Comparing bathrooms

My home in California had a great bathroom. There was a large tub, easy to step into, and probably made of cast iron with enamel finish. There was a tiled shower with a bench seat and adjustable height shower head. The toilet was a bit raised, making it easier for someone with knee problems. There were lots of cupboards for storing linens, seasonal bedding, etc. A window gave a great view of the camellia bush just outside. The bathroom dimensions, wall to wall, are probably 8' by 12'.

In this house I'm renting, my bathroom is about 3 ¼' by 4 ½'. There is a sit down toilet, maybe lower than standard American. 4” from the tank top is the cold water knob that turns on for the shower overhead. (The hot water knob isn't connected to anything.) The shower has an on-demand water heater attached. The switch to turn that on is just outside the shower “door” which is actually a curtain. The basin is on the far/outside wall, under a louvered window. The cold water knob works and the faucet swivels for some reason I can't figure out. When I sit on the toilet, if I am really sleepy, I just lean forward and rest my head on the wall. No danger of falling over, as I'm almost upright. A small raised ridge at the doorway prevents any water from the shower from going into the bedroom and a drain at the far, lower corner of the room takes all the water away into the drain system.

All in all, not a bad arrangement. But....I recently checked out a possible place to rent where the bathroom was designed much like mine here, only larger. To go to the bathroom, one went out a back door, down two steps, then up two steps into this totally separate room. I don't think that will work well for me. Decided not to even ask about renting that house..

It is amazing the variety of ways we humans create our housing and meet our basic needs.