I am one who has never been able to figure out the appeal and use of humongous master bedrooms. Do people go in there and hide or use it like a den or what? I say go for the bath because it will be more useful.

I’ve had very large Master Bedrooms in my past three houses. While initially it looks pretty, I consider it wasted space and I, personally, like a cozier feel. I vote for bath!

huh. 11x12 is not a big bedroom. that's the size of our secondary bedrooms, and the way everything is laid out we can only fit a queen bed and one nightstand no dresser. carefully think about this, especially how you access closets, where windows are, and where nightstands will go. that size will be tough to get a dresser into. I agree that a master bath would be nice, but if I can't fit a king bed in the master bedroom I'm not buying the house.

also 15x12 is not a humongous master bedroom. it's fairly typical.

i sl

I would recommend trying it out.

block off the part of the bedroom that you would dedicate to the bathroom, and get a feel for the size of the bedroom if it was a 11x12. Try this out for a week or 2?3?

”fake wall”, either maybe by blocking it off with bookcases, a sheet, plastic?

I’m actually planning a similar project and will be posting in discussion in a few weeks seeking advice.

I wouldn’t buy a house without a master bath. An 11 x 12 master bedroom is not ideal, but the addition of a private bathroom is a logical trade off.

It may be clunky, but I added the drawings for the existing bedroom and bathroom layout as well as an online sketch I made of a potential layout with a master bathroom.

Well, I missed your comment about room size. Our guest rooms are about 12x12. One of ours has a king bed, one small nightstand, a small upholstered chair and a small dresser. The closet is builder grade ugly, not walk in, probably 2x6. Everything fits and it’s not too tight. I can easily walk around and change the sheets. And I’m used to big rooms (20x28 or so). So, your plan can work I believe. I would definitely buy a house like that. Good luck!

What’s behind the new bathroom wall?

If currently the bathroom is not A dedicated master bath, and is shared with everyone, I would definitely add an additional bathroom.

master should have a private bathroom.

11' x 12' for a master is too small. A king sized bed is 76" w x 80" long without a headboard, etc.

So let's assume you're putting the bed on the 11' wall. 11' is 132". 132" - 76" = 56". That doesn't even allow for 3' of aisle space on either side of the bed. It only allows for 28". So for resale, anyone who prefers a king bed will reject this bedroom.

Now let's say you instead decide to put it on the 12' wall. That will give you just barely enough space around either side of the bed. 144" - 76" = 68" or 34" on either side of the bed. (No one will notice that it's 2" shy of 36")

However, now you only have 11' from the head of the bed to the wall and remember without a headboard, a king bed is 80". So 132" - 80" = 52" total. Considering most dressers are 21" deep, that again leaves you with not enough walking room. 52" - 21" = 31" between dresser and bed. And considering that closet is rather small for a master bedroom closet for 2 people...

How old is the house? If it's an old house 1940's or older, then play up the charm, and no, a master bath would not be a dealbreaker for most who love an older home. However a too small bedroom with too small closets would be.

Or consider a queen size bed. Not everyone is sooo tall that needs a king bed.

I would prefer a private bath rather than a king size bed but opinions vary. In houses built before about 1970, a full master bathroom is a luxury rather than an expected feature. If you have this feature and other houses in your neighborhood don't, it will be easier to sell and a bump in market value.

I think you could gain a couple of inches by making the closet a few inches less deep. My coat closet is 23 inches deep and that is sufficient for bulky coats to hang without touching the walls but a bit too narrow for good access in the far end. If you have doors opening up the entire length, you could use a 27 inch deep closet and not lose storage. Also, for the partition wall between the closet and the bathroom, the studs can be turned sideways and that will gain another two inches.

I've attached an updated drawing. In the bedroom, I can fit a California King, 2 nightstands, and at the foot of the bed 2 dressers. The walkway from the foot of the bed to the dressers (no head / foot board) is 33" while the walkway on the sides of the beds is 24-28". The bedroom is currently set up in this way so I'm confident it can work this way.

You say you have a California king. That means your bed is 84" long x 72" wide.

So 11'4" is 136" wide. 136 - 72 = 64" or 32" on either side of the bed. That is doable. However notice that your closet door may not open all the way.

The length of the room is actually 12'3" or 147". 147" - 84" = 63". 63" - 21" (for a dresser) = 42". Definitely doable.

I understand the need for a master bath, but having the two right up against one another where both are small, seems a bit redundant. Can you somehow turn the current bath into a powder room and utilize the additional space for what looks like much needed closet space and then also add the master bath?

Again, how old is the house?

I like your plan! I was wondering if you could give the illusion of more space by bumping out the large window to create a window seat plus a design feature for the room that would look bigger when you walked into the room.....window seat to left of bed?

Sims Hilditch, Cotswold Manor House · More Info

house was built in 1977. The original owners had the mentality of a 1940s house though so they built the floorplan just like a 1940s bungalow. At present, the land value is already 75% of the total market value which is why I believe down the road it will eventually be a tear down. My neighbors houses are typically newer and twice the size (I'm around 2400 sq. ft and neighbors tend to be 5000 sq. ft or larger).

I know a lot of you will be astounded to hear this, but many people manage to live in houses without master baths and/or huge master bedrooms. This idea didn't come into vogue until the 1960s or so. Many houses like my WWI era historic house don't have those bathroom amenities that are expected in today's new homes. People buy these houses because of the highly desirable neighborhood and the charm of the house. There are trade offs in everything.

How many more years are you planning on living there? To answer your question in your opening paragraph, I think the answer to how long, needs to be answered. Then the other question is do YOU need the master bath? Or if not, why are you doing it?

10-15+ years most likely, not sure we will ever move but practically impossible to answer that question beyond 5-10 years. Life happens. Not sure anyone needs a master bath, but most people prefer it

I’d want the bath. especially since you have just 1 now. Bedroom will be small but that’s better than sharing the bath.

Master bath adds more value than a larger master bedroom, but it doesn't sound like that's actually a consideration. So on to the anecdotes: I had a 10x10 master in my 1932 house, and it was fine. We had a queen bed and one big dresser. We used the windowsill behind the bed to set things on. I now have a massive 1970s bedroom with a fireplace in it, and it's silly. 11x12-ish sounds peachy to me.

Hi Pat, my only suggestion is to consider a tub/shower combo in the hall bath. It helps with resale value.

@jslazart, why do you say your master bedroom is silly? It sounds nice as you describe it with a Fireplace... I’d love to see.

@Pat S, I like your drawing. Looks like a good comfortable set up.

its nice to have a private master bathroom. You font need to share it with Guests.

Oh, @pat S, which program did you use to design the plan? I need to do mine I’ll be posting shortly as I’ll need Houzzers to help me plan out mine.

@Me AGirl, I used floorplanner.com . It's pretty easy to use and free. For plans/permits submission, I've hired a designer to do that work.

I think it's a great idea if you're going to enjoy the bathroom for the next 5-10 years and the amortization cost is worth it for you. I don't think it will add any resale value if your house is likely a tear down.

Me AGirl - I won't hijack with pictures. I need to post about my master anyway (it needs to be completely redone), so keep an eye open for that. But basically: it's poorly laid out, who uses a wood burning fireplace (that is in the wrong corner of the room) in the desert anyway, and I have a ton of extra space I pay to heat and cool that I get nothing out of. I much prefer a minimalist, cozy-sized bedroom.

If you will enjoy using it and feel it will help you live better put it in, but you already said it's most likely a teardown for the next buyer, so as mentioned will probably not add much value to the sales price of the house, when/if you sell.

Agree with @cpartist. Since this is likely a teardown, you need to decide if the money you spend will be worth it to you and to you alone. You've already said the smaller bedroom works for you. If you want a second bath and don't mind that you won't get money back on it, put it in. I would consider bypass closet doors, though, if you want a night stand on both sides of the bed.

I prefer a master bath to a king bed. However I also prefer pax wardrobes to a long thin reachin closet. I would take out the reach in closets and fill that wall with pax this will give you almost an extra foot of width in the bedroom proper and it will give you better storage and organization as well.

How much weight can a rail on a Pax wardrobe hold?

I believe my units hold 26 pounds each. I have four 19 inch wide units but with eight feet you can use two 38 inch wide units plus on 19 inch to fit am eight foot wall. That is 130 pounds. I do not hang every thing. I have three units with sets of drawers under the hanging rod and one unit with just a shoe bin under a bar to accommodate longer dresses and coats. My dressers are empty now. I love them and they are customized to your needs.

I think functionality is better to go for over what you think bedroom size needs to be. No such hard and fast rule. Also there are lot of king size beds which have additional shelving on the headboard that you might not even need both those night stands. How much do you actually use those night stands? And consider pocket doors for your closets and bathroom if space is tight. That can help. Keep the bedroom a cool light color to bounce off the lights. You can always darken with curtains at night. If possible add a transom window to the top of the bed will also let in more light and give the illusion of a larger space. Good luck with your project.

I'm confused. are you planning on selling soon or living here for a while? if you're leaving soon and think this is a teardown, why even bother having anything done to it? (just need a little clarification is all.)

if having a smaller bedroom means you get a necessary extra bathroom, I say go for it! I've lived in three homes with my husband, and every single one of them had tiny bedrooms. they're really cozy, and they seem to stay a little warmer at night after we turn the heat down. then we can use the larger spaces for offices, workrooms, etc. as for small closets: I always used the office closet for my clothes. this system has worked well for us for many years.