Remodel Small Bathroom Ideas and Small Bathroom Remodel Code Requirements

The small bathroom remodel is a big request in our area, there are lots of condominiums and small houses in the metro area, especially in Washington DC, & Bethesda MD, even Rockville MD & Silver Spring MD where there are plenty of primary and secondary baths which are screaming for a small bathroom remodel! Maybe you have one?


Remodel Small Bathroom Minimum Measurements

The minimum practical measurement for a tub toilet & sink is 5' by 7'. Broken down this way the tub is 30" by 5', the toilet although smaller than 30" must by IRC code occupy a 30" space along the wall and a 24" vanity or sink, brings us to 7'. That said, there are many houses which don't have an easily identified 5' by 7' space. What if you want to remodel small bathroom, can you squeeze this minimum even more? We have installed 4'6" tubs to knock the width down. A shower could knock the width down even more to as little as 30". However, because the International Building Code requires 21" in front of the toilet the shower tends to be at least as wide as the toilet code requirements are deep. The smallest 1 piece standard function toilet on the market is the Kohler K-3386 Revival a one piece round front toilet. It is 25 ¼" deep, add 21". With regard to width, our remodel small bathroom project gets down to 3'10 ¼" by 7'.

Of course with a smaller sink and a thinner shower the length of a small bathroom remodel can be squeezed as well. The IRC requires a minimum diameter in the shower of 30" therefore a shower could be as small as 30" by 33" after adding a threshold. The shower could only be a true 30" by 30" if the shower has no threshold to keep in water.

In other words the entire bathroom floor would have to be waterproof and pitched to and drain to the shower drain. Since the toilet dictates 3'10 ¼" the shower should be that deep. So length wise a 33" shower, plus a 30" toilet space and then a small pedestal sink like the Cheviot Mini-Victorian Pedestal Sink only 16 ¾" wide. These features bring our dimensions down to 3'10 ¼" by 6' 7 ¾", or in the zero threshold bathroom 3'10 ¼" by 6' 4 ¾" If you can think of a way to remodel small bathroom even smaller we would love to here it.

There is a potential problem with the shower door, there is a code requirement that shower door openings must be no less than 22". With the juxtaposition of the toilet this usually necessitates a custom shower door.

We're always there for you at Signature Kitchens Additions, & Baths just call us at 301.251.1880 or or write us a simple email at info@signaturekab.net and we will get back to you right away! After hours you can always call the owner Gary Case at: 202.359.3286.

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- Remi & Joan Thyson

"Our kitchen is just gorgeous! We were so pleased and amazed that the kitchen remodel was done so smoothly. The organization was superb - the men were all so courteous, efficient and accommodating. I have remodeled two homes in the past 25 years and this is the 1st time I can say it was a real pleasure to have workers in our home. "Signature Kitchens, Additions & Baths" total teamwork gives the customer a real sense of confidence and total satisfaction. Many thanks to everyone at Signature Kitchens, Additions & Baths for providing us with a super kitchen design-build, it was first class. The follow-up and hand holding that your administrative team provided was superior to any other customer service team around. We couldn't be happier with our new kitchen remodel."

Signature Kitchens, Additions & Baths

Every designer has had specialized training in Kitchen Design, through NKBA, SEN or ASID, not only in style and structure, but in function and arrangement as well. Unlike our neighbors we are not a retail store we are a design build remodeling company, a licensed contractor in Maryland, The District of Columbia and Virginia. So whether you live in DC, Bethesda, Potomac, Olney or Silver Spring, or Woodley Park, Adams Morgan or Capitol Hill. Even if you live in Fairfax or Alexandria we at Signature Kitchen Additions & Baths can not only Design a Great Kitchen, Addition, or Bath we can develop permit-able drawings, process the plans to permit, move the walls, floors and ceilings or add an addition, install your new kitchen, along with the lighting, the plumbing, the tile, and the floor. Heck, we can build the house for you if you would like! So give us a call at: 301.251.1880 you will always be glad you did. You can also email the owner Gary Case at: Gcase@signatureKAB.net.