Need to do the following & haven't before - help?

[Paladin (WavyGlass)]

Greetings All,

I have a pantry that the previous owners converted into a 1/2 bath and I have a small vessel sink that a friend gave me that I'm getting ready to install. I have really only one spot to put the sink and it's right near the door, the only problem being is that with the small stand I had made for it, it's flush with the edge of the door frame and although the door will clear the stand/sink, I'd like to have a bit more clearance for the whole thing.
There is room in the wall to create, I guess you would call it an alcove, it would have the stand assembly for the sink sit flush with the rear of the wall in the next room and would move the edge of the whole thing about six inches into the wall and away from the edge of the door. The only problem is, is that I've never attempted such a thing and don't have the first idea how to proceed. The wall itself is not load bearing, so that isn't an issue, What would I have to cut away (other than the plaster) ? The stand for the sink is 20 inches across, so I know I'll have to cut some of the studs. The question is once I do, do I have to reinforce what is already there? How much can I cut? How would I make the top of the alcove taper to a Gothic Point, as opposed to a simple half circle? Can anyone throw me a few pointers here? Thank you in advance for your help.

P

P.S. Glad to be back in your company, here's a pic of what I kind of want it to look like.

[mjt]

If you go all the way through the studs, then you'll want to frame it like you'd do a window. Use the existing studs as king studs. Add a header, sill, cripple studs and trimmer studs to get your rough opening. Then cut a couple of pieces of plywood to form your gothic arch at the top. Locate one at the back of the opening and the other at the front to give you a nailing surface for the arch.

Here's a picture of what we did for a nook in the shower of a bathroom remodel last year (note - we notched only 2 inches into a 6-inch wall so didn't need the header, etc):

Here's what it looked like after the tile was installed, but before grout:

[Paladin (WavyGlass)]

Thank you very much for the info and I must say, that work looks quite nice. I hope mine comes out 1/2 as good!