Do older children make a second shower and basin worthwhile?

[Monvelo]

This isn't very interesting but I would welcome opinions from folks with slightly older kids! It's about morning bathroom time slots vs having an extra shower and basin.

We have a partial en suite off the main bedroom, with a basin and a shower. No loo, but the family bathroom is next door and there's a WC downstairs. We have never used this ensuite and instead it's become a cupboard of doom, making up for poor storage space.

The issue is now the kids are getting older we're starting to have clashes for the family bathroom in the morning. Dh shoots in there first and somehow spends about 30 mins, and everyone else waits their turn after. Increasingly DD is starting to knock and ask to get in there. She starts senior school in Sept and will need access to the bathroom a lot earlier. And then so will ds. I imagine it'll only get more chaotic from here on!

So, is a second shower and basin a huge help when everyone's trying to get out of the door? Should I try to free up the partial en suite in all it's glory? It would mean rehoming difficult items and about a wardrobes worth of clothes. An easier option might be to release just the basin and mirror.

On the other hand we only had one bathroom in my house growing up and no extra loo.... So is a family bathroom and an extra loo downstairs fine and people just need an acceptable time slot?

We spent a fraction of that having a few shelves put in under the stairs. You don't need fitted cupboards. Definitely rejig under the stairs and use the en suite.

We had one bathroom when I was a teen but I'm not sure everyone was as into grooming and showering back then! No point making life harder as your DC go through teenhood.

We had one family bathroom growing up (and no extra WC). It wasn’t too bad as a small child but nightmare as teens. Strict time slots, never allowed morning shower, and evening also strictly regimented. One of my conditions with DH when moving house after having children was to have two bathrooms.

Totally worth it. We renovated and put 2 bedrooms in the loft for the dds aswell as an additional bathroom. It’s a godsend as dh spends 30 minutes on the loo in the family bathroom in the morning and then has a shower. Right at peak ‘ds getting ready for school and me getting ready for work’ time.
I will nip up and use the girls bathroom and ds will go downstairs to use the loo and then dh is done with time for us to use the family bathroom to brush our teeth!

How can he trim a beard at a bedroom mirror?
Would you shave your legs in the bedroom 🤔

Ok so your house is similar to mine i.e. no garage or storage.
If it isn’t already get loft fully boarded with a larger hatch and pull down ladders installed.
Our loft is super easy to get into and we store loads in there. Even have shelves full of board games etc.
Also try to sort your wardrobes seasonally. So my really thick wooly pjs and xmas jumper are all in the attic to create space for my shorts and summer dresses. When I need them back I will have to put my summer stuff away. Any items that are not often used go in the attic, bagged up and labelled. Also go through your wardrobes and declutter, you will be surprised. I got rid of 4 bin bags worth this week!
Clothes airer. I have a tiny utility, bit big enough to have the clothes airer up in but I have an airer that hooks on the back of the door in the utility, takes up no floor space!
I think queuing for a bathroom when you have a second unused one is bonkers. As others said I would look into getting a toilet installed.
Could be your DH’s bathroom then as he takes the longest 🤣

Depends on the studente. Many a house of medics/nursing/pharmacology students will have 9am lectures or placements every day.

I did also say I thought 2 showers would be much easier though.

Do you have an airing cupboard you could free up by relocating the tank or anything?

Thanks @laz I think I can improve things here in a similar way. I think a new bed with drawers would help.
There's definitely no room for a toilet in there, but we have a second loo downstairs.

If you can install one, good. Even better if downstairs as it helps make your home a forever one, in case in later life stairs become a struggle.

As a family of 6 one bathroom was a real struggle, especially as we didn't have a separate loo. (And i was raised in a family of 14 with one bathroom, and no shower, just a bath) I wouldn't be without a second shower now, its seems crazy to me to have an ensuite and use it for storage.

Your dh is a selfish cunt anf needs telling he’s not the only person in the house who needs a shower and he has 5 minutes in the bathroom only!!

I had 3 teenagers here at one point, I’d have gone insane without a second shower… actually I’d have gone very smelly, as no doubt I’d have been last in the list to shower!!

Definitely! Can’t you remember being a teen and spending hours in the bathroom? 🤣

I do think you should get the ensuite into use. But it really isn't necessarily a nightmare only having one bathroom with two teens (now early 20s) DCs. We've lived here all their lives so they have grown up not taking long in the bathroom. We've rarely all had to leave the house at the same time and when we do we just hurry up. They've never spent 45 mins in there in the morning, toilet, shower, face, teeth, we're all in and out in 10 mins or so, even though they've both got long hair. All skincare and haircare apart from washing is done in bedrooms as is make-up.

Definitely free up the en-suite and make DH use it.

Yes, you'd be mad not to keep it and use it!

My last house had two full bathrooms and it was ideal for us (1 adult, 3 children). I had to move this year to a smaller house and now just have one shower room (just has a shower and sink in it) and a separate loo and it is a nightmare.

Ottoman bed?

We have 4 toilets and three bathrooms for four people. It is bliss although three of us all prefer the large shower. There are never any morning arguments which were a daily feature of my childhood.

There’s 3 of us in this house inc. 17yr teen and we have 2 showers and 3 toilets.

However, it’s not really an issue as DS and DH only have showers in the evenings and I only have showers in the morning.

Can you make your en-suite into a proper en-suite with a shower, basin and toilet? That’s what I’d do in your situation.

We have 3 bathrooms and a downstairs under-the-stairs loo. Sounds like the house is massive, it’s not but there’s 2 en-suites. It wasn’t really needed when dc were younger but now with a teen and tween it’s a lifesaver. Also for holding all their stuff! Fitting that in one bathroom would be cramped. I’d find a way to clear the en-suite. When we go away and have to share one bathroom I appreciate how lucky we are at home as the older they get the less fun sharing gets!

There really isn't the room for a loo. Shower cubicle is at the back and takes up full width, basin to the front.

Dh cleared it all out today. Most things gone into the loft and some stuff is currently homeless. But will sort. The shower needs sorting out but the basins ready for use.

Great move. Well done!

Well done DH!
I think you already knew it was the right answer for family harmony. Why make life harder than it needs to be

We had the bath removed and a shower fitted in the family bathroom when our two adult sons both started careers which meant they were needing to get ready at the same time every morning. It was a life and sanity saver.

Incidentally, we had no problem selling the house without a bath. We sold in 8 weeks last Summer.

Glad you've sorted it.

We've got one bathroom and a downstairs toilet and sink. There were four adults here last week, we all managed to have a shower before 8am (no one up until after 7am). Two cleaned teeth downstairs, two up. One used downstairs toilet, the other three upstairs, with one shaving upstairs. It can be done if everyone is focused and considerate.