When you say the shower is leaking, do you mean the doors/walls or the floor part? You could rip out the walls part and put up a curtain, which would make the room seem bigger when it's pulled back.

As for (DIY), there's a TV (network) that has all kinds of how to vids and tutorials on it's website that I've found invaluable when doing home projects. Most renovation stuff, with the exception of major plumbing or any electric, is within the reach of most people. Good luck!

Unless this is your only bathroom I suggest not rushing a project like this. Sourcing proper fixtures takes time. And doing it slowly will not only save money but will end in a better product. That being said, it sounds like you already have a plan. Why are they exactly asking for help?

While you're figuring out what to do, you should probably focus on that leaking shower. It might be as simple as removing some of the old caulking and redoing it to get a good seal around the shower walls. It would be interesting to see what is on the floor underneath the linoleum. If you do swap the pedestal sink for a big vanity cabinet, you want to be careful about not making the space seem even smaller.

I don't know what the other bathrooms are like in your house, or if you really do need an extra shower crammed in, but if I was you, the shower would go. I would find a lovely old dresser and have it converted (or do it yourself) into a vanity, either with a new countertop/sink, or a vessel sink mounted on top. This will open up the space again, and restore its original function. The walls just need to be skim coated to smooth out the texture. A nice medium size tile on the floor and a fresh coat of paint would be all that you need then. I think this is probably a DIY job all around. Good Luck!

Have you thought about taking the shower out completely? If you don't need an extra, you could just turn it back into a sweet little powder room. I think there are actually tiny sinks at Ikea with tiny little cabinets underneath, but if you took the shower out you may have room for a cabinet in the corner instead.

i wouldn't rush to convert it to a 1/2 bath. a full bath (albeit a cramped full bath), is a full bath and you might find that down the road it will be a necessary convenience. that being said, i understand that storage is always an issue, but i would be careful that you don't get a vanity cabinet that shrinks the space even further.

I would recommend keeping the sink, toilet and plaster as is - just choose a much lighter color for the walls to make it brighter. I would install white beadboard with some top moulding to go around the entire bathroom - this will serve as a backsplash near the sink and brighten up the room even more. To make it look well done, you'll need to carefully pull out the baseboards so the beadboard can go behind them, and while your at it put in some new flooring. I actually used some slate-looking stick on tiles in a 1/2 bath and they look great. It could go on top of the current floor for easy removal if you ever wanted to do something more permanent. I installed them with an 1/8 inch space between them, and then used a dark grey grout and they look like they could be real. They're quite cheap and you can trim them with scissors.

I would also make a tall and narrow simple shelf to custom-fit the wall where you have a small storage table. And if you still feel like you need more storage at the sink, a simple glass shelf would probably do well. A newer, larger cabinet will help as well.

Not sure what you mean exactly when you say the shower is leaking. Could be you could just get a new tray or re-caulk to fix that problem. There are corner stalls that have rounded doors which might make the space feel more open.

Sometimes people put in pedestal sinks to make a small space seem less claustrophobic, but looking at the photos, it doesn't seem like that space is even being used as walkway or anything. So a sink with storage vanity is a great idea, as long as you keep the depth from the wall very small so you don't feel like you're walking into the vanity when you open the door.

If you want to use a professional to retile, they can possibly fix the shower at the same time if it's the bottom lip that is leaking.

I love that wooden door. If you bought a farmhouse for its charm, there's a definite charming bit! Please don't do anything to it unless it's in really bad shape.

Storage seems to be the biggest problem here. If you're getting someone to redo the walls, don't underestimate the value of throwing in some little built in storage! If you're not up to that, you can add a lot of storage with shelves, all without getting in the way of any walking space, which you should try to preserve as much as possible in such a small space. Shelving would definitely help with the toothbrush-power-cord problem you've got going by the sink.

As charming as it is, I would even consider repurposing that rolling wooden cabinet to another room so you've got more floorspace as well.

Tile the floor, the shower and the sink wall to the ceiling with the same tile. Then replace the existing shower surround with a clear glass one.

While you are refreshing your bath, be sure and replace that almond colored electrical outlet (to white).

better yet, turn it into a wet room!

I wouldn't tile the whole space, I'd just do the shower (I'd go simple: white subway with light gray grout and hex on the floor) with a glass enclosure. Then I'd do a dark wall color (with a lot of gray) and trim to match the tile. I'd stay with a small pedestal sink, but make the nook created by the shower and wall (where the little cupboard is now) floor to ceiling shelving (preferably not open shelving...too busy for the space).

Just one woman's opinion (a woman with two itty bitty bathrooms).

Kahlil is right. My en suite bathroom is about 40 sq ft, and I've tried every possible thing to make it less cramped. Nothing has worked. If the tile-enclosed shower stall were gone and the floor sloped a bit so the whole floor drained to the shower drain, the room would feel spacious. If I owned it, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
Also, if you and your partner are going to be doing a lot of renovating, you could do the wet-room retiling first, and leave the rest as is. When you're dirty from head to toe, the tiled floor with the floor drain will be a great place to get clean -- afterwards, just swipe a mop over the floor and it's all clean.
Then you can finish off the bathroom when you're done, giving you time to source great fixtures and a cabinet that suit your style.

The walls are the easiest and cheapest part of the whole redo. Find videos on texturing and skimming at finehomebuilding.com, get a sheet of drywall to practice on then go to it.

It is always tough when folks don't mention what 'limited budget' means. For my small bath redo (5x8) I was able to gut it down to bare studs fix some rotting floor joists, replace all the wall board, sub floor and fixtures, flooring etc for just under $2k. Other folks will spend $2k on a tile job or a sink.

If the shower has been leaking for any period of time you need to be mentally prepared for rot. Get any rotten anything out of there and replace it properly.

With a 1914 home you are going to have to be careful about both asbestos and lead paint. If you hire things done this can increase costs exponentially. What type of plumbing do you have? If it is galvanized or the late 80's early 90's PTBE it has to go. No sense putting in a pretty little powder room if you are going to have to open the walls in a couple years because the plumbing is failing.

So far as what you _should_ do... it is your heart's desire. Your only real limitations are time and budget.

And finally the advice I give to anybody starting a renovation with a partner: Interior designers and carpenters are cheaper than Divorce Attorneys.

Good luck and try to keep it fun.

Speaking as someone with a tiny bathroom that has a vanity with storage squeezed between a tub and wall, I wouldn't change out the pedestal sink. I can't wait until it is time to redo our bathroom. It looks terrible and feels cramped.

misterkrista is right about the cabinet. you probably don't have comfortable space for the door on a cabinet to open. i recommend a sink that mounts to the wall and open shelving under the sink for storage.

I have that shower, and I HATE it. Mine "leaks" through the cracks in the door, right onto the floor. One thing to do in the mean time is make sure the shower head is pointed directly at the floor- this may require an extention rod for it, but it prevents water from being directed right at the leaky door.

Costco sells corner showers that would fit this space- my friend got one for around $700. Which seems like a lot at first, but after 4 months of research it's a great deal for the entire thing in one box.

And I agree with the above comments that the sink could work if you built shelves on the wall where the current storage is sitting. Good luck!

here is my DIY blog on my house and bathroom reno too!!! it might give you some ideas http://ishilou.typepad.com/blog/

i would add lots of clean white to the space. white subway tile could be a nice way to brighten it up a bit. i like the existing wall color :) here is a nice inexpensive white vanity from lowes:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_297597-68085-39518_4294855867+4294815463_?productId=3162241&Ntt=vanity&Ntk=i_products&pl=1&currentURL=/pl_200_4294855867 4294815463__s?Ntk=i_products$Ntt=vanity

and i would definitely keep that shower, just hire a professional to fix the leak

good luck and have fun

If this were my place, i'd first tear everything out and replace the plaster walls with concrete-board because you never know what's lurking behind old walls (Mold? Insufficient plumbing? Rotted timbers?) that requires repair.

I'd install a 42" high part-wall midway between the sink and the shower, and another between the shower and the toilet - but no curbing for the shower. Tile the place floor-to-ceiling in Heath Ceramics tiles - and electric heat in the floors below the floor tile outside the shower area. Atop the part-walls, install a cap using either quartz or stone. Between the walls on the sink side, have a custom floating vanity installed and use the same quartz or stone for the vanity top.

Atop the part-walls, have glass panels installed reaching the ceiling, and in the ceiling in between the glass panels install a hospital track for an uber-long nylon shower curtain.

As far as plumbing, i'd select an undermount sink in the vanity, a new dual-flush toilet and a shower mechanism w/ a toe spigot (to test the water before turning on the spray) a handheld showerhead mounted high on the wall (good for you as well as using to clean the bathroom floor) as well as a couple of body sprays.

Tiled niches in the walls of the shower would provide storage for soaps, shampoos, etc - and some wooden boxed niches projecting out from the wall (1/2 in the wall, 1/2 out) outside the shower would be great for rolled up towels, etc - and hooks all over the place. Recessed lighting in the ceiling would provide good lighting - and even though you have a window, I'd still install an exhaust fan.

Finally, a big framed medicine cabinet/mirror recessed above the sink - the kind w/ electrical outlets inside the cabinet.

No advice, but I love the door. You are so lucky to have it unpainted! I hardly ever see those.

If you rip out the vinyl, be careful. Asbestos was used in the vinyl and in the mastic (glue) used to attach the vinyl up to pretty recently.

I really like pedestals for openness in small bathrooms; could you put some shelves or a small cabinet where the low table is now to address the storage issue?

Floor to ceiling tile is a amazing in small bathrooms, I like traditional small black and white in an interesting pattern. The pedestal sink is good. If you need storage in that bathroom why not sink a medicine cabinet with a nice frame in the wall? And a nice pendant light, maybe something 'farmhouse-y'...

I would get rid of the shower, replace the shower with 2 sinks and a really big mirror above the sinks. the mirror will make the toilet much bigger and more spacious looking.

Hi all, and HUGE thanks to everyone for all the great ideas and encouragement! This is exactly what we needed to get us out of "analysis paralysis" and get things kick-started on the project. Last night we made a spreadsheet with all your ideas and began ranking/prioritizing them according to our needs and budget. We found a few contractors on Angie's List to call for bids, which we'll start doing today. I'll be sure to follow up with photos of the "after" to let everyone know how things turned out. Thanks again!

Lots of good ideas on here! I'm also in the midst of a little bathroom renovation- converting a closet into a bathroom! Would love some feedback, and check it out for ideas!
Happy Renovations