En-Suite Ambitions, Cloakroom-Sized Space
When homeowners ask about adding an en-suite, they usually picture three essential components: a toilet, basin and shower. In practice, however, the shower is both the largest fixture and the one that places the greatest demands on the room.
It requires sufficient standing space, waterproofing, drainage and enough clearance to enter and use it comfortably.
Once all of that is accounted for, a full en-suite can sometimes consume a surprisingly large portion of the adjoining bedroom, especially whn traditional door swings are considered.
When Rachel came to us she was considering all of this…
But forcing all three fixtures into her available footprint would have produced two compromised rooms: a cramped en-suite and a noticeably smaller bedroom.
So in conjunction with our customer, we came up with a plan to add a cloakroom as it was decided that the bedroom facilities (wardrobe, drawers, bedside table and a large bed) were simply more important than a shower in this instance.
The result provides much of the convenience of an en-suite without allowing it to dominate the room it serves.
Case study
Heres the space we identified as usable, factoring in bed position, side tables, drawers etc…
(It was about 80cm x 140cm internally)
The 1st task was to get hot and cold water supplied up into the space to feed the basin & WC, and to run a waste pipe to take all the waste water away to the sewer.
This was done by running everything over the kitchen wall units below before boxing it all back in for a seamless finish.
(Insulation helps dampen the noise of flushing toilets when you’re in the kitchen)
…and matching coving helps blend everything back together
This is the main stack outside the kitchen window that we connected into
Next we defined the space using timber studwork and we encorporated a pocket door frame so that no doors had to open into the small cloakroom (or out into the bedroom against the bed)
We then ran pipework to the basin and WC as required, boarding out the left hand wall to keep all pipes hidden.
We also added an inline fan to the loft above which served to extract stale air out of the roof, whilst being quieter than a wall mounted fan.
PS Did you know you need an electrical completion certificate in order for local building control to sign off the installation?
The studwork was then insulated, boarded and plastered, before coving was reinstated to ensure the new room blended into the bedroom decor.
A cork floor was fitted
Decorative panelling was added and the wall hung basin and back to wall toilet were installed.
The pocket door was installed and all skirting & architrave was fitted.
The final result was a big success.
Commentary on this particular design
The finished room works because it doesn’t pretend to be a miniature contemporary shower room. It leans into being a small, characterful room:
The compact dimensions were treated as part of the design rather than something to disguise. A wall-hung basin keeps the floor visible, traditional fittings complement the house, and tongue-and-groove panelling gives the room the feel of a deliberately designed cloakroom rather than a cupboard containing sanitaryware.
Wall-mounted storage uses the height of the room without reducing the already limited floor area, while the restrained colour palette ties the individual elements together.
A useful expert observation:
In very small rooms, specifying the smallest basin and toilet is only part of the answer. Door movement, knee room, shoulder room and the space needed to stand at the basin are what determine whether the room actually feels usable.
So what can you do?
If a full en-suite would consume too much of your bedroom, the choice isn’t necessarily between sacrificing the room and doing nothing.
A carefully planned private WC can provide many of the benefits people actually want from an en-suite while requiring considerably less space.
The key is to begin with how the room will be used—not with a checklist of fixtures that must somehow be made to fit.
How can we help (potentially)
Send us a few pictures of your space 👉🏼 here and we’d be glad to hop on a free consultation call to let you know your options – whether its feasible, how much it would likely cost and what installation pathways are available to you (and which you should consider choosing based on a variety of factors.)