Before & After: The ‘Yes, You CAN Fit in a Bathroom on the First Floor’ Makeover

Homeowners Shannon and Scott loved their home, except for one problem: their two-story house didn’t have a bathroom on the first floor. This was particularly annoying and inconvenient for Shannon — at home during the day with their young daughter, she found herself constantly running up and down the stairs. So Scott and Shannon turned to architect Andrew Mikhael, who identified a spot where they could add a bathroom, without adding to the home’s foundation at all. Can you guess where they fit it in?

If you were eyeing that patio on the back side of the house, you had the right idea. By enclosing the patio and turning it into part of the house, the architect was able to turn a previously unloved space into a bathroom that gets used all the time.

He was able to do this without expanding the home’s foundation at all, which would’ve cost a pretty penny.

Next to the new bathroom is a hallway which connects to the back deck. Windows that once looked to the outside now connect the entry hall to the dining room, which keeps it from feeling isolated from the rest of the house. This is Shannon’s entry point to the house, so the architect also designed a bench with shoe storage that fits into a nook right next to the door.

The bathroom itself is like a master class in small bathroom design. A wall-mounted sink leaves plenty of space to move around, and the minimal styling of the shower door makes it almost disappear, so that your perceive the bathroom as one long, continuous space. Handmade ceramic tiles and a marble floor (which extends up the back wall of the shower) add a little bit of luxury to this small space.

Want to learn more about this project? Check out the architect’s website.