Room for a bath
in a compact bathroom.
About 1.6 × 2.2 m, or 3.5 m² of floor. This is the classic UK family bathroom: big enough for a bath along the longest wall, with a basin and a toilet beside it. The main question is how the bath and shower share the space.
- Typical size
- About 1.6 × 2.2 m
- Floor area
- About 3.5 m²
- Fits
- Bath, basin, toilet
- Usually
- Family bathroom
- Shower
- Over the bath, or instead of it
What fits
A compact room is where a bath becomes possible. A standard 1700 × 700 mm bath fits along the longest wall, with the basin and toilet sharing the wall opposite or the end of the room.
The usual arrangement is a shower over the bath behind a glass screen, which gives you both without needing more space. The alternative is to swap the bath for a generous walk-in shower, which makes the room feel noticeably bigger.
Look at the shape of the room
The window
If the window sits over the bath and you shower there, it will get wet. A window in a shower area needs a frame that can take water, and a way to keep it private.
The door
The door often opens towards the end of the bath or the basin. Check it clears both, and that you can stand comfortably at the basin with the door closed.
Boxed-in pipes
Older bathrooms often hide pipes in boxing around the walls. Some can be moved or slimmed down; some can become a useful shelf.
Choosing your layout
These five layouts suit a compact room. Four keep a bath; one trades it for a bigger shower.
A straight bath with a shower
Keep a bath and shower in the same space.
The classic family arrangement: the bath along the longest wall, a shower above and a glass screen.
Read more →A built-in bath
A bath for soaking, with no shower above it or separate shower.
Choose it if you'd rather soak than shower. The wall above the bath is free for tiles, a niche or a window.
Read more →A compact bath
A shorter bath for a smaller room.
A shorter 1500–1600 mm bath frees space for a wider basin or more storage.
Read more →An enclosed shower bath
A bath with a full sliding screen to contain splashes.
A full sliding screen keeps splashes in, which helps with a powerful shower or children who splash.
Read more →An open walk-in shower
A shower behind a fixed glass panel, without a shower door.
Replacing the bath with a walk-in shower makes the room feel much bigger, and is easier to step into.
Read more →Bath, or no bath?
Keep the bath if…
You have young children, you like a long soak, or it's the only bath in a family home. Some buyers expect a bath, which matters if you plan to sell.
Lose the bath if…
Everyone showers, there's another bath elsewhere, or you want easier, step-free access. A walk-in shower uses the same space far more generously.
Making it work
Choose the right screen
A fixed screen is simplest. A hinged or folding screen swings out of the way for bathing children or cleaning the bath.
Lift the basin and toilet
A wall-hung toilet and vanity show more floor, so the room feels larger and is easier to clean.
Use the wall above the bath
A recessed niche over the bath holds bottles for both bath and shower, without a caddy.
Match the bath panel
Tiling the bath panel to match the walls or floor makes the bath part of the room rather than an object in it.
Store upwards
A mirror cabinet over the basin and a slim tall unit or shelves above the toilet add storage without taking floor.
Place the towel rail well
A heated towel rail within reach of the bath, where it won't be hit by the door or splashed by the shower.
A bath with a clear glass shower screen, a wall-hung toilet and an oak vanity with a countertop basin.
Shower over the bath with metro tiles, a compact vanity and a tall heated towel rail.
A straight bath with a frameless screen, and recessed shelves built into the wall.
Warm & natural: a wood vanity, warm stone tones and brass.
Clean & minimal: pale grey and white, with chrome.
Classic & traditional: metro tiles, a patterned floor and a painted vanity.
Bold & colourful: green tiles, terracotta walls and a terrazzo floor.
What to watch out for
Waterproofing round the bath
A shower over a bath soaks the walls around it. They need proper waterproofing behind the tiles, and a sound seal where the bath meets the wall.
A steady bath
Baths flex when filled and stood in. A well-supported bath keeps the sealant joint from cracking.
Your water system
What shower you can have over the bath depends on your hot-water system and water pressure.
Ventilation
Building Regulations require an extractor fan in a bathroom. Steam from a hot bath or shower needs somewhere to go.
Every room is different. These are starting points, and we confirm what fits at your home visit.
Planning a compact bathroom?
Tell us about your room and what matters most, and we'll help you make the most of it.
Start your project briefIllustrations are concepts, not measured plans. Click any picture to enlarge it.