Bathroom Layout Basics: Fixture Sizes and Clearances
Bathrooms pack the most fixed fixtures into the smallest space, and moving plumbing is expensive. A few centimetres decide whether a room feels comfortable or cramped, so it pays to plan the layout before you choose tiles.
Bathrooms are regulated: waterproofing, ventilation, electrical zones and minimum clearances are set by local building codes, and they vary by country and region. Treat the numbers here as typical planning guidance, and confirm requirements with your builder or plumber.
Typical fixture sizes
| Fixture | Typical footprint |
|---|---|
| Toilet (close-coupled) | about 380 mm wide × 650–700 mm deep |
| Wall-hung toilet | about 360 mm wide × 520–550 mm deep (plus in-wall cistern) |
| Vanity | 600–1,200 mm wide × 450–500 mm deep; 400 mm for slimline |
| Shower | 900 × 900 mm is the practical minimum; 1,000 × 1,200 mm is comfortable |
| Bath | 1,500–1,700 mm long × 700–800 mm wide |
Clearances around each fixture
- Toilet: allow at least about 400 mm (15–16 in) from the centre of the toilet to a side wall or fixture. That gives roughly 800 mm of width for the toilet zone. Leave about 600 mm (21–24 in) clear in front, more if you can.
- Vanity: about 700–800 mm clear in front so you can lean over the basin. For a double vanity, space the basins about 750–900 mm apart, centre to centre.
- Shower: a clear area in front of the entry about as wide as the screen door. Make sure hinged screens can open fully, or use a fixed panel.
- Bath: a clear strip alongside it about 700 mm wide for getting in and out and drying off.
- Door: doors should usually open out of a small bathroom or slide, so a person who collapses inside doesn't block it. Some codes require this for small toilets.
Three layouts that work
Small bathroom (about 1.8 × 2.2 m)
Put everything on one or two walls: vanity and toilet along the long wall, and a 900 mm shower across the far end. A wall-hung toilet and vanity show more floor and make the room feel larger. A frameless fixed shower panel instead of a door saves the swing space.
Family bathroom (about 2.4 × 3.0 m)
Run the bath across the far short wall, put the vanity on one long wall and the toilet on the other, and add a separate shower if the room is long enough. Keep the toilet out of the direct line of sight from the door.
Ensuite
Often long and narrow. Put the vanity nearest the door, the toilet in the middle and a walk-in shower at the far end. A walk-in shower with a single fixed panel gives you about 300 mm more usable width than an enclosure with a door.
Plumbing tips
- Keep wet fixtures on one wall (a "wet wall") where you can. It's cheaper to build and easier to repair.
- Note where the toilet waste is now. Moving it across the room usually means lifting the floor.
- Ventilation: plan an exhaust fan or opening window near the shower.
Try layouts in the planner
Load the Bathroom sample, which has a bathtub, shower, toilet and sink, and set your room's real size. The Room tab has small, ensuite and master bathroom presets to start from. Switch the floor to tile, rearrange the fixtures, and check the clearances in Floor Plan view.
Try this in 3D: Open the Bathroom sample