Where will the door be “parked” when it’s open? It looks like it would have to go to the left of the doorway, although I can’t tell from the picture if you have room for it there. You could build up the area on that wall that the track attaches to so that it sticks out even with that framed opening.

FWIW, not that you asked for opinions :) I think a barn door makes a good bathroom entrance if you have room. We widened our bathroom doorway to make it wheelchair accessible and put in a barn door. You may not have aging in place concerns like we do, but we found out in our research that older people who fall when ill often end up trapped in a bathroom because they land where they’re blocking the door.

Barn doors are Beelzebub Satan. Good thing you can’t possibly put one here.

@SapphireStitch Yes the barn door would have to move to the left, which we do have room for. But the track for the door would have to be flush against the wall. Only way to do that is to knock off that popout thing...Thanks for answering!!

Barn doors are not a good choice for bathrooms if you value privacy and noise insulation.

yes, the popout thing has to come off. the track needs a continuous surface, not two different altitudes.

@Ecclesiasticus Jesus I‘m aware the track has to be flush, but I stand by my statement that you could add a raised section on that wall that would make a flush track for it to run in. It might not be easy, and it might look like crap, but it would be the other way to create a level track. Perhaps your husband would be more receptive to tearing out the attached frame if he thought about how complicated any other solution will be.

@User Not being personally acquainted with the Evil One in question I shall have to take your word for it.

@User The OP has a door opening and an open transom currently. A barn door may not be ideal but it would be some improvement. I don‘t know why the house was built they way it is, but it seems to require creative adaptations.

I have a barn door for my bathroom and absolutely LOVE it. Best decision in my house design. It saves so much space, and I can practically flick it open when I'm in a hurry.

It looks like your ceiling slopes. Maybe that's an illusion? That would present a problem if the space between the ceiling and the floor isn't tall enough. I suppose here's nothing to say you have to have a door to where the top of the curtains goes...

Here's how mu barn door goes....They evidently removed the top of the door frame. Then they put in a 1x6 across the top of the door and into the blank space where the door "parks". The hardware is mounted on that 1x6. I've put a couple of photos below, in case that would be helpful.

There very well might be different solutions that mine, since the builders had to squeeze a mini split between the 1x6 and the ceiling... I happened to be there when the foreman realized (CATASTROPHE) there was no wall in the entire house to put that mini-split, so the barn door had to be somewhat creatively installed. (I see now, since I looked at it closely for you, they were indeed very ingenious.)

The door isn't exactly flush to the wall, but I don't know if flush would even work. The bottom of the door runs on a plastic channel thing-y to keep it from flapping around.

Can you do a pocket door instead or is the shower plumbing in that wall?

Here is another view. I just want the pop out gone. Not any walls . If I use a barn door, the door would be able to fully open and close.

Excuse the mess, we are doing the floors right now.

How deep is the popout? You wouldn't need the pop-out gone if you mount the barn door on a piece of lumber that is the same depth as the popout.

That space above the door is not a real transom with glass, correct? It's just a blank space? Maybe it was to let steam out of the bathroom...

I have 2 barn doors. One for the laundry / pantry and another for the master bedroom closet. I love them. They save room in each area. I think they look good too.

What is in the pop out? Is it a support of some kind. IMO that whole wall should come out and be built properly but with no info who knows. I don’t really havea big issue with barn doors if you don’t have an issue with privacy in a master bath they work pretty well without a huge amount of new construction but IMO that whole wall needs a redo since that doorway seems too narrow to be to code,

I would generally discourage using a barn door for a bathroom. It doesn't provide a good seal. Therefore, there are privacy issues.

It looks like this is a master bath, and not many people would be using it. You still have "privacy" from the master bedroom so the people in the living areas wouldn't be "subjected" to "issues" of going to the bathroom. And the people that share that master bedroom know each other intimately anyway.... That popout section looks like it could be removed. Get a carpenter there and see if it can be removed. Then you will have a flat surface to mount the barn door.

A barn door just sits in front of the opening. If you stand to the side, you can often see into the bathroom through that gap. There is no sound difference with a barn door versus no door, either. A sliding door that goes into the wall is able to shut all the way, blocking more sound and all views into the room. You need to take off the drywall to install the sliding pocket door, though.

I wonder if there might be a better option for this situation, like a folding door.

I think (1) a barn door would be great and (2) your husband owes you an apology. Unless he pretends he'd already though of building up the wall under the track instead of removing the obstruction around the doorway. Looks like there's another door inside the bathroom - does it lead to a toilet closet or a regular closet? If a toilet, the only sound protection needed from the barn door would be from bad shower singing.

Several posters upthread say something like this:

I would generally discourage using a barn door for a bathroom. It doesn't provide a good seal. Therefore, there are privacy issues.

IMO It's not a big deal if the bathroom is en suite to the bedroom. The barn door on my bathroom is a HUGE plus. If someone is trying to peek, there's something wrong with them , not the door. If it's and aroma thing, upgrade the fan; in that case, it prolly needs upgrading anyway.

We installed a "barn door" but it's not barn style at all. It was the only option for our master bath with its arch opening...no room for a pocket door or a standard door on hinges. Luckily the toilet area has its own door. This was purely for blocking the light from spreading around the bedroom , and some privacy when showering. It does not block noise, but it never needed to. It's a huge improvement from not having a door at all! Remove the bump and install one!

I stayed in a hotel with a bathroom barn-door once and would not choose such an arrangement in my own house.

Regardless, I agree that your space isn't right for a barn door.

I agree with the other poster— many barn doors come with the lumber support. If it doesn’t, just buy one to bring it out beyond the molding. Remember that barn doors should wider than the opening to prevent light seepage. If you don’t like the thick molding, you can change it or just buy a wider door (as long as there’s room to the left). I don’t agree with the poster that pocket doors provide more sound protection. I have one installed at a vacation home and you can hear everything through it (it’s hollow though). My barn door is solid— super heavy duty and I don’t hear the shower through it, which is right next to the door.

It doesn't really look like a barn door would work with the slope of your ceiling, assuming you would push the door to the left, seeing as there is no walk on the right. Have you really measured the ceiling height.

Definitely get rid of the bump out, dry wall that top and square everything off and add a normal door to the opening.