Finding Extra Space in Your Small Bathrooms

Bathrooms tend to be smallest room in the house but, they are also one of the most important. For many homes, small bathrooms are inevitable. You may have even created one yourself with a bathroom addition in a limited space. Whether it's making a full bath live up to its name or making a half bath feel like more than a closet, saving and efficiently using the space in your bathroom is essential to maximizing the room's potential.

Toilet Space Savers
While little can be done with the size of your toilet, the wall above the toilet is one of the most common areas for space savers. Given that your toilet is already taking up the floor space, you might as well use that area of your bathroom for storage, allowing you to leave open space elsewhere in the room. These over-the-toilet storage units are so popular for this purpose they are often called "space savers." Building a cabinet over your toilet is also a good way to camouflage a less than appealing fixture like a toilet. Like any other cabinet, they have multiple design and material options, allowing you to match functionality with your décor.

Wall-Hung Sinks
With your space saver cabinet, you can allow free space to open up your small bathroom with a wall-hung sink. These sinks are growing in popularity regardless of bathroom size. You will need to make sure your wall can support the weight of the sink but, as long as you find a wall stud to attach the sink to you'll usually be okay. For smaller bathrooms, you don't want a sink that's too big or heavy, anyway. Freeing up the floor space will make your bathroom look bigger and make the sink a lot easier to clean as wall. Wall-hung sinks can also give greater flexibility to position the sink at whatever height you find most comfortable. The disadvantage of a wall-hung sink is that the piping is going to be invisible. You might consider getting chrome fittings, pipe coverings, or install semi-pedestal if the piping is an obvious eye sore. Sink location can also help you create some extra space. The corners of small bathrooms can be the perfect place for wall hung sinks. This will allow you extra wall surface for the installation and helps ensure the middle of the room has the necessary space for easier navigation.

Shower Enclosures and Angled Showers
You might not have room for a full bathtub, but shower rooms are often a viable alternative. While bathtubs come in different shapes and sizes, shower enclosures are easily custom-fit to whatever size or shape you need. Square is the most common, but rectangular, circular, or even pentagonal are also readily available. Just make sure you design and build a shower enclosure that will allow you to move around and still have room for any necessary toiletries. Angled showers or shower baths can give you the best of both worlds, giving you a wide space to shower in and a longer dimension for the occasional soak.