My builder brother in law is asking me which way the joists run as that might affect whether we can easily have a floor level shower tray. Any other practical help (I wouldnt have thought about that at all!) would be very welcome so i can get a detailed plan before I start talking to planners/builders.

I feel your pain. I am also planning a bathroom renovation. Could you please show us more of your floorplan so that we can get a better sense of the bathroom in relation to the surrounding rooms? A few things to bear in mind. Showers are more difficult than baths as you need to be able to drain it and that requires a slope hence the question about joists. Your house looks period to me. Box outs were essential as you couldn't chase the plumbing into the walls retrospectively. Your budget is very relevant as that will dictate the layout. Moving soil pipes and completely redesigning the plumbing is expensive. As you need storage you definitely need a vanity under the basin. Layout 1 has space available to the left of the door for a shallow cupboard or shelf storage. I know you like layout 2 but I think 1 is a more efficient use of space.

I think you should be considering the dressing room at the same time. Creating the cupboards either side of a basin is a dated idea and leaves a very tight basin space in the bathroom and likely has limitations in the dressing room. Consider if those cupboards could benefit from a little light demolition.

This gives a sense of the whole plan upstairs. Details not quite accurate in en suite (my dad did this drawing just so we could tell electricians and plumbers what to do during a lockdown renovation!

It isn't really a period house (unless you call a fairly ordinary 1990s then newbuild estate house period! 😆) so fairly ordinary stud walls etc.

I am now beginning to rethink the dressing area as you suggest…

An architect friend suggested this as an option…

And following discussion of joists, I think we may need to have a flattish shower tray but on a plinth, so it is ”almost” a walk in shower? I do want the biggest widest shower I can grt away with.

We really cannot afford to lose the wardrobe space but quite prepared to move it. Bedroom is large and we like its openness. We have a dormer window so the angles near front window are tricky!

I think apart from a vanity I would remove the storage from the bathroom completely. This will give it room to breathe without everything jammed up against each other. You may also be able to fit a larger shower into the space. Sorry 1990's I thought it was period by the boxout window detail.

That is actually an incredibly sensible plan - thank you! As it is currently laid out, there is a lot of wasted space in the middle of the room so moving the bed would make better use. We would need to move the radiator but thats just a bit of extra piping.

Basically the same layout as Jonathan made, closing off the bedroom door. Remove the boxing under the window, check if it's well insulated enough (perhaps add extra). Toilet and 120cm semi-floating vanity on one side (boxing goes through under it to hide plumbing and easier cleaning), shower with niche where the current shower is, next to it a cupboard/shelving where the entry used to be. The door in the bedroom becomes a cupboard, no need for patchwork there. New bathroom door could line up with closets, in my drawing it's not.

Insulated and with underfloor heating a regular 80x60cm towel radiator is sufficient and under the window is the best location to keep the chill at bay. My bathroom is the same size and it's always nice and warm in there.

Thank you @rinked. I think this is the most cost effective option, and I like the idea of the cupboard filling the old door space. Thanks also for the guidance on making it warmer: much appreciated!

My architect friend liked @Jonathan’s suggestion and modified it with a different (fairly radical) layout, bed not under window…! We’re going to try moving the bed around next weekend to see if there’s enough space.

You don’t have to move the bed just measure the width of your bed and side tables. You then need at least 1.6m extra

Just a word of caution. Its really not recommend feng shui to have the bed under a window if you can avoid it. It often results in disturbed sleep. I like the bed in the middle but that brings other issues. Do you have sockets for bedside lights or a plan as to how you can light that area? Maybe battery lights or suspend them from the ceiling?

Flipped shower and vanity, both 120cm wide. Full height storage, about 30cm deep. Kept bathroom entry, because of storage space in dressing.

And i don't think the bedroom is wide enough to pull off the walk-in behind the bed. Would only work if you can manage without nightstands (and the extra aisle would make your bedroom 1.6m shorter). The bedroom is large enough to add a large dresser and a window bench-chest (nifty storage for winter duvet and blankets).

@rinked yes you may be right.

Any thoughts on this layout?

(sorry for hacking your perfectly drawn plan @Jonathan!)

Husbands wardrobes give him about a 140cm run in total. The plan below would replace with 180 on the window side and another 100+ on the dressing area side, though not all would be full height. At the moment weve got awkwardly shaped/varying height free standing furniture there so actually building something in would also give a bit more visual coherence.

But not sure how it will ’feel’

I much prefer Jonathan’s layout tbh.

What are the exact dimensions of the room? I’ve attached Kate WS bedroom tour to show the before and after of wardrobes behind the bed and she gives details re dimensions etc as I thought it might be useful although personally couldn’t cope with her open storage!

https://www.madaboutthehouse.com/the-reveal-main-bedroom/

@minnie101 The bedroom area is about 320x450 (not including the dormer)

I think with a 180 bed and 2x50 side tables, it just won’t be wide enough to walk round unless we went for a much smaller bed.

I think it is long enough (we already have a small sofa at the end of the bed and still loads of space).

Am I overthinking a bed under the window?! I’m not really a feng shui type tbh but I would worry about drafts, spiders (! and I have not yet found a good UK insect mesh solution!) and, um, ‘Unknown Unknowns’…

Or perhaps a specially built headboard wall with service/space built into it, so it was only just over the width of the bed. Blimey, I only came for a bathroom refit and now I’m building a new wall!😁

No I suspect this may indeed be a step too far so I’ll have to work with the walls I have. I think bed under window looks nice but is it practical?

A bed under a window is perfectly acceptable- especially as in this room there are two windows. For me I like to see a headboard when I enter a bedroom- I think all the soft furnishings make a great impression. If you are worried about drafts consider plantation shutters which also help with the outside appearance.

I have redrawn the plan- the bedroom is a little smaller than I guessed previously.

This time with the plan

Smart plan by Jonathan!

As suggested above, built-in wardrobes would be sleaker. Depending on the finish you can make them blend into the surrounding wall decor.

Following all your kind thoughts on my redesign, we’ve decided we very much like @Jonathan’s design for the bathroom and the removal of the original wardrobes on that side to give us more space.

However in the bedroom we’re going to leave the bed where it is and instead wrap some more wardrobes around the bit leading to the dormer window. I’ve measured up and this will give us another 2.4m of wardrobe space.

But anyway, my next question is whether anyone here is a bathroom or design professional who could do us a detailed drawing of the replanned bathroom with enough detail for a builder/plumber to work with? Happy to pay for such drawings.

It will take us a while to book a plumber/fitter so I’m hoping to get a precise drawing with accurate measurements, then source ahead as many of the materials as I can by myself.