c/worst-floor-plans

The hallway that was also a bathroom doorway, or how I learned to stop showering at my aunt's house

I mean, who looks at a floor plan and thinks, you know what this house needs, a bathroom where the door hits the shower every single time? My aunt in Akron has lived in this ranch for 15 years and she's just used to it, but I stayed there for 4 days last month to help with some plumbing and I nearly lost my mind. The sink is also in a weird nook that's too shallow, so the mirror is 2 feet from your face and you can't lean over without banging your forehead. I fixed her leaky faucet in about 20 minutes but the layout itself is unfixable without knocking down a wall. She just shrugged and said it was a foreclosure special, so the builder probably cut every corner they could. Has anyone else seen a house where the bathroom layout just makes you question every decision the architect ever made?

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sarahh81•20d ago

That bathroom door in Columbus that opens into the shower

We toured a place last spring where the only bathroom door swung inward and hit the toilet, so you had to squeeze sideways to even shut it. I actually got stuck in there for a few minutes trying to reach the handle while holding my pants up. So which is worse, a door that blocks the toilet or one that opens straight into the shower curtain?

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simoncarr•22d ago

A stair landing that opens directly into a linen closet in a Denver rental

Stayed at an Airbnb in Denver last spring and the top of the stairs had a door that swung right into a tiny linen closet. You had to open the door, squeeze in sideways, and hold the towels to close it. The toilet was on the other side of the landing, so anyone using it blocked the whole path. Landlord said it was a 'space-saving feature'. Has anyone else dealt with a door that just makes a room useless?

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leeknight•22d ago

Tried to plan around that weird hallway pillar, turns out it was load bearing

So my buddy bought this 1970s split level and the main hallway has this random 2 foot wide pillar smack in the middle, right where you'd naturally walk. We thought it was just some stupid decorative choice, so we talked about knocking it out and opening up the sight line to the living room. I measured twice, checked for plumbing, even tapped on it like I knew what I was doing. Then I popped into the crawlspace and saw the beam sitting right on top of it, not to mention the floor joists all landing on that same spot. That pillar is basically holding up half the second floor, and the original builder just left it like it was nothing. We ended up redesigning the whole layout around it, put a bookshelf on one side and a bench on the other. Has anyone else dealt with a hidden structural column ruining an open floor plan dream?

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evan_anderson•23d ago

My bathroom door opens into the shower, found out the hard way

Moved into a place in Austin last month and didn't even think to check the swing direction. First morning, I step out of the shower dripping wet and the door smacks me right in the face because it opens inward into the tiny stall. The landlord said 'it's a cozy setup' when I asked about it. Now I have to shuffle sideways and squeeze past the door to get out, which is basically a yoga move at 6am. Has anyone else dealt with a door that blocks the only usable space, and did you ever get used to it or just always hate it?

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ray648•25d ago

Found a bathroom behind a door that was actually a wall

My buddy's rental in Columbus has a hallway that looks like a dead end, but there's a hidden bathroom door that blends right into the drywall. The catch is you have to pull a loose piece of trim to open it, and if the light's off you'd never know it's there. Has anyone else found a secret room that just makes you wonder what the builder was thinking?

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