| Planning a bathroom when space is an issue is a | | | | room for a shelf - but not much room - consider |
| common, if sometimes frustrating, problem. One of | | | | using the vertical space to its best advantage. |
| the first things you must consider is what, exactly, | | | | Shelving that extends from floor to ceiling, even if it |
| your needs for this space are. If you do not need a | | | | is quite narrow, can provide much more storage for |
| bath, but do need a shower (or the other way | | | | rolled or folded towels, wash cloths, and other |
| around) then having what you do not need is simply | | | | bathroom necessities than a standard height shelf. |
| a waste of space. Plan for only those elements of a | | | | Many bathroom suites are available in a smaller than |
| bathroom suite which your household will use regularly | | | | standard size. |
| and your small bathroom can become much more | | | | This can give you the same facilities in a smaller |
| spacious. | | | | space, allowing more floor and wall space left over. |
| Measure your space, and make a scale model on | | | | Using the smaller sized elements makes the entire |
| paper or with a graphics program on the computer. A | | | | room seem larger, as each thing takes up less space. |
| 10 cm to 1 meter scale is commonly used. Using | | | | Using an entire suite - Bath, shower, basin, toilet and |
| simple shapes made to scale with standard | | | | bidet - of a smaller size keeps each element in scale |
| measurements, try different arrangements for your | | | | as a whole. A smaller element can be used side by |
| suite and furniture. Think about how much room you | | | | side with standard sized pieces, but try to keep |
| will need around each element to use it comfortably. | | | | them the same basic styles to create a better design |
| Make sure you take into consideration where your | | | | flow. |
| existing water and electrical lines are! Using your | | | | Heated towel racks can be a good choice in small |
| existing utility points will save you time and money in | | | | bathrooms, as they serve to both hold towels and |
| construction. | | | | heat the room. Likewise a combined bath and shower |
| Clever use of storage can make the most of a small | | | | unit may serve best if you find that you need to |
| space. Often overlooked is the storage capabilities of | | | | have both a bath and a shower in your bathroom. |
| an under basin cabinet. This can be a convenient | | | | Any time that a suite or piece of furniture can do |
| place to store extra toilet rolls, shampoo and soap, | | | | double duty, it becomes a better choice for a small |
| as well as bathroom cleaning supplies. If you have | | | | bathroom. |