5x8 bathroom remodel: looking for feedback

[GeoffD]

I own a 980 square foot cottage as my 6 month summer residence. The project this winter is a total bathroom remodel. One of my best friends has done all my contracting and carpentry so this is his January into February project.

This is what I have now:

Pocket door, small shower, vanity that's too big for the room, and a toilet where I bump my side into the vanity when I'm sitting on the throne. 7 foot ceiling.


Here's what I'm thinking:


Step 1:
Gut the room completely. Floor completely removed. Ceiling completely removed.

Step 2: Install radiant heat in the floor as a separate zone. My boiler is already plumbed for it and the HVAC guy I use has quoted me a price I'm happy with.

Step 3: Vault the ceiling and install a manual-open skylight on the angled part of the vaulting.
You can see what it looks like vaulted in the kitchen:


I'll probably go with a Velux like this one:


Step 4:
To pick up some storage, re-frame the wall between the bath and guest bedroom with 2x8 and install a shallow closet to hold "bathroom stuff"

Step 5: Replace the double hung window with a 4'x4' Pittsburgh-Corning block glass window. They make them pre-assembled and vinyl framed. It can be done so it won't ever leak.


Fixtures:
I'm thinking I'll use a white cast iron Kohler 36"x60" shower base. I've been toying with a curbless (roll in) shower but I think I'd rather have a shower base.



a glass door and wall similar to the photo above, and white subway tile.

I'm hoping I can use a wall-mounted toilet with the tank buried in the wall. Probably a Toto. I'm 6'3". I'll mount it at comfort height.



I'm thinking I'll suspend a corian counter in the corner and put a vessel sink on it. I may opt for a small vanity but I kind of like the idea of having an uncluttered 4' x 5' heated tile floor that is easy to clean.

[SHawthy33]

Your new layout is a no-brainer. If you want into the majority of bathrooms this is the layout, shower is always along the back-way. Having it up front by the pocket door just closes too much in.

Sky light is a bonus and an awesome feature in a bathroom, I would just spend the money and make sure its vinyl/aluminum/stainless everywhere or its going to be an issue in short time.

If your going to tile the floor, why not tile the shower and do a roll-in? I'm not seeing the benefits of a shower basin. I would go tile all the way through the place and right up to the ceiling around the shower.

[Oliver@triplezoom]

Your plan looks good. IKEA has some nice compact vanities that can be wall mounted. I would check them out.

[GeoffD]

Your new layout is a no-brainer. If you want into the majority of bathrooms this is the layout, shower is always along the back-way. Having it up front by the pocket door just closes too much in.

Sky light is a bonus and an awesome feature in a bathroom, I would just spend the money and make sure its vinyl/aluminum/stainless everywhere or its going to be an issue in short time.

If your going to tile the floor, why not tile the shower and do a roll-in? I'm not seeing the benefits of a shower basin. I would go tile all the way through the place and right up to the ceiling around the shower.

Yep. The current layout doesn't work. The shower is way too small. It drives me nuts that I bump into the vanity every time I sit on the crapper.

I'm still uncertain about whether I want a cast iron 3x5' shower base or a roll-in. I really like the look of a cast iron shower base. The roll-in is only attractive to me because you never know... I'm in my early 50's, plan to retire in this place, and I ski & don't have intact ACLs so I suspect I'm going to have knee replacements in my future at some point. I could do a 3' glass door roll-in since I'm hoping to use a wall-mount toilet so I have the room for the bigger door. I guess my next step is to pull in the good tile guy in town, the good glass door guy, and see what they think. Since the floor is already coming out (rot and radiant heat going in), it's not a big deal to pitch the whole floor towards the drain and drop the floor joists for a shower pan.

I only have a 7' ceiling in this cottage. That's why I'm vaulting the bath. I'm thinking subway tile up to 7' in the shower enclosure so the outside wall is entirely glass block and subway tile. It might look funky trying to run it up on an angle where the side walls of the shower enclosure follow the roof line. Again, I'll hash it out with the good tile guy. I might end up tiling the whole shower enclosure including the vaulted ceiling.

[vmekdubyu]

I hope your best friend is in the 6' club, because nothing sucks more than having to bend or stoop to make it under the shower head.

[crawford]

Personally not a fan of glass block. It's about as up-to-date as those brass fixtures you're showing.

[GeoffD]

I hope your best friend is in the 6' club, because nothing sucks more than having to bend or stoop to make it under the shower head.

Hmmm....

I'm 6'3" and the shower head in my 7' ceiling bathroom is fine. After I vault the ceiling, I'll be able to mount it even higher. My intention is to have both a shower head and a wand/hand shower on a wall-mounted rail.

[robr2]

I'm not a fan of windows in showers - IMHO, it's impossible to get they water-tight.

I'd turn the sink and WC 90 degrees and place them on the outside wall and then make the shower longer against the kitchen wall. Lastly, I'd lose the door from the guest room. I'd use that space for medicine cabinets/towel bars.

[spockcat]

I'm not a fan of windows in showers - IMHO, it's impossible to get they water-tight.

I'd turn the sink and WC 90 degrees and place them on the outside wall and then make the shower longer against the kitchen wall. Lastly, I'd lose the door from the guest room. I'd use that space for medicine cabinets/towel bars.

He is in VT. Unless he can run water up from the floor below, he shouldn't have pipes/plumbing fixtures on the outside wall as they may freeze.

I would agree on the window issue, especially in VT. At the very least, it should only be at about 5' to 6' above the floor. Of course, he may have an issue with changing the size of the window and the outside siding. In that case, I think his glass block solution is better than a standard window.

[Mk1Racer]

I used to be in the kitchen and bath remodeling business. I like your new design a lot. Can't go wrong w/ a Velux skylight or a Toto toilet (I use both in my house).

A couple of things though. Before I re-did that wall for 'storage', I'd put in some kind of toilet-topper wall cabinet. Much simpler solution, and you're not stealing floor space w/ a bigger wall.

Glass block is a funny thing. It can look horribly 50's/60's, or it can really work. I think a lot of it depends on the rest of the design. Since natural light is limited in that space, I say go for it. My main concern would be for the insulating value in the winter. And has been already pointed out, don't run any plumbing up that outside wall.

I have no experience w/ in-the-wall toilet tanks, but my initial reaction is how do you access them if (when?) you need to replace parts? Cool idea though, buys you floor space. I have a nice Toto 1-piece low boy toilet. Comfort height and elongated bowl w/ the soft-close seat. Best toilet I've ever crapped on! Projects just under 30" off the wall.

Also, w/ the limited storage space you have, I'd go w/ a traditional vanity base and a medicine cabinet above the sink. You can still do a vessel sink w/ that, if you're set on having one.

Can't offer any advice on the shower pan, that's a personal decision. Although, before I got an enameled cast iron one, I'd look at a terrazzo one. I forget the company I used to get them from, but they were very nice. And depending on what's below, you might be able to notch the joists and set it lower so that you could have your roll-in option.

[vmekdubyu]

I hope it works out for you, Geoff..=))

[Mk1Racer]

Geoff,

I'm guestimating from that drawing that the guest br is ~10x10. That door swinging into the space instead of against the wall is a major no-no from a design perspective. I'm guessing if it swung the other way, it would interfere w/ the closet door, not to mention I'm sure the light switch is already to the left of the door (next to the closet), as you walk in. I'd still flip that door, and move the light switch.

Although, if you do a pocket door, you'll have to bump that wall to be in line w/ the current door jamb. Not sure exactly how far that is. Certainly doable. For your storage, you could then do a shallow built-in cabinet on the bathroom side. Again, not optimal, but given your constraints, probably workable.

And given the layout, I'm guessing the smaller BR was actually intended as the 'master', since it's closest to the bathroom, and has the door out to the porch/balcony. Looks like a cool place for a single person.

[GeoffD]

Geoff,

I'm guestimating from that drawing that the guest br is ~10x10. That door swinging into the space instead of against the wall is a major no-no from a design perspective. I'm guessing if it swung the other way, it would interfere w/ the closet door, not to mention I'm sure the light switch is already to the left of the door (next to the closet), as you walk in. I'd still flip that door, and move the light switch.

Although, if you do a pocket door, you'll have to bump that wall to be in line w/ the current door jamb. Not sure exactly how far that is. Certainly doable. For your storage, you could then do a shallow built-in cabinet on the bathroom side. Again, not optimal, but given your constraints, probably workable.

And given the layout, I'm guessing the smaller BR was actually intended as the 'master', since it's closest to the bathroom, and has the door out to the porch/balcony. Looks like a cool place for a single person.

At one point, this cottage had a divorced woman and 3 children living in it. As you say, the Master was what I'm calling the guest bedroom. Before I moved walls around, what I call a study was used as a small 3rd bedroom. That 3rd bedroom had no heat and almost no insulation. A cool place for a single person or empty nesters. I can't imagine 4 or 5 people in the place.

From the guest bedroom door to the glass door that opens to the back deck is 9 feet. Most of the room is 9' 6".

It's 11 feet in the other direction.

I have to decide what I want to do with the guest bedroom this year. The cheapest approach is to just steal 4" out of the room for my shallow bathroom closet, paint the new wall, put the carpet back, and deal with the room some other year. Other than as the main passage to the back deck, the queen bed in that room is mostly used by one of my cats.

[Mk1Racer]

So if you don't use it regularly as a guest BR, why not ditch the queen bed and put something like a futon in there? That way you have a spare room for the few times you have guests, and you're not stuck w/ a queen bed in there all the time. That would let you steal some more space for a bathroom closet. Or, I'd look at making that room the study / office (since it has access to the deck) and make the current study a spare room w/ a futon for the occasional guest. Get some more space in the current study by taking down that closet. I'm guessing that you moved that wall so that you could fit a dinning room table. I guess it all comes down to money and what you want to eventually do w/ the place. Like I said, looks like a great place for a single person or a couple w/ no kids.

[GeoffD]

So if you don't use it regularly as a guest BR, why not ditch the queen bed and put something like a futon in there? That way you have a spare room for the few times you have guests, and you're not stuck w/ a queen bed in there all the time. That would let you steal some more space for a bathroom closet.

I'm not willing to give up the queen bed in the guest bedroom. Even though the room is under-utilized, I want people to be comfortable when they stay with me. I thought about a Murphy bed but I wouldn't use the space for anything else. I have a 50" plasma in my living room so it's not like I need a TV room. My office / study is really well set up and I don't need more space for that function.

Or, I'd look at making that room the study / office (since it has access to the deck) and make the current study a spare room w/ a futon for the occasional guest. Get some more space in the current study by taking down that closet.

I make use of that closet in my office. It's the only closet near the side entrance to the cottage that everyone uses. I use half of it to hang coats. I use the other half for my printer and lab equipment. I telecommute and do cable modem technology for a living. I have a Cisco CMTS in there along with a Linux PC.

I don't plan on ever selling the place but it would destroy market value if I did anything to prevent my guest bedroom from being used as a bedroom.

I'm guessing that you moved that wall so that you could fit a dinning room table. I guess it all comes down to money and what you want to eventually do w/ the place. Like I said, looks like a great place for a single person or a couple w/ no kids.

Yep. All of my original remodeling was done to fit a real table into the kitchen.

So I had a lengthy conversation (and way too much to drink) with my carpenter friend who is going to be doing the work during the Patriots game on Sunday. I had drinks with the tile guy on Friday night.

* I'm definitely doing a pocket door for the guest bedroom.

* To make the pocket door fit, the closet in the bathroom shrinks to more like 18".

* It should be no big deal to fabricate a custom wall-mounted vanity that matches the maple slab of my kitchen cabinets. The closet door will also be a maple slab.

* I'm going to stick with a 3' x 5' Kohler cast iron shower base. It makes the project much simpler and cheaper.

When the project kicks off, I still have to make a decision about gutting the guest bedroom. That will likely wait for another year.

[DavidJeters]

I like the idea of valued ceiling for a bathroom. Do you know much that adds to the cost of doing the remodeling?

[GeoffD]

I like the idea of valued ceiling for a bathroom. Do you know much that adds to the cost of doing the remodeling?

Maybe $4,000 extra including the skylight.

Here are a few shots I took yesterday. It's ready for the electrician to rewire the bathroom and guest bedroom

This is looking up at the framing for the vaulted ceiling and skylight


The Toto tank for the toilet and the old mirror temporarily placed where the new medicine cabinet is going


The guest bedroom

[Markos]

Looks like quality work so far! The vaulted ceiling should really help open the space up!

I'm really curious about that Toto tank setup. How do you service it?

[GeoffD]

Looks like quality work so far! The vaulted ceiling should really help open the space up!

I'm really curious about that Toto tank setup. How do you service it?

The moving parts are behind a chrome flush plate. You can remove that to service the tank. If it's a more serious problem, you unbolt the toilet, chisel the tile out, and remove the wallboard to get to the tank.

From the Toto brochure-ware:

How is the frame attached?
The frame is bolted to the studs in the wall. Bracing above the carrier, between the studs, is recommended.
Rough-in dimensions are available on specification sheet available on www.totousa.com.

What if the tank components need service after installation?
The fill valve and flush valve can be removed for service at anytime after installation through the access port, located behind
the dual-flush control panel.

How can I be sure the tank will not leak?
The plastic tanks are blow-molded from durable Polyethylene and are pressure-tested to ensure a leak-free installation. There
are no tank seams or threaded supply connections beneath the water line. In the unlikely case that the fill or flush valve should
develop a leak, water will drain into the bowl and overflow into the waste connection, ensuring safety and peace of mind.

How is the water supply line connected to the tank?
The supply line runs along the wall stud on either side of the frame and connects via a standard ½” supply threaded fitting
to the top of the tank. The connection then continues internally from the top of the tank to the fill valve via a supplied flexible
hose.

[Egilbe]

Tom Brady has Toto Toilets in his house