What’s the Minimum Bathroom Size? 2024 Bathroom Size Guide

Are you looking to install a small bathroom in your space but don’t know the minimum size requirement? 15 square feet is the minimum size for a bathroom, ensuring enough room for a toilet and a sink. 

Considerations

If you are looking to install a small bathroom, consider these aspects:

Floor Space

The first thing to consider is your available floor space. While minimum size is 15 square feet, you need 20-25 square feet if you want your bathroom to be wheelchair accessible. 20-25 square feet allows for full accessibility and turning, although this can be changed if your bathroom is either circular or t-shaped to allow for easier access.

Clearance

For safety reasons, specifically fire hazard reasons, your toilet should have a clerance of 21 inches from the front of it and 16-18 inches from the side walls. Sinks need about 30 inches of clearance and should be 18 inches away from the toilet. This is to prevent splash up or pipe interference between the two appliances. Clearance is vital as your bathroom should always have a clear line of accessibility between all fixtures. 

Door Swing

Door swing will interfere with your appliances and fixtures if you don’t properly account for it. Your door will need to be tested for it’s full swing and it needs to be able to swing fully in one direction without obstruction. If your bathroom can’t accommodate that, consider a sliding door as an alternative. Your door swing is also essential as it needs to be able to accommodate a wheelchair.

Shape

Generally bathrooms are rectangular in shape, but your household needs will vary depending on the size of your bathroom. Triangular or circular shapes provide a great alternative for full wheelchair accessibility without taking up too much space compared to traditional rectangular designs.

Common Fixtures

These are common fixtures and their measurements to help you get a feel for how they will fit in your space.

• Toilet 30-60 inches with a drain outlet that measures 12.5 inches
• Sink 17-20 inches wide, 12 inches deep
• Mirror-Mirrors generally equal the same width as the sink. 

Minimum size with shower

The minimum size for a bathroom with a shower is 30-36 square feet. This accounts for a full clearance for the door swing as well, and your shower door should be able to open without blocking your bathroom door. 

Minimum size with bathtub

There is no minimum size for a bathtub as bathtubs come in wide shapes and designs, but the free space around your tub should be between 60 inches long and 30 inches wide. As with a shower, your bathtub should not conflict with the full swing of your door. But the average bathroom size for a bathtub is around 35 square feet. 

For more common bathroom layouts and sizes, click here. 

Additional features for ADA

If you want your bathroom to be fully ADA compliant, you will need to include the following:

Grab Bars

Grab bars are essential here as your bathroom is quite cramped and the additional support is necessary for gaining leverage. Just keep in mind that grab bars will effect your total clearance and make it difficult to navigate if they are kept at height level. 

Levers or no hands access

In addition to hand holds and grip support, levers or other contact-less functions are recommended. Although it can be quite expensive, electronic or hands-free faucet or toilet control will aid the individual greatly.

Full wheel chair accessibility

Your bathroom needs to allow for full wheelchair clearance, which is why it’s recommended that you choose a circular shape to make the most out of the space. This will probably be the most challenging aspect of a small bathroom. 

Tips to utilize the most out of the space

Although it may seem limiting, here are some tips to help you get the most out of your space and make your bathroom feel comfortable. 

1. Organize-Storage is the most important aspect of any bathroom as bathroom accessories can quickly become clutter in the space and make it feel quite messy. Utilize hidden storage, cubbies or wall mounted shelves or racks to add more storage when possible. If you organize your space, it will make it feel more open. 
2. Utilize small fixtures where possible-Small bathrooms are designed to be efficient, so use smaller fixtures. Smaller toilets, smaller sinks and a smaller mirror. Remember that these fixtures don’t need to be luxurious and eye-catching, your small bathroom is designed to fit a purpose, so save space whenever you can. 
3. Use a color scheme or design that makes the space feel more open

Although it may seem silly or counter-intuitive, your eyes play a big part in how you perceive your space. Although you may not have much to work with, use a bright or contrasting color scheme such as blue, green, yellow, or playful tile to make the space feel more vibrant and alive. With the right color choice, your small bathroom will feel less cramped.

Designing your small bathroom is very straightforward, just remember to be efficient with your space and plan accordingly.