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Considerations when Designing a Bathroom with Stock Items
By Angela Glancy
While stock items have a generic feel to them, they are a necessary and important component in building, renovation and interior design. If tubs, toilets and cabinets came in an non-standardized array of sizes and shapes, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to design a bathroom and allow for basic plumbing and space planning. In addition to making bathroom design less troublesome for the consumer, stock items also make building and renovating less expensive because manufacturer’s can produce the items more efficiently, which translates to lower costs and prices. That being said, there are variations of standard sizes. If you are renovating a bathroom or putting in a new bath, there are some standardized measurements and applicable considerations that you need to keep in mind. Basic Fixtures & Variations • Standard tubs are generally 2 ½ feet wide by 5 feet, while whirlpool tubs may be 32 inches wide. While whirlpool tubs may be two inches wider than standard tubs, they are usually also 5 feet in length.
• A typical shower is 32x32 inches, but you will find smaller corner units that work in smaller bathrooms.
• Toilets can vary in size and height but the rough opening is usually 12 inches.
• Bathroom base cabinets are usually 18 or 20 inches deep but widths can vary from smaller powder room size cabinets to single and double sink vanities.
• Most stock base cabinets come with coordinating upper cabinets, linen cabinets and open shelving. How to design a bathroom with stock sizes Start by drawing a scaled floor plan on ¼ inch graph paper so that 1 inch on paper represents one foot. Mark the location of windows, walls, and door openings. If you are remodeling also mark the location of plumbing and drains, but keep an open mind. While it is expensive to move plumbing if this greatly improves the efficiency of your bathroom, the extra expense may be well worth it. Then make scaled paper cut outs of all cabinets, the tub, toilet, shower, etc. and play with these on paper until you find a layout that looks great and works according to your needs. As you experiment on paper, keep the following in mind: • To be comfortable, plan for at least 24 inches in front of the toilet, but 30 inches is even better. Also, be sure that there is enough width around the toilet for comfort; 12 inches on each side is a good allowance.
• If there is enough floor space, plan for linen storage cabinets that are 24 inches deep.
• A double vanity will be too crowded for two people to use simultaneously if you don’t have at least 60 to 72 inches of wall space.
• Allow for 30 inches of space beside the tub; 28 inches will do for a whirlpool tub.
• It’s easier to paint the walls of your bathroom before you install fixtures, cabinets and flooring. Now that you know exactly what you need and how you will arrange it, shop around for the best prices, keeping in mind that one store may have a better price on cabinets but a higher price on a shower stall. Photo from Flickr - "Bathroom Remodel" courtesy of jeremylevinedesign . |
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Knowing that you need about 30 inches in front of the throne is the kind of info you normally only get from experience, i.e. you make it too small and then find problems after the work is all done. Good intel.
 |  | nick Dec 31, 2009 09:41 | |
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