Whats smallest 1/2 bathroom you made and how vent it?

amother

Salmon

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 3:55 pm

We have a big closet that we are thinking of turning into a half bathroom, but I'm not sure it's big enough. What was the smallest sized area you turned into a bathroom, what are the measurements? And if there is no window, how did you vent it so it didn't smell? Did you change the doors if you converted a closet into a bathroom? other ideas?

Rubber Ducky

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 4:29 pm

The smallest bath it's possible to make and the smallest bath that meets code requirements are not the same thing. How big is your closet?

International building code would put the smallest size as about 30" x 60" using an extra-shallow specialty toilet and and a very shallow sink on opposite walls, or about 45" x 45" with toilet and sink on adjacent walls, again using extra-shallow specialty fixtures. A ventilation fan can substitute for a window. Generally the smallest permissible door would be 24" if that's what you already have.

Your local codes may have different requirements.

amother

Linen

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 4:43 pm

amother wrote:

Do you need a sink in there? We have a small bathroom and it works very well. We put in an exhaust system. It nice and fresh.

amother

Salmon

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 5:45 pm

Rubber Ducky wrote:

What are the rules for NYC? I couldn't find the info online. Ours is a little smaller than that.

MagentaYenta

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 5:53 pm

Rubber Ducky wrote:

Some cities/counties also require a specific distance between the toilet and sink. (Around here it is 20".) Be sure the plumber vents the fixtures. (Which should not be confused with ventilation.)

Rubber Ducky

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 6:14 pm

Amother, I'm in Baltimore and do not know what will pass in New York.

1) Call and ask.

2) What are the inside dimensions of the closet?

3) Can you "borrow" space from an adjacent room? What's behind the closet? How wide is the hallway?

Magenta, international code is 21" clear in front of toilet and in front of the sink. There are a few toilets now where the tank is set into the wall behind; they're only about 22" deep.

amother

Salmon

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 6:22 pm

Rubber Ducky wrote:

It's 29 and a half inches by about 56 and a half inches. I can't borrow space from another room. Is that too small?

MagentaYenta

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 6:22 pm

Rubber Ducky wrote:

I'm not talking about front clearance of the fixtures but the distance between the fixtures themselves. Here it is measure from the outmost rim of the sink basin to the outermost edge of the toilet bowl. Our front clearance is the same as the international code.

amother

Salmon

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 6:33 pm

MagentaYenta wrote:

Some cities/counties also require a specific distance between the toilet and sink. (Around here it is 20".) Be sure the plumber vents the fixtures. (Which should not be confused with ventilation.)

What does this mean?

amother

Salmon

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 6:34 pm

Rubber Ducky wrote:

What is the smallest length toilet? I know they sell really tiny sinks.

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 6:54 pm

amother wrote:

What does this mean?

This means a pipe leads the gases out of the house. Look at a roof, and you will see several small pipes coming out. These are vents. It is not too hard for a plumber to do, and is essential for safety. Your local building code will include the details.

Rubber Ducky

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 7:08 pm

Toto and Kohler both make models that are a little over 21" in depth, maybe 22" if you need to beef up the wall behind the fixture. Remember that the tank recesses into the wall so you need to make sure you don't have other stuff in the wall. Pair one with a 14" (measured front-to-back and I think you can find even less) wall mount sink + 21" and you get about 57" x 30".

Rubber Ducky

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 7:33 pm

amother wrote:

It's 29 and a half inches by about 56 and a half inches. I can't borrow space from another room. Is that too small?

Sorry, missed your answer. The 56 1/2" is do-able with fixtures such as I mentioned. You might get that 29 1/2" accepted; you're just shy of the minimum. If the permits people give you a problem and if the long wall (back of the closet) is not load-bearing, it could be reframed with 2x3s instead of 2x4s and you'd pick the extra inch.

MagentaYenta

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 7:43 pm

amother wrote:

What is the smallest length toilet? I know they sell really tiny sinks.

There are lots of tiny toilets on the market. Some as small s 17", which is kinda small for an average size person.

Rubber Ducky

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 7:57 pm

MagentaYenta wrote:

There are lots of tiny toilets on the market. Some as small s 17", which is kinda small for an average size person.

If you've seen a 17" long toilet for adults, please post a link.

MagentaYenta

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 8:00 pm

Rubber Ducky wrote:

If you've seen a 17" long toilet for adults, please post a link.

I purchased it over 26 years ago. IIRC the name as Sanitas or something like that Trust me it was a mistake.

Amarante

Sun, Sep 03 2017, 9:10 pm

I've been in homes that had bathrooms that were obviously closets at one point. Most apparently are the single family Queen Ann style homes in Midwood that were built prior to WW I and almost all have a tiny bathroom on the first floor that was a closet because homes built in that era typically only have one bathroom upstairs.

My friend has a tiny one that I assume was once the coat closet and a pocket door was installed. That is a strange conversion since the house has what was once the maid's room about 10 feet away which had an en suite 3/4 bathroom and there is also a half bath off the kitchen. I guess this is the formal "guest" bath. She wanted to get rid of one of the bathrooms and make one large bathroom but her husband balked - why he needed three bathrooms on the first floor is a mystery but she said he felt uncomfortable with the thought of losing one. :-)

amother

Salmon

Mon, Sep 04 2017, 3:17 pm

I just realized that I measured wrong and included part of the doorway too, so it's really only 28 and a quater inches in width.