Phil’s electric toothbrush going off at 20 minutes to 7am every morning while i am trying to put my makeup on without poking my eye out – that was it for me. Not the constant banging into each other in our teeny-tiny bathroom, nor the gasping and panting when one of us was taking longer than the other at the mirror; that blasted buzzing right next to my ear every single day. “okay,” i said one morning as i clutched onto my mascara wand as if i would stab him with it. “we’re getting two sinks.” “that’ll cost an arm and leg,” he mumbled through his foamy mouthful of toothpaste. And well, Six months later, i’m not lying when i say that it has been the best money we’ve spent on this house.
Not simply because our mornings functioned today (no more passive aggressive mirror hogging); but also because we are no longer inclined to strangle each other before we leave for breakfast. The planning part nearly drove me round the bend. I spent hours and hours measuring our bathroom with a ridiculous old-fashioned tape measure that snapped back and knocked my fingers.
Our bathroom is roughly 8ft x10ft — not huge, but not a shoebox either. I spent forever pestering three different trademen, and fell down a YouTube rabbit hole that lasted for weeks. I found out you need at least sixty inches of wall space for two sinks.
We had 72 inches of wall space available, therefore we could make this work without making the bathroom a hallway. Plumbing-wise; that is when things became seriously complicated (and costly, of course). Our original sink was bang smack in the center of the main wall.
Therefore, all the pipes were precisely where we did not need them for two sinks. Dave — our plumber — a lovely bloke who consumes more cups of tea per hour than is physically humanly possible and manages to keep his work boots spotless — told us that we’d essentially have to start from scratch with the water side of things. “it’s do-able,” he said. “however we will have to create new feed pipes for both hot & cold water for each sink. Plus individual waste lines.” It turns out we could utilize the existing drain line for one of the new sinks — which helped save us a few hundred quid.
However, the second drain line required us to cut a hole in the floor — that is when we found that our bathroom sits atop the kitchen (no surprise there) and that whoever wired our home back in the eighties had some very imaginative thoughts regarding how to route cables. That is a whole other nightmare for another time. I became utterly fixated on figuring out the spacing.
The standard distance between sink centers is 36inches. However, we opted for 38inches because we are both fairly wide-set and i didn’t want to feel as though we were utilizing the toilets at a motorway service station. Those few additional inches make all the difference when both parties are simultaneously attempting to reach for their face wash.
Space for storage proved way more difficult to figure out than i had anticipated. When you have one sink — you just shove everything wherever it will fit. With two sinks — suddenly you find yourself negotiating territory.
Which sink gets the hair dryer? Where do you place the shared items — you know; dental floss, spot cream etc? In the end we ordered a custom vanity with four drawers on each side (his & her zones) + a shared central cabinet for spare items + cleaning supplies.
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For years i had been determined to get soft-close drawer mechanisms — it was worth every penny to prevent me from slamming my drawers at half past six in the morning — especially considering how many times i used to wake up half of the neighborhood. The mirror debate nearly brought about World War Three in our household. I wanted one large mirror directly above both sinks — cleaner look; reflected more light; easier to clean.
Phil wanted individual mirrors so we wouldn’t have to gaze at each other first thing in the morning. (“i need to focus on what i am doing,” he said. Oh how charmed!) In the end we settled upon one mirror — but individual hanging lights at various heights so we both have our own properly lit space. Those lights were a game changer.
Rather than those usual bulbs across the top of the mirror — we opted for pendant lights right overhead at face level. No more strange shadows under your chin; no more squinting to determine if you’ve got a zit or just the light playing tricks on you. The pendants adjust up & down as well, so i can lower mine when i need to inspect details and Phil can raise his since he’s got 6” on me.
The actual installation process was pure chaos for five days straight. Five days of brushing our teeth at the kitchen sink & washing our faces with a flannel & bowl such as we were camping in the Peak District. Five days of non-stop drilling & hammering, plus Dave’s endless stream-of-consciousness commentary on our house’s plumbing system. (“well, that’s certainly one way to do it.” was his polite way of saying what kind of cowboy must have done this before.) When we turned both taps at once for the first time & real water came out of them at decent pressure—truly magic.
We stood there grinning like idiots, just letting water run for the sake of it. But what really surprised me is how much having two sinks actually changed the entirety of our morning routines — not just the practical part of it either. We naturally began claiming our own territory without even discussing it.
I went for the left-hand sink (nearest the shower), Phil took the right-hand sink (closest to the front door). Within a week, we had both arranged our respective spaces exactly as we wanted them too. Far more unexpectedly was that we began talking to each other during our morning routines instead of just trying to get away from each other.
It seems when you aren’t stressed about getting to the sink, you can have real conversations about what’s going on today, weekend plans etc. Now i know you must be wondering about the cost side of this: * vanity = £1200 (had it made locally by a carpenter who did a professional job) * plumbing work = £800 (Dave) * mirror & lights = £400 * installation = £300 Total damage = £2700. Not peanuts — but when you calculate this over however long we plan to remain in this house — it’s approximately £2 per month for bathroom peace!
Six months have passed since installing these two sinks and i honestly cannot envision returning to how things were previously. This morning i sat watching Phil brush his teeth whilst i attended to my skincare routine, each using our own sink; our own space; our own perfectly positioned lighting. No annoying toothbrush buzz in my ear; no awkwardly dodging each other; no grumpy faces prior to coffee.
At times, the best upgrades to your house are often those that solve problems you hadn’t realized were causing you madness until they’re solved
