The 5x8 bath: Pasadena's most common bathroom
A 5-foot tub across the back wall, a toilet and a sink along the long wall, a door on the short wall: that is the hall bath in a great many Pasadena houses from the 1920s through the 1950s. It works because the 5-foot tub sets the room's width. Remodeling it well is mostly about what fits along that long wall without breaking the clearances.
| Item | Minimum | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Toilet width | 30 in clear (15 in each side of center) | Pasadena bath handout, CPC 402.5 |
| In front of toilet or sink | 24 in clear | Pasadena bath handout |
| Shower | 1,024 sq in and a 30 in circle | Pasadena bath handout, CPC 408.6 |
| Shower door | Opens out, 22 in clear | Pasadena bath handout |
| Receptacle | Within 36 in of the basin, on a 20-amp GFCI circuit | Pasadena bath handout |
| Ventilation | Fan of 50 cfm, or an operable window of at least 3 sq ft if the room has only a toilet and sink | Pasadena bath handout |
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Layouts that work in a small bathroom
Keep the tub, change everything else
The cheapest full remodel: a reglazed or new 60-inch tub, tile to at least 6 feet around it, a new valve, a vented fan and a vanity. Nothing moves, so the plumbing cost stays low.
Swap the tub for a walk-in shower
The tub alcove becomes a shower with glass instead of a curtain, which reads as more floor. The tub-to-shower conversion page covers it.
Powder room
A toilet and a sink. With no tub or shower, the fan rule relaxes: Pasadena's handout says a room with only a toilet and sink needs no exhaust fan if it has an operable window of at least 3 square feet.
Fixtures that save inches
- Wall-hung vanities and toilets free up floor and make cleaning easier
- Narrow vanities, 18 to 24 inches deep, keep the 24 inches in front clear
- Pocket doors, where the wall has no plumbing or wiring in it
- Recessed niches and medicine cabinets set between studs
- A single tile on floor and walls, laid large, so the room reads as one surface
In a Craftsman house, a small bath often still has its original hexagon floor tile, a pedestal sink or a built-in medicine cabinet. The Craftsman and historic remodel page covers keeping them.
Small bathroom remodel cost
Fixr's national tables put a 35 square foot bath at $2,450 to $14,000 and a 40 square foot bath at $2,800 to $16,000, with powder rooms at $1,200 to $15,000. Pasadena runs higher: homecostcheck starts a cosmetic refresh at $6,100 and a mid-range full bath at $14,650. Small rooms cost more per square foot because a valve, a fan and a toilet cost the same whatever the room's size. Full breakdown: bathroom remodel cost in Pasadena. For the work in general, see the bathroom remodel in Pasadena page.
