Bathroom upgrade and moving the toilet just a few inches?

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KelliApp

KelliApp

Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2016
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We take possession of our new-to-us 2014 Dutchmen 196rd next week. It is in like new condition and since we are purchasing it from a dealer they will be going over everything and making sure everything works.

To start with we are only doing cosmetic and comfort things; replacing the mattress, replacing the fabrics with a pretty color scheme, learning to organize things in a small space, install tv, etc.

In looking ahead a little, our biggest concern is the bathroom. We are not small people and the bathroom is TIGHT. Also we have a bathtub that would hold a child, but since our youngest is 16, I don't think anyone will ever use it.

How crazy is it to convert the tub/shower to a walk in shower, put the sink in the bathtub, and then move the toilet a few inches to make it feel more open?  The moving the toilet part scares me the most, but none of the rest of the project would be worth messing with if we cannot scoot that toilet down or set it an angle to the corner or something to make it not against the side wall.

Ideas? Or do we just need to learn to live with it?
 
I'm adding pictures for reference. The layout of our camper plus a pic I found on the internet of what the bathroom actually looks like. That toilet is just so close to the interior wall and granted we've not used the bathroom yet, we did step in there and close the door to see how bad it would be be. We are both very concerned about the space.
 

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Rotating the toilet would be easiest because the flange would stay where it is.  You would just have the water line to deal with.  Moving the flange would be more of a challenge but not impossible.  The line from the floor flange normally drops straight into the tank so you would have to see if you have the vertical room to plumb in the jog.  The other option is an offset floor flange but it will only give you a couple inches.
 
Thank you Charlie, I can see that working. If we just cut away part of that cabinet and rotate the toilet to an angle in the corner I can see that being much more comfortable!
 
KelliApp said:
How crazy is it to convert the tub/shower to a walk in shower, put the sink in the bathtub,
Click to expand...

How are you going to put the sink in the bathtub if you're doing away with the tub? Do you mean put it in the shower?
 
Having a sink in the shower is very common on boats.  We called it a wet head.  The whole head was the shower stall with the toilet and sink there.  Some of them had the curtain block off the sink and toilet.
 
I did this and more to mine. Tore out the tub, toilet and sink and used that whole area for a new 3' x 3' shower stall. I then tore out the bedroom next to it in the back end of the rig and moved the toilet and sink to that area. I used the old black tank for the shower and then after moving the gray tank over about three inches I use that for the toilet and sink. Both tanks were very clean thankfully. Now I have a very large bathroom with a shower my husband and I can easily use. It was by far the best thing we ever did in the rv. Some before/after photos attached. I can't get a full shower picture due to the position of it but it is to the right of the toilet and it has about a two foot area outside of the shower pan to be able to stand on the rug and dry off. Just be aware that you may run into the one problem I had which was there was no room for me to put in a p-trap for the shower drain (the old one was hidden under the tub)-I searched the web and found a cool flange that sits in the drain and stops the backflow of water/air/gases and it made the whole project do-able. After two years it is still working perfectly.
 

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I'm guessing based on the floor plan that the toilet position is determined by the location of the main frame rails and it would be very difficult if not impossible to move the toilet towards the outside wall.

Look under the trailer and measure the distance from the outside wall to the edge of the black water tank.  The edge of the tank will determine how much closer, if anything, the toilet can move towards the outside wall.

Unlike a home toilet, an RV toilet needs pretty much a straight drop into the tank.  There's not enough water in a flush to carry the waste through a horizontal pipe.  You might be able to get away with a 45 degree offset in a 5th wheel where the bathroom is elevated above a basement storage compartment, but here the holding tank is directly below the bathroom floor so there isn't enough room to do anything.
 
Agree 100% with Lou om moving the toilet itself. Even a slight offset requires an angled fitting, and there is often very little room between the toilet flange and the top of the tank if there is no basement storage space in between. Most offsets are 45 degrees and several inches minimum, plus the coupling on either end to mate with other pipes takes space. Measure carefully before deciding!

It may be possible to raise the toilet to gain some working space. In fact, the toilet makers usually offer a "riser" of about 5" for that purpose. Taller people usually like a higher toilet anyway.
 
Our deal on the tt fell through. BUT, it's okay! We ended up finding a 96 Coachmen Santara Class C at a great price. We are thrilled with our purchase, except for the commode room. It's way too narrow. I'd like to explore the possibility of just taking out the vanity altogether and replacing the sink with a small pedestal sink. We have a lot of storage throughout the camper so I think sacrificing storage in the commode room is well worth it.
 
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