yes, the toilet placement is really annoying for trying to reconfigure. It's like in the center of everything. And my beautiful new kitchen ceiling is under that bathroom. We had to remove the ceiling to reroute some plumbing to fit the duct to my new range hood. The joists do not run in our favor :( As I was discussing with our contractor and my husband yesterday, moving the toilet would be painful.

Could you get a freestanding tub in the current vanity location then move shower down to current tub location? That would free up that 135” wall for vanity and toilet doesn’t have to move. You would have window in shower. I happen to love that look but you may not. Use a barn door for entrance to bath freeing up more space.

beautiful4life70- thank you for the suggestion- I hadn't considered that. I am trying to think about the window situation. We can easily change/replace the windows, even doing a higher one in the shower. Not sure how it would look on the exterior of the house. BUT....your layout would really give me a big shower and nice room for the vanity.

If I did a 4'x5' foot shower on the current window wall, I would still have over 5 ft of space to the wall with the vanity. I could do windows over there and if the shower is all glass, the light would still come in the room.

I could do a barn style door. I was considering one some time ago. I just worry about sound. I hate hearing my husband showering in the morning and currently when he shuts the door fully, it's almost silent.

Pocket door could also be used to free up more space. It would probably block more sound than barn door. I think it would have to move in direction of tub not toilet due to plumbing. They are harder to install too. I’m in the middle of master bath reno and we are doing the barndoor for entrance. I did think about sound issues but I really like how they look, and I’m the early riser. ;)

Yes, I was thinking about a pocket door. My contractor (who will do my bathroom, who also did my kitchen and laundry room) did a pocket door in our laundry room. It would easily work in the wall toward the tub. I’ll have to research sound tight pocket doors. Surely there are ways to make it more sound proof.

I’ve read that solid wood doors help with soundproofing. Avoid the hollow core ones.

I would go with a pocket door and not a barn door for privacy and soundproofing. I am doing that in my remodel going on now. I asked for a split jamb on the strike side for added privacy, and have the soft close/open hardware (Johnson) which also helps to keep the door closed without a magnet. I have a solid door too.

I also have a freestanding tub going just in the location pictured above relative to the door. I have and end drain which they say is easier to install, and it took the drain adapter that allows for install from above the floor. Not sure if all tubs take that adapter. I have 7'3" of space and used a 66" tub with a floor mounted tub filler at one end. I think 73" would be tight, but you could steal room for the closet. And some tubs allow for the faucet to be mounted to the tub - mine had that option. Here's a sneak peak at my in process bathroom that shows the tub. Also note the type of windows that might work in your shower - they are higher than normal.

How much space would you have between the shower and vanity?

numbersjunkie- I love your tub! Your bathroom is looking awesome. That is a great visual of how it would look in relation to the door except that I won't have windows there. Curious, what is the measurement of this wall I have marked in red?

numbersjunkie- that is a genius idea to build that 27.5" wall out a bit and use that to recess shelves for the shower. The space between the wall and the door opening where my tub will be is 50" from the corner to the door trim. I'm really liking this layout in every way except trying to figure out windows.

I was hoping to have the shower door open into the middle of the bathroom on the 5' side, not open where the vanity will be.

I would like a bench of some sort, I have to research considerations in regards to that. I don't want something that gets gungy and becomes a maintenance nightmare- although I'm anticipating lots of glass shower walls to be just that! I like your pony wall for the shower and may consider something like that as long as I can figure out the windows. I don't want to have windows in the shower be my only light and then tile up the shower and make it dark.

This is the back of my house- the only photo I have. The ones circled in red are my current master bath windows which are above the tub. I don't want to alter things too much that it looks out of place but I was thinking of maybe doing three windows across so that 2 would be in the shower, one would be next to the vanity. I am a bit stumped as to how to lay them out.

I opted not to put a bench in my shower. I had a teak stool in my old shower and the only think it was used for was a shaving ledge. So in my new shower, I had my niche run down to about 15" from the floor and that bottom sill will be my shaving ledge.

For the vanity top, I'd limit the space to what you can do with no seam. Greater than 73 is good, but do you really need 135"? Maybe a tall cabinet on the toilet end if there's room for a cabinet door to open. Or a cabinet with drawers on the bottom- great for toiket paper and other toilet needs. You could maybe have a pullout trash on that end too?

Don't know what to say about the windows. Have you looked on Houzz for inspiration pics? I don't think whatever you do would look bad from the back of the house since there's not really symetry now.

Perhaps I will not do a bench. We have a teak stool in our mountain house shower and I feel like it serves the purpose like you said.

I have searched Houzz for windows but I can't find any inspiration for what I'm trying to envision. The problem is that I likely can't evenly space them in the shower and one near the vanity so it would look choppy from the inside, but if they are all the same size- likely OK from the outside. Conversely- if I go with a higher window in the shower- which solves a privacy issue- it may look odd on the outside.

While our windows are not spaced symmetrically, they are all of the same height and width in the upstairs. But if I were to add a high window- it could look like this. Our first floor does have some transom windows above some of the windows- so perhaps that could coordinate- just not sure I like this look.

I don’t think you need to worry about how it looks on the exterior of the house. No one will be sitting in that beautiful backyard looking at the windows on the second floor. I think it looks fine anyway. I would make the window as wide as possible and higher for privacy. Just search window in shower on Pinterest, lots of pics.

If you feel like the windows need to be the same height as others, could you order the bottom sash with privacy glass of some type? Is that window on the top right in your bathroom - maybe where the vanity would be?

Here's a picture that I loved - taller windows with privacy glass.

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On the last photo the window on the far right is photoshopped in and yes, it's where the vanity would be. I could do the bottom sash with privacy glass. I mocked up a photo with 3 windows and I don't like it at all from the outside. Not the best mock up, but it gives the general idea. 2 would be in the shower, one near the vanity but spaced fairly evenly on the inside.

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Could you do just the one window by the vanity and add skylights?

beautiful4life70- I hear what you're saying except that I pay attention to things like that so maybe some wouldn't think much of it, it would probably bother me if it isn't somehow balanced.

numbersjunkie- I thought of skylights too- I'm not a big fan. We have them in that bumped out area in the back- which is where our kitchen table is. I don't think I want to cut into the roof up there as that is the north facing side and we sometimes get snow buildup that doesn't melt as fast as other areas of the house.

I found a photo of 3 windows evenly spaced spanning a shower and tub- this is what I'm thinking in terms of even placement between the walls on the inside of the bathroom. I even like the pony wall/glass look in this shower.

You folks are amazing! Here is a photo of a flip up bench I'm considering on my bath redo.

I like the windows in that picture - but I don't think they would be as tall as the other windows on the back of the house. How high are your ceilings? The windows in the picture appear to be placed very high up - if the side walls a re 8 ft they are above that line at the top.

OK, I'm going out on a limb here and suggesting another option that will be very expensive. Could you raise the ceiling over the bathroom (or even just over part of the room) to allow for the cathedral peak - it could mimic the roof over the room on the first floor. If you did that, you could use a transom in the peak and get a ton of light. It would be a show stopper!

LOL numbersjunkie- I like going out on a limb! Hmmm, that would be amazing. The bathroom has vaulted ceilings but not on the exterior wall- here is a cutaway of the way the ceilings go. So they are really high above the door and the toilet etc. I'd take a photo but I'm not home. I was trying to see if I had any on my computer to show it better but I can't find any.

Ooohhh, I found some in an old email. Here is the current bathroom. The one with the vanity probably illustrates the height of the ceilings on that side the best.

So those two current windows at the tub are pretty large. Maybe larger than I'd like to keep. But if I shorten the height I'm worried it will look odd from the exterior.

Nice kitchen! What is the tile behind cook top? The quartz is very pretty and clean looking.

kooopons, I have double vault in my living room, so I think it could be done. Here's a pic (excuse the mess, we're in the middle of a remodel upstairs).

I missed your previous comment about just doing 2 windows, and I think that would look great. How high off the floor are your other second floor windows? I assume your shower head would go on the wall opposite the vanity?

Numbersjunkie-I love that double vault and considered something like that at one point when I was going to keep the tub there. I do think I could make two windows work. When I get home I’ll have to measure the other windows. I feel like they are lower than I would like but if I raise them up, they won’t look at good on the outside.

I was thinking the shower head would go on the wall that I will recess the shower in to accommodate the tub. I drew a ridiculous rendition here. Shower head in red.

Thanks sunfeather. The tile behind the range is Fireclay handpainted tile. The subway is Fireclay as well. I did not have a good experience with them as they painted the tile wrong two times and in the end I did not end up with the quantity I needed and had to change my layout. They did refund my entire tile order (subway included) which was quite a refund as each handpainted tile is $50 each. Not sure I would use them again but many love them.

This shows it a little better.

My second floor windows are about 30-32" from the floor to the bottom sill. The 2 in the middle are actually a tiny bit higher but I guess it's not obvious since they sit above the bump out. They are actually new and there used to be only one in that room and I added another about a year ago. I was considering raising the height of the window in the shower and I think if I keep the top of the windows the same across, it will look OK. I don't want to sacrifice window size too much so maybe they would be wider?

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