Bathroom Redesign: How to Do and Approve It Correctly

When we look at completed designer projects, questions often arise: Is this possible to approve? And most importantly, how? We previously discussed kitchen redesigns, and today we focus on the most popular changes in bathroom layouts.

Relocating the Door Opening

By relocating the door opening in a bathroom in a Stalin-era apartment, designer Elena Markina was able to create a spacious shower area with a seat that transitions into a bathtub. The toilet with a hygiene shower was hidden behind an existing ventilation pipe. In the foreground is a vanity unit with a wide countertop, behind whose doors a washing machine was placed.

How to Approve?

Often homeowners mistakenly believe that relocating a door opening does not constitute a renovation. However, under current legislation, approval is required. For this, you need a project and a technical conclusion from any project organization.

If the wall is load-bearing, the process is more complex. First, you will need to conduct a technical inspection—usually performed by specialists who designed your building or by MOZhILNIIPROEKT. Based on its results, a technical conclusion is issued regarding the possibility of relocating the door opening and renovating the apartment.

Then a project is developed, incorporating all recommendations from the technical conclusion, dimensions of your future door opening, and material specifications (such as metal parts) needed to reinforce the doorway.

Combining the Bathroom and Toilet

To make a bathroom in a panel house more spacious and provide storage solutions, designers Svetlana and Ivan Melnikovs merged the toilet with the bathroom into one space.

How to Approve?

Approval requires a project and a technical conclusion from any project organization. According to the law, renovation works must be performed by an organization with a valid SRO permit, but you can do it yourself if there is no intention to sell the apartment later—otherwise, issues may arise with Moszhilinspektion.

Furniture Layout Plan

What Else to Consider?

If you decide to demolish a partition between the bathroom and toilet or move external walls of the bathroom—make sure to apply waterproofing to the raw floor. The simplest and fastest method is using coating materials. The organization performing the renovation must provide hidden works acts.

Expanding the Bathroom by Using the Corridor

In a two-room Khrushchev apartment, designer Evgenia Matveenko expanded the bathroom by using space from the hallway. The result was complex but very organic in shape: a sanitary fixture and washing machine were hidden behind a partition. They chose a very narrow model that is almost invisible when in the shower area.

How to Approve?

The corridor and hallway are non-residential spaces, so the renovation can be approved with a project and technical conclusion from any project organization that holds the appropriate SRO permit.

What Else to Consider?

During a renovation, you often have to change the location of sanitary equipment. Ensure proper drainage to wet zones: pay attention to pipe diameter and correct slope of the drain.

The biggest issue with the sewage pipe: for natural drainage, a two-degree incline is required. The further you relocate the toilet, the higher it will be installed.