If you could find a way to make the waste line work, I like the first layout I did for you. It feels very open & spacious. It gives you lots of linen storage, a larger toilet room & a makeup area. It just seems to layout better with each area of the room having a particular function. The second layout is similar to one I had pulled as an inspiration pic for our bath. I like that there is still a toilet room & the tub is able to be a little longer. Hopefully with the toilet backing up to the other bathroom's toilet the waste line shouldn't be such an issue. If the cost or feasibility of doing the first layout is prohibitive, I would do the second one. I think either one is definitely better than the smaller layout you are currently living with--so either would be an improvement & feel luxurious while adding greater function to the space. I'm a huge fan of "toilet rooms" as you can still use the bathroom space even if your spouse is indisposed at that moment. Additionally, looking down the road at potential resale, I think with a bathroom that big potential buyers would think it odd if the toilet was sitting right there out in the open--it may be a deal-breaker (the same could be said of having just 1 vanity/sink). Just my $0.02. And just to confuse the matter even further... Toilet is not in it's own room, but there is some privacy at least from the door, shower & tub. Not so much from the vanity area, though. I would rank this one my third choice. Hope this helps!

Otterkill - the glass shower enclosure was custom and done by a local glass shop. I prefer not to share costs publicly online. Not to mention costs can vary a great deal depending on the materials you use, prices and deals on materials, and regional labor costs. For those on a budget you can replicate this look for less if you use a different marble or other materials. There are some great porcelain tiles and quartz countertops that can create a similar look for much less. Calacatta gold generally runs $20+ a square foot for tile and over $200 a square foot for countertop slab. I suggest shopping around to get a sense of what you like and the costs and then drafting a budget. Then from there you can see where you have give and take in your budget to save on some items and splurge on other items. And as always check out Craigslist or Ebay for deals. Who knows, you may find a wonderful deal on closeout tile or remnant slab.

Bluekitobsessed, Na_praha, Lauren, and KGW -- Many thanks! Trust me, not every detail is perfect and it took me some time to deal with letting go. [Which I've yet to master, actually.] Lauren -- I do love that shelf AND its price but we don't have much room between tile and mirror, so I will probably file that away for Upstairs Bath. We have the 20w x 10h x 6d cubby to the right of the sink, so *so far* we've been ok. Na_praha -- With single pane windows in the house I always have leaded glass window/door/sidelight envy. Hence my taking liberties with this bath since it wasn't a purist reno anyway! And thanks re the paint color. Since I didn't want a THIRD aqua-in-some-variation room, I swear I tried a zillion colors. But I realized I wanted a shade that blended with the unlighted sconce shade color, so I mixed something up and had Miller recreate. BTW, know what you mean about greys -- thought long and hard before doing a stairwell/upper hall in a cool grey, but skylight + window + fir = not too grim, so: MS KGW! Have missed seeing you around and was gonna send you a personal update, truly. Do NOT know how you got through a problematic reno being increasingly pregnant as I was losing it, esp over the [string of expletives deleted, ha] stuff that went wrong with terrazzo base and windows. I think you get a pass for lack of progress given what you endured PLUS given that you and your DH are new parents! And as much as the soapstone sounds delightful, if you can shrug your shoulders and learn to love the black granite it may be a much better use of your time and energy. Keep us posted!

No, no one's suggesting reconfiguring the stairs -- if you launch into that project, it really is time to just choose another plan. Moving stairs means massive re-engineering, which would not be worthwhile when other small plans are available. What we're suggesting is using the space ABOVE the stairs. This would remove the open, airy feeling of the staircase ... but it would give you more liveable space in an otherwise too-small upstairs. Here's a website with step-by-step pictures of a couple guys "taking in" that space. Obviously you wouldn't do it later; you'd have it included with the original build, but this gives you an idea of what type of space we're discussing: http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-an-Empty-Stairwell-into-a-Storage-Loft/ Consider the poorly-drawn layout I've sketched below. The bedrooms are untouched. This makes the current kid's bathroom into a larger closet for you ... takes in the space over the stairs to allow you a slightly-larger-but-still-simple bath; you could probably have a small linen closet next to the vanity ... and relocates the kids' bathroom. I think the proportions in the kids' bathroom may be problematic -- it's just a rough sketch. Of course, this does nothing to address your initial concerns about the laundry. Perhaps you could go with a small stack-up machine INSIDE the kids' bath? Perhaps a stack-up machine where I placed the toilet, move the toilet over to the other side of the room. I'm thinking this room would be about 7' wide -- it took in a basic bath PLUS your closet -- so that might be enough to have a small machine in that room. Then you could build a larger, nicer laundry in the basement eventually ... but still have the small, stack-up machine handy for small, quick loads. Perhaps this could be the best of both worlds -- or as close as can be in a small space? Off topic: Is a wet room 'specially expensive? Why?