Why so many small baths here
The Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2020–2024) finds about 29% of Waterbury homes in buildings with two to four units. In the city's two-families and triple-deckers, each floor usually has one bathroom, often fitted into whatever space was left beside the kitchen or back hall. Capes and small postwar houses have the same issue under sloped ceilings.
Moves that free up space
- A door that swings in can eat several square feet. A pocket door or reversing the swing often solves the worst conflict.
- A wall-hung vanity lets the floor show underneath, which makes the room read larger, and a slim one leaves more hip room.
- A medicine cabinet or a tiled niche set between studs adds storage without sticking out.
- Running the same tile into the shower, with no change at the curb, makes the floor look bigger.
- A wide mirror with sconces at face height brightens a room that may only have a small window.
A compact tub bath with subway tile and a checkerboard floorThe International Residential Code sets minimum clearances around toilets, sinks and showers. In an old room, plaster, tile and trim add up. We plan from finished-wall dimensions, not studs, so the toilet doesn't end up an inch too close to the tub.
Working in a multi-family house
Remodeling one unit's bathroom in a triple-decker means thinking about the floors above and below. Shared drain stacks, the ceiling of the unit below and quiet working hours for neighbors all come into the plan. Condos in newer buildings bring the same questions, plus any association rules on work hours. If the unit is rented, a durable, easy-clean finish list (porcelain tile, a solid-surface top, chrome trim) holds up best between tenants.
What small baths cost
40 sq ft bathroom
$2,800to$10,000
Remodel range by size
Angi · checked Oct 2026 · national
50 sq ft bathroom
$3,500to$12,500
Remodel range by size
Angi · checked Oct 2026 · national
These size-based ranges come from Angi's bathroom remodel guide. They're national figures. A small bath with full tile, a new valve and a relocated door in an older Waterbury house usually runs above them. The 2025 Cost vs. Value benchmark for New England, a 5-by-7 midrange remodel, averaged $27,559.
