What Is A 3/4 Bath? How Is It Different Than A Half-Bath?
Every modern-day home has at least one bathroom, while most of them now have two. But when it comes to that second bathroom, oftentimes, the bathroom isn’t a full bathroom and instead is either a half-bath or a 3/4 bath.
All three bathroom types are different in one way or another. But the one thing that affects what they are called is the number of appliances that are put into them. Some have two, some three, and others an unlimited amount.
What Is Considered A 3/4 Bathroom?
It can be quite confusing when someone says 3/4 bath. After all, most people only know about the two terms: a full bath and a half-bath. But a 3/4 bath isn’t really much different than a full bath in most cases.
However, a 3/4 bath can’t have more than three appliances. This is usually a sink, toilet, and shower, or bathtub. But if it has a bathtub and shower along with the other appliances, then it isn’t a 3/4 bath.
Overall, 3/4 bathrooms are actually more popular than full bathrooms if you count the number of bathrooms rather than the number of homes with that type of bathroom. Because they are often referred to as full bathrooms.
Bachelors, college kids, and other adults often don’t see the need for a bathtub so they only have a bathroom with a shower. This is considered a 3/4 bath though most people would call it a full bathroom.
What Is A 3/4 Bath Layout
A 3/4 bath layout looks something like this. Though there is room for you to adjust this. If the bathroom is 7.8ft by 5.6ft as pictured, then you can put the sink behind the door on the far side of the room.
The toilet and shower can comfortably go on the wall to the right of the door. The area between the sink and the shower can give you room to open the shower door. The layout is for a 36-inch shower.
What Is A Full Bath?
A full bath is a bathroom with a sink, toilet, tub, shower, and as many other appliances and amenities as you want. A full bath can have a hot tub with jets, a walk-in shower, or some other nicer addition to the traditional bathroom.
Most bathrooms today have at least one full bath, sometimes more. Though more than five bathrooms of any kind are rare in most countries and reserved for mansions and extremely large families or friend groups living together.
Does Full Bath Mean Shower?
A full bathroom does often mean there is a shower in the bathroom. But only if there is also a tub. So a full bathroom must have four appliances, hence the denominator of the fraction standing for a 3/4 bath.
Does A 3/4 Bathroom Have A Shower?
So again, a 3/4 bathroom has three appliances. It could have a shower or a tub. But it does not have both. On occasion, it can have both only if there is no toilet in the room, but this is rare as most bathrooms have toilets.
What Is A Half-Bath?
A half bath has only two appliances. This is usually a sink and a toilet but it can be a shower and a sink. A half-bath is designed to not take up much room and instead to act as a guest bathroom for day guests.
However, it can also be designed for convenience if the full bath is upstairs, which is quite common. Because the full-bath should be by the bedrooms while the half-bath should be near the common areas of the home.
Is A Half Bathroom Worth It?
This all depends on what the purpose of the half bathroom is. If you want to have a place for guests to feel comfortable in, then yes, the half-bath is worth it. But if you don’t even need the half-bathroom, things are different.
If the space would be better for something else, like a mudroom, then no it is not worth it just to have a half-bathroom. Especially if you have two other bathrooms in the house already and don’t need more.
What Is The Difference Between A 1/2 And 3/4 Bath?
There is only one difference between a 1/2 bath and a 3/4 bath and that is the number of items in the room. A half-bath only has two, usually a toilet and a sink. But a 3/4 bathroom has one extra appliance.
How Big Is The Average Bathroom?
While there are a lot of different bathroom sizes, there will always be an average bathroom size. An average-sized bathroom is usually around 35-40 sqft. This is for both a full bath and a 3/4 bath.
If you have a large house, the average bathroom is usually somewhere between 50-100sqft. However, bathrooms can range from anywhere from 15-sqft for half-baths to over 100-sqft for master bathrooms.
In general, you need to accommodate each appliance while still leaving enough walking room for anyone to feel comfortable in your bathroom.
How Big Does A 3/4 Bathroom Need To Be?
The average 3/4 bathroom is about 6′ x 6′ or about 36-sqft. But this isn’t the most comfortable size of bathroom for a 3/4 bath. If you want your bathroom to be more comfortable, shoot for around 6×8.
Larger bathrooms are also great if you decide to add a tub instead of a shower. But remember, if you add both a tub and shower while still having the sink and toilet, then it is considered a full bath, regardless of size.
Cost To Add A 3/4 Bath
Now if you are planning on adding another bathroom to your home, you are probably considering a 3/4 bath, even if you previously thought you wanted a full bath. Most people are happy with a 3/4 bath for most bathrooms.
The average cost for a 3/4 bathroom is somewhere between $5,000-$9,000. However, it can cost much less or much more depending on what you decide to add to your bathroom and how high-end you want it to be.
Flooring
The first thing you’ll add to your bathroom will probably be flooring. Now depending on the type of floor you choose, there is a wide range of prices to expect. Tile costs much more than laminate or linoleum.
For example, the cost to have laminate installed will probably be under $10 per square foot. Concrete will be about 50% more, tile will have the expensive tile cost added while hardwood will be twice as much as laminate.
Walls
Now again, this depends on what you want to be done. Adding walls will require a contractor that charges for the project as well as an hourly rate for everyone he employs. But if you only want wall coverings, you can do it yourself.
Drywall is a very cheap option that can be less than $1 per square foot on occasion. But other options like plaster, shiplap, and paneling can be quite a bit more. However, doing it yourself ensures you pay half of what you would if someone else did it for you.
Sink
Since plumbing is a separate thing, let’s talk about the cost of the sink alone. There are many different types of bathroom sinks you can buy. Pedestal sinks are simple and cheap, setting you back less than $100.
Simple inserts can cost even less and can be less than $50. However, a lot of people prefer something nicer. Most bathroom sinks will be under $300, but you can get them for over $1000 made of rare materials.
Tub
There are many different types of bathroom tubs. Freestanding tubs usually cost a couple of thousand dollars. But you can get a cheap insert for a couple of hundred dollars that works just as well as an expensive one.
However, this is a big part of what makes your bathroom unique. This is the biggest appliance in the bathroom so a lot of people prefer something nicer if they can afford it, which can be put to half the cost of the bathroom.
Shower
The price of showers varies greatly. Cheap shower units cost less than $300, just like a bathroom sink, if you can believe it. But you can also buy nicer showers outright for over $1000, even from general retailers.
However, the most high-end and expensive type of shower is a custom shower made of stone or tile. These showers will have glass doors and look very fancy, often with a raining showerhead to add another amenity.
Plumber
It can be really expensive to have your bathroom done primarily due to the plumbing because this is something a professional needs to do. You can’t do it yourself like you can with walls or flooring.
Most plumbers charge somewhere between $40 and $200 an hour. In general, the longer they are there, the less they will charge per hour because they are getting a lot of work from you, they usually offer long-term discounts.
Decorating Trends For A 3/4 Bath
There are plenty of ways you can decorate a 3/4 bath to suit your needs and design style. Since it is generally a bit smaller than a full bathroom, you need to get more creative with decorating to make things seem larger and even more gorgeous.
Mirrors
Mirrors can make any room look bigger. especially small rooms. While most bathrooms, no matter how small, will have at least one mirror, you can make a 3/4 bath look even bigger by adding more than one mirror.
Mounted Toilets
Getting a mounted toilet can save you a lot of room. You can get mounted toilets that don’t take up any floor space so you only use a small amount of wall space to use them. Not to mention, they look neat.
Pocket Doors
Pocket doors can be lifesavers. They take some time to build unless you are okay with them sliding in front on one side. But if you have them built into the wall they will take some time and effort to install.
Shower Over Tub
Showers take up a lot less room than a bathtub so it can be preferable to use one in place of the tub. You can even get a corner shower to save more space and make your bathroom look much larger.
Continuous Flooring
If you can create a good draining system, then laying tile or teak shower floors in your bathroom, then you can create continuous flooring that starts at the door and ends at the back of the shower. This will also make it look larger and more inviting.
Glass Panels
Glass panels are great for both the shower and tub. You can get units with glass panels built-in or you can put in your own glass panels. Some panels slide, some are stationary, while others open just like any other door.
Use Vertical Space
Instead of taking up all of your floor space, use your vertical space on the walls. For example, don’t get a standing shelf, add high shelving above the toilet, sink, and around the shower on the walls, not the floor.
Is A 3/4 Bath Right For Me?
There are many reasons why you should or shouldn’t get a 3/4 bath. If you want the full spa experience without cutting anything out or taking shortcuts, you probably need a full bath. If you have the room this shouldn’t be a problem.
But if you don’t need both a shower and tub, then there’s a good chance that a 3/4 bath will be plenty big enough for you. If you’re not going to use them both anyway, then why not free up the space to use elsewhere?