Would this lower the property value?

[AtlantisUnder]

We have a 4/5 bedroom detached house. Upstairs we have 2 double bedrooms, 2 single bedrooms and a bathroom. The 5th 'bedroom' (double) is downstairs and is currently used as a playroom.

Our bathroom doesn't have a shower, we have a separate shower room downstairs (hate it!) but unfortunately there is no room in our current bathroom to add a shower. I want to move the bathroom into the double bedroom next door to the bathroom, which would be much bigger, room for separate bath and shower etc. But of course we then lose a double bedroom and would be left with a small single bedroom where the bathroom was.

Do you think doing this move would lower the value of the house? DH seems to think it would but I think potential buyers would be more put off by a downstairs shower in what is otherwise a very family accommodating home.

[Floggingmolly]

Why can't you just have an over bath shower? Losing bedroom space isn't ideal.

[Gardenbirds123]

Depends on the area and what your natural "competitor" houses would offer if selling at same time / profile of future buyers
We had similar dilemma re moving a bathroom- helped us to get some local estate agents around (pretext of doing up with view to sell) and ask what they think!

[AtlantisUnder]

The bathroom at the moment is small and has sloping ceilings so there is no chance of an over bath shower, otherwise we would have just done that instead.

[whois]

I don't think going from a 2 double / 2 single to 1 double / 3 single house would be a good idea (ignoring the downstairs double as its basically a reception room).

Might even be better to loose a single and put in an additional shower room upstairs so you have 2 doubles, 1 single and 2 bath/shower rooms upstairs.

Or can you re-jig the upstairs layout to keep 2 doubles and 2 singles but get more space for a 5th room for a larger bathroom?

[LizzieMacQueen]

Is it possible to turn one of the single bedrooms upstairs to an en-suite?

I don't think losing a bedroom and going from 5 to 4 is that drastic whereas 4 to 3 might be.

Only works if 3 beds upstairs suits your family.

I think the downstairs double plus shower room is a great set up and quite standard nowadays.

[camelfinger]

Yes. I'd rather have fewer, bigger bedrooms than lots of little ones. Could you put an en suite in one of your doubles? Or move the bathroom to one of the singles instead?

[AtlantisUnder]

Moving into one of the single rooms is also an option, I am also considering an en suite for our master bedroom. Hearing all your views is helpful in making a decision though!

[namechangedtoday15]

There must be a way to rejig the current bathroom (change the position of the bath?) to accommodate a shower? Could you "steal" a corner (doesn't need to be big) from a neighbouring bedroom just to sort it out? I think that would be a much easier solution that losing a bedroom or changing things completely.

[engineersthumb]

Hi
Mira (and others) do a range of showers with remote mixer units (fitted on the reverse of the wall or loft space. They have a remote control that about the size of a mobile phone that you place on the wall. This could possibly get around your slipping ceiling issue and allow for a shower over the bath.

[IceMaiden73]

Do you have a copy of your floorplan, someone might have an idea

[AtlantisUnder]

I'm going with the general consensus that stealing a double room for a bathroom is a bad idea, so I think it will be a case of moving to a single bedroom, although I will look into those remote showers, thanks engineer! Unfortunately stealing a corner from another room would result in losing the only window in that room (also has sloping ceiling) will never buy a house with sloping ceilings again, so awkward!

[Star2015]

I wouldn't buy a house if the bathroom was downstairs.

If you're not considering selling your house for a good few years then I'd convert it to suit yourself and your family needs though sonic works for you, got for it!

[RaeSkywalker]

We bought a 4 bedrooms house with 1 bathroom upstairs and a downstairs toilet. We've knocked through from the master to the smallest (ridiculously small) single to make an en suite. I guess it has potentially reduced the value of the house, but we plan to be here for at least another 20 years so I'm not fussed. The house feels more balanced now as far as I'm concerned.

[LizzieMacQueen]

We also had a 5 bedroom plus one bathroom house here but that was built 100+ years ago and would originally have been NO bathroom.

Even houses built in 1980 were sticking to the lots of bedroom + one bathroom formula but it's just not what people want now.

So no, I don't think you can devalue by adding a bathroom (although estate agents still advertise houses as X bedrooms don't they?)