More Design Help - Which Bathroom Remodel Plan?

I'm getting down to the final phases of my bathroom remodel planning.

I've got my permit filled out, and I've got a few options for layout. 

I'm dealing with a concrette slab that has in-floor hot water radiant heat, meaning I can't go switching up my plumbing too much. Mainly, my toilet is gotta stay relatively close to where is (even moving 36" is going to be expensive) and I can only get access to water from spots that are very close to my current shower. I've played with dozens of different designs, but the narrowness of the bathroom (86" wide) really prevents a "across the room from one another" or "galley style" layout (as they are currently laid out, which is terrible). So my vanity has got to stay where it is. So this is it for my options.

Which do you prefer? 

Option 1 - Cheapest: 48 x 42 corner shower. Maintains existing drain location and I'll only need to move water from wall to wall. Also, only require moving toilet flange a few inches. Downside? Far reach to towels, smaller shower.

Option 2: +$3000 - 86 x 42 shower with seat. Tap into water feed lines for my garage sink on opposite side of outside/garage wall, P-Trap install for drain where toilet currently is, move toilet approximately 36" to more central location in room, next to vanity. No knee wall separating shower from toilet. Towels can be hung from heated towel rail in shower above seat. 

Option 3: +$3500 - 86 x 36 Same as Option 2, but includes a knee wall. Downside? Knee wall encroaches on shower space, so I have to make it a little more narrow in order to achieve code minimums for toilet space.

All designs allow for a 60" wide vanity. The built-in shelving unit is a must. We need storage options.

Renders were done in Sweet Home 3D. 

I like Option 2.  The knee wall isn't gaining you much and it's complicating installation.

But every day you take a shower you'll be happier with the extra space.  That $3000 upcharge will give benefit every day.  Particularly if you can convince your partner to shower with you.

I vote for option #2. That corner shower looks very cramped.

Duke said:

But every day you take a shower you'll be happier with the extra space.  That $3000 upcharge will give benefit every day.  Particularly if you can convince your partner to shower with you.

 

One of the most underrated things ever.  

Option 2

#2

#2 definitely. Knee wall serves no benefit, creates a place for poor tile work to give you grief forever.  You could also do a towel bar on the glass (24” wide door handle/rod or just a robe hook through the glass to hang towel up while you shower)  

edit: could also move the shelves closer to the door so you have wall space for towels that hang closer to the shower  

link to shower bar on glass:

https://images.app.goo.gl/YsKKpm5ZFY9P3XTY7

"in floor hot water radiant heat"

Can you really move the toilet 36" without  causing a problem to that system?

Fair warning... shower seats... make sure your tile person really knows what they are doing when building that seat.  I have had to go in behind many expensive failures.

#2

Moving the toilet flange a few inches can be more difficult that a few feet depending on the plumbing. 

Additionally, you'll like it better if the water can be aimed at the seat. The tiles are cold if the water hasn't had a chance to warm them up. 

#2 for me as well.

Yup, #2

Purple Frog (Forum Supporter) said:

"in floor hot water radiant heat"

Can you really move the toilet 36" without  causing a problem to that system?

Fair warning... shower seats... make sure your tile person really knows what they are doing when building that seat.  I have had to go in behind many expensive failures.

Don't do a shower seat. Save yourself a leak, rot, mold and a future headache. Get a teak bench. Just my 0.02¢.

lotusseven7 (Forum Supporter) said:

Purple Frog (Forum Supporter) said:

"in floor hot water radiant heat"

Can you really move the toilet 36" without  causing a problem to that system?

Fair warning... shower seats... make sure your tile person really knows what they are doing when building that seat.  I have had to go in behind many expensive failures.

Don't do a shower seat. Save yourself a leak, rot, mold and a future headache. Get a teak bench. Just my 0.02¢.

#2 as well, and this is the best advice in this thread. 

We looked at building in a shower seat and none of my contractor friends thought it was a good idea, they all said get a separate one. Otherwise I'm another vote for #2

Thanks all. 

On advice from my local permit office, I submitted plans for both Option 1 and Option 2. 

Luckily, they don't require overly detailed plans for bathroom remodels, and admitted that most of the code related stuff for plumbing will be checked by the inspector which is a major relief. 

Wally (Forum Supporter) said:

We looked at building in a shower seat and none of my contractor friends thought it was a good idea, they all said get a separate one. Otherwise I'm another vote for #2

I'm going to quote this so it shows up again. My parents had the same experience. We have a built in in our shower, and I'd rather have the extra space. Especially at our age (30/31), my wife liked it for about 2 months during pregnancy; I liked it when I was really tired from being sick, but otherwise it serves as a shampoo holder and allows my wife to have way too many different soaps. In general, I miss the larger shower from our last place - even though our current shower takes up the same footprint.

Go with the removable seat. 

Option #2 as well.

Does the built in have to be there? I'd probably prefer no built in, and have your better half pick out some nice fancy shelf unit from Pottery Barn or something like that. I'm not a fan of built-in anything in basically any room. Because then it dictates everything with no ability to change unless it's ripped out.

Just so we're clear, this is a 38" wide shower that without the seat would be 86" long. At 86", nothing is standard. Everything is custom. Custom doors. Custom shower rods. Custom shower curtain. Custom shower pan. Custom shower walls. Everything is custom.

By adding the 14" wall for the door, I've now made the shower 72" long. Much more standard. I can find doors, glass kits, sliding glass doors, shower rods, etc etc etc. 72" is "big" but still standard. 86" is "luxury home bathroom" size. 

I don't need the built ins, but I want to standardize this as much as I possibly can without making the entire bathroom 72" wide (which would require moving or adding an entire wall.) So, the easy option is to make the width at the door 72" long. 

I also really like storage. Our current bathroom has a huge linen closet that's grotesque, but it can hold tons of stuff. It can also hold lots of stuff HIGH OFF THE GROUND out of the reach of kiddo's hands. A vanity, while lockable, is very easy for kids to get into. Which is pain when you've got prescriptions in there. 

We're not planning on installing dual shower heads, although we might have a sprayer at the end with the seat. 

When talking with my plumber, whom I trust, we talked about seats. He said seats are fine in big showers or wet rooms because they don't have water laying them. And because you have so much room that the seat doesn't impede on the usability of the shower. When I said that my shower my have a seat, he was nervous. Then I told him it'd be on the opposite end of an 86" long shower (7' end to end). He was surprised I didn't want to do a "his and her" shower setup with our own individual shower heads preset to our ideal temperature, but said that if the seat was on the opposite end, it would probably rarely get wet aside from the Mrs. shaving her legs. 

Some other design considerations: 

My wife hates having the bath matt in position where every time you use the bathroom you're stepping on it. 

She'd prefer to have the shower exit as far away from the toilet as possible. 

When my plumber suggested the dual-shower head his-and-her setup, he said "put the door in the middle of the room" - well that'd put the bath matt directly in front of the toilet. 

I played with some idea to shif the door over to one side, but it kinda ruins the "Jack and Jill" shower. When I proposed this idea to my wife, she much prefer a single shower head with more room to dry off, and when you exited the shower onto a bath matt, you the toilet was far enough away that it never got walked on unless you were in the shower. She prefered these design moreso than two shower heads.

So to summarize, we're cool without a built-in seat. We're cool without built-ins. But we'd end up with a massive shower with only one showerhead. Maybe that's ok? 

It would certain make for an easier install. I'd just need to custom glass. Which I may need anyways. 

pheller said:

Some other design considerations: 

 

My wife hates having the bath matt in position where every time you use the bathroom you're stepping on it. 

She'd prefer to have the shower exit as far away from the toilet as possible. 

When my plumber suggested the dual-shower head his-and-her setup, he said "put the door in the middle of the room" - well that'd put the bath matt directly in front of the toilet. 

I played with some idea to shif the door over to one side, but it kinda ruins the "Jack and Jill" shower. When I proposed this idea to my wife, she much prefer a single shower head with more room to dry off, and when you exited the shower onto a bath matt, you the toilet was far enough away that it never got walked on unless you were in the shower. 

Find space to have a rail for your bath mat so it can be hung when not in use. Problem solved. Also means your bath mat will dry quicker/easier.

Leaving wet, soggy bathmats on the floor is much grosser than treading on them when going to the toilet.

Edit: I'd run with design #2 or some variation of that general idea