Ok..not sure if Google has led me down the right path but here is what I found according to IRC (International Residential Code) sec. 2705 http://archive.org/stream/gov.law.icc.irc.2012/icc.irc.2012_djvu.txt "SECTION P2705 INSTALLATION 5. Water closets, lavatories and bidets. A water closet, lavatory or bidet shall not be set closer than 15 inches (381 mm) from its center to any side wall, partition or vanity or closer than 30 inches (762 mm) center-to-cen- ter between adjacent fixtures. There shall be a clearance of not less than 21 inches (533 mm) in front of a water closet, lavatory or bidet to any wall, fixture or door." It doesn't say anything about the two sides being equal, just that they need to be a minimum of 15" from center, or 30" total center to center. Now you may tell me it will look horrible, that's another story, but I am not sure if I am following why it isn't to code. Here is a picture I found online of an off center toilet. It is a toilet stall, and I think it is closer to walls/partitions than we would be...but it was all I could find. I don't think it looks terribly bad and to be honest I think ours will be less noticeable since the wall to the left will be a glass wall to the floor...so it will feel more open. Thoughts?

Smallhouse: Thank you for the links to your friends new kitchen. I like it! And it is so helpful to see how some ideas have worked out in small space. TBB123: Our upstairs is not too-too convoluted, but we do have a room that was divided in half. Both rooms are useful, but one is a weird shape. If your son ever puts info on his house online, I'd be very curious to snoop into what they've done with it. (I haven't gotten the chance yet, but I will map my other two floors and post the diagrams to this thread.) Brewcat: Happy hunting for renovation ideas. I am going to order a copy of the book you mention. I have read a little bit on rowhouse history, since I live in one and am (barring a massive career shift) setting down roots here. But what I read was not super detailed. I bet the book would be very illuminating. Maybe I could even figure out when our house was built... I have a rough idea but its really rough. Thanks for your observations re: the real estate market. My broad impressions are in line with yours on Fed Hill and Canton. I am uncertain what is true in my own market (Hampden). The market is not, I think, nearly as robust; at least, the home values are not as high as Canton. There has been a noticable uptick in buying and selling since I got here (I bought during the housing crash), and all the sudden people are gutting properties and doing the total overhaul inside that tbb123 and 4kids mentioned. Will the trend continue? It seems very recent, almost like it started last summer. I'm not sure I trust it yet. It does make me feel optimistic about the wisdom of smaller projects, esp if they improve aesthetics. I did try to do a little survey of what was up for sale this spring. A lot of houses have 2 baths, and many of them - not even the totally overhauled homes - have those baths above or below first floor. A lot of people who could use a basement seem to have done so. But it's also not super hard to find places that do have the first floor bath. So if a buyer wants it, she will have a choice of houses, and some will offer it. My suspicion is that, in terms of the market especially, there is wisdom in holding onto the powder room. One reason a person might consider Hampden over some other areas is that you can get a little more space for your money, you may be able to get a little yard, and the prices for the not-totally-overhauled houses is still reasonable. My observation is that this has attracted a lot of couples with babies and toddlers. And that, as some have pointed out, makes the first floor bath an asset. Also, having looked over our house very hard this last weekend, I realize that it might be difficult to find (a lot) more bathroom space on the other floors. So if I have space for a powder room on floor 1, it might be a bad idea to erase it. One advantage of the daylight rowhouse layout is that even if we keep the back partially blocked by the powder room, we could invest in nice windows all along the wall that is not shared with neighbors. It is mostly closed off right now, but it is south-facing and very bright. I suspect it that more windows would really open up and brighten the space.

I still like no. 1 better but before you go ahead with this dimension of shower, for precautions, I would shop for vanities just to make sure you can find one that size. Also, for me, an 18x32 vanity would be too small. It may not for you but I suggest that you compare what you have right now and see if you would be satisfied with a vanity that size. The drawers might be very narrow. All of that may work for you but it does not hurt to check before you commit. If you find the vanity too small or you can't find any of that size, you might have to change the angle of the shower. You can also have a custom made vanity, but also check if you can find a sink the right size for that vanity. Also, if you find you have not enough storage you may want the cabinet I suggested in the bottom left corner. In that case, I would put a sliding door in the middle of the bathroom (not to the left. Your plan as you have it now might well work but there are precautions worth to checking before committing.

Hey everyone! It’s been a while since I posted updates and to be honest there isn’t too much to report at the moment! Trying to figure out where to put ducts for central air. I’m attaching some photos I thought you might like :) the first is what the beams look like inside the walls and what I’m hoping the ones exposed will look like when they stain is rubbed out. The second pic is the original flooring upstairs (dusty from construction). It’s called pumpkin pine flooring and that’s the flooring I want to put on the ground level kitchen and sitting room. Then a picture from the notching looking at the stone room, and vice versa! Hope everyone is healthy and safe ❤️