How to plan a bathroom
Bathrooms are small, and every fixture needs space in front of it, so a few centimetres decide whether a layout works. Measure the room, then place the fixed points first: the door, the window and, if you’re not moving the plumbing, where the toilet and drains are now. The starter is an 8 × 8 ft room with a 60 × 30 in bathtub across the top wall, and the vanity and the toilet side by side on the right wall.
It is spaced to the NKBA Bathroom Planning Guidelines. In Top view, a selected toilet shows its clearance to the wall or fixture on every side. The toilet’s centreline sits just under 20 in from the vanity, above the NKBA’s recommended 18 in, and there is well over 30 in of clear floor in front of the toilet and the vanity. The vanity’s centreline is 35 in from the top wall, more than the recommended 20 in from a side wall.
Trying other layouts
- Shower instead of a tub: delete the tub and add the Shower. It starts at the NKBA’s recommended 36 × 36 in; type your tray’s size.
- Moving the toilet: keep at least 18 in from its centreline to the wall or the next fixture on either side, and check the space in front stays clear when the door swings in. The printed plan draws the door swing.
- Laundry: add the Washing machine and see what’s left.
The guidelines are recommendations; local building codes decide what’s required. A printed plan is a good thing to talk through with a plumber or contractor.
What the starter bathroom holds
The room is 8′ 0″ wide and 8′ 0″ long, with a 8′ 0″ ceiling. Every piece starts at the size below; select it to type your own.
| Piece | Width × depth × height |
|---|---|
| Bathtub | 5′ 0″ × 2′ 6″ × 1′ 10″ |
| Vanity with basin | 2′ 6″ × 1′ 9″ × 2′ 10″ |
| Wall mirror | 1′ 11.5″ × 1″ × 2′ 7.5″ |
| Toilet | 1′ 3″ × 2′ 3.5″ × 2′ 6.5″ |
| Rug | 2′ 11.5″ × 1′ 11.5″ × 0.5″ |
Edits you make here are kept for this page only, so your plan on the main room planner stays as it was.