Would you choose separate bath and shower, double vanity or more bathroom space?

[Alez]

We're doing a reno, combining our tiny bathroom and box room to make one larger bathroom. The layout is tricky though so I'm trying to work out what to prioritise...

I had wanted a separate bath and shower, but if we do that we have to have a smallish vanity (80cm). I think the room is just big enough for it but it may feel a bit tight.

So, we could do a shower bath. That would give us lots of room and we could fit a double vanity or stick with a larger single and have a bit more space.

Having a separate bath and shower feels so luxurious to me, I love the idea of it. But we have two young kids so either more space or a double vanity feels more practical. We will have a shower room in the loft as well.

Another option could be to block up one of the windows (the room will have two). That would mean we could do a slightly better layout so it would be less tight with a separate shower and bath. But I hate the idea of doing this, it feels wrong to make the house less light as it is east-west facing and can be quite dark anyway.

What would you do?

Separate bath and shower for sure. My mum is a district nurse and always told me when I was looking at houses to buy that one of the big things that takes away people's independence at home is only having a shower over the bath - an accident causing disability, or even just aging and they aren't able to safely step over the bath edge and are either stuck doing strip washes or needing to remodel to make a shower that doesn't have the big step.
It might be a long way in the future, but it's something that's really stuck in my head now.

We combined a small bathroom (bath and sink) with the small toilet next door. By turning the toilet we managed to get a separate shower in and it's so much nicer than a shower over the bath. There was a window where the shower now stands - we blocked it up but had a couple of niches put in, so we have somewhere to keep shampoo etc.

DH had a p shaped shower bath at his old house and it wasn't comfortable to lie in at all as neither end sloped. So if you do decide to combine, definitely try the shower bath out in a show room.

Interesting! My thinking with the vanity was that me + DH can be brush teeth (shave for him) and wash faces at the same time. Same with the kids. Can see I'm very in the minority though. I defo want a bath - I like to have one and our youngest is a baby so weve a while of kid baths.

Why do you want to wash your faces at the same time? Maybe it’s because I’m 59 and have been married 26 years that I find that a ridiculous concept!

Yeah, I don't want to share time in the bathroom.

Can you post a floorplan? We had a separate toilet and bathroom knocked together and have a large walk in shower, freestanding bath and an 80cm vanity unit. I would only have a shower over the bath if there wasn't enough space for a separate shower. If you can only get a 80cm square shower cubicle in then the room isn't big enough for a separate shower and the shower will always feel cramped.

I would prioritise a separate shower and bath over all else, especially if it’s the only shower in the house but even if it isn’t, it makes the shower much nicer for those who rely on the family bathroom. Plus better should there be any mobility issues in future.

I’ve been thinking about this recently as we will need to do a bathroom renovation in the house we’re buying as it’s got carpet in there from th seventies!

the bathroom is very small but I want a separate shower and bath. It’s only me who uses the bath so I might get a Japanese soaking tub instead (I’m 5’1”) and I definitely want a Japanese toilet. It’s a bungalow so I want the bathroom to last me into old age. There’s no way I’d have a double vanity as it would be full of DPs beard trimmings. One sink would get enough use to wash those away.

I don’t really know where to start with designing a bathroom though. Are there any good websites out there?

I'm just going to echo everyone who's said bath and separate shower. The added flexibility to bathe young children and also have a walk in shower will ensure the bathroom is fit for purpose for decades to come. You'll not regret it, and if you decide to move, it will be a far stronger selling feature than a double sink.

For my family, a double vanity unit would be most useful, as it would allow two people to get ready (brush teeth and wash face/shave) at the same time. At the moment I wait for DH to finish, which is a bit inconvenient but manageable as I start work later. We shower before bed so that's all sorted, but the little jobs that have to be done in the morning have to be done in a rush and that will get worse when our dds become tweens. I think a bath and separate shower would be more sellable as more people seem to like it, though personally I don't see the point and have never had a problem using a bath/shower combo.

Although overall I'd much rather keep a boxroom, much more useful as a separate office/storage space, but OP seems decided on getting rid of it.