Renovating a Mid Century Bathroom
The Room Was Designed Around One Bather
A five by seven foot bathroom with a tub across the end, a basin on one side and a toilet between them was the standard plan, and it was efficient for a household with one bathroom and a fixed morning routine. It is still efficient. What it lacks is storage, light and any allowance for two people.
Where the Space Actually Is
The usual gains are not from moving walls. They come from a shallower vanity, a recessed cabinet set between studs, a door rehung to swing outward, and replacing an alcove tub with a shower of the same footprint. All of these leave the plumbing where it is, which keeps the project inside a reasonable budget.
Mortar Beds and Wire Lath
Floors and often walls from this period are tile set into a thick mortar bed over wire lath. It is heavy, it is extremely durable, and removing it is a genuinely dirty and slow demolition rather than a morning with a pry bar. Budget for the disposal weight and for the days.
The Window Question
Many of these bathrooms have a window directly in the tub surround. It provides light and ventilation and it is a permanent waterproofing weak point. Replacing it with a fixed obscured unit in a properly flashed opening solves the leak and keeps the light, and it is far better than tiling over it and losing both.
What Is Worth Keeping
Solid original tile in good condition, a cast iron tub that only needs refinishing, and a wide recessed medicine cabinet are all things a renovation should think twice about discarding. They are the details that make the finished room look like it belongs to the house.