If you live in a brick home built in the 1990s around the Macarthur region, you probably know the bathroom well: cream or beige tiles, a builder-grade vanity, a bath and shower squeezed in together, and maybe a separate toilet next door. It still works, but it feels tight, dated, and smaller than it should.
The good news is that you can make a small bathroom feel bigger and work harder, often without moving a single wall. Here are the layout moves that make the biggest difference.
Why 1990s bathrooms feel so cramped
Bathrooms from this era were built to a budget and a standard plan. The bath, shower, vanity, and toilet were fitted into the smallest space that met the rules at the time. Add a chunky floor-standing vanity, a framed shower screen, dark tiles, and a door that swings into the room, and the space feels closed in before you even step inside.
Most of these problems come from the fittings and the layout rather than the size of the room. That means most of them can be fixed.
Layout moves that open the room up
You do not always need to knock out walls to gain space. Often the best fix is repositioning what is already there and choosing smarter fittings.
Lift things off the floor. A wall-hung vanity and a back-to-wall or wall-hung toilet expose more of the floor. Seeing more floor tricks the eye into reading the room as larger, and it makes cleaning much easier. A concealed cistern hidden in the wall can win back a little depth too.
Rethink the shower screen. A framed screen with a swinging door eats space and chops the room up visually. A frameless fixed glass panel, or a walk-in screen with no door, opens the room and lets your eye travel straight through it.
Choose a narrower vanity. A standard vanity is about 450mm deep. Compact models from 300mm to 360mm deep free up real space in a tight room while still giving you a basin and storage.
Swap a swinging door for a slider. A standard hinged door needs a clear arc of around 820mm to open into the room. A cavity sliding door tucks into the wall and gives that space back.
Keep plumbing on one wall. Where the layout allows, lining the vanity, toilet, and shower along a single wall keeps a clear path through the room and keeps plumbing costs down.
Add a recessed niche. A niche set into the shower wall holds your bottles without a bulky caddy sticking out into the space.
Tricks that make a small room feel larger
Once the layout is sorted, a few finishing choices add to the sense of space.
Light, warm colours reflect more light and make walls feel further apart. Large-format tiles mean fewer grout lines, which gives a calmer, more open look. Using a similar tone across the floor, walls, and vanity creates flow, so the eye is not stopped by hard breaks. A large mirror bounces light around the room, and matte tiles soften glare in a tight space. If you can add a skylight or keep a window clear, natural light makes the biggest difference of all.
To keep the bath, or not?
This is the big layout question in a small bathroom. Removing the bath and fitting a large walk-in shower instantly makes the room feel more open and is lovely to use day to day.
The catch is resale. If this is your only bathroom and your home would suit young families, keeping at least one bath is worth thinking about, since many buyers want somewhere to bathe small children. If you have a second bathroom with a tub, or your household does not need one, a walk-in shower is often the better use of the space. There is no single right answer. It depends on your home and how you live.
When moving a wall is worth it
Sometimes the room is simply too small, and the fittings tricks only go so far. Borrowing space from a hallway, a built-in robe, or the separate toilet next door can turn a cramped bathroom into a genuinely comfortable one. This is bigger work that involves plumbing, framing, and a builder, so the cost steps up. For many 1990s homes, though, combining the separate toilet back into the main bathroom is the single change that transforms the space.
If you are weighing up your options, we can walk through what is possible in your bathroom and what each choice costs. You can see examples of our work in the project gallery and read more about how we approach bathroom renovations across NSW.
Planning a small bathroom renovation?
A small bathroom done well can feel twice its size. If you are renovating in Campbelltown, Camden, Narellan, or anywhere across the Macarthur region, get in touch with Final Finish C&B Services for practical ideas and an honest plan for your space.
Most of the 1990s brick homes we work on are in Campbelltown, Glen Alpine and Mount Annan. If that is your house, start with bathroom renovations in Campbelltown.