Small Bathroom Renovation Ideas That Maximize Space

If your bathroom feels cramped, you're not alone. The majority of bathrooms we renovate across Vancouver — especially in condos, townhomes, and pre-1980s homes — are under 50 square feet. The good news: a small bathroom doesn't have to feel small. The right layout decisions, fixture choices, and material selections can make a compact bathroom feel open, functional, and genuinely pleasant to use every day.

These ideas come from hundreds of small bathroom projects we've completed across the Lower Mainland. They're not theoretical Pinterest concepts — they're solutions that work in real Vancouver homes with real plumbing stacks and real building codes.

Layout Strategies That Create Space

The single biggest factor in how spacious a bathroom feels isn't the square footage — it's the layout. Moving fixtures even 6 inches can transform the flow of a room.

Swap the Tub for a Walk-In Shower

This is the most impactful change you can make in a small bathroom. A standard bathtub occupies roughly 13 square feet of floor space. Replace it with a curbless walk-in shower and you reclaim usable floor area while creating a seamless visual flow. In many of our Vancouver condo projects, removing the tub is the single change that makes homeowners say "I can't believe this is the same bathroom."

Use a Corner or Narrow Sink

Standard vanities are 20-24 inches deep. In a small bathroom, that's a lot of floor space consumed. A wall-mounted sink or narrow 16-inch-deep vanity can free up 4-8 inches of walkway — enough to change how the room feels entirely. Corner sinks work particularly well in powder rooms and three-quarter baths where every inch counts.

Consider a Pocket Door

A standard bathroom door sweeps through about 9 square feet of floor space when opening. A pocket door slides into the wall, recovering all of that space. This is especially valuable in hallway bathrooms in older Burnaby and North Vancouver homes where the bathroom door swings into the room. Retrofitting a pocket door runs $800-$2,000 including the framing work — one of the best returns per dollar in a small bathroom renovation.

Fixtures That Save Space Without Sacrificing Function

Floating Vanities

Wall-mounted vanities expose floor space beneath them, which tricks the eye into perceiving a larger room. They also make cleaning easier — no more mopping around pedestal bases. A 30-36 inch floating vanity provides enough countertop for daily essentials while keeping the floor visually open. Add under-vanity LED strip lighting and the effect is even more dramatic.

Compact Toilets

Standard toilets project 28-30 inches from the wall. Compact elongated models cut that to 24-26 inches — not a huge difference on paper, but it's noticeable in a room where you're dealing with tight clearances. Wall-hung toilets take this further, concealing the tank inside the wall and projecting just 21 inches. They cost more ($2,500-$4,000 installed vs. $600-$1,200 for a standard), but in truly tight spaces they can be the difference between meeting code clearances and not.

Frameless Glass Shower Enclosures

Framed shower doors and curtains create visual barriers that make bathrooms feel chopped up. A frameless glass panel or door lets your eye travel through the entire room uninterrupted. In small bathrooms, this visual continuity is critical. A single fixed glass panel (no door needed if you have a curbless shower) is both the most affordable and most effective option.

Tile and Colour Strategies That Expand the Room

Large-Format Tiles

Fewer grout lines means fewer visual breaks, which makes a small room feel more expansive. Tiles in the 12x24 or 24x24-inch range work well on both floors and walls. Running the same tile from the floor straight into the shower (with no threshold) creates an unbroken plane that maximizes perceived space. It also happens to be more practical in Vancouver's damp climate — fewer grout lines means fewer places for mildew to establish.

Light Colour Palettes

Light colours reflect more light, and more light makes rooms feel bigger. Warm whites, soft greys, and pale natural tones are the safest choices for small bathrooms. That said, this doesn't mean everything has to be white. A warm sand or soft sage can feel just as open while adding warmth. The key is keeping contrast low between walls, floor, and fixtures — high contrast visually breaks the room into smaller pieces.

Vertical Tile Patterns

Running tile vertically on the walls draws the eye upward and makes the ceiling feel higher. A vertical stack bond pattern (tiles stacked straight rather than offset) creates strong vertical lines that elongate the room. Taking the tile all the way to the ceiling amplifies this effect — and it's a trend that looks intentional and modern rather than budget-driven.

Smart Storage for Small Bathrooms

Storage is where most small bathrooms fail. There's never enough of it, and the wrong storage solutions (think freestanding shelving units and over-door organizers) make the room feel cluttered. Built-in storage is the answer.

• Recessed medicine cabinets. A recessed cabinet sits inside the wall cavity, providing storage without projecting into the room. Choose one with mirrored doors and built-in lighting to eliminate the need for a separate mirror and vanity light — three functions in the footprint of zero.
• Shower niches. Built-in niches recessed into the shower wall eliminate the need for corner caddies and hanging organizers. We typically install two: one at standing height for shampoo, one lower for kids. Cost to add during renovation: $200-$500 per niche.
• Over-toilet shelving or cabinets. The wall above the toilet is prime real estate that's usually wasted. A built-in cabinet or floating shelves add meaningful storage without taking any floor space.
• Vanity drawers over doors. Drawers provide better access and organization than cabinet doors in a tight space. You can see and reach everything without kneeling down and reaching into dark corners.

Lighting and Mirror Tricks

Good lighting makes any room feel larger, but it's transformative in small bathrooms where natural light is limited — which describes most secondary bathrooms in Vancouver homes.

• Backlit mirrors. LED backlit mirrors eliminate the need for sconce fixtures on either side of the mirror, freeing up wall space. The diffused edge lighting also bounces off surrounding surfaces, creating an ambient glow that opens up the room.
• Oversized mirrors. Extending the mirror the full width of the vanity — or even wall-to-wall — effectively doubles the visual depth of the room. This is one of the cheapest and most impactful changes you can make.
• Layered lighting. Combine a ceiling fixture (ambient), vanity lighting (task), and accent lighting (under-vanity LEDs, shower niche lights) rather than relying on a single overhead fixture. The multiple light sources eliminate shadows and make the room feel more open.

What Does a Small Bathroom Renovation Cost in Vancouver?

Small doesn't necessarily mean cheap — in fact, per-square-foot costs for small bathrooms are often higher because the labour is similar regardless of size. Here's what we typically see in the Greater Vancouver area:

For a detailed breakdown of what drives these numbers, see our complete bathroom renovation cost guide. The biggest cost variable in a small bathroom is whether you're keeping the existing plumbing layout or moving things around — keeping the toilet, sink, and shower in their current positions saves $3,000-$8,000 in plumbing work alone.

Vancouver-Specific Considerations

Condo Bathrooms

Most Richmond and downtown Vancouver condo bathrooms are 35-45 square feet — some of the smallest we work with. The additional challenges include shared plumbing stacks (limiting where you can relocate drains), strata approval processes, and restricted work hours. We handle all of this as part of our project management.

Older Homes

Homes in Coquitlam, Port Moody, and the North Shore built before 1980 often have small bathrooms with outdated plumbing and potentially asbestos-containing materials. Budget an extra 15-20% contingency for these homes. The upside: older bathrooms are often the most dramatic transformations.

Moisture Management

Vancouver's wet climate makes proper ventilation non-negotiable in any bathroom, but especially small ones where moisture has less air volume to dissipate. A quality exhaust fan (80+ CFM with a humidity sensor) is a must. We install them on every project because mould in a poorly ventilated bathroom can undo thousands of dollars of renovation work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum size for a full bathroom renovation?

You can fit a toilet, sink, and shower in as little as 36 square feet, though 40-50 square feet is more comfortable. Below 36 square feet, a three-quarter bath (shower, sink, toilet without a tub) is the practical option.

Can you add a shower to a small bathroom that only has a tub?

Yes, and it's one of the most common renovations we do. Converting a tub to a walk-in shower typically reclaims space and modernizes the room. If you need to keep a tub for resale purposes, a tub-shower combo is the space-efficient compromise.

Should I keep the tub in a small bathroom?

It depends on your home. If it's your only bathroom, keeping a tub helps with resale — families with young children expect at least one bathtub. If you have a second bathroom with a tub, removing it in the smaller bathroom is almost always the right call.

Do small bathroom renovations take less time?

Slightly. A typical small bathroom renovation takes 2-3 weeks for construction, compared to 3-4 weeks for a larger bathroom. The planning and material ordering timeline is similar regardless of size.

What's the best flooring for a small bathroom?

Porcelain or ceramic tile in a large format (12x24 minimum) is our top recommendation. It's waterproof, durable, and the larger format minimizes grout lines to make the floor look more expansive. Luxury vinyl plank is a solid budget alternative.

Is heated flooring worth it in a small bathroom?

Small bathrooms are actually the most cost-effective rooms for heated floors because you need less material. A radiant mat for a 40 square foot bathroom costs $400-$800 for materials. Given Vancouver's climate, it's one of the highest-satisfaction upgrades at the lowest additional cost.

Start Planning Your Small Bathroom Renovation

A small bathroom is a design challenge, not a limitation. With the right strategy, fixtures, and materials, we can make your compact bathroom feel open, functional, and beautiful. Whether you're renovating a condo bathroom in Surrey, a powder room in West Vancouver, or a hallway bath in Squamish, we've solved this puzzle hundreds of times.

Contact us for a free consultation — we'll look at your space, discuss what's possible, and give you an honest estimate tailored to your bathroom and budget.