Designing Your Bathroom: Layout

A Gorgeous Bathroom

Bathrooms have come a long way over the last 100+ years.  The very informative article A Brief History of the Bathroom chronicles the long story of how people have been taking care of their bodies since ancient times.  This brings us to today, where we not only have indoor plumbing (thankfully), but bathrooms have become large and glamorous.

The three main components of a bathroom are a sink, a bath tub/shower, and a toilet.  Then, if you have the space, additional fixtures can be added for the opulence that additional fixtures are: separate tubs and showers, double sinks, and sometimes even bidets.

If you're remodeling, the most cost effective thing to do is to keep the same fixture layout.  Replacing all the fixtures (and finishes) will give you a new bathroom.

If you're designing from scratch, then the options are wide open.  The shape of the room will have a big impact on what fixtures will fit and where.  The trick is to find the layout that fits the space the best.

If you're having trouble figuring out a layout for your dream bathroom, Kohler has 101 Bathroom Floor Plan Options to help you get some ideas.  All of them are customizable because there are a million different ways to lay out a bathroom.  Here are a couple samples of Kohler's bathroom layouts.

Bathroom Plan 1 - Standard Layout

Bathroom Plan 1 is the most standard bathroom plan there is.  It's a compact 40 sf and has everything you need to take care of your body.

Bathroom Plan 39 - Jack & Jill Layout

Bathroom Plan 39 is what's called a Jack & Jill bathroom.  It is two bathrooms in one, where two separate sink rooms share a tub and a toilet. 

Bathroom Plan 44 - L Shaped with a Corner Tub

Sometimes an L-shaped bathroom fits best in a house plan.  With 200 sf, Bathroom Plan 44 is a good example of how to fit additional fixtures into a non-standard shape.  Two sinks, a corner tub, separate shower, and a toilet compartment round out the fixtures in this bathroom.

Bathroom Plan 59 - Large Shower

Bathroom Plan 59 includes a large, luxurious shower to provide a place for the multiple shower head experience.  The rest of the bathroom fixtures are pretty great, also, and include a corner tub, large vanity and toilet.

Bathroom Plan 74 - The Freestanding Feature Tub

At 318 sf, Bathroom Plan 74 is a large and glamorous retreat.  The freestanding tub in the middle of the room is the focal point of this spectacular bathroom.  There's also plenty of space for separate vanities, toilet compartment, and multiple storage cabinets.

Here are a few examples of our Cottages which successfully use four of these layouts:

Plan 1 Standard Layout: Most of our Cottages use this layout.

Plan 39 Jack & Jill:  Lookout Cottage.

Plan 44 L-Shape: Grand Gazebo Cottage.

Plan 59 Large Shower: Porches Cottage 2,395 sf.

Once you have a layout selected you can move toward personalizing your bathroom with materials and finishing touches.

Roof Decks & Widows Walks

View from the Lookout Cottage roof deck.

We've previously posted about the Legend of the Widows Walk.  Whether you like the romanticized idea of a lonely wife waiting for her sea captain to come home while pacing the widows walk of her house, or you're more interested in seeing the ocean from your non-ocean-front lot, there's just something about being high above the houses around us that we love.

 

Our Widows Walk House Plans incorporate a roof-top windowed cupola, which we refer to as an observation loft, accessed by spiral stair from the second story. The observation loft is a great place to glimpse a distant view, to survey the landscape or to find a special place to read a book or to work on a project in your personal studio.

 

 Island Cottage

Grand Island

In addition to our Widows Walk House Plans, we offer Roof Deck House Plans which provide an open-air connection to the outdoors. The smell of the seabreeze or fresh mountain air is just outside the door.  Several of our house plans feature a roof-top observation deck to provide a panoramic view and provide your own private sunbathing deck or gathering spot high above the crowd overlooking your neighbors roofline for a glimpse of the ocean or distant view.

Lookout Cottage

Porches Cottage with Roof Deck

Modern Day Widow's Walk

A few months ago we posted an article about the origin of the popular architectural feature called a widow's walk.   Now we would like to highlight some of our home plans that feature a modern day widow's walk.

Some of our Widows Walk House Plan Designs incorporate a roof-top windowed cupola or "widows walk", which we refer to as an observation loft, accessed via spiral stair from the second story hallway. This observation loft is a great place to glimpse a distant view, to survey the landscape or to find a special place to read a book or to work on a project in your personal studio.

The Island Cottage

The Grand Island Cottage

The Mountain Cottage

The Grand Gazebo Cottage

Our other Widows Walk House Plan Designs feature a roof-top observation deck to provide a panoramic view and provide your own private sunbathing deck or gathering spot high above the crowd overlooking your neighbors roofline for a glimpse of the ocean or distant view.

The Lookout Cottage

The Porches Cottage

What's Your View?

Ocean View

Waterway View

Lake View

Mountain view

The House Plans below make the most of special views and vistas for that special beach cottage overlooking the ocean, coastal waterway, lake or hills. With features such as roof decks, windowed cupolas or "widows watch", "rooms-in-the-roof" and elevated, covered porches, our "house plans with a view " can capture that special visual appeal that made you love your lot in the first place.

The Island Cottage House Plan is a playful, coastal cottage getaway. With it's wrap around porch, roof decks and roof-top observation loft, we'll call it "Island Victorian".

The Winds Cottage is a contemporary adaptation of southern coastal elements put together in a new and exciting way.

The Porches Cottage is ideal for a streetscape lot in a coastal house community or anywhere large, covered porches are desirable. The "inverted living area" floor plan maximizes views.

The Shelter Cottage has a large, sheltering roof and outdoor living spaces. The linear plan allows for views both front and back from most all rooms making it a light and airy beach house.

"Rooms in the roof" and a cascading, sheltering roofline give this coastal house a distinctive appearance.

The Lookout Cottage is a magnificent coastal home with roof decks, balconies and a rooftop observation platform perfect for overlooking surrounding trees and rooftops.

(ocean, waterway, lake and mountain view pictures found on google images)

Pleasent Outdoor Living on the Wrap Around Porch

Weekend Weather Forecast for Hampstead, NC

Looks like it is going to be a warm weekend here in Hampstead, North Carolina. There may even be a chance for scattered thunderstorms on Saturday. Most people would agree these conditions make for a perfect evening to sit in their rocking chairs, enjoy a cold lemonade and take in the views from their wrap around porch.

Our selection of house plans with Wrap Around Porches are designed to enable you to enjoy the outdoor views and breezes. Wrap Around Porches are a great asset to a house because they extend the living space to the exterior, they shelter and protect the windows and doors from water damage and they shade the exterior walls and windows reducing heat gain and thereby reducing energy costs. You can also screen-in a portion of the porch for pleasant outdoor dining.

The Island Cottage House Plan is a playful, coastal cottage getaway. With it's wrap around porch, roof decks and roof-top observation loft, it's a great coastal house plan.

The Plantation Cottage draws upon the southern, coastal, low country vernacular and features large, wrap-around porches and a full basement.

The Country Cottage has all the amenities of a larger house designed in a compact space. Its wrap-around porch extends the living space to the outdoors.

The Mountain Cottage is a variation of the Island Cottage and illustrates one of the many customization's of this versatile plan. Its wrap-around porch is a key element in its design.

The Lookout Cottage is a magnificent treehouse with roof decks, balconies and a rooftop observation platform perfect for overlooking trees and rooftops to see the coastline.

The Nags Head Cottage draws upon the characteristics of the historic, rugged, beachfront cottages found along the coast of Nags Head, NC. The wrap around porches protect the walls and window and door openings while also providing shade from the heat.