A good bathroom layout starts with the toilet, because its large waste has to reach the soil stack with enough fall. Put it as close to the stack as you can, place the bath or shower along the longest unbroken wall, then fit the basin where you can stand in front of it without the door in the way. Everything else in this guide is about applying those three rules to the room you actually have.
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Working with a particularly small or oddly shaped room? Our small and awkward bathroom layouts guide goes into tight clearances. This page covers the general principles for a typical family bathroom.
Why the soil pipe decides so much
A toilet waste is wide and needs a steady downhill run. Basins, baths and showers use narrower pipes that are far easier to route. That is why moving a toilet is the most expensive layout change and moving a basin is usually the cheapest. Before sketching anything, find where the soil stack leaves the room, usually visible outside as the large vertical pipe.
Common layouts that work
Everything on one wall
Toilet, basin and bath in a line along one wall keeps all the plumbing together and leaves the rest of the room open. It suits long, narrow bathrooms and is often the cheapest to fit.
Bath across the end
In a roughly square room the bath goes across the far wall, with the toilet and basin along a side wall. The bath end is a natural place for the shower and screen.
Separate shower and bath
Where there is room, a separate enclosure or walk in shower alongside a bath gives a family more flexibility. It needs a larger floor area and a second waste, so it is usually a remodel rather than a refresh.
Shower only
Replacing the bath with a large walk in shower frees space and can make a small room feel bigger. Keep a bath somewhere in the house if resale matters to you; our walk in shower or bath guide covers that decision.
Leave room to use each fitting
A layout that looks fine on paper can feel cramped once you are standing in it. Allow clear floor space in front of the toilet and the basin, room to step out of the bath or shower onto a mat, and check the door swing does not hit anything. An inward opening door often causes more layout problems than the fittings themselves.
Think about the window and the light
Windows limit where tall items and mirrors can go. A basin under a window loses its mirror, and a shower under a window needs the right window and careful sealing. Lighting and extraction need planning at the same stage, since electrical zones around the bath and shower affect where lights and switches can go; see our bathroom lighting guide.
Storage and heating
A vanity unit under the basin, a mirrored cabinet and a heated towel rail near the shower all need a wall. Decide where they go at layout stage rather than squeezing them in later. Our storage ideas help here.
Planning for later life
If anyone in the house has, or may develop, mobility needs, a level access shower and space beside the toilet are far easier to plan now than to add later. Our accessible bathroom guide explains what to allow.
Checking your layout on site
At a free survey we measure the room, find the soil stack and check the floor and joist direction, then tell you which layout changes are simple and which add cost. You get a fixed written quote within 24 hours. See our bathroom fitters in Stoke-on-Trent, ask us to look at your layout or call 01782 901390.
Common questions
What is the best layout for a bathroom?
The one that keeps the toilet close to the soil stack, leaves clear space in front of each fitting, and puts the bath or shower along the longest unbroken wall. The shape of the room and the position of the door usually decide the rest.
Can the toilet be moved to a different wall?
Usually, but the waste has to run with enough fall to the soil stack. Across joists or a long distance this can mean raising the floor, boxing in pipework or, where gravity drainage will not work, a macerator.
Where should the basin go?
Ideally where you can stand comfortably in front of it with a mirror above, and not directly behind the door. Basins have small wastes and move more easily than toilets.
Is it worth changing the layout of a bathroom?
It is worth it when the current layout does not work day to day, for example a door that hits the toilet or a bath nobody uses. It adds plumbing work, so it should earn its place.