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Design Dilemma Home Repair Bathrooms

HELP - Awkward & Small bathroom

12 days ago

We would love to sell our home in a few months but our kitchen & bathrooms are dated. How would you best update this bathroom? It can be difficult to find corner vanities so do I paint the vanity and try to find a new sink and new top?! SEND HELP!

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Comments (10)

apple_pie_order
12 days ago

Nice small powder room, it looks spotless and well kept.

If you can take a couple more photos without panorama mode, it would be easier to figure out the shape of the vanity and mirrors.

Also, do you think a simple wall mounted toilet paper holder would fit near the front end of the toilet?

Have you talked to an agent already about what is worth doing in your market?
KW PNW Z8
12 days ago
last modified: 12 days ago
Is that really a pink top? If you really are listing for sale in a few months I would just clean & clear anything & everything that might need it & make certain your yard is also clean, clear & inviting. List price accordingly as you won’t guarantee a recoup of $$ spent updating for sale. For the short term & a quick & cheap cosmetic update in this powder room - I assume powder room as that’s what you’re showing us - take the useless towel bar off the toilet wall & hang pretty & large art that has a bit of the sinktop color in it. Get rid of standing TP holder & wall mount one that matches the sink faucet. Change out the cab hardware to updated & same color as faucet, towel ring & light. With all those inexpensive changes, there’s something to draw the eye besides the pink sink.

ETA - just read @shirlpp comment - right! I didn’t see the tub to right but do now. I guess that’s why the floor stand for TP. Maybe TP holder can be mounted on side of cabinet?
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You are going to want more than 32" for the toilet. 36" is standard (and perhaps even code in some areas???? Not here in Maine but I heard people saying that on other forums...) We have 34" and it feels fine but I dont think I'd want to go much tighter. You could solve that simply by flipping the closet and shower. So, have your shower -rotated 90 degrees and witha glass end wall- at the end of the tub (which is a nice setup you can see in many bathrooms, the tub deck can actually protrude under the shower glass wall and be a ledge or seat in the shower). Then the passageway moves to the left, and you can steal a bit of space from the other closet for the toilet. Either that of have a shorter vanity. 48" isn't a size I'd fight for. It's too short for a double vanity, really (unless you're using one of the new two-faucet 'trough" styles) so why not go down to 42" and have a better toilet area? For resale, though, you should consider a double vanity. Some people I guess expert truly huge ones, like at least 5+' long. But you CAN get smaller ones, Ikea has some great ones for tight spaces. But if you're not selling anytime soon, do what YOU like!! (But I still think you'll want more toilet space...)
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My question to you is: how much do you like your knees? Love this little conundrum. Reminds me of so many awkward little bathrooms that were made at the turn of the century or earlier, Now I'm not a designer or anything and this is with MS Paint (10 pixels = 1 inch so it should be vaguely to scale I hope) so take this with a grain of salt but: I did move your window but if you don't want to move it you can just flip the position of the toilet/sink (though I believe Door 1 is the kitchen door so I left the toilet closer to the wall bc then it'll be kinda out of view if the door is slightly closed I hope?). Not sure if this would work bc I don't have the dimensions from wall to door trim on Door 2 and I'm assuming its the same size as Door 1 this one moved the window again but kept the same layout you have now. I just sized the fixtures to fit the room; same toilet but adding a shorter than average 30" x 54" 2-sided tub (you could probably get away with 60" length though) and a smaller 18" x 30" sink (and I'd suggest going even smaller with the sink tbh, shallow sinks might help in this bathroom) I went a bit crazy for number 3, no structural changes but a lot of plumbing moves! In this one I would suggest a corner sink if thats still a thing or a shallow sink if you're open to it, they're great space savers! The layout you have now is probably the most efficient one you could have in there with the location of doors and size of the room, unfortunately. My ideas at most have about 19" of walking space between the tightest fixtures granted thats all hip height and below obstructions so it might feel more spacious when walking. I've found with the tiniest bathrooms over the years that vertical obstruction height is the real killer since your arms typically take up a lot more space than your feet! Honestly I'm not sure if this is your main/only bathroom (I think so since you want a tub in a space you know is too small for one) and I'm not sure what things you'd prioritize over others (storage, view, movement, basement access, etc.) or if the non-door/window wall can be bumped out a bit, even partially (I assume not since bumping out that wall is an obvious way to get everything you want) Also on the point of barn/pocket doors: do NOT do it unless you have the money to spring for a top tier one and even then I wouldn't suggest it. Yes, they are space savers but honestly they come with a host of issues (getting stuck (pocket), coming off the track (pocket & barn), cleanliness (pocket), etc) and even then they wouldn't address the issues you have with this bathroom What you really need is to close off or move those doors, even moving the full bathroom to a different room entirely, which unfortunately is not possible. Changing the opening style won't give you more room to put the fixtures you want in there unless you want to crawl/shimmy/sidestep past your toilet/sink which I don't think would be up to code! If after all my rambling you're not into that might I suggest taking a gander at the old Sears (and equivalent) home plan catalogues? They have so many tiny and rather confusingly laid out bathrooms like yours so you might have a moment of inspiration! http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/1908-1914.htm (granted some plans don't show the layout of bathroom fixtures but there are some that do like The Chelsea)
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shirlpp
12 days ago
It looks like there's a tub right next to the toilet - so a full bath?
Kendrah
12 days ago

24" Triadsville Taupe Corner Bathroom Vanity · More Info

1. Have an extra $1k to spend? Hire someone to take out the current vanity, put in a $700 one like this and paint the mirror.

2. Get an expoy paint for the basin, and another kind of paint formulated for countertops. Paint them both. Do it soon so the horrific fumes can air out and you can see what it looks like.

If either of these sound like too much money or labor for you, then list your house for slightly less, or be willing to have your house sit a bit longer. (This depends hugely on where you live. Where I live it is expected that you'll rip out a bathroom and start over so the pink sink wouldn't matter.)
eld6161
12 days ago
last modified: 12 days ago
What is the sink and counter? I would look into seeing if the counter and sink can be painted white.
apple_pie_order
12 days ago
@shirllpp , you have sharp eyes to spot the edge of the tub!
kandrewspa
12 days ago
If the kitchen and all the baths are along these lines there is no reason to change anything. You aren't going to be able to significantly change buyers' impressions. You just need to price your home accordingly. While not everyone is going to want to undertake a complete remodel, some will and a few minor cosmetic changes aren't going to change your buyer pool. In a lot of locations inventory is very low. Despite the current higher interest rates this can create a market in favor of sellers. If you haven't already, familiarize yourself with your local market. I haven't always found agents terribly helpful in setting prices. Don't let anyone talk you into setting too high a price which will just cause your house to languish on the market. If you're a little low, competition will drive the price up.
elcieg
12 days ago
last modified: 12 days ago
Paint the vanity the pink of the counter, using a semi-gloss finish. The walls are white, so add a chair rail around the room and wallpaper above it.

Mirror is very big for the space, but replacing it might run you into money. Take it down and remove the crown molding so it just the frames around mirror are left. Paint it the pink of the vanity...same finish.
bpath
12 days ago
If you were to change out the vanity, how hard/$$ would it be to put in a normal, narrow vanity or pedestal sink? Even if it is narrow, I’d rather not stand kitty-corner to the toilet while brushing my teeth; back up wrong and you hit the commode?
Kendrah
12 days ago
I haven't always found agents terribly helpful in setting prices. Don't let anyone talk you into setting too high a price which will just cause your house to languish on the market. If you're a little low, competition will drive the price up.

Yes to this a thousand times!

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