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My parents are remodeling their master bathroom and have elected me to brainstorm some ideas - which is why I'm here.

Basically what I'm looking for are some out of the box ideas to put in their master bathroom. Their current plan is to remove their current jacuzzi and put in a soaking tub (they've never used the jacuzzi and will never use the soaking tub). They are also redoing the shower, floor tiles, vanities, etc.

What can we put in place of the soaking tub that they will never use? An idea I had was to move the shower over to where the tub is and make the shower the focal point of the bathroom, and put in a sauna where the old shower used to be.

Any other ideas on something special/fancy to put in? I can take some pictures to put on here but just wanted to see if anyone had any "crazy/different" ideas for a bathroom.

thanks!

A sauna came to my mind, too. But, not a regular sauna--rather, an infrared sauna.

I can still high step over the edge, but I've always like the idea of a walk in tub with a door. Might be more useful than a regular tub or jacuzzi. I think they have built in seats which would be nice if they were just going to use the hand held shower head too.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: wendek,

Another thing i wish i had in the master bathroom - a vanity sink in the water closet with the toilet. A mini powder room in the master. That would be most useful.

Also, you've probably thought of this - plenty of decorative hand holds in the shower. Even now and with showering the child, i wish i had ADA grab bars in the shower, it's just sensible.

Factor in these things along w/ budget:

Their bedroom style (their tastes are foremost).

Style of the home and configuration of bathroom (can it be expanded if need be?).

Their age and any physical restrictions including height.

Their spacial restrictions.

Is their bathroom lacking in architectural details (ex. moldings, arches, columns, wainscot skylight or interesting window, etc.?)

How long they plan on residing in the house because even if they put in things they don't generally use, will a future buyer (assuming this is not too far in the future), might likely desire it (aka a soaking tub).

Don't overlook lighting and storage in your design plans.

Depending on their personal preferences, I like when old dressers are turned into vanities.

Consider a heated floor if they live in a locale that experiences cold months in the year. A heated towel rack or warming drawer for towels is often a welcome amenity too.

All very great suggestions... I love the small ideas - heated towel rack, etc. But I guess what we're really looking for is something to put in place of the bath tub since it just won't be used. It's a pretty large space, and was wondering what we could put there.

I'm confused. If they're removing the jacuzzi, wouldn't you just replace the space with the soaking tub?

One thing on the walk-in tubs with the doors (I know someone who has one), is that you have to get in, and then wait for the tub to fill up. When you're done, you have to wait for water to drain and then get out. Brrrrrrrrr.

They have a shower that is just a shower with a glass door. They also have a jacuzzi which is never used. Not sure if this helps :\

quote:

Originally posted by Vernah:
All very great suggestions... I love the small ideas - heated towel rack, etc. But I guess what we're really looking for is something to put in place of the bath tub since it just won't be used. It's a pretty large space, and was wondering what we could put there.

So are you saying they don't want a bath tub of any kind? Is there a tub in another part of the house? If not, they might want to give it some more thought. Someday they may want to sell and most realtors will tell you it's important to have at least one tub.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sharon W,

There's other bedrooms with bathrooms with tubs, but no, they do not want a tub in their master bathroom. Thanks again for the help.

I am thinking like Sharon W, that a tub is a pretty important piece of a bathroom, especially a master bathroom.

I am not big on the sauna idea - but it might be personal opinion - I have a sauna in my house, and talk about something that is never used. I store toys in mine that I am saving for my grandchildren. (that sauna was a total waste of money)

One thing to think about is that a bathroom, especially a master bathroom, is expensive to remodel. It is one of those places where it makes sense to think long term and be practical.

I would make a scale model of the space, and then make a scale model of the shower, sink area/vanity, etc. Then you can play around with layout and check your sight lines, balance etc. Much easier to work on a model first before you dig into the real thing.

I am including a photo of a quick scale model I did to study space and layout when I remodeled my own master bathroom and was trying to figure out a new vanity. You can see that models are pretty easy and unfussy to do. You just draw the room to scale in plan and elevation, and basically cut out the pieces. Doing a model is absolutely never a waste of time, and can reveal many trouble spots before they are built.

And last, you don't say what age your parents are, but think through those important aging issues. Roll in shower, grab bars, etc will make your parents life much easier as they age if they end up with health or mobility issues. I would put my money there instead of towards crazy/different.

These are maybe not the kind of ideas you were hoping for, but they are ideas that will help your parents end up with a beautiful bathroom that meets real needs and is money well spent.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: cocok,

Maybe this is a better picture of the model. This shows that it doesn't have to be perfect - just quick.

By the way, I was working on a vanity that would provide efficient storage for my husband and myself. The tall cabinets have outlets inside them so that my hairdryer etc can stay plugged in. I set my hairdryer on a shelf and then I just close the door. Super handy. There are also plugs in the cabinets for electric toothbrushes, and shaver, and etc.

The drawers were sized especially for the things we keep in the bathroom, which means, yes, I measured our stuff. That is another thing to think through in your parent's bathroom. Storage.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: cocok,

Since I'm possibly about the age of your parents this is what I would like in a bathroom:

~regular bath tub (valuable for resale but also usable for a fairly fit older person)
~large shower that a wheelchair-bound person could roll into with a telephone shower head and possibly multiple other shower heads, rain shower head, etc. depending on preferences
~antique/vintage vanity with marble or granite top and under-mount sink
~raised toilet (various choices of how to do this)

Check out Universal Design for other ideas that could be beneficial for older people.