Need help for original 70s bathroom with skew toilet

nomadicmel

8 years ago

Family Bathroom Laundry · More Info

Water damaged vanity · More Info

Skew toilet and shower to be replaced by stacked washer/dryer · More Info

Our 70s shower is leaking, prompting a full refurb - we want to move the stacked washer/dryer from the laundry (allowing us to have a second bathroom). We would like to move the shower over the bath to allow us to put the laundry where the shower is. But, we will be stuck with a shower beside

Skew toilet and considering shower over bath · More Info

the window (Bad) and a skew plumbed toilet (Bad). Can we avoid this? Is there a better layout? Thank you!

Featured Answer

Jo

8 years ago

Do you have room under the stairs to place your laundry ? You could enclose the space and add doors to hide the area away when not in use. This would free up the up stairs areas for the bathrooms.

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Comments (24)

azztyson
8 years ago
My first two questions would be, why no shower beside window and do you need a bath?
nomadicmel
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks so much for replying. Apparently, shower beside window means water pools in the window frame, making it dirty and affecting the life of the frame. I am pretty keen to keep the bath if we can as we have small children and I quite like a bath myself :) A smaller corner or European style short and deep bath would be ok ...
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azztyson
8 years ago
Ok yes bath is needed for little ones! The window looks fairly high? Then would depend on the type of shower head you use but I don't think it would cause a problem the frames look aluminum ? What about extending the wall out ( the one with the toilet paper on) and turning the toilet around (back to the small wall) to eliminate that plumbing and for balance maybe doing a small wall on the other side too to protect the basin / vanity. Entry into the shower/ bath area would be through the middle and laundry in old shower area as mentioned built in with some shelves or storage !?
bigreader
8 years ago
Could you post a floor plan of house? There are great minds here on house and they may be able to spot another spot for your cupboard laundry.

Are you on stumps or slab?

Can you post dimensions of existing laundry and the existing bathroom? Then tell us the ending point you want eg main bathroom with bath etc and second bathroom and cupboard laundry.
nomadicmel
Original Author
8 years ago
Hi, great idea on submitting the house plan. I am quite keen to keep the laundry upstairs and close to the bedrooms if we can, but we want to change the laundry into a small second bathroom. The dimensions of the main bathroom are 2.4 m x 3.2 m and the dimensions of the laundry are 1.35 m x 2.55m. This is small scale living!
scottevie
8 years ago
Is there room at the top of the stairs for a small laundry cupboard backing onto or next to the shower? It would need to be approx 700mm deep and have enough space to safely manoeuvre washing in and out safely away from step down - might not meet building codes?
nomadicmel
Original Author
8 years ago
scottievie that is so interesting - would certainly breach building and safety as is but we may be able to turn the steps to come up onto the landing just before the cupboard ....expensive but worth a second bathroom!
girlguides
8 years ago
You could tile window above bath - mine is and works well
nomadicmel thanked girlguides
KK1000
8 years ago
We always had shower next to the aluminium window and no problems with it, I would not worry about that it seems like the best place for it. It is expensive moving the plumbing so I would keep toilet in the same spot just get a good carpenter to build a box around it and you could hide the water cistern at the same time.
nomadicmel thanked KK1000
KK1000
8 years ago
I just realised you have only one toilet,is there room in the laundry for the new shower and the toilet, or maybe under the the stairs???is it a townhouse , do you have to deal with body corporate??
nomadicmel thanked KK1000
olldroo
8 years ago
Although windows are aluminium, they are still in timber frames and that is the issue, but I believe there are now waterproof blinds on the market that allow showers to be safely put beside a window.

A lot will depend on costs of moving plumbing, if it is even possible, as your plan suggests you are living in a townhouse which could well limit what you can do and is more likely to be built on slab, making it even more difficult. You may also need Body Corporate/Strata Management approval to do this work too.

However, if you want two bathrooms anyway then why not delete the shower in the main bathroom, put your laundry where you want it, definitely see how the toilet can be improved on and then turn the laundry into a shower room with a second vanity - that never goes astray for storage. If there is provision under the stairs, a powder room with a second toilet would be very useful too.
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nomadicmel thanked olldroo
nomadicmel
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank you everyone. I'm keen to turn the laundry into a small bathroom with shower, toilet and sink which means I'm now seriously considering just having a bath in the main bathroom (now also laundry). It's a big trade off just for a window though ... so maybe I should put glass bricks over the window so it still lets in light but forget about it as a source of ventilation. I just don't think I can trust teenagers with a waterproof blind or shower curtain!
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KK1000
8 years ago
I would not sacrifice window you haven't lived with mould obviously, there is nothing wrong with the shower in front of the window and teenagers? You have to give them some credit they are human too, I have Two. I don't think they would let you that , you can not alter outside of the building if it's in a complex.
olldroo
8 years ago
nomadicmel - I would not consider removing the window at all - ventilation is so important, or you will give yourself even more problems, especially if you are having a dryer in there. Have you given consideration to where that will be vented anyway.

If you are planning ahead for teenagers (and good luck with that) having a bath in one room and a shower in the other will be a very good investment, teenagers are anal about their privacy, but do be very mindful of storage - a vanity in the laundry will really be important - just somewhere to put a hair dryer for example.
olldroo
8 years ago
Gosh oskuee - we are really on the same page here.
kooky_karen
8 years ago
nomadicel - your idea of having no shower in the bath/laundry room and having the shower, toilet and basin in the laundry is a great idea. That would allow for both to be used at the same time if necessary.

The toilet is a horror. Surely a plumber would be able fix it by knocking out some of that extended wall and running the pipes through the space to the toilet - no kinks, just one straight line.
Vy
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
your bathroom and laundry is on the second floor which means very easy for the plumber to move the toilet or install a new one..I would move the toilet !!!

if you're keen to have more room change your doors to the bathroom/laundry to sliding doors..you'd be surprise as to how much room you'd gain..

my bathrooms are tiny too..the one below is 1.9m by 2m and I managed to fit a bath/shower vanity and toilet..

your washing machine and dryer should only take up 600mm..
Vy
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I changed a separate bathroom and WC ( 2m by 3.9m) into two bathrooms.. the one next to this one is a bit bigger as took out a linen cupboard so about 1.9m by 2.6m and has the original toilet..

I'm also in a townhouse 1 of 5..
Vy
8 years ago
just a thought you could always flip your bath around end where window is..the other end build a fake part wall..shower head fake wall end..

that would give you room for toilet under the window..your washer/dryer still where the existing shower is..

move your vanity along ..you'd have room if you change your door to a sliding door..

plus plus as you've still got a window for ventilation
KK1000
8 years ago
Having sliding doors instead is good idea, but if you don't have cavity for it or you are not keen on the idea, you could have door open to the outside , on the lending, all you have to do is reposition hinges, we have done it on our spare toilet and it made a huge difference.
nomadicmel
Original Author
8 years ago
Vy - I love your small bathroom. It's perfect, isn't it! The sliding doors are a good idea. The walls are double brick so they would have to slide along the inside of the wall, next to the laundry .... I don't think that would be a problem.
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olldroo
8 years ago
Sliding doors, while a great spacesaver can also be very noisy.
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KK1000
8 years ago
This days sliding doors are not noisy here are some examples, they don't have to be inside the bathroom, could be hang on the outside wall.