Small Bathroom Layout: Five Footprints That Work
A small bathroom layout comes down to five footprints that builders use over and over: the 3 × 6 ft half bath, the 5 × 8 ft full bath with a tub, the 6 × 6 ft three-quarter bath with a corner shower, the 5 × 10 ft bath with a walk-in shower, and the 7 × 8 ft bath that squeezes in a double vanity.
Free: draw, save in your browser, download a watermarked image. Paid: clean to-scale PDF and materials list.
| Bath type | Fixtures | Typical size | Floor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half bath (powder room) | Toilet, sink | 3 × 6 ft to 4 × 5 ft | 18 to 20 sq ft |
| Three-quarter bath | Toilet, sink, shower | 6 × 6 ft to 5 × 8 ft | 36 to 40 sq ft |
| Full bath | Toilet, sink, tub or tub-shower | 5 × 8 ft | 40 sq ft |
| Full bath, walk-in shower | Toilet, sink, 60 in shower | 5 × 10 ft | 50 sq ft |
| Double vanity bath | Toilet, two sinks, shower | 7 × 8 ft | 56 sq ft |
Clear interior sizes. Code minimums: 15 in from the toilet centreline to each side, 21 in in front of the toilet, lavatory and tub, 24 in in front of a shower, 30 × 30 in inside it (IRC R307 and the IPC/UPC fixture clearances).
Layouts
Pick a layout
Each one opens in the canvas below with its sizes already drawn; change anything.
5 × 8 ft full bath, tub across the end
The classic 40 sq ft full bath: a 60 in tub across the far wall, toilet in the middle, vanity by the door. The door swings out because an inswing would sweep the 21 in in front of the vanity.
3 × 6 ft powder room
The smallest half bath that clears code: toilet at the back, pedestal sink at the door end, door swinging out into the hall. A 36 in width leaves 18 in each side of the toilet centre.
6 × 6 ft three-quarter bath
A square room with a 36 in corner shower, the toilet beside it and the vanity on the opposite wall. Good for a basement or a converted closet where a tub will not fit.
5 × 10 ft bath with a walk-in shower
The same 5 ft width as the classic bath, two feet longer, so a 60 × 36 in walk-in shower takes the tub’s place with room for a seat. Toilet and vanity line up on one plumbing wall.
7 × 8 ft bath with a double vanity
Fifty-six square feet: a 48 in double vanity and a 36 in shower share the back wall, the toilet sits opposite. The first size where two people can get ready at once.
9 × 6 ft bath, tub along the long wall
A slightly wider room with the tub along the long wall and a window over it. Use it when the bathroom is being carved out of a bedroom rather than a hallway.
The 5 × 8 ft full bath with wall lengths shown. Click a layout above or this plan to edit it; the clearance checks run as you move things.
About
Each one below is drawn to scale with real fixture sizes, and when you open it the canvas checks the clearances that matter: 15 inches from the toilet centre to a wall or fixture on each side, 21 inches in front of the toilet, sink and tub, and 24 inches in front of a shower that is at least 30 × 30 inches inside. Move a wall, swap the tub for a shower, flip the door, and the checks update. It is a schematic plan, drawn by you, not an AI guess from a photo.
01
The five footprints and what fits in each
A 3 × 6 ft room holds a toilet and a sink and nothing else; it is the half bath under the stairs or off the mudroom. At 5 × 8 ft you get a full bath with a standard 60 × 30 in tub across the short wall and the toilet and vanity along one long wall, which is why nearly every 1950s to 1990s house has one. Make that room 6 × 6 ft instead and the tub goes, but a 36 in corner shower, a toilet and a 24 in vanity fit with the clearances intact. Stretch the 5 ft wide room to 10 ft and a 60 in walk-in shower replaces the tub with space for a bench. At 7 × 8 ft a 48 in double vanity and a 36 in shower share the back wall.
All five are drawn with the fixtures at their real sizes: a toilet 15 to 16 in wide and 28 to 30 in deep, a 24 in vanity, a 36 × 36 in shower, a 60 × 30 in tub. Swap any of them from the furniture panel and the room tells you at once whether the clearance survives.
- 3 × 6 ft: toilet and pedestal sink, door swings out.
- 5 × 8 ft: tub, toilet and vanity, all plumbing on one wall.
- 6 × 6 ft: corner shower, toilet and vanity.
- 5 × 10 ft: 60 in walk-in shower, toilet and vanity.
- 7 × 8 ft: double vanity, shower and toilet.
02
The clearances the canvas checks
Building codes set a handful of distances, and these are the ones the plan checks for you as you move fixtures: 15 inches from the centre of the toilet to any side wall, cabinet or tub (so a toilet needs a 30 inch wide space), 21 inches of clear floor in front of the toilet, 21 inches in front of a sink or a tub, 24 inches in front of a shower opening, and a shower that measures at least 30 × 30 inches inside. A failing clearance turns red with the distance you have and the distance you need. Everything else about a bathroom, such as the 36 inch space many designers prefer in front of a vanity or the height of a window over a tub, you measure on the plan yourself.
The door is part of the check. A door that swings into the room blocks the floor it sweeps, and in a 5 × 8 ft or 3 × 6 ft bath that floor is usually the 21 inches in front of the vanity. That is why four of the five plans above swing out into the hall; a pocket door does the same job without a swing on either side.
03
Door swing tricks for a small bathroom
Three ways to get a door into a bathroom that has no room for one. Swing it out: the leaf lands in the hall, which codes allow as long as it does not open over a stair. Use a pocket door, which slides into the wall and needs no swing at all but does need a wall with no plumbing or wiring in it, usually the wall opposite the fixtures. Or move the door to the end wall, where it opens onto the floor between fixtures rather than across one of them. Draw each option; the plan shows the swing as an arc so you can see what it crosses.
04
Where the plumbing wall goes
The cheapest small bathroom puts the toilet, sink and tub drains on one wall so there is one vent stack and one run of supply lines. The 5 × 8 ft and 5 × 10 ft plans above do that: the tub or shower drain at the end, then the toilet, then the vanity, all along the same wall. A toilet needs its drain 12 inches from the finished wall behind it (the rough-in), a bathtub drain sits near the wall end of the tub, and a shower drain can go anywhere in the pan. Mark the drain positions on the plan with dimension lines once the fixtures are where you want them, and give that drawing to the plumber as a starting point.
05
Schematic, not a permit drawing
These are planning drawings: fixture sizes and code clearances to scale, so you can see what fits before you buy anything. They are not stamped construction documents, not a permit drawing and not a quote, and the clearance checks cover the rules listed above, not every local amendment. There is no AI on this page; you draw the walls and the plan does the arithmetic.
06
Frequently asked questions
- What is the smallest full bathroom?
- 5 × 8 ft, 40 sq ft, with a 60 × 30 in tub across the end wall and the toilet and vanity along one side. A 5 × 7 ft room can hold a full bath only with a 54 in tub or a shower instead of the tub.
- Can a bathroom be 5 × 7?
- Yes for a three-quarter bath: a 36 in shower in the corner, a toilet and a 24 in vanity fit in 35 sq ft with the code clearances. A standard 60 in tub does not fit across a 5 ft wall with 7 ft of length to spare for the rest, so use a 54 in tub or a shower.
- How much space do you need around a toilet?
- 15 in from the toilet centreline to each side wall or fixture, so 30 in of width in total, and 21 in of clear floor in front of the bowl. Many designers plan 18 in each side and 30 in in front, which the plan lets you measure.
- Does a bathroom door have to swing in?
- No. Residential codes do not require a bathroom door to swing in; it may swing out into a hall or be a pocket door. The door should not open over a stair, and some local codes ask for a door that can be opened from outside in an emergency.
- What is the minimum size for a half bath?
- About 3 × 6 ft, 18 sq ft: a toilet at one end and a small sink at the other, with the door swinging out. A 4 × 5 ft square room works too, with the sink on the side wall if the room is at least 4 ft wide.
Sources
Where the numbers come from
Local amendments apply; check your own jurisdiction.