Ensuite & WIR design + space consideration help
Hello all!
Well it's been a while - we bought our first house and with the design help of some of the regulars especially on here we have completed some major renovations to the kitchen, lounge, pantry and laundry (majority of the work we did ourselves!). I will try to update the original thread with photos soon, but for now, we are after some advice and other ideas / posibilites for the next phase.
Now that we've lived in the house for a while to get a feel for the space, we really think we need a much larger walk in robe, ensuite, and main bathroom. The house is currently 5 bedrooms, but we are happy dropping to 4, as these bathrooms in particular are quite cramped compared to the openess of the house.
Our idea is this - remove the current ensuite completely and take out the wall between the ensuite/robe, giving a space of about 1700 x 4000.
Q1. - Is this going to be wide enough? We want to maximise storage - currently half our clothes are in the spare bedroom nextdoor... Would love to see layout ideas for storage. There's an angled part of the WIR wall that contains plumbing and can't be moved (easilly). I'm finding it difficult to decide on door locations too that dont affect the bedroom or storage space.
We will then put a door between the existing main bathroom and close this in from the hallway. Space is still not huge (approx 2700x2700), and there's a set of aluminium sliding windows above the current bath which might make designing the space more difficult - however, my idea re this is to put in glass bricks and build this into the shower. Additionally, we've cut out a space for a 'hatch' between the current bathroom area and the laundry - it opens up directly into the laundry basket in the new laundry cupboard.
Q2. - We would love some other ideas, suggestions or critcisms on the current bathroom layout please!
Thanks everyone!!!!
Comments (21)
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Need help with extension. Adding master bedroom with ensuite and WIR.
Comments (16)retain as much of the existing walls as possible and for stage 1 suggest stealing enough space from the office to include the window in a combined laundry pantry, keeping the separate front lounge and entry foyer and rearranging the kitchen with meals area and keep the original entry with twin cavity sliding doors and space for wall cabinets keeps some privacy for the entry stage 2 family bathroom, front bedroom and halls and remove storage from small bedrooms to allow for temporary entry doors stage 3 new bed 3, hallway with storage and master suite with extended hip roof stage 4 new laundry, family dining room, widen opning between kitchen and extension improved pantry, extra cabinets and study nook for old dining area and skillion roof then outdoor areas and holiday at home!!...See MoreEnsuite wir help please!
Comments (6)my suggestion contains the toilet and shower in a separate ventilated small bathroom with an open vanity and wiw designed to fit around the windows and original sliding doors cutting through the brick wall is a better entry than off the kitchen and allows more flexibility for the ens and wiw but precise measurements of the distance between the outside edges of the architraves around the sliding doors into the corners on both sides and the width and height off the floor to the outside edges of the architraves) of the windows may suggest other options and the bedroom is very generous and could have additional storage to suit the style of the house...See MoreSmall WIR and en-suite design
Comments (7)using the available space the storage walls in the wiw could be about 30cms wider than the existing biw but the ens is smaller without enough space for a vanity...moving the wall would create more wiw but the ens is still not long enough for more than a 1200 wide vanity so for all the trouble and expense of an extension (that will need council approval and fees) there isnt any real improvement on what you already have and the linen storage has also been lost......See MoreEnsuite and WIR Design Dilemma
Comments (23)for ventilation into the bedroom isn't there a wide highlight window above the bed already?? you only need an air gap on both sides for cross ventilation as there's the window above the bed and two doors into the bedroom (and the windows in the wiw and ens) as well as the balcony doors and you think you need an extra door? if you look closely at the plans you will see that the bedroom door opens without blocking the entry to the wiw which leaves about 2300 for the TV wall (don't forget the framing) and if you subtract an extra door you lose about 90cms off the tv wall as well as reducing the storage walls in Kate's plan by about 2m (ie the L shape corner of the wiw) and/or lose a second vanity and add a second doorway into the ens in my design and it doesn't function better and the balcony door should be narrower to allow for curtains to be pulled back to at least one or both sides and the opening to the balcony door is also on the wrong end so curtains will be bunched up against the TV when the curtains are open but assume you wanted the doors to be that wide for a reason?? but, long after we've become used to the look of a space the way it functions will either please or drive you crazy and we all wonder if we should have done it differently.....See More
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agomy suggestions include a biw in the master bedroom and separate powder room with extra storage in the laundry
- 5 years ago
Thank you very much everyone!
I'll try to address each idea provided:@MB Design & Drafting - I think this is a good idea that we should certainly try to look at further. The only real problems I see with this are that you need to walk around the whole bed to go into the WIR door (Assuming it is at the top of the floorplan) - otherwise the bed wouldn't be centered in between the windows and may look a bit funny perhaps? This would mean quite a long walk to get into the ensuite, assuming again that door is to the bottom of that wall?
@Kitchen and Home Sketch Designs Thank you Margot for the clear dimensions and ideas - it really helps to think about the space like that. The laundry is already completed (pics below) - we went from having the door opening into the short hall/toilet/bathroom intersection to a sliding door in the main halway, giving us the benchspace and cupboards right the way through as you and some others suggested - much better! I'm not too sure if I understand how you are setting out the powder room?
@bigreader We will take a look, thanks!
@Kate Sure - this is minus the ensuite changes and is a bit rough. We plan to put a door in the hallway just prior to the laundry after the new bathroom doorso we can seperate private areas from the living spaces (and for air conditioning) . We also have a downstairs area (not shown) with another large bedroom, bathroom and a rumpus which also doubles as a family area + office/study nook. Unfortunately we couldn't swap the office to a bathroom here as due to the downstairs area we can't get to this part of the house for the plumbing - north of the hallway we can very easily!:
@oklouise As always some great ideas! A few issues that I can see if perhaps you can see ways around them or modify your design? - the windows in the m/bedroom won't accomodate a king or queen bed between them without obstruction, and there is an airconditioner on the wall (left side) where you suggested the extra BIW. I think we would rather have the bed against the top wall as it is now or the wall adjoining the WIW. We also kind of like the size of this room now - not too big or small. The powder room is a great concept and may still work with the laundry which is already completed (see above) - but what is the feeling on having a toilet seperate to the main bathroom that guests are likely to use? This would also double as a bathroom we would use if someone wanted a bath, or a more sunlit bathroom (North is to the right of the plan).
Thanks everyone! 
Lee & Laura thanked Kate- 5 years ago
Hi again all, thanks again for the comments
@Kate That's interesting that you've suggested that - any suggestion is much appreciated, but we've acutally opened up that front foyer area as part of our removation - there used to be a wall where the open area of the kitchen is now, and it felt a little intruding. Here's a few photos of what we've done already in this front area:
ORIGINAL ENTRY LOOKING INTO LIVING
ORIGINAL DINING - Sliding door and corner wall removed (image below), this room is now the kitchen, butlers pantry added on the right between kitchen and stairs...
NEW
- Proposed bathroom on the right (old yellowish door to room)Main entry is over right shoulder, sliding door to laundry is in the middle. Margot your proposed door would be just to the left of the glass brick window.
View from living room towards unused room
New butlers pantry running behind the staircase - 5 years ago
@oklouise Thanks Louise. I've just measured up and below is an accurate plan of the current layout of the room we are looking to make into a bathroom - I forgot to measure the window on the right on the 3.42m wall sorry. The old laundry cupboard is the void at the bottom and ready to be used. We would like a bath in this room in addition to a shower.
The airconditioner is mounted as below in this image (top left) - open to moving it if necessary, however from the outside the unit is in a good spot mounted up high and isn't an eyesore.
@Kitchen and Home Sketch Designs Hi Margot, I'm not sure I understand fully? Could you draw us a diagram? Sorry! Thanks everyone! - 5 years ago
I would leave door where it is and put cupboard behind door, then vanity 1800 along that same wall. Bath and toilet on outside wall and shower on hall wall
Lee & Laura thanked Kate - 5 years ago
there is more than enough space to have many variations but with the open entry foyer and the kitchen off the same space i prefer a more private bathroom and toilet and my suggestion is to make a separate vanity area then the toilet and bathroom and the small leftover space next to the toilet can be storage from either the laundry or bathroom side and subject to the width of the bathroom window the shower can be narrower or up to the full width of the room
Lee & Laura thanked oklouise - 5 years ago
- 5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
the walk in shower is supersized and could easily remain in the same location without too much concern for the window although having the bath along the other side wall creates a more spacious feeling but the separate toilet with the twin vanities would be my preference
bigreader