Powder Room Ways to Find Space

In our previous article we talked about what a powder room is and what it does? We also discussed how putting in a powder room can add value to one’s home. Now we will pick the likeliest spots where we can put the half-baths.

In case you have a big or not so big home to locate a half-bath, you should consider rooms that are under used as prime candidates. In some cases, it may make sense to break through a hallway to borrow space from an adjacent room. Consider converting an underused closet to powder room space. Also, appropriating some garage space is still another possibility. If at all possible, try to limit the rearrangement of walls and doors to non-load bearing partitions since altering structural walls can be difficult and at the same time expensive.

If you can also plan a new powder room so it is above, below, or back to back with an existing bathroom, the cost and trouble of running the necessary piping will be kept to a minimum. Verify also with local codes standards for light and ventilation in bathrooms. Most codes stipulate that bath windows be operable and have a minimum of around 0.27 square meters of glass (roughly 600mm x 300mm). All bathrooms should be ventilated, if that is not possible consider installing an exhaust fan such as a “combination light-fan” fixture.

Access from a hallway is usually best, so you should consider traffic patterns within the house. Keeping them close to main living and entertainment areas will make them convenient for guests. Also when choosing a water closet, a siphon-flushing systems works best since they are generally the quietest.

Look at the illustration I have prepared above, the drawing shows a floor plan (ground) for a house with two full baths. The highlighted areas indicate possible powder room locations:

1. Replacing a hall closet and deepening it slightly yields a space for a toilet and lavatory. Hallway width is 1300 mm

2. Stealing some garage space and creating a new doorway in the hall makes for a possible powder room location. Verify that the two car garage should have a 30 square meter of space left.

3. Sacrificing den space and re-arranging the closet creates space for a toilet and lavatory off the foyer.

4. Space can be taken from a walk in closet to create a powder room with access from the foyer.

5. Space beneath the stairs can also accomodate a toilet and lavatory.

The notes above are mere guidelines; all it takes to put a powder room in most houses is a bit of imagination and ingenuity!