Bathroom Remodel – Jenkintown, PA
This 50-square-foot bathroom in Jenkintown had a half-wall between the vanity and the bathtub that was dividing an already small room into two zones that were each too cramped to use well. The remodel removed that half-wall, built a new full-height wall in a better position, and reconfigured the layout around a 48-inch tub and a 36-inch vanity with a black-finish faucet. A fixed glass panel adjacent to the tub replaces the function of a shower enclosure without requiring door clearance. Medicine cabinet above the vanity with light.
Scope of Work
- Removal of the existing half-wall between the vanity and the bathtub
- New full-height wall framed in a reconfigured position
- New 48-inch bathtub installed
- Wall and floor tile throughout
- Fixed glass panel adjacent to the bathtub
- New 36-inch vanity with black-finish faucet
- New toilet
- Medicine cabinet with light fixture above
- New exhaust fan
- Updated bathroom fixtures throughout
The Half-Wall: Origin and Problem
Half-walls in older bathrooms — partitions that stop below the ceiling rather than running floor-to-ceiling — were built to create a visual separation between the tub and the vanity zones without fully enclosing either. In bathrooms of generous size, this can work. In a 50-square-foot bathroom, a half-wall uses floor space for a structure that only creates constraint. It divides the room into two areas that are each smaller than the room itself, making both feel more confined than they would be in an open layout.
Removing the half-wall opens the entire floor plan. The tub and vanity can be placed anywhere within the reconfigured space, and the room reads as a single room rather than two zones separated by a low partition. In this Jenkintown bathroom, the removal is what allowed a 48-inch tub and a 36-inch vanity to be positioned without either fixture crowding the other.
New Wall in a More Useful Position
The project did not simply open the room — a new full-height wall was framed in a different, better position, properly enclosing the bathroom and creating the room boundaries the layout needs without the constraint the original half-wall imposed. The new wall position is established during the rough-in phase, before any tile substrate or finish work begins, so the room dimensions are confirmed before anything is installed on them.
48-Inch Tub in a 50-Square-Foot Bathroom
Standard bathtubs are 60 inches long. In a small bathroom, a 60-inch tub occupies the full short wall and leaves minimal clearance at each end. A 48-inch tub is four feet rather than five — a 12-inch difference that gives back usable floor length for the rest of the room. It is still a fully functional tub; the shorter format simply produces a more workable floor plan in a constrained space.
The 36-inch vanity alongside it is appropriately scaled — wide enough for counter space and storage, narrow enough not to crowd the toilet position. The black-finish faucet on the vanity provides a defined visual anchor without requiring every fixture to match.
Fixed Glass Panel Instead of a Full Enclosure
A fixed glass panel was installed adjacent to the bathtub — a stationary pane mounted on one side, without a moveable door or full enclosure around the tub. A fixed panel provides splash protection in the direction water is most likely to escape without requiring clearance for a door to swing open, and without the track and hardware maintenance that comes with a full swing-door or sliding-door enclosure. In a 50-square-foot bathroom, eliminating the door-swing clearance requirement is a practical benefit as much as an aesthetic one.
Medicine Cabinet with Light
A medicine cabinet was installed at the vanity with a light fixture above it. Medicine cabinets in small bathrooms keep storage in the wall rather than on the counter or floor — valuable in a room with limited surface area. The light above the cabinet illuminates the mirror from the correct direction: from in front rather than overhead, which is the functional lighting position for daily grooming.
Bathroom Remodeling in Jenkintown
Jenkintown is a small, dense borough in Montgomery County with a housing stock that includes many older single-family homes, townhouses, and semi-detached properties. Bathrooms in these homes frequently reflect the layout conventions of their construction era — half-walls, small tubs, compact vanities — that benefit from reconfiguration rather than just surface updating. A remodel that changes how the room is organized, not just what it looks like, produces a more meaningful improvement in a small bathroom. Belmax Remodeling works throughout Jenkintown and Montgomery County. For more on our bathroom work, see our bathroom remodeling service page. Homeowners in Jenkintown can also visit our Jenkintown bathroom remodeling page for more completed local projects.
Considering a Similar Project?
Bathroom remodels in the 50-square-foot range with a half-wall removal, new wall framing, tub and vanity replacement, and tile throughout typically fall in the $9,000–$12,000 range in Montgomery County. This Jenkintown project came in at $9,800, completed May 2024. To discuss what your bathroom would involve, request a free estimate.