So you have two issues: the shut-off valves need to be accessible in case you have to shut of water to the bathroom to do repairs, have a leak, etc. That's what's in the access panel in the corner of the room that we're trying to find another place for... The shower valves are behind the handles ("trim"), behind the tile, inside the shower wall. Since you're considering doing away with the access you currently have and creating a finished, tiled wall on that wall, you want to be sure that all the plumbing in there is in top notch shape and won't need replacing soon. In a situation where there's just drywall on the other side of the tiled wall, it's not a big deal to cut out the drywall, replace the valves, replace the drywall, finish and repaint. Doing the same thing on a tiled wall is a lot harder and more expensive. You just need to think about how you'd handle that scenario in the future (for your new shower plumbing) and if I were you, and you have the budget, I'd go ahead and replace the valves in the old shower, from the back of the wall while you're reno-ing the new bathroom. (Although I have only done this from the front/tiled side, I am pretty sure it can be done from the back side without damaging the tile) Then you won't need to remove the old bath's tile at all. Your old bathroom probably has the sort of showerhead/handle/faucet/valve that comes all together as a kit... but in your new shower you're likely to be buying seperate valves & trim. It's kinda confusing, depending on what you're adding (just a showerhead and one control? Or, also a handshower or body jets?) Keep in mind when you start shopping for these parts that if you do it a la carte from Kohler, Grohe, etc, you need to get a valve and trim (that's the guts and the shiny handle) for each component. I was dismayed at first because I found the picture of the handle I wanted on an online plumbing store and thought to myself, well, that's not too expensive!... it was like $100... and then realized that was the TRIM ONLY and I still needed the valve which was another $200!

Our such great ideas guys! Stacey your work is amazing. It's easy to see you have a lot of experience with this type of thing in addition to being very creative! You had so many great ideas I wish you had numbered them so I could tell you which ones I liked :) I do love the one with the closet access from the bedroom. That is such a neat idea. The one that you came up with in the last post and the one that is almost exactly what Cori described really sounds like a grand option. It opens up the space so much and like everyone is saying, a beautiful bathroom space is probably more valuable sq. footage than an office. I do prefer having the WC in it's own room. It really makes the bathroom seem much more clean and tidy, in addition to making the closet in the bathroom seem more welcoming. Maybe we can do a little pocket door into the closet to provide some space. To answer some questions, the vertical wall on the left goes to the interior of the house, as do all walls except for the wall wear the window is. I agree if the closet was slightly soffetted it could allow for high shelving. We could keep a few items that our out of season there and it could potentially look as if it was done like that on purpose. I really like the third picture you posted too. It is a really nice layout with a nice size closet and a semi-private WC. But the last one is definitely the most attractive! I will certainly have to think on that one and let you know! Thanks again to everyone! Especially Stacey!

Hi, I've been thinking about your floor plan since I first saw it and I think it looks nice. I love your stairs. I too thought furniture placement would be difficult with the bathroom door in the middle of your best wall for a dresser. I tried moving your bathroom wall to the left a couple feet. Your bedroom seemed very wide, especially not having room on that wall for furniture. Then I put a linen closet to the left as you enter the bathroom. This allows you to move your bathroom door so that you have wall space for a dresser. The door to the bathroom would then open up against the linen closet. That door would take up 30 inches when open, so you need to have it clear the tub. Unless you do a pocket door. I think I would like a pocket door going to your MB closet. My mom's bedroom was similar in size and it looked great. She also had a chest to the left of the bay window if your room has the length and you move the windows a little. I reconfigured the 3 rd bathroom, now accessible to office too. You also have a linen closet in your much larger hallway at the top of the stairs, which also helps to lengthen the wall in your bedroom for a piece of furniture. I like Mongo's idea of bookshelves on bedroom 4's wall, unless you decide to take that 8 or 10 inches and add that to your bedroom and move the BDRM 4's closet further into that bedroom. You gain you an extra 10 inches in your bedroom! It is probably a very good idea to use graph paper and cut out pieces of scaled furniture and chairs to see how every thing fits.

Here are some ideas. I know you didn't ask about this, but my sister had a cat-walk like you do that was open to the living room below. They built a floor and created a gameroom/bonus space. It was the least complicated thing they did to their house because they were also doing kitchens and bathrooms. The only little complication was that they had to raise the windows because they would have been far too low if they left them alone. It was a great improvement because of the bonus space, but it also made the living room below much more cozy and intimate. They were able to get rid of the 2-story hanging ceiling fan and install a beautiful light fixture instead in the living room. People actually use the living room more now than they used to. They didn't put doors on their bonus space but you certainly could. If you eliminate the lowest left-hand window in bedroom, you can install 30" custom closets that are reach in above and drawers below. If you get rid of the fireplace, you have more layout options. I put the long-hanging closet in the space where the bumpout and window are. It's true that windows in closets are not ideal bc the sun will ruin your clothes, but you could put a black-out blind on it. I put 2 options in this drawing, but it's such a large bathroom, you have a several viable options. I drew 2 that keep the toilet and shower plumbing in place. One of the options I drew would require moving the tub plumbing. Your bathroom is so large, you could have a linen/laundry cabinet in there in addition to tub, shower, vanity and toilet room. I love my linen and pull-out laundry. It's styled like a dining room hutch with a piece of countertop material and with the top portion stepped-back like a hutch would be. My cabinet builder made the pull-out laundry side look like drawers, to create symmetry, but they are fake drawers. I'm not a pro, so I'm sure others on here who are real pros will come up with better ideas.