Small Bathroom Remodel Ideas That Actually Add Space

Most small bathroom advice is about making a room look bigger. That helps, but the ideas that matter most are the ones that give you more usable floor, a bigger shower or storage that does not stick into the room. This page sorts the ideas that actually gain space from the ones that change perception, and says which need plumbing, framing or electrical changes so you can budget for them before demolition.

The ideas at a glance

Curbless and glass-only showers

A curb divides a small room in two. Remove it and the shower floor becomes part of the bathroom floor, which makes the whole room feel and work larger, and makes it easier to use as you age. A curbless shower is more involved than it looks: the shower area has to drop so the floor can slope to the drain, and the plumbing code Washington uses says that where a shower has no threshold, the floor space in the same room is considered a wet location. Waterproofing and electrical choices follow from that. Read curbless showers before you commit.

If curbless is not practical, a low curb with a single fixed glass panel still opens the room compared to a curtain or a framed sliding door. Shower glass must be safety glazing tested to the federal standard and permanently marked; see shower glass and doors.

Swap the tub for a bigger shower

In a 5 by 8 hall bath, the tub alcove is the largest single space in the room. Turning it into a walk-in shower gives you a shower the full width of the room. Washington's minimum shower is 900 square inches with room for a 30-inch circle, and a shower receptor of at least 30 by 60 inches is exempt from that area rule, so a full alcove comfortably qualifies. The work includes a new valve with scald protection, drain changes and waterproofing. Washington allows a smaller drain than usual in a tub-to-shower swap only where a 2-inch drain is not readily available, with the building official's approval and a single 1.8 gpm showerhead. See tub-to-shower conversions, and keep in mind whether this is the only tub in the house.

Wall-hung fixtures

A wall-hung toilet has its tank and mounting frame inside the wall, so only the bowl projects into the room. A wall-hung vanity leaves the floor open beneath it. Both make a small floor look larger and easier to clean. The catch is the wall: an in-wall toilet frame needs a wall cavity deep enough for the tank, which often means reframing or building out the wall, and the drain connection changes. A wall-hung vanity needs solid blocking and may need the drain and supply lines moved to suit its height. Remember the code clearances still apply: 15 inches from the toilet's centerline to a side wall and 21 inches clear in front of the toilet and sink.

Doors

A swinging door needs floor space where it swings, and in a small bathroom that space often overlaps the toilet or the vanity. A pocket door slides into the wall instead. It needs a cavity beside the opening with no plumbing, ducts or switches in it, which is easiest to arrange while walls are open. A barn-style sliding door on the hall side is another option where the hallway has wall space for it.

Storage that does not stick out

• Recessed medicine cabinet. Sits between the studs instead of on the wall. Check the wall first: plumbing vents, drains, ducts and wiring often run in exactly the wall behind a vanity.
• Shower niches. A recessed niche replaces a corner caddy or shelf. On an exterior wall, the opened cavity must be insulated again; Washington's energy code calls for at least R-15 in 2 by 4 walls and R-21 in 2 by 6 walls where existing cavities are exposed. See shower niches and benches.
• Shelving over the toilet or a shallow cabinet there uses wall height that is otherwise wasted.

More options are on bathroom storage.

Ideas that make the room feel bigger

• Larger tile. Fewer grout lines make surfaces read as one plane. Large tile needs a flat substrate. Under ANSI A108.02, tile with a side over 15 inches laid in a running bond is limited to a 33 percent offset unless the maker says otherwise, and needs a slightly wider minimum grout joint. See large-format and slab tile.
• Run the same floor tile into the shower, where the shower design allows, so the floor is continuous.
• A wide mirror across the vanity wall doubles the visual depth of the room.
• Light from several sources. Face-level lighting at the mirror plus a shower light removes dark corners that make a room feel smaller.
• Light colors on walls and ceiling reflect more of Vancouver's overcast daylight. See colors for Pacific Northwest light.

Which ideas need permits

Most of the space-gaining ideas above change plumbing or wiring. In the City of Vancouver, the plumbing permit exemption covers only removing and reinstalling the same fixture without rearranging valves, pipes or fixtures, and electrical permits are required for nearly all electrical work. So curbless showers, wall-hung toilets and tub-to-shower conversions should be planned as permitted work. Rules differ in other Clark County cities; check do you need a permit for the City of Vancouver and Clark County rules.

Getting it planned

A small bathroom has no spare inches, so the plan is where the space is won. At JDI Construction we measure the room, check what is in the walls and floor, and show the result in a 3D design layout before anything is ordered. If you are working to a budget, our earlier article on remodeling a bathroom on a budget has more ideas. When you are ready, start with bathroom remodeling in Vancouver, WA.