Is a large jacuzzi tub okay as the only one?

I am not sure. I think you should talk to some realtors. If I were to buy the house, a bathroom on the same level as my sleeping areas would be a high priority. But maybe the market has crossed that threshold and baths are no longer necessary.

24" is extraordinarily narrow - there are ways to place glass to maximize elbow room in the interior of the shower even if the foot print is quite small...do explore the issue with your team.

Do you want to replace the tub because it is old? Can you have it professionally refinished? If you were to replace it for a 24 in. shower, I would have a curtain instead of a glass. It is softer on the elbows.

The tub is old, the bathroom is old. We had storm damage and the walls behind the shower are compromised, so it really does need to be gutted. Thanks for all of the answers!

Is there a way you can cut on the size of the vanity to make room for the tub or a wider shower? Do you mind sharing a floor plan?

Yes, it would be helpful to see a floor plan with dimensions...

I hope this makes sense - it's 'T'-shaped. The top part has a toilet & a sink -- the sink fits into a bit of a niche and then the room is narrower between that and the door. On the other side of the vanity and is the closet to the master bedroom. We can't cut into the master bedroom or there would be no room to walk in there.

We are more than willing to make structural changes within this space. Anything to make it more usable! Thank you.

Make it a tub/shower or find a way to make room for a bigger shower. 24" is unacceptably small.

Is the plumbing of the tub on the bottom wall or on the wall between toilet?

The alcove opposite the toilet is perfect for a shower with a 16" bench at the back. Water should be easily be fed from the wall behind the sink.

You could equally have a sink/vanity in the alcove, realign the entrance and have a much larger shower. This would involve much more work and expense, of course, and limits utility somewhat.

If the plumbing is on the bottom wall, the solution is easy. Just change your doors from a 32 in. to a 28 in. and borrow 2 in. from the the toilet area. 44 in. is quite large, so 2 in. less will still be a very comfortable space. I think you will have room to slide in a 28 in. pocket door between the tub and the toilet.

Shower without the walls (tiles on the floor and shower curtain for the space)

suzanne - the plumbing is in the wall between the tub and the toilet.

Looking at the floor plan, I think you really need to bite the bullet and move the plumbing in the wall between the toilet and bath to allow for a standard bath.

I just realized that even if the plumbing were on the other wall, it would not work as nice as I thought... you would have only 30 in. in front of the vanity.

If you have to gut the bathroom anyway, moving a few pipes around -- since the walls will be open from gutting-- should not be a huge deal.

I agree dianahb - do you have any suggestions, given the overall size of the space?

Can we steal some space behind the vanity?

Trust me a shower with a new touch screen water temp controlled system is the way to go

Well, I always have trouble looking at these diagrams. But I am a huge fan of pedestal sinks (and Kohler makes some really nice ones, with wide edges). I think they offer more space, and the room will also seem larger. Loss of vanity (storage) keeps people from doing that, but since you're gutting the room, you could always get a recessed medicine cabinet (love those, too). Robern (owned by Kohler) makes long full-length ones which offer tons of storage space, and a full length mirror. Those are not inexpensive, but for a small space, this is what I would do. I feel like if you're gonna re-do an entire bathroom, do it right, so that you (or someone else) will be happy with it many, many years down the road. Another option (since you will have the walls open) is to possibly-- if it can be done-- put in a shallow closet-- in place of that full-length medicine cabinet-- in the wall (in place of a vanity). Wall space can really serve as great storage, without taking up floor space.

But-- just to add here-- a pedestal sink, in place of a sink in vanity, will really open things up for you. When you can see the entire floor (not hidden by a vanity)-- the room will seem so much larger.

Turn it into a walk in shower without a curb!

Suzanne-m - the space behind the vanity is the entire closet in the master bedroom! Right now, there is just enough room between the bed and the closet to walk, so this is not an option.

I agree, dianahab. If I can figure out how to link to another image on houzz, I'll show you what I was thinking for the area where the WC is....

I like this look and it would work for the WC part of the bathroom, except it probably should be a tiled floor. :

Maybe this could work:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/93801604711268170/

I like the wall sink-- that makes sense, too. I wonder-- looking at your diagram up there (and, again, I have real trouble looking at diagrams and maps) ;) -- is it crazy to think about putting in a tub or tub/shower combination in that 9'x3" space where it looks like the toilet and vanity are now-- put a tub the width of that-- and then move the sink and toilet in the area where the tub is now?? Again, I apologize if reading this totally incorrectly. :)

The alcove opposite the toilet is a space 39.5" wide and 51" deep ... this is a realignment of the commonly pictured shower shape, but again provides ample room for a built-in bench and slope for no door if desired--and could be a steam shower (a luxury I have and would not do without). With the tub gone, you could put the vanity on the tub side with AMPLE room for a spectacular bathroom.

Interesting thread - but must get back to work!

If you are willing to have only one entry in your master bathroom, you could have something like below. You would need to check with your contractor but maybe because the toilet is moved straight across, the labor might not be too costly.

GOFA's idea is really good!

Suzanne, thank you -that looks like an interesting plan that makes the room look spacious rather than awkward. I think we'll price that one out along with the idea of adding a shower across form the toilet like Garden Oaks suggested.

It is not shown in the layouts above but the floor should be all the same for the entire area.

If you think you have enough storage with a 4'-10" wide vanity, you could use the 1'-6" storage shown in the layouts above in your closet instead.

Do you mind showing us the floor plan of your closet and bedroom?

I'll have to take measurements, but will do so and post that either this afternoon--or more probably tomorrow.