Are you looking for Jack and Jill bathroom ideas? Have you thought about converting Jack and Jill bathroom to two bathrooms instead? In this post, I will explain how we are converting a Jack and Jill bathroom into two separate bathrooms by showing you the original versus the new layout and illustrating our changes. I hope our conversion may help you develop a plan to convert your own Jack and Jill bathroom into two!
Goodbye Jack and Jill Bathroom – Here’s Why!
Jack and Jill bathrooms were (and still are) designed to save space and money while providing bathroom access to two separate bedrooms. While saving money and space are very desirable benefits, there are definitely disadvantages to Jack and Jill baths. If they are genuinely shared by two or more family members, there isn’t much privacy to speak of, and the door you want to enter is always locked.
The home we are working on now has two bedrooms on the second floor with a Jack and Jill bathroom between them. As soon as we saw it, we agreed that we had to attempt to split it into two bathrooms. We wanted at least four of the five bedrooms to have their own bath. If we could turn this Jack and Jill bath into two, we would be closer to that. For reference, below are photos of the two bedrooms that shared the Jack and Jill bath.
The Jack and Jill Bathroom
The bathroom was about 175 square feet with a double vanity, a separate toilet room, a tub/shower combination, and two linen closets separated by a window seat.
Layout
Below is my terrible Bluebeam attempt at the Jack and Jill bathroom layout. It’s not great, but you get the point. This sketch does not show the two linen closets on each side of the window seat.
The Challenges
When we started looking at the bathroom and tried to figure out how to get two bathrooms out of this one, we realized there were two decent challenges we would have to overcome. One is the double window located right in the center of the exterior wall between the bedrooms, and two is the large flue duct running through a chase between the toilet room and the bathtub.
We wanted to create what would essentially be a second-floor Primary Bedroom, so we wanted to be able to fit a freestanding bathtub in this space. After a lot of measuring and brainstorming, we decided that we could include the window in the larger bathroom. As for the chase, we decided to eliminate the duct if we went with a ventless fireplace. That allowed us to reduce the size of the chase significantly.
With those two issues resolved and some additional measuring, pointing, and scribbling on the floor, we were able to devise a good plan.
Goodbye, Jack and Jill Bathroom, and Hello, Two!
Fortunately, we could squeeze one decent-sized bathroom and one smaller bathroom out of the Jack and Jill bath. Let’s start with the layout; I will walk you through it.
Layout
The Changes We Made
In the primary bedroom, we removed the linen closet and moved the bedroom/bathroom door toward the vanity a few inches to fit a toilet room. That allowed us enough space for a 30″ door and a 60″ double vanity. Then, we removed the tub/shower combo and used that space and the space from the mechanical chase to create a 60′ x 30′ shower for each bathroom. Although the showers are by no means big, the size is adequate.
As we all know, no primary bathroom is complete without a freestanding tub that no one uses. Fortunately, we could place a bathtub in front of the windows (we will definitely need shutters) with enough space around the back and sides of the tub to stand and get a broom and mop behind it. To form the smaller bathroom, we added the wall you see to the left of the bathtub.
We can fit a 42″ single vanity, a toilet, and a 30″ x 60″ shower in the smaller bathroom. Visualizing the space without drywall is difficult, but below are some photos. As my little shadow, you will see that Harvey makes his way into most photos.
Double Vanity for Primary Bath
Bathtub Area in the Primary Bath and the Smaller Bath Vanity Beyond the Wall
Showers for Both Bathrooms (Primary on the Right)
Toilet Room For Primary Bath on Right
Your Jack and Jill Bathroom
I know the chances of our plan working for you are pretty slim. My hope, though, is that it will help you come up with some ideas for your own Jack and Jill Bathroom conversion. If you can squeeze two bathrooms out of one and need small bathroom layouts, I recommend you check out 25 Small Bathroom Floor Plans byEmma at Sunrise Specialty for some ideas.
If you don’t have the space to convert your Jack and Jill Bathroom into two and decide to remodel it instead, I recommend this great post by Sarah Lyon at The Spruce:22 Jack and Jill Bathroom Layout Ideas and Tips.
When you start planning your new bathroom’s fixtures and finishes, check out my posts Bathroom Renovation Costs: I Break Down Our Costs to Help You With Yours! andTile Grout: How to Choose the Perfect Grout for Your Shower.
Summary
In this post, I shared with you how we are converting our Jack and Jill bathroom into two bathrooms by showing the before and after layouts and explaining our changes. Grab your tape, a pad of paper, and a pencil, and get to thinking! I am sure you will be able to come up with a plan!
