Too small? Shower room 1.9 m x 1.2m

last year

Shower room 1.9 m x 1.2m is this too small?
I have just bought a 2 bed flat and there’s cupboard next to the shower room that has a water tank in it that can be removed.
Ideally, I’d like to knock the wall down through to the existing shower room and then construct 2 similar sized shower rooms.
I have a structural engineer booked in to advise on this etc as I am also going to have the kitchen wall removed (it has already been agreed by the freeholder) , but I’d love opinions please.
Thanks for any thoughts.

Featured Answer

PRO

CARL Architect

last year

Hi Sarah,

I have attached a short video explaining some options for you.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can help with.

Shower room options

Carl

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Comments (31)

sarah27_jones
Original Author
last year
Hi Carl,
Thank you so much, I’ve just measured and the 2 rooms do add up to 2.42 metres plus the existing dividing wall.

I am really grateful for your advice. I hadn’t thought about enclosing the cisterns in the wall, this sounds like an amazing idea. (Which is obviously why you are the expert….)

I think my initial enquiry was because I didn’t want to get the work done and find everything too cramped, but now you have clearly stated the doors can be more narrow, this actually helps. I am planning on moving the bedroom door toward the gap between the 2 existing doors and this will then make an en-suite….. and will alleviate the problem of the door being in the way.

Once again, I am very appreciative for your help.

Regards Sarah
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Thanks all this is very reassuring! Here is a pic of the layout. The wall between the bedroom and the en-suite is going to be stud while The opposite wall with sink against it is a solid outer wall (but we’ve an extension the other side of it now) so that was making me think if I put the shower head on that wall then I’d need to have it built out a bit to accommodate piping Or chased in (?) - so perhaps the more logical option is to have the shower head on the bedroom wall side where it’s stud or from the Far end wall and then Pop a niche in the stud? Wet room would be the dream Sarah but I think too costly for us so hoping we can get a slimline tray not on risers ideally, or if it has to be raised, to make a feature of it by tiling or making a wee flat bit before tray starts.
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tab darcy
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If you are renovating the kitchen anyway, would you consider using the kitchen window bit as just a shower and sink for bedroom 2, leaving a second loo in the 'cupboard' in the hall?. (It might be tricky to move a loo soil pipe there but a grey waste from shower should be easier).
sarah27_jones
Original Author
last year
Interesting, thank you, food for thought. I’ll have a ponder….
sarah27_jones
Original Author
last year
Hi tab darcy, I’ve had a look and the shower could be 700mm wide, however it would only be 600mm before it encroached on the window, so it’s not viable. Thank you so much for you input though, great thinking!!
Sarah
tab darcy
last year
How about it being a wet room floor with a glass panel that covers the window while the shower is in use, but folds back to enable access to the window. Or a corner shower against the new wall? Congrats on your purchase and Good luck with your project.
Bathrooms · More Info
sarah27_jones
Original Author
last year
Thanks for your thoughts…. So much to think about before the structural engineer arrives! 😁
cazSF
last year
Hands down I would make that a utility room / coat cupboard. Have you considered opening up the kitchen to the living space?
cazSF
last year
Even a hatch with an overhang and a couple of bar stools will give your friends somewhere to perch while you cook up a storm :)
Sarah
last year
If you are prepared to move the fittings in your current shower room, it looks as if you can definitely grab some of that space. One other possible option for the second shower room is to make it a wet room as someone else has suggested. Put the toilet on the outside wall and walk through the shower area to it. You can get toilets with built-in basins - in fact, if you do that, you could probably just use the current area without moving the wall.
Kay Kiel
last year
I h

Had a shower room put into the corner of my sons bedroom where there were unused wardrobes. We saved space by using a toilet with attached sink. total measurements of exterior walls 120cm x 143cm
Wumi
last year
For me storage is king. Where do coats, cleaning equipment, shoes, bags and linens go? A cloak cupboard, with a washing machine and slatted/vented sliding doors would be my go to.

Example of kitchen hatch/window as @cazSF suggested.

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sarah27_jones
Original Author
last year
OMG, I just thanked everyone with comments and there was an error……
sarah27_jones
Original Author
last year
Ok, thank you to you all…..

Cazsf, definitely the wall is coming down between the kitchen and living area as you can see in my floor plan above….. I have a plan for the utility cupboard, please see the added floor plan with this post.

Sarah, I’m not a fan of a wet room, so I am happy to make 2 shower rooms 1200 x 1900 each one. I was really trying to gauge if this is big enough? But thank you for commenting, all gratefully received.

Kaykiel, your son must be delighted with his new shower room, it looks amazing. Hard to believe what a couple of redundant wardrobes can become! Definitely a photo for my ‘scrap book’!

Wumi, please see the new plan added with my new utility ‘room’….. the existing kitchen doorway will form the new cupboard door, washing machine and tumble dryer stacked . The ‘walls’ of the cupboard will be made to look like kitchen units, so for me, a better use of the corner of the kitchen. There is only me in the flat, so I’m more than happy to use the bedrooms for coats etc, there is a cupboard in the lobby of the flat that is demised to me, so this will be for mops etc, the vanity’s in the bathroom for cleaning materials etc….

Thank you all once again for your thoughts and opinions….
Sarah
sarah27_jones
Original Author
last year
Ok, thank you to you all…..

Cazsf, definitely the wall is coming down between the kitchen and living area as you can see in my floor plan above….. I have a plan for the utility cupboard, please see the added floor plan with this post.

Sarah, I’m not a fan of a wet room, so I am happy to make 2 shower rooms 1200 x 1900 each one. I was really trying to gauge if this is big enough? But thank you for commenting, all gratefully received.

Kaykiel, your son must be delighted with his new shower room, it looks amazing. Hard to believe what a couple of redundant wardrobes can become! Definitely a photo for my ‘scrap book’!

Wumi, please see the new plan added with my new utility ‘room’….. the existing kitchen doorway will form the new cupboard door, washing machine and tumble dryer stacked . The ‘walls’ of the cupboard will be made to look like kitchen units, so for me, a better use of the corner of the kitchen. There is only me in the flat, so I’m more than happy to use the bedrooms for coats etc, there is a cupboard in the lobby of the flat that is demised to me, so this will be for mops etc, the vanity’s in the bathroom for cleaning materials etc….
sarah27_jones
Original Author
last year
Hopefully these comments make sense as I can’t seem to attach another floor plan photo…
sarah27_jones
Original Author
last year
Further to your comments. Thanks
cazSF
last year
It’s going to be great!
Katie Duke
last year
Hi Sarah - it sounds as though you have already had some good advice. I'm attaching pics of my attic en suite which is similar in size to what you've mentioned. The wall with shower and loo is 178cm and the room is 198cm deep (from door to shower wall). The shower tray is 75x98cm. People always say to go for the biggest shower tray poss but this works fine for me (but might be too small for others). I think you need to start with shower tray dimensions and work a layout around that. You can look for narrow toilets with a short projection. Wall hung toilets will eat into floor space as you may need a stud wall to hang the loo from, however depending on the configuration of space you may be able to also get your basin and a cabinet on the same stud wall and therefore maximise the space. Planning small bathrooms can be tricky but def doable. Good luck!
sarah27_jones
Original Author
last year
Thank you Katie, your shower room looks fabulous. Sadly though with mine being 580mm smaller, on one wall, I’m not too sure that they would compare. I only have 120cm x 190 cm. However I did do a mock up in my kitchen to ‘just see’ 🙄
sarah27_jones
Original Author
last year
This shower room that in did in my last house… used to be 500mm smaller, I took the space from a built in wardrobe from the room next door… amazing the difference 500mm can make!!

1st & 2nd photo after with the wardrobe claimed, 3rd photo before…
Katie Duke
last year
Your mock up looks good! (As does your previous bathroom). You could maybe look at just having a fixed pane of glass to create the side wall of the shower and not have to worry about having room for a shower enclosure door to open into the space. Also for our bathroom the builder suggested a narrower door opening (c.60cm wide rather than 80cm), that gave us a bit more room on the wall for the basin but could also be helpful in your set up for a towel radiator? Shelves?
Katie Duke
last year
Just realised that our main bathroom has similar lay out to what you have laid out. The window wall shown here is 190cm. The bath width edge to edge is 70cm so like your kitchen mock up shows, if you went for a similar width shower tray you should be able to get all 3 pieces along a 190cm stretch. The tape measure in 2nd pic is opened out to 120cm your other dimension.
Katie Duke
last year
*You will definitely need a short projection loo!
sarah27_jones
Original Author
last year
Absolutely fantastic, I feel rest assured now that the space will be big enough - thanks to everyone for your input… so useful and such a great forum.
Sarah
HU-1405798
last year
Hi Sarah, just to add my two penn'orth, I would take down the wall dividing the hall from both the kitchen and the living room, which would give lots of light into the current hall area and open up the space completely. Maybe just have one cupboard 60 cm width, facing the front door for tall things or coats, which would also hide to some extent the kitchen work surface behind it.
sarah27_jones
Original Author
last year
Thanks, it’s definitely another thought, however there is a soil pipe in the wall there…pls see floor plan below….
sarah27_jones
Original Author
last year
Soil pipe marked
HU-1405798
last year
Funny place for a soil pipe! You could just have a column....?
PRO
Phillip Brewer Architecture Ltd
last year
Hi Sarah,

I think 1.9x1.2 is a small but not-too-small shower room! It looks like you have received lots of great advice already, especially the hidden cisterns within the stud wall to save space in the rooms.

Its hard to tell if the floor plan shown is accurate or to scale, but it seems like there is a bit of extra space right of the front door. So I wondered if you could enlarge the main shower room to be big enough so you could have a bath with a shower above? This room could also have storage for general bathroom and cleaning supplies.

Please let me know if this idea works for you? And I wish you all the best with your flat renovation project!!

Phill
sarah27_jones
Original Author
last year
Thank you Phill for your comments.
I have only just realised that the floor plan is slightly askew, the wall between bed 2 and the kitchen that is then between the hall and cupboard is actually structural…
The space that you have noted to the right of the front door is only about 130mm, so not too sure if I would move it anyhow.
I have since ‘discovered’ another soil pipe in the shower room! Please see added floor plan.
Thanks for your interest and time
Sarah