Breaking The Bathroom Bottleneck

When there are two of you trying to get ready for work, the early morning bathroom bottleneck can rival the rush hour commuter traffic. The impatient knocking on the door is reminiscent of honking car horns. The steam from the shower is a precursor of the exhaust fumes you'll encounter later. Tempers can grow short. Is this any way to start the day? Of course, you could sit down and work out a minute by minute his-and-her schedule to make things go more smoothly. That can work out nicely if you're both as precise as a Swiss clock and neither of you ever, ever oversleep. On the other hand, you might consider breaking the bottleneck at the source and giving yourselves a roomier, more luxurious bathroom where two can move as freely as one. Creating a master bath to do double duty isn't a remodeling project that's particularly difficult or expensive. Depending upon the existing space in your bathroom, you may want to go all out and convert adjoining areas into part of the new master bath. Or you may opt to rearrange what is already there with an eye toward increased convenience and comfort. In either case, the working rule is to design it for two people with individual needs. Form follows function in this instance and since no room in the house is more functional than the bathroom, begin with the basics. Two sinks with a double vanity will provide plenty of room for her to apply makeup while he shaves. An oversized mirror creates the illusion of a larger space for relatively little cost. Lighting fixtures attached to the side walls will add a dramatic, highlighting effect to help brighten up any morning. A double-sized, walk-in shower with dual entrances makes for added convenience and a sort of tag team approach to washing for those occasions when you're truly rushed. A separate, sunken bathtub can be outfitted with whirlpool sprays for more leisurely times. And the two toilets you put in can be compartmentalized for extra privacy. Now if only the traffic cooperates, getting to work will be a breeze.