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Here’s the challenge, and if anyone has an idea about how to solve it, please tell me: There is only one bathroom on plan for Godzilla, and for a place that sleeps 4-6 that’s not great. A second bath was supposed to go on the ground level, but it turns out we can’t go forward with that floor without completely excavating the existing cement floor to provide the air space underneath that is now required by code.
Main floor existing and proposed. Existing gross bathroom turns into lovely terrace overlooking garden.
Top floor with bedrooms and the mega-bath.
For this puzzle, you therefore have two floors to work with (shown), and a few caveats.
- The top floor already has a bathroom planned and yes, we could squish two in that space but that would result in two rather sad, cramped bathrooms instead one fabulous one. I’d rather wait to pee than ruin that luxury.
- The main floor has a space under the stair that we were planning on having as a reading nook, but it could fit a toilet and small sink (with one heck of a view out of the french doors that are supposed to go in there).
- The main floor also has potential access through metre-thick stone walls into the old torre, but the ceiling height is lower, making this option possible but challenging.
- A third possibility lies in carving off some space in the planned kitchen. The existing toilet (the one that drains directly into the garden, yuck) is supposed to turn into french doors that open on to the garden, and any other way out is awkward, so it is being removed. Apart from it not being an approved extension in the first place.
So there you have it. Take a look at the plans and photos and let me know if you have any brilliant ideas.
Kitchen looking towards old bathroom to be removed
The planned mega-bathroom
One of the smaller upstairs bedrooms; could these have WCs in them?
Planned reading nook and french doors. Would it be just as lovely as a toilet?
Godzillavilla 
Hi Shelagh….love this challenge. Space planning and interior design this is what I do as my work when I’m not dreaming of Italy so here goes.
1. I’m not sure if you can get a WC and handbasin under the stair on the ground level or not. If so this would be great as you would avoid dinner guests trapsing upstairs.
2. I would definitely investigate accessing the floorspace inside the tower at ground level. Even if you had to excavate a little and step down. But height isn’t such a huge issue in a bathroom. The bonus here is that you could likely get a bidet and shower in this space as well which would make it more worthwhile and take the load of the upstairs lux bathroom.
3. On the second floor you might be able to squeeze a small powder room in between the Master and Second bedrooms…. Both rooms look quite generous. As you’re demolishing here and reconfiguring the doors it might be worth a look. Naturally access would be off the corridor.
O and I love the look of the interior just as it is! You lucky girl!
I’m getting so many good ideas, I love this. An italian friend has told me that Italian code dictates a standard bathroom has a ceiling height of 2.40 metres – but as with all things this could perhaps be gotten around by referring to it as something else. So perhaps if it’s only a WC (no shower) it’s all much simpler.
Where there’s a will there’s a way. Even in Italy! Looking forward to more updates soon!
Going all the way to the top floor for the toilet would be a pest. Many Italian bedrooms, including ours, have a narrow bathroom that runs the length of the room. I would prefer to keep the one large bathroom than 2 tiny ones.
Well the main big bathroom is on the same floor as the bedrooms so that part’s OK. It’s the lack of anything on the main floor that’s a little bothersome for me.
You really need at least a powder room on the ground floor. I would also think that it is better to have 2 smaller bathrooms rather than a large one, particularly if you are having family and friends visiting. As far as bathrooms are concerned… they are a necessity. And small bathrooms can still be beautiful.
Yes we stayed with friend once who only had one bathroom (for 8 of us) – it was livable but definitely challenging.
Also there are toilets that have a garberator behind them, and then they pump UP to a main drain. So they flush like a normal toilet, and they do not require regular maintenance.
Hmmm. So maybe we could stick one in the cantina even if it’s not exactly code-correct. Italians are forever getting ‘condoni’ for things they’ve done outside of code (after inspections!) and then asking forgiveness.
Well I say goodbye reading nook, unless you still count reading on the throne…
Could be a super bathtub view too if its a full bathroom.
Even if it is just a simple powder room, there is easy access from outside too
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If you can climb a wall you get access from outside! It’s not so clear on the plan but that level is one floor up (the cantina is below) so the doors only go to a little balconette.
Have you thought of a composting toilet? Apparently quite marvellous, odourless and with the added attraction of somehow creating a wonderful compost for your vegetable patch or roses. In a 2-pc. set up (say under the stairs) very little water would be needed for the sink and a gravity tank could be set up and filled as required. Grey water could, I am sure be easily be guided outside again via a simple hose to water said veggies or roses. Good luck!
That’s a good thought, eliminating the bulk of the water involved. I have a friend in Finland with a composting toilet – not 100% odourless but pretty good (actually if we set this up in the cantina on the bottom floor it would work fine as an emergency loo). I’ve also considered the waterless incinerating toilets they have in Finland. Don’t know how they work but apparently they produce a small bucket of ash over the course of a year’s use.
Thanks for the input!