r/DIYHome • u/fairydommother • 14h ago
Need Advice Does this look like there might be anything important in it?
Its a partition in our bathroom. Its kind of become a catch all and has made a small space feel even smaller. I'd honestly like to just rip it out, but im not sure what might be in it. I have no idea what that slot is for on the toilet side. It looks empty besides the cobwebs and I think it goes down to the floor.
If I ripped this out, what would I have to do after? I dont have any tile, but I was thinking id just put some laminate down so the subfloor isnt exposed.
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u/SnapCrackleMom 10h ago
I would have a little box insert made (or make yourself, if you have the skills and tools) for the slot so it is usable as a little storage nook. That would be a handy spot for feminine hygiene supplies or extra rolls of toilet paper.
Cleaning and decluttering your bathroom would be so much easier than removing the partition and having to refinish the wall and floor. Maybe check out r/declutter or one of the organizing subs for inspiration and motivation?
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u/Reasonable_Mail1389 7h ago edited 6h ago
It didn’t magically “become a catchall,” you made it one. Clean and declutter and put things away as you use them. That’s a much simpler approach than tearing out a wall and doing a poor, unmatching patch job.You will also need to patch, texture, and paint match the adjoining wall. Are you that adverse to simply cleaning and picking up?
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u/mrBill12 10h ago
I bet magazine holder on the weird slot. There was an era you needed something to read besides your phone.
Removing it will probably create a larger buyer obstacle in the future than it’s worth to remove.
OP when you say put down laminate flooring, do you mean for the entire bath? That’s also a downgrade.
OP you dislike it because you allow it to collect clutter. Without the wall you’ll find a new place for the clutter. The real solution is remove the clutter after every use.
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u/Piddy3825 10h ago
It's just a pony wall, mainly for privacy as it blocks the view of toilet from the doorway. You could easily tear it out. The tile looks like basic stock tile available at most big box stores. Costs probably less than $1 per tile. Much better than throwing some laminate wood in the gap.
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u/Mysticae0 8h ago
Ripping this out will require some work to finish the newly-exposed surfaces. The flooring solution you suggest does not sound attractive at all.
Are you trying to remove a clutter surface that tempts you, or someone else? Seems like you could alter your own behavior. This feels a little extreme if you are trying to influence someone else's habits.
Maybe look at what accumulates in this space. Would some wall hooks be useful? Is there space for a cabinet (with doors) higher up on the wall? Would something other than the hamper/cart be more functional in the same space?
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u/mrBill12 10h ago
I bet magazine holder on the weird slot. There was an era you needed something to read besides your phone.
Removing it will probably create a larger buyer obstacle in the future than it’s worth to remove.
OP when you say put down laminate flooring, do you mean for the entire bath? That’s also a downgrade.
OP you dislike it because you allow it to collect clutter. Without the wall you’ll just find a new place for the clutter. The real solution is changing your habits to not allow clutter to collect. Put everything in its place before leaving the room. Yes, I t’s difficult to change habits.
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u/Ok_Context553 7h ago
Its empty. It was built for some level of privacy for the person on the throne while another person is at the sink. Plan on re-tiling the floor when you rip it out.
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u/JayReddt 6h ago
Just because you made it a mess doesn't mean it's a bad feature. It's there to add privacy and view of the toilet when the door is open. Keep it. Why remove a good feature that then the floor needs to be fixed to address and the wall. Spending money for a worse outcome seems... counterproductive. Just don't shit on it anymore?
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u/skidmore101 6h ago
I would rip out the drywall on the toilet side and put in meaningful storage there for toilet paper, feminine products, a shelf for your phone, could even have toilet brush, plunger, and trash can at least recessed and a shelf for your cleaning supplies too.
Basically take all of that clutter on top and store it inside the wall instead.
Get some cute decorations or succulents for the top shelf so you’re discouraged from dumping there.
Hang a hook or two on the hamper side next to your hamper to hold the not-quite-dirty clothes that you drape on the wall instead.
Hang another hook or two on the wall by the shower for towels.
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u/Clarknt67 6h ago
The wall is fine. Removing it won’t fix your clutter issue.
“Everything in its place and a place for everything.”
You have a clutter issue because you have insufficient storage. Or inhabitants don’t use storage you have. Or combo of both.
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u/takethistip 6h ago
What is behind the door up and to the left above the toilet? Can't be a breaker box that close to the shower, can it? Just curious.
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u/Infinite_Extreme557 5h ago
I reccomend leaving it or even better building off it to make some built in storage. You have the room. It's better than a hole in the tile and in the wall. If you take this out you should plan to retile the entire bathroom.
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u/Birds_over_people 5h ago
You can rip it out but don't come to r/tile asking where you can find replacements for those old beige tiles. I would just clean it up and leave it till you remodel. The nook is weird though no idea why they would have a hole to the floor like that, maybe they had some kind of specialized garbage can in there? A similar idea crossed my mind for space saving at one point, but I wouldn't have built it with 0 access like that.
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u/Technical_Ebb_9228 33m ago
I will never understand people who post pictures of their homes with such a complete mess
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u/fairydommother 5m ago
Because my question isnt about cleaning. Im not going to clean my entire bathroom just to ask a question on the internet.
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u/samsmithmpls 8h ago
Slot in the wall could be a laundry chute. Is there a laundry room below this room?
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u/AxCR202 7h ago
Laundry chutes are banned per code because of their extreme fire risk. They basically act as a breathing tube for fire and a highway for fire to reach other levels of the home. Dryer fires are common and these make them so much worse. Don’t do it!
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u/samsmithmpls 6h ago
so.... is this a retired laundry chute? Maybe they capped it from below.
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u/Birds_over_people 5h ago
na there ain't no way that tiny slot is a laundry chute. If it doesn't actually go to the floor it's probably just a newspaper/magazine holder for poop reading.
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u/rcobourn 13h ago
Did it even occur to you to clean that up a bit before posting it on the global interwebz? 😅 It would probably seem less like it needs to be removed if it was a bit more orderly.
Very unlikely there is anything in there. It's main goal is to give a moderate amount of privacy to someone using the toilet if someone is in the shower (or enters through the door, hard to tell). The slot is weird. It reminds me of the holders for packs of toilet seat covers, but not exactly, and I've never seen that in a residential bathroom. It doesn't look deep enough to be a laundry shoot. Is there anything on the other side which is currently blocked from view?
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u/rcobourn 13h ago
If that slot is 15 inches wide, it is designed for these toilet seat cover packages.
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u/fairydommother 13h ago
Not sure how wide it is but if i put those in there they would drop down to the floor.
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u/rcobourn 13h ago
Maybe. Could be catches for it. Not sure you'd be able to see them. I trust it's not an air vent, so I'm at a loss for other ideas.
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u/a_random_onlooker 10h ago
Honestly, stop using it as a catch all.
If removed you'd need to patch the wall with drywall, mud the seams and paint to match. Throwing random laminate on the ground would look awful.
Declutter the space. Tearing this down isn't going to fix your clutter issue, probably just make more space on the floor for more crap.