This is the existing floorplan we are starting with, just for reference.

Consider the concept of locating the bedroom where it allows the possibility of having three walls with windows in them, then work out details.

Do not locate a freestanding tub where it will be difficult to clean in and around.

Consider the amount of counter space needed at a bathroom sink.

Pocket doors are a pain in the ass when they are used often.

What about turning the laundry room and hall bath sideways so that the door to the laundry room opens into the hallway instead of the kitchen? That path through the kitchen with all your dirty clothes looks awful!

Eh, with respect to @Mark Bischak, Architect, I think pocket doors are a godsend for small bathrooms. Definitely replace the swing door with a pocket door. To add, I would consider losing the tub and making a shower only bathroom. That will free up space to give you a larger vanity with more storage and counter space. Here's a bathroom with a pocket door we recently completed with a similar layout, which was also quite narrow:

Beauty and the Baths: Primary Bath · More Info

Beauty and the Baths: Primary Bath · More Info

ETA: this bathroom also has a wall-mounted toilet (not shown) which also saves space.

Thanks @Sabrina Alfin Interiors -- this is the restroom we had been using as a reference from a home nearby. This reference restroom was 6x14, so I thought ours at 5x13 might still allow for that layout to work?

It "works", but you really should think hard about how often you'll use that tub. With a tight space, I'm always more inclined to go for more storage space in a bigger double vanity than try to pack everything in. Note that the toilet is not visible in the above photograph, and you have one between the vanity and the shower.

I would also consider removing the tub and making the closet bigger.

I have 11 pocket doors in my midcenutry house. I LOVE them. They are minimalist. They are all wide and solid doors. For privacy, be sure to get a solid door and NOT a hollow core door.

There is not much counter space on the sink. I might consider a single sink.

I also have a narrow bedroom which I love. It has a slider. I kept it all white (tile, walls) and minimalist with only the walnut bed, two walnut nightstands (and two dog beds). I do not think you have room for a credenza in front of the bed. I struggled with this but I am happy to sleep in a quiet nonbusy room. But I also have a giant walk in closet so there are no dressers in the bedroom. Everything is in the closet.

Can you extend and widen the plan for the addition in either direction?

I wonder if the 4'75" will work if you use a less deep vanity. I have a narrow bathroom that I will measure and take a photo of when I get home.

@scout -- thanks! The primary bathroom would be about 5' in the current plan. It's the remodeled guest one that would be closer to 4.75' wide.

As long as the overall footprint stays the same we could extend wider, we could do 23x15 for example.

I would do 23x15 if you can! I don't think you will regret it and now is the time to do it. You could then add some space to your master bathroom and closet. I think my bedroom is 23 x 12'. I love the space.

Yes, I was referring to the guest bath. I'll have to measure mine when I get home, but it might be less that 5' wide. I had a custom narrower vanity put in, but you would never notice the depth difference.

Don't know if you can change the door from the bedroom into the laundry room, but that would be a good idea.

Then you could lay out the bath and closet on the right. I think your vanity would be about 5 feet.

If you removed the tub, you could put the shower and toilet on that wall and a longer vanity across from it . You could also enlarge the closet by about 2 feet so that it would be 8 X 7.

Your bedromm would feel more spacious at 13 feet wide.

Can you enlarge the hall bath by taking some room from the laundry room.

How can you decide exactly where the addition sits and it's adjacencies layed out without knowing how it ties in to the house massing, elevations, roof, and site? How do you precipitously decide the overall footprint dimensions without a roadmap of setbacks and lot coverage? I suspect that you have a cost/SF that you obtained over the internet or speaking with a contractor that doesn't know better, so you feel you must stay at 350sf. What if 382sf gets you a perfect addition? What if 328sf did?

@3onthetree Thanks! That's precisely the type of brain meld i'm trying to get some help crowdsourcing here :)

We have done our homework, which is why the addition can't go beyond this 16.6' form the house (10 ft setback from garage) -- there are no other relevant setbacks that prevent us from exploring these options.

This layout could certainly be smaller if we find a solution that achieves our need and it couldn't realistically be too much bigger as we don't have the budget for that. Even an additional 25 sq ft or so in LA is going to push us past our budget -- we'd rather put that money into higher end finishes. We do have a few quotes from a few contractors for this general floorplan above -- the house will be continued on same elevation, continue roof line, etc. But yes, we are trying to save some money by going to a design/build style contractor vs an interior designer/architect which might have prevented me from asking these questions in the first place --- but we're working with limited resources.

What I'm hoping to get thoughts on is the issues I raised in the original post. Thanks!

If you want to have a full Master seating area, then the disproportionate and oblong layout of the bedroom and bathroom like your first scheme might be the way forward. Otherwise, more proportionate rooms like Karenseb's would be a better way forward.

Where the adjacencies should occur, I can't say, as there is no existing info. Only "back yard" given, but your plan looks like it might have a driveway along the side. And I don't suppose you would appreciate a "private" front street Master porch as much as a rear one. Don't know how deep your sanitary line is where you tie in at the existing bath. Also, I see an electrical feed marked so it might have an LA-outside panel you probably don't want to disturb.

Is this the layout from the designer of the design-build firm?

Yes it is. Here are a couple of renders that are not exaclty correct as they don't properly account for the bathroom space and final finishes, etc. but gives you a sense for what's on the exterior of the house.

We're a corner lot and the street to the East of us is on a hill, so the neighbors can sort of see down into our backyard (not a ton, but creates a sense of low-privacy) which is why we like the idea of this private patio. However, we could align the house to the west side and lose the patio and not feel too bad about it either -- it would lend itself to a more fluid backyard layout.

Though the private hot tub area is cozy, is that how your family lives? Having more opportunity in the yard proper might meet future plans better (family outdoor living, pool, garage into office, ADU, etc).

I'd ditch the double sinks in the bath along the top wall and have just a single sink and more counter and drawer space. Two people would not be able to stand and use those sinks at the same time; not enough room.

Thanks @Karenseb I think this might be our best option. I do love the idea of the room being so wide providing for a large sitting area. But to have a potentially too-small bathroom at the end of such expensive work feels like we'd regret it!

I think you are right to focus on maximizing your bath - personally i would prioritize space and storage at the vanity (used twice daily at least) over a soaking tub (used weekly unless you have a daily bather in your fam)— bathrooms are expensive so you definitely want to love it at the end

I actually find that Karen's layout gives you a bigger bathroom than the one you posted (88 sq ft vs 65 sq ft). The bedroom has a better shape and I personally do not like separate tub in a shower area where you would have to wipe the tub every time you shower.

If you decide to go with the proposed layout with the tub inside the shower, I would make the wet area one foot wider. You might not need to wipe the tub as much if it has a little more room between the shower head and the tub. Whether your closet is 8'0" or 7'0" wide, you have pretty much the same amount of storage and it is still a spacious closet.

EDIT: Compared to your proposed layout, Karen's layout gives the same amount of floor space in front of the vanity, the same same of floor space in front of the toilet but what you get more is not having to wipe the tub every time you shower. That is a big advantage imo. You also get a large window above the tub.

Just to follow up - my laundry bath is 47.5 inches wide. The vanity counter is 22.5”. I think if you did a narrowe vanity it should be good. Also, I used an icera toilet that hugs the wall and gives much more room in the bathroom than a normal toilet.

I do think if you can extend the master bath beyond 5 feet deep it will be best, seeing how narrow my laundry bath is. I hope this helps!

Karen's layout is so much better in every way.

Agree - Karen's layout is much better for the master, but I would add an extra foot to the bedroom and to the bathroom. That will give you 4 feet in the bathroom aisle, an extra foot in the closet, and an extra foot in the bedroom. Or you could just add two feet to the bathroom to make it and the closet more spacious. i have a similar master bathroom layout and I love it.

Agree that Karen's layout is better, although flipping the bath and closet might make it better still. This separates the plumbing but allows for an additional window at the end of the bath, which is perhaps a worthwhile tradeoff.

I'm late to the comments, but really think about the need for two doors to two separate outdoor spaces. I would keep the private patio if that's important and lose the door to the other public outdoor space -- I assume there are other ways out to that area. Use the space lost to both that door and the walkway to it to increase the bathroom.

I am not sure if the existing patio is on the East side or West side when I look at the pictures of your house but if you are will to loose access to one of the patio, you could easily do this:

Or if you really want a private patio, can you do it in this location?

Considering adjusting to Karen's layout but moving the bath to the other side of the house and having a slider at the end of the room. Curious if people feel that the bathroom has enough room?

Agree with @RappArchitecture the bath is too tight.

@RappArchitecture even though opening toward the garage isn't ideal, we think opening to that little nook will be a nice little private area for the primary while still having access to the rest of the yard. We're in LA so space is tight!

What do you think about this scenario? Not an ideal closet situation, but the walk-in wasn't really that big anyway.

That looks better. Do you need the bathtub?

@scout It's not a 100% need, but it's a strong desire (especially from my wife) -- we're feeling like if we're investing in doing this whole project a bathtub is something we'd really like to have.

We've been referencing this bathroom, also in LA, for size and it seems ours would be similar? I know to some this might feel tight, but this feels okay to me? So appreciate everyone's suggestions!

Like I said before, I am not liking a tub inside the shower area. I am wondering that since the backyard is very close to your private patio maybe you could just add a pathway outside to access the backyard from your patio. I added a 2nd closet: