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Bathroom problem. Moving toilet and sink units to fit bath tub. Possible?

26 replies

QuintessentiallyShallow · 23/01/2012 17:31

We have a small bathroom.
3x2 meters.

The toilet is facing the door. Then there is a window, and the sink is on the adjoining wall on the right side. Next to the sink is the shower cubicle.

The previous owners had a bathtub. It was along the wall where we have sink and showercubicle. We are considering putting the tub back there, but rather than having the toilet in the corner and the sink next to the toilet under the window (so no mirror), we want to have the toilet under the window, and the sink facing the door.

Do you reckon this is possible?

OP posts:
SwedishEdith · 23/01/2012 19:07

Yes. I'm not clear what you're worried about? 3x2 metre bathroom seems luxurious to me

PigletJohn · 23/01/2012 19:36

if you are moving the WC, remember there will be a 105mm plastic pipe running from the back of it to wherever the soil pipe is, with a slight fall (also a 15mm copper pipe, or a plastic one for the cold water supply to the cistern).

You can paint the grey plastic pipe and its elbows any colour you like using a single flowing coat of non-drip gloss paint. You will get a better finish if you paint it before fitting and allow to harden, but leave a couple of inches unpainted at each end or the plumber will complain it does not slide freely into the rubber seals. You can touch it up afterwards if there are any visible marks.

Or you can conceal it with boxing-in or wall cabinets, if you like that sort of thing.

QuintessentiallyShallow · 23/01/2012 19:44

sorry 2x2 m.

I have just tried to play around with an online bathroom planner, and it seems it is not possible.

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SwedishEdith · 23/01/2012 19:46

Can you change the way the door opens ie to outwards? Will that make it possible?

minipie · 23/01/2012 19:48

Sounds like you are only moving your loo a couple of feet to the right, and it
will still be on the same external wall - is that right?

If so, all sounds eminently possible, even easy. As Piglet says, you will need a connecting pipe between your loo and the soil pipe wherever that is (probably on the outside wall of the house, running down from your current loo position). The connecting pipe needs to have a slight drop as Piglet says. This is to allow the poo to slide down properly Smile

Piglet - assuming soil pipe is on the outside, would it be possible to run that connecting pipe on the outside wall, rather than on the inside? Avoids ugly visible pipework/boxing in in the bathroom itself.

minipie · 23/01/2012 19:49

x posted. Why not possible?

QuintessentiallyShallow · 23/01/2012 19:51

I have the towel radiator under the window now. Dont know where else it could be if not there.

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PigletJohn · 23/01/2012 19:51

2mx2m

Bath on one side, basin and WC on the other (basin nearest the door). You can actually get a corner-fitting WC but they are very rare.

The bathroom planner will show standing and circulation space, but remember unless you have multiple people in there, the spaces can overlap.

Slightly preferable not to have loo in front of window or people might look through the frosted glass at your arse you when you stand up.

QuintessentiallyShallow · 23/01/2012 19:55

Do you reckon this would be possible?

[http://www.qssupplies.co.uk/bathroom-furniture-shower-taps/55301.htm fitted unit]]

Then, sink by the wall, toilet under window (two feet away from original place) and the water pipes extended from the other side of the room but behind units?

Then the bath would be next to the toilet.

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PigletJohn · 23/01/2012 19:56

If you have soil pipe on the outside, it will be an older house. If you are unlucky it will be a cast iron soilpipe with its own difficulties and risks of broken fragments falling down inside.

However it is very easy to use a core drill to make a neat round 110mm hole through a brick wall to poke the soil pipe through. If you hire one, make a hole for the bathroom extractor and the tumble drier while you have it.

QuintessentiallyShallow · 23/01/2012 19:56

bathroom on the first floor, we have a pretty big back garden, with mature trees, so no danger of anybody looking in.

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SwedishEdith · 23/01/2012 19:56

It's about the same size as my bathroom and you can definitely fit it all in. And our door still closes inwards. Toilet under window gives more wall space to move towel radiator/have storage?

QuintessentiallyShallow · 23/01/2012 19:56

sorry link again fitted unit

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QuintessentiallyShallow · 23/01/2012 19:57

We cant open the door outwards, due to staircase outside...

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minipie · 23/01/2012 20:00

Can the towel radiator go on the wall behind the door?

If not possible, what about if you rehang the door so it opens another way (left not right, or outwards not inwards)

Or go for underfloor heating instead if you have the budget Grin

minipie · 23/01/2012 20:02

x posted again!

Can you put the towel rail on the wall opposite the bath? What about if you rehang the door so it opens to the right rather than to the left?

Bit of a pain to rehang a door because it means moving the light switch, but if you are redecorating anyway that's not too much of a pain.

DilysPrice · 23/01/2012 20:03

I'd get a builder/plumber to have a look. I asked a poncy bathroom designer to come up with a scheme and my builder informed me why her ideas were completely impractical and said "why don't you just shift the door". No substitute for being on the ground.

Could the towel radiator be higher up the wall above the bath?

SwedishEdith · 23/01/2012 20:08

Put light switch outside (think they have to be now for new bathrooms) and then it won't matter which way door opens. You can get sinks that are slightly less deep/sticky out than normal so bathroom feels a bit more spacious. Ditto toilets that don't stick out as much (but I wouldn't recommend these unless no alternative as they feel a bit mean)

minipie · 23/01/2012 20:08

"Could the towel radiator be higher up the wall above the bath?"

Of course! Now why didn't I think of that. That is exactly what we did in our bathroom in our previous place. We had pretty much the exact layout the OP is talking about - we had a radiator behind the door, and a towel rail above one end of the bath.

We had a shower over the other end of the bath, and it always looked like the shower would splash the towels, but it never quite did (even though we had a very short bath - def less than 2m). And very handy for reaching towels when in the bath/shower, too.

QuintessentiallyShallow · 23/01/2012 20:18

We can have the towel radiator higher up at the end of the bad, sort of to the right of the toilet

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minipie · 23/01/2012 20:22

Are you planning on having a shower over the bath? if so, will you have a screen or shower curtain?

if you are having a screen you need to have it at the same end of the bath as the loo. Because otherwise it will be impossible to get into the bath (loo in the way one end, screen in the way the other). Which would nix the idea of having it over the bath at that end.

Why not have the towel rail behind the door?

QuintessentiallyShallow · 23/01/2012 20:41

I actually prefer shower curtains..... Two curtains hung double, on on the inside of the bath, and one on the outside.

But it is a fair point about the screen, I had not thought about that.

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fossil97 · 23/01/2012 23:08

Anything helpful in here?

QuintessentiallyShallow · 24/01/2012 09:30

Yes. Thank you, this is very helpful! Some great ideas there!

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fossil97 · 24/01/2012 13:21

We have the "Space" short WC in our small cloakroom, it is fine IMO, although the men in the house complain it doesn't have a strong flush for their No 2's Hmm but I think that's because all modern wcs are low flush rather than anything to do with the size of the pan/seat.

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