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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think ensuites are unnecessary and a bit passé

242 replies

Foolishlady · 07/01/2015 19:48

Just bought a new house. 4 bedrooms but just one tiny bathroom. Dh wants to put an ensuite in the master bedroom but I think it will ruin the dimensions and isn't really worth it. I've never really got the appeal of ensuites- unless spacious they always seem a bit cramped and grotty, and the bathroom is only across the hall. I want to make a combined wet room and downstairs loo instead (we're doing an extension so there would be room) but dh says that's silly. So aibu?? Or is he?

OP posts:
Iggly · 08/01/2015 17:55

Yabu

That is all.

StatisticallyChallenged · 08/01/2015 19:06

Round here it's mainly period houses, which don't tend to have many en-suites unless they've either lost a bedroom to squeeze one in (and reduced the value of the flat/house in the process normally) or wedged one in and compromised on the size of the bedroom, normally ending up with a dodgy entrance corridor to the bedroom or some such. I don't think not having en suites is a disadvantage here, it might be by the time you got to say a 4 bedroom but we were looking at 3 beds and they were far from the norm.

New build, on the other hand...stop wedging en suites in to every damned bedroom when they aren't big enough to take it or the shape is weird. A good size bedroom with a well designed en suite, which has been designed in to the plan and still leaves a nice square/rectangular room with plenty room - fine. One which has been wedged in to a room that would have been maybe 10ft by 14ft to begin with...no.

Northernparent68 · 08/01/2015 19:09

I d re think the wet room idea, they have a reputation for leaking

Hulababy · 08/01/2015 19:18

I like my ensuite - it is a bathroom I don't have to share with DD or guests. I can go to the toilet in the night without leaving my bedroom proper. I do my make up in their whilst getting ready. Its closer and, although compact, big enough for me to get cleaned and dried.

We only use our bedroom for night time - I don't need lots of room. I don't even watch TV in there.

I can see the appeal of a downstairs toilet but not a downstairs bath/shower or wet room. Why would I want to go downstairs for a shower?

TattyDevine · 08/01/2015 19:25

I love ours. We are lucky in that we have a huge bedroom and a very generous ensuite - its as big as a main bathroom. With that in mind it is very pleasant to have it within the bedroom confines, particularly when you have houseguests, it feels much more private if you need to nip to the loo in the night knowing that nobody else is going to be in there or see you. Then you can get showered and dressed without streaking around with just a towel. For times with no houseguests its just very convenient.

I get what you are saying though, if it might ruin the dimensions or flow of your current setup then it is by no means necessary.

Theoretician · 08/01/2015 19:34

and would really not like there not to be a main bathroom, with everyone using an ensuite (horrible for visitors).

If a house has en-suites for every bedroom, then there will be a separate guest toilet as well.

Theoretician · 08/01/2015 19:37

I agree with the consensus on wet-rooms. 10 or 15 years ago, whenever it was that everyone was talking about them, I thought they were a horrible concept. Then I visited a country in which nearly all bathrooms are wet-rooms, and found out I was right about everything I thought would be wrong with them. I'm especially disgusted by standing on a wet floor next to a toilet. How do I know that's water I'm standing in?

Deramores · 08/01/2015 19:50

We have a bathroom with bath and washbasin, a shower room with walk in shower and washbasin and a separate loo upstairs, none of them ensuite. And a downstairs loo. This works really well for us.

9Bluedolphins · 08/01/2015 19:51

I dislike the thought of all those toilets, showers and baths. The house full of water and white goods that have to be cleaned and repaired. And it just seems so over the top and princess like for each adult and child to have their own bathroom. Like living in a hotel or something.

SoupDragon · 08/01/2015 20:00

Probably best stick to a tin tub in the kitchen and a mangle for the laundry eh?

9Bluedolphins · 08/01/2015 20:09

I noticed that another thread is discussing buying a double bed for a 3 year old. Bet she has her own en suite too.

Bunbaker · 08/01/2015 20:09

"Probably best stick to a tin tub in the kitchen and a mangle for the laundry eh?"

Grin And an outside toilet in case of smells.

My, there are some really fastidious posters on this thread.

Our bedroom doesn't smell because we have an ensuite. Maybe that is because we have a door on ours that actually gets used. Oh, and we have an extractor fan and a window that actually opens!

Why don't people use their common sense FGS?

Philoslothy · 08/01/2015 20:31

However, I am perplexed by this obsession with having a bathroom to yourself. Just how much time do people spend in the bathroom that you could justify giving over such a huge amount of floor space to a bathroom for each person?

Shower, shit and shave in our house - am I missing something?

I love my own bathroom and it is well used. We live in a busy house filled with children and animals, my bathroom is my retreat. A few times a week I get in the bath with a good book or to watch trashy TV. When not pregnant I have been known to take a drink with me - or my husband !

FlowerFairy2014 · 08/01/2015 20:48

3 of our bedrooms have them and were built with them and they are very useful with 5 children particularly teenagers who spend a lot of time in bathrooms. It's a fairly big house (5000 sq ft). only one of the 4 bathrooms is not used for bathing - has a bath, but no proper shower but even in that one the sink and loo are used all the time. In fact we have 5 loos in all and very useful they are too.

Philoslothy · 08/01/2015 21:52

And it just seems so over the top and princess like for each adult and child to have their own bathroom. Like living in a hotel or something.

My house is over the top, we are sbout as tasteful and subtle as a brick. However my children are not princessy - just fortunate. When I was working there were at least seven people all needing to get ready at the same time on the morning, a bathroom each just made process easier. Since that time we have added to our family twice. Not an essential by any means but if I can do anything to lessen work and stress - I will do

RJnomore · 08/01/2015 23:19

I'd love to live in a hotel.

I'm quite happy ?ith all our water based appliances and white goods.

I feel no need to justify any of them.

onedamnthingafteranother · 08/01/2015 23:34

Victorian cottage with downstairs bathroom/loo and no room for another loo, let alone an ensuite. We manage fine and have brought up two kids here. You learn to share, be considerate and develop good sphincter control. Win! Just take your clothes down with you or wear a dressing gown (clue's in the name), it's not hard.

Ensuites in private homes are just an excuse for estate agents to jack the price up.

cherrymix · 08/01/2015 23:38

Our house is 4 beds with one bathroom and a separate loo. Bathroom is nice and big. We also have separate downstairs loo. House was built that way and although we could have split bathroom in house to make an en suite it would have ruined the bathroom size.

We converted our garage into a room and added a downstairs shower room and utility room. It's attached to house but also has its own back door so has potential to be turned into a self contained granny/ rental suite.

Its great as DS comes in from muddy sports activity, dumps muddy clothes in utility and then comes into rest of house all clean and nice.

Philoslothy · 09/01/2015 00:41

Victorian cottage with downstairs bathroom/loo and no room for another loo, let alone an ensuite. We manage fine and have brought up two kids here. You learn to share, be considerate and develop good sphincter control. Win! Just take your clothes down with you or wear a dressing gown (clue's in the name), it's not hard.

yes we are selfish bastards who shit all over the house.

80sMum · 09/01/2015 01:00

I think to have more than one bathroom is a good thing, but to have one of them within a bedroom rather limits its use.

However, I can see that an ensuite might be useful as one gets older and needs easy access and close proximity to a loo at night. My MIL has to have a commode in the bedroom, as she can't make it to the loo in time. If she had an ensuite it might be easier for her.

pamish · 09/01/2015 01:16

What's wrong with a bucket?
.
.

Alibalibumblebee · 09/01/2015 01:26

Some of the comments on this thread have had me laughing a lot - even when they poster didn't intend to be funny. Grin

Bunbaker · 09/01/2015 07:06

"and develop good sphincter control"

What a load of rubbish. I have IBS. Good sphincter control doesn't come into it. Having a spare loo is a godsend for me.

Are you jealous?

SoupDragon · 09/01/2015 07:11

Ensuites in private homes are just an excuse for estate agents to jack the price up.

Houses without ensuites seem to be just an excuse for people to make snarky comments about how they don't need one because they are SO much better at waiting for the toilet and know what a dressing gown is for.

What a load of nonsense.

VictorineMeurent · 09/01/2015 07:19

A downstairs shower/loo is good if you livein the country and do lots of gardening/outside diy/keep dogs/horses. You can come in from mucky outside activities and shower and change without going through the house itself.