Small Bathrooms Present Special Spatial Challenges

One of the less charming aspects of renovating or moving into an older home, whether it's an adorable urban brownstone or a Craftsman cottage in the suburbs, is that the bathrooms tend, by modern standards, to be tiny.

Suffice it to say that our parents and grandparents weren't as grandiose in their lavatory aspirations. Homes built before the 1950s rarely had more than one bathroom, and it was often just big enough for a tub, single sink and toilet. Plenty of Baby Boomers and their parents - particularly if they came from big families - can spin long tales of battles for bathroom time with parents and siblings.

Nowadays, it seems against the law for a bathroom to be smaller than, say, the size of the average living room circa 1958. The emphasis is on bathrooms as "psychic retreats" and "home spas," as if retiring to the giant two-person garden tub will erase from your mind the fact that you'll still eventually have to be the one to clean it.

Even though big is beautiful in the world of bathrooms, the ugly truth is that in some homes, particularly older ones, you're still going to have to suck it up and decide how to best maximize a very limited amount of bathroom space.

The good news is that there are tried-and-true methods to make that easier, while still making the space seem more open and airy than the closet it might resemble.

One of the first tricks is to add light, preferably the natural kind. An upstairs bathroom on a pitch-roof house is often a perfect opportunity to add a skylight, either directly into the roof or using an insulated "light tunnel" that will feed light down from the roof.

Sometimes odd angles can make fitting the necessary number of fixtures a challenge. The trick there is to embrace the corners. Many vanities, showers and tubs are designed specifically for corner spaces.

The vanities, in particular, offer a wide range of options, including pedestal and hanging sinks. Just don't go too far and get a sink so small that only a toddler's hands will fit under the faucet.

It might be a good time to also consider a smaller toilet. Low profile and tankless models do take a less space, but there are extensive plumbing considerations to make before changing toilet sizes. Consult with a dependable plumber who knows local building codes to see what your options are before ripping out that old commode.

Also, give some thought to what fixtures will fit in the space you have and how much room you'll have between each. The National Kitchen and Bath Association (www.nkba.com) provides an extensive rundown on what the standard clearances between fixtures should be for a comfortable and functional bath.

Another problem in older homes is when roof lines or dormers interrupt what otherwise would be a flat wall or a horizontal ceiling. For odd spots that eliminate flat walls, consider building shelving beneath the part that bumps out to maximize storage.