Get rid of toilet in new build

[putitdown356]

About to move in to a 3 bed new build, one bathroom and one en suite upstairs, with a loo downstairs.

I want to get rid of downstairs loo and put a washing machine and dryer in there.

I live on my own. If I don't do this washing machine will go in kitchen and dryer im not sure where it could go. Does this sound like a mistake? Or would you also do this?

Its very easy to remove a toilet, sink and cap the supply and outlets, that way you can easily change it back if you do decide to sell.

@Turnups yes thats exactly what I was thinking, stacked ontop of each other with a shelf for cleaning products/basket. Good to know it should be allowed as long as I keep the plumbing element so it can be reversed.

I get that, but all of them i have seen wouldn't accommodate a wheelchair and wouldn't have room for accessibility handles etc which renders them a tick box exercise at best surely. Interestingly if this is important enough to make regulatory then why such a battle for people with disabilities to get adaptions to their social housing if it's seen as so important? Its like a lot of the accessibility stipulations mind, tick boxes to try and show somethings being done when not really fit for purpose.

@HowYouSpellingThat10 no garage unfortunately, just two spaces on drive out front.

Totally agree @Wolframandhart. New home design doesn’t seem to take how people will actually live in a house into account at all. My DF’s house is an unusual design but it has a large garden, garage, parking, built in wardrobes in every room, decent sized bedrooms, an airing cupboard and a massive walk in cupboard. It was a very ordinary 3 bed semi in 1977 when it was built. Now there would be at least 2 houses on the same footprint….and that’s where the problem arises!

Can you put the washing machine in the bathroom?

Resale value? wouldn't buy a house without a downstairs loo or the space to install one.

@VinnieVanLowe yes if you have kids or are much older I can definitely see why it would put people off with no loo downstairs.

Im not planning on selling anytime soon though.

OP isn't talking about knocking the wall and the room down...

It would be £200-350 to put the sink and loo back in, the space wouldn’t vanish.

Thanks everyone, I think the plan is to check im allowed to and then if I get go ahead I will do it.

Buying a house alone is fine in someways but harder in others.

1. Don't break a leg as you will be stuffed!
2. Removing the loo will make it harder to sell one day.

Is the loo off a hallway? I blocked up a door at the end of the hallway and installed one further down to make a utility room. I stacked the machines where the door used to be. So you go through the new door, machines in front of you and another door on the right into the loo. I also put up coat hooks so it doubled as a coat cupboard.
Worth posting your floorplan to see if anyone can spot an easy way of squeezing it in?

Is there tea no space for a washer dryer in your kitchen? Even the smallest galley kitchens I've seen have a space

I’m in a 20 yr old house with similar layout. Too much space given to bathrooms!
We have one of those waterproof Keter ‘Store it Out’ cabins outside with a small freezer (outdoor spec) and tumble dryer. They fit perfectly side by side. Brilllant!
Can you put one of those in the garden and get an electrician to run a socket out there?

I live in a family of 4 and had 3 toilets in our newbuild and frankly it was just another toilet to clean. We have since moved to a 2 toilet house and I would say there has been maybe 1 or 2 occasions that both toilets have been occupied. I never understand why there are so many bathrooms in newbuilds.

That being said removing your downstairs toilet will affect your value. Most people want that, especially for future planning. If you share the downstairs layout maybe folks could help you with a plan? Most new build WC are quite big so there may be space to have a stacked washer dryer in the space?

I've got my dryer under the stairs.

I’d consider doing this with an en-suite upstairs.

down stairs loo is good for future accessibility/mobility

is something people look for in a new house when they buy.
and if you have set up kitchen without those appliances then it will be costly to install them later if someone wants to reinstate loo.

useful for keeping visitors out of private upstairs area.

I

We took advice on this and turns out our conversion predates this regulation so it didn’t apply. Architect also pointed out that if we retained the fixings and just capped off the soil pipe so the toilet could easily be reinstalled, we could do that in the event of some buyer in the unknown future wanting it. It won’t matter while you are actually living in it yourself.

They install a bathroom per bedroom when they think they will sell to landlords or young professional house sharers.

I would say find a way to put your washer and dryer upstairs!!! Makes much more sense when you think about it - why do we carry it all downstairs then back up again?!? Madness

don't get rid of the downstairs loo.
can you convert the ensuite into a utility instead?

@OttersAreMySpiritAnimal its on immediate right as you walk in, next right into kitchen/diner, straight ahead stairs, left to sitting room. Its pretty small so not really anywhere to do this, although that sounds the same as my sister did and it worked really well.

Most new builds near me have no garage and very little storage inside.

The wardrobe in the master bedroom is smaller than my coat cupboard in a very ordinary 4 bed

I don't know where anyone puts anything (and there's certainly no room for a tumble drier in the kitchen)