How to figure out a master bathroom layout with tight space
Deciding between a smaller shower and keeping closet space can make a bathroom remodel feel impossible to finalize. Trying to balance room dimensions, traffic flow, and fixture sizes often leaves people stuck without knowing if they will actually like the final daily setup.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 29.1× more often in r/HomeImprovement than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How to figure out a master bathroom layout with tight space
- 1maintaining the original floor planDid this help you?
- 2turning the hall bath into a half bathDid this help you?
- 3walling in the windowDid this help you?
- 4Using cheaper toilet alternativesDid this help you?
- 5Selecting non-skirted models for easier installationDid this help you?
- 6Using dedicated 3/4-inch lines to high-flow fixtures like tubs and showers to offset fitting restrictions, or consulting others online to review the layout.Did this help you?
- 7Retaining a bathtub elsewhere in the houseDid this help you?
- 8Considering future aging-in-place needsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I have noticed several of home builders in my area would purposely avoid Kohler's toilet.”source ↗
“Basically, just unsure if we will like having a 32” shower in the master, but don’t know if it’s worth sacrificing closet space and having the 30” narrowing and a worse flow.”source ↗
“I’m a really handy guy although I do get nervous going into projects I haven’t done before. I bought this house and would like to tear out this whole bathroom and maybe remove the closet and just make the bathroom bigger.”source ↗
“From my plumber the install is more difficult. They are also more expensive. Ours are fully skirted and were tricky to install.”source ↗
“I'd make sure whatever you update that bathroom with that it's something that better enables you (or future owners) to age in place....which is most likely a walk in shower.”source ↗
“I am planing on replumbing a small house. It has a kitchen sink, washer, bath sink, toilet, bathtub, and a separate shower. I’ve only done minor plumbing repairs so this is a big job for me.”source ↗
“As you can see I gave the bathtub and shower dedicated lines because I am afraid the pex b fittings will restrict the flow too much by the time it reaches the tub and shower if I didn’t have dedicated lines. How does this look? Please give me some advice”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2How do you vent a bathroom that isn't vented?
- 3How to check a DIY plumbing layout before gluing
- 6How to fit water supply lines in a tight bathroom vanity
- 3Will half-inch pipes cause pressure drops in a second bathroom?
- 4Double vanity plumbing slope and drainage issues
- 2How to measure a toilet rough-in without removing it