The door swing point is something we catch on almost every bathroom layout consultation we do. Homeowners spend weeks picking tile and vanities, but the moment you swing a door into a toilet or realize the shower door can’t open fully, the whole plan unravels.
A practical rule of thumb we use for GTA semis and row houses with tight bathrooms: before you commit to any fixture plan, do a tape-measure mock-up of the new layout on the floor. Mark the toilet centerline, the vanity depth, and the shower threshold, then physically walk through the morning routine. You will catch the clearance problems before you have spent anything.
On the ventilation point - worth adding that in Toronto specifically, a lot of older homes (pre-1980) have bathroom fans that are ducted into the wall cavity or the attic rather than to the exterior. Every renovation is an opportunity to correct this. Running proper exterior duct is usually a half-day job during a gut reno and it makes a significant difference in long-term moisture control.
We just posted a thread on the current state of bathroom renovation costs in 2026 if anyone is working through a project right now: Bathroom Renos in 2026: What GTA Homeowners Should Know