Hi there, I think that the skylight would definitely be the way to go, if your budget runs to it. It will really lift the whole stairwell and make it much lighter and brighter. Full height frosted doors may be OK on the laundry, but I wouldn't recommend it for the bathroom as when lights are on in the room, you may be able to see more than you bargained for, from the corridor. The occupants of the house may feel comfortable with it, but any guests or visitors may not. A frosted panel at the top of the door would be as far as I'd go. Bear in mind too, that glass lets more sound through than timber, and in a situation like yours, I'd recommend a solid core door, for that reason. I hope this helps!

We built about ten years ago. If you've ever read Susan Susanka's books about the "not so big house" concept, that's where we were coming from. The attention went into the efficient design of the house in relation to topography and orientation, and into the quality of fittings. We didn't want to have rooms we didn't use. So, 165 sq m, 3 bedrooms (one became the study), a small but very efficient g- shaped kitchen, open living/dining. We did have two bathrooms - one en suite, the other a combined bathroom /laundry - but while both had showers, neither had a tub. Bathrooms without tubs aren't very marketable to families with young kids, admittedly, but older folk often prefer showers. I do yhink having only one bathroom is problematic, but sticking with 3 beds, no study, isn't. We have an aging population looking for smaller, better houses.

You will need a bath with three or four tile flanges to match the one in the first photo. It has to do with complying with the building regulations for waterproofing and protecting the timber framing that is under the tiles. If the edge of the bath where it meets the tiles is not properly protected from water seeping through then concealed wet rot could start, and eventually everything will need to be ripped out, and built again. Sometimes even the timber floor joists under the bath rot out and need to be replaced. So I would do your research and co-ordinate carefully with your builder to ensure that the details are correctly built. Some builders will not go to the trouble of getting it right as they don't care if your bath falls through a rotten floor in ten years time. Quite often your choices in the bathroom should also take into account the long term functionality of the bathroom, rather than just the aesthetics. Best of luck with your research, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls/Dr Retro Virtual Visits.

the dimensions of the space keep changing?? the room is not big enough for a linen closet with separate bath and shower unless you keep the original but, if the existing closet is removed and the dimensions are confirmed, there could be enough room for a bigger bath and there's plenty of space in the generous hallways for several gorgeous freestanding storage cabinets that would probably be cheaper than having any built ins linen space..my bathroom suggestions include a bath, separate shower, toilet and pedestal or wall hung hand basin with a wall to wall shelf and wall cabinet for counter surface and toiletry storage ..a quick search located several small baths and suitable basins a smaller toilet doesn't help much as you still need knee and elbow space) and the biggest challenge will be making sure that the basin taps fit comfortably under the best height for the wall shelf