to state bathrooms and kitchens look dead odd on the fromt of a house?

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

No one wants to see your nekkid silohuette or your turkey pan soaking.

True.

And opaque glass (i know, I know) looks like a strangeness on the front.

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

I mean most neighbours. But maybe you don't have overlooking neighbours behind your house . We do though here!

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

We didn't have the bathroom towards the front, but it's upstairs. We had blinds in the bathrooms. You just close them before you shower. cantspel are your bathrooms all downstairs facing the fence on the side of the house? Do you know your neighbours can see the back of the house both upstairs and downstairs? And if it's upstairs on the side, is it facing a blank wall? So then people can still see your silouhette in the bathroom at night if you don't use blinds! Or you aren't worried about neighbours seeing your outline?

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

cantspel as I have said before, it depends on the size of the house, and the size of the front garden. The house I grew up in have the playroom back onto the garden, and the laundry runs off the playroom. There is also a shower room next to the laundry. No problem with muddy shoes just because the kitchen doesn't open up to the garden. Use your imagination beyond your own houses!

[SmiteYouWithThunderbolts]

YABU, exclusively because I just spent a good two minutes trying to work out what bathroom activity "turkey pan soaking" could be a euphemism for.

[cantspel]

I have always lived in houses with the kitchen at the back so it is what i am used to and prefer.
Kitchen at the back is better for bbq's and kids coming in from the garden muddy. My bathroom runs along the side of the house which is fine but i am not dure i would like to have it at the front as everyone would be able to see at least your outline when showering or sitting on the loo.

[Solo]

The house I lived in from 11 to 19 had a front facing downstairs bathroom/toilet! yuk!!! hated it.

[MrsOakenshield]

back bedrooms and living rooms, overlooking the garden, are far more sensible than front ones overlooking the street.

[nickelbabe]

besides which, you can have a nosy at people in the street while you're washing up.

agree with bathrooms though.

[nickelbabe]

our kitchen is on the front of the house.
it looks okay.
but it is the only room on the front

[Dancergirl]

it's a longer walk round the back to hang your washing out. Unless you hang that out at the front too?

Luckily we've got a utility room (converted from garage) that's got a back/side door for hanging out washing.

See, I would hate to lug rubbish through the house to the bins at the front with a back kitchen!

[SarahAndFuck]

Big bay window in the kitchen would be nice for a big table unlucky.

We used to live above the pub my parents ran. It had been converted and extended from a big Victorian house, so we had bay windows all over the place, including the kitchen. Was lovely to sit in the window around the table, watching the dog stroll along the windowsill outside because our garden was on the roof.

Our old house was a kitchen and (upstairs) bathroom to the front house, new house is kitchen and bathroom to the back. I've liked them both really.

[VelvetSpoon]

The house I grew up in had the kitchen and bathroom facing the street - although our houses were weird and from the street you walked through our 'back' garden to get to the kitchen, we did have a proper front door on the other side of the house, but this was only accessible via a walkway and no-one ever used theirs!

In the house I live in now, both kitchen and lounge are at the back of the house (which I like), and bathrooms at the side and the back.

I don't mind either room being at the front, although there is something uncomfortable about a groundfloor bathroom at the front of a house!

[AmazingBouncingFerret]

There are some houses on the street I grew up that have kitchen's at the front of the house. One lady who lived in one put nets at a halfway level in her window, so she could still see out but nobody could see in!

My parents house is what was intended to be two maisonettes, so the original downstairs kitchen is at the front but they turned that into a utility room and made a much larger kitchen at the back. I used to enjoy washing my paintbrushes in the window of the utility room and spotting all the old ladies at the bus stop outside trying to have a nosy inside!

[timidviper]

I remember hearing a programme on Woman's Hour years ago about female architects and how they saw homes differently to men. One of the comments about home design was that kitchens at the front of the house were popular with SAHMs as you could see the street, callers approaching, etc and they were not so isolating as when at the rear.

[valiumredhead]

My kitchen is at the front a AND back of the house

[mathanxiety]

Seaweedy, yes, prestige doesn't attach to the kitchen or the bathroom..

[unlucky83]

I have a friend with a nice biggish Victorian house -does have a smallish front garden but used for car parking so can't have a hedge etc...
She was thinking about a layout rejig and having kitchen at front -but her neighbour has a similar house and it just looks... wrong...I don't know... big bay window to a kitchen ....
Anyway after reading this thread I have been thinking about it - and guess it really depends on which is more important your comfort and outlook or outside appearance...
They have a great view (as do most houses here) but from the back - so from the kitchen, utility room, bathroom and one bedroom - and the basement but that doesn't have a window! ...a bit of a waste - living room, dining room, other 3 beds look out onto a boring road...so maybe it would be worth a rejig...
Another house is upside down - living areas upstairs and bedrooms downstairs -because they only get the view from upstairs (in fact they have built an extension with big balcony attached to their kitchen -so outside space with a view) - I can see why - but think carrying shopping upstairs/rubbish/washing downstairs etc would be too much of a PIA for me...

[Dancergirl]

I'm with nannynog - our kitchen is at the front too. We live in a cul-de-sac so don't get many people just walking past. I love it - both my sink and hob are under the front window so I can cook and look out the window and see what's going on.

Lovely to have a lounge at the back too overlooking the garden.

[CatAmongThePigeons]

My current main bathroom is at the front. We have a blind down when it is in use, the neighbours at the back have their bathroom at the back and do not use a blind. I can see all of the dad when hes jiggling and flexing.


Regardless of where the bathroom is, if you have neighbours at the back, please use a bloody blind.

[DidoTheDodo]

it's a longer walk round the back to hang your washing out. Unless you hang that out at the front too?

[Pobblewhohasnotoes]

My kitchen is at the front. No-one can see into my living room, it's lovely. It opens out into the garden instead, much better.

What a weird thread. Why would I care?

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

I have two people at my work who are neighbours. Apparently one of them loves to watch his large telly in his pyjamas

Definitely not better than the kitchen.

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

No, it's not strange. No one likes to see you watching your telly in your living room either.

I hate how houses in the UK have no proper front garden. No one is supposed to see your house from the street. That's just how it should be. I've lived in houses with the master bedroom at the front. All you see is your own hedge, and all people see from the street is also your hedge.

Problem solved.

PS. The houses are in NZ

[LookingThroughTheFog]

You've reminded me that I need to get some frosted window film for our bathroom window. It's clear glass at the moment, which was fine as long as we had no neighbours who could see in. Now we have new houses next door, and their back yards look directly into our bathroom.

[echt]

My kitchen is at the front, with corner windows looking onto drive/street, and another set looking into the courtyard front garden.
We're raised above street level by about a metre and so look along neighbours' trees. The whole front garden is enclosed by trees so lots of privacy.

Lovely.