In a 5x8 bathroom (60 × 96 in), a 60 in tub or shower base goes across the 5 ft end, wall to wall. Beside a 30 in deep tub, that leaves 66 in of the long wall for the toilet and the vanity: room for a vanity up to 36 in wide at the code minimum, or 30 in with 18 in on each side of the toilet. Turn the toilet to face the tub instead, and a 36 in vanity fits with 36 in of clear floor in front of the toilet.
Three 5x8 layouts, drawn to scale
Each plan was drawn by the BathDraft layout planner, which checks the same rules it checks for you: 15 in from the toilet’s centerline to anything beside it, 21 in of clear floor in front of the toilet and the sink, and 24 in in front of a shower opening. The dashed boxes are those clear spaces, and the brass line marks the toilet’s centerline. Open a plan in the planner to move things around or try your own door.
- Toilet centerline to the side: 18 in
- Clear in front of the toilet: 30 in
- Clear in front of the vanity: 39 in
- Sink centerline to the side: 15 in
Layout A: tub, toilet and vanity on one wall
The tub fills the 5 ft end. The 66 in of wall beside it holds the rest: 18 in from the tub to the toilet’s centerline, 18 in on to the vanity, then a 30 in vanity in the corner (18 + 18 + 30 = 66). Across the room there’s 30 in in front of the toilet and 39 in in front of the vanity.
- Best for: one plumbing wall, the cheapest plan to build, with the door in the end wall opposite the tub.
- The trade-off: the sink’s center is 15 in from the end wall, the code minimum. A 24 in vanity moves it to 18 in.
- Clear in front of the vanity: 39 in
- Sink centerline to the side: 48 in
- Toilet centerline to the side: 24 in
- Clear in front of the toilet: 36 in
Layout B: the toilet faces the tub
Turned to face the tub from the far end wall, the toilet’s depth comes off the room’s length: 96 − 30 − 30 = 36 in of clear floor in front of it. Its centerline is 24 in from the side wall. A 36 in vanity fills the long wall between the tub and the toilet, and the door goes in the other long wall.
- Best for: the most room in front of the toilet and the widest vanity, when the door can go in a long wall.
- The trade-off: the toilet drain moves to the end wall, so there are two plumbing walls, and the door gets only the 36 in of wall between the tub and the toilet.
- Clear in front of the shower: 64 in
- Toilet centerline to the side: 18 in
- Clear in front of the toilet: 30 in
- Clear in front of the vanity: 39 in
- Sink centerline to the side: 16 in
Layout C: a shower base in the tub’s place
A 60 × 32 in shower base, the size sold to replace a tub, keeps the same plan. Its extra 2 in of depth leaves 64 in of wall: 18 in on each side of the toilet and a 24 in vanity, with the sink 16 in from the end wall. The shower door goes at the end away from the toilet, where 64 in of floor runs to the far wall.
- Best for: swapping the tub for a walk-in shower without moving the toilet or the sink drain far.
- The trade-off: a 30 in vanity still fits, but with 17 in on each side of the toilet instead of 18.
How wide a vanity fits beside the tub
The toilet and the vanity share the wall beside the tub: 66 in beside a 60 × 30 in tub, 64 in beside a 60 × 32 in shower base. The planner tried every position in ½ in steps for each vanity width and kept the one with the most room beside the toilet.
| Vanity | Beside a 60 × 30 in tub | Beside a 60 × 32 in shower base |
|---|---|---|
| 24 in | 18 in each side of the toilet; sink 18 in from the end wall | 18 in each side; sink 16 in from the wall |
| 30 in | 18 in each side; sink 15 in from the wall | 17 in each side; sink 15 in from the wall |
| 36 in | 15 in each side, the code minimum; sink 18 in from the wall | Doesn’t fit |
| 42 in | Doesn’t fit | Doesn’t fit |
Toilet side room is measured from its centerline to the tub or shower on one side and the vanity on the other. The code asks for 15 in (IRC R307.1); designers aim for 18 in. A sink needs 15 in from its center to the wall.
No plan on this wall meets every roomier designer number. With 18 in beside the toilet and the 20 in the National Kitchen & Bath Association suggests from a sink’s center to the wall, a tub, toilet and 24 in vanity need 30 + 18 + 18 + 12 + 20 = 98 in: 8 ft 2 in, 2 in more than a 5x8 has.
5x7, 5x8 or 5x9?
The same one-wall plan in a 5 ft wide room of other lengths, with a 60 × 30 in tub across the end and a 24 in vanity:
| Room | Wall beside the tub | Toilet centerline to tub and vanity | Sink center to the end wall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 × 7 ft | 54 in | The toilet and the vanity don’t both fit on this wall | |
| 5 ft × 7 ft 6 in | 60 in | 15 in to the tub, 18 in to the vanity | 15 in |
| 5 × 8 ft | 66 in | 18 in | 18 in |
| 5 ft × 8 ft 2 in | 68 in | 18 in | 20 in |
| 5 ft × 8 ft 6 in | 72 in | 20 in | 20 in |
| 5 × 9 ft | 78 in | 23 in | 20 in |
Each row is the planner’s best placement at that length, all code checks passing.
At 5 × 7 ft the wall beside the tub is 54 in, and a toilet and a sink side by side need at least 15 + 30 + 15 = 60 in by code (IRC P2705.1: 15 in from each centerline to the side, 30 in center to center). The 5x7 bathroom layouts put them on different walls instead.
With a shower instead of the tub
A 60 in shower base across the end is the easy swap (Layout C). The code asks for at least 900 sq in of shower floor, at least 30 in across, and 24 in of clear floor in front of the opening (IRC P2708.1 and R307.1). A 60 × 32 in base has 1,920 sq in.
A smaller corner shower doesn’t free up useful wall in a room this narrow. Beside a 36 × 36 in shower on the 5 ft wall, 24 in is left, too little for a toilet or a sink: each needs 15 in on both sides of its centerline, 30 in in all. The planner’s comfortable check also wants a shower 36 in across inside, the NKBA’s number; a 60 × 32 in base is 32 in across.
Measure before you pick a plan
- The room, wall to wall. A 60 in tub needs the full 60 in across the end, so measure at the floor, above the baseboard.
- The tub or shower base. Its length and how far it comes out from the wall: 30 or 32 in for most 60 in alcove tubs.
- The toilet. From the wall behind it to the front of the bowl: about 28 in for a round bowl and 30 in for an elongated one.
- The door. Which wall it’s in, how far from the corner, and which way it swings. The planner checks that it clears every fixture.
Questions people ask
What is the best layout for a 5x8 bathroom?
The tub or a 60 in shower base across the 5 ft end, with the toilet and vanity on one long wall (Layout A). It keeps all the plumbing on one wall and fits a 30 in vanity with 18 in on each side of the toilet. If you want a wider vanity or more room at the toilet, turn the toilet to face the tub (Layout B).
What size vanity fits in a 5x8 bathroom?
Beside a 60 × 30 in tub, up to 36 in at the code minimum or 30 in with 18 in on each side of the toilet. With the toilet facing the tub, a 36 in vanity fits with 39 in of clear floor in front of it.
Can you put a walk-in shower in a 5x8 bathroom?
Yes. A 60 × 32 in shower base goes where the tub would, leaving 64 in of wall for the toilet and a 24 or 30 in vanity, and 64 in of floor in front of the shower.
How much space do you need in front of a bathtub?
The 2021 International Residential Code sets 21 in of clear floor in front of toilets and sinks and 24 in in front of showers, but none for a tub. The NKBA’s guidelines suggest 30 in in front of every fixture, tub included. With the tub across the end of a 5x8, 66 in of floor runs out in front of it.
Will these layouts work in a 5x7 bathroom?
Not with the toilet and the vanity on one wall: beside the tub, 54 in is left, and the two need at least 60 in by code. See the 5x7 bathroom layouts for plans that fit.
How many square feet is a 5x8 bathroom?
40 sq ft (5 × 8), about 3.7 m². It’s one of the most common sizes for a full bath with a tub.
Sources
- 2021 International Residential Code, chapter 3 (R307.1 fixture clearances, R305.1 ceiling height) and chapter 27 (P2705.1 fixture spacing, P2708.1 showers), read in Colorado’s adoption without amendments on UpCodes
- Larimer County, Colorado: Figure R307.1 bathroom clearances
- NKBA’s free bath planning guidelines: the roomier spacing (18 in beside a toilet, 20 in beside a sink, 36 in between two sinks, 30 in in front of each fixture, a 36 × 36 in shower, a 32 in door opening, a 36 × 66 in toilet compartment). Its newer, paid editions change some numbers.
- Kohler Underscore alcove tubs, 60 × 30 in and 60 × 32 in spec sheets
- Kohler Bellwether 60 × 32 in shower base spec sheet, made to replace a 60 × 30 in tub
- Toilet depths from the wall: Kohler Cimarron round and elongated spec sheets
Checked October 19, 2026. The plans, the vanity table and the room-length table were worked out with the BathDraft layout planner; centimeters are converted from inches. For standard tub sizes in more detail, see standard bathtub sizes.