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master bath, dressing area, architect-on-demand, advice-without-strings

Recently, potential Alla DIY Ally clients reached out to me, wondering if I would be able to give them a hand with a master bath and dressing area remodel project. They are considering a complete makeover of an outdated space and are open to new possibilities. Having emailed pictures of a sunken tub and narrow shower stall, they complained that the layout of the room is quite inefficient, not to mention leaking glass roof and windows. They wrote: “We would like the space to be redesigned to make the shower larger. Even though we don’t use the tub, we still need to have one given it is a master bath.”

I agreed to help with the remodel and drove out to their home. In the process of taking measurements, I confirmed that:

  • The windows and part of the ceiling made of glass need to be replaced (see cover image).
  • The existing beam does not need to stay if the roof is extended.
  • The existing dressing area with double sinks that leads to the bathroom through a door can remain as is with minor cosmetic improvements.

In addition, I realized that carving out an area for a walk-in closet is really important to the wife. And providing enough room in the shower, both in terms of width and height, is critical to the husband.

Based on that, I proposed a sketch-design below.

master bath, dressing area

My clients responded right away. Generally, they like the layout for the master bath. However, there are still plenty of loose ends that we need to discuss. One of them, is the issue of the proposed wall-hung toilet and subsequent plumbing implications.

Most importantly, they are unsure about the placement of the proposed walk-in closet. Their preference is to design it as an extension of the dressing area, adjacent to the existing master bath.

They wrote: “Having it across on the other side, seems a little disjointed when we think about the back-and-forth aspect.” That makes sense. Somehow, I was thinking in terms of separating “his” and “hers.” But that’s not functional in their case.

Thus, I am proposing a different solution. The reason for such drastic slant in this option is that it’s important to protect the balcony entrance. Clearly, the angled wall needs further consideration. It should elegantly complement the geometry of the “cathedral” ceiling.

master bath, dressing area

Besides carving out a functional dressing room, we have to resolve another problem. The leaking glass roof in the master bath was installed to remedy lack of headroom. If the existing roof joists were extended, the height of the ceiling at the bay window would be less than 6 feet, which is unacceptable for the shower, as I’ve proposed it… We can step down into it. What about creating a bench?  Hm. That’s a topic for another post. Stay tuned.

 

Comments

  • Mia Kazovsky
    November 4, 2018

    Looking forward to the next post and reading about your solutions! I can relate to the feeling of wanting a bathtub, even if you don’t use it. It feels luxurious just to know the option is available!

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