En-suite or separate bathroom

[Leobynature]

Posting here for traffic and to enable the voting (hopefully it works).

DISCLAIMER: These are rubbish first world problems but I have to get it right as I am spending a ridiculous amount of money. In the process of getting a loft conversion done, after researching tips on MN most people stated a separate bathroom was better than an en-suite as it frees up a wall (which will be used for wardrobes), you don’t get toilet smells in bedroom and other people can use bathroom without walking through your bedroom. However DH now wants a en-suite and feels this will add more value/luxury. Plans have been drawn up to include separate bathroom which will be accessed via a small hall way.

What are your thoughts? To en-suite or to not en-suite in the new loft conversion? That is the question

YABU: En-suite
YANBU: separate bathroom

We have a situation that doubles as both.

We have a door from the corridor that leads into a small square "hallway". Off that hallway is the bathroom and our bedroom door. All three doors have a lock on the inside edge. That means we can lock the hallway door and leave our inner bedroom door open and it becomes and ensuite. OR, we can leave the hallway door open and close/lock our bedroom door which means it's a bathroom open to everyone and our bedroom is still secure. Best of both Worlds and entirely flexible. The inner "hallway" is literally just the door width wide, (so probably 3 feet square or so) so not big enough to enter the hallway and close the hallway door behind you, but you don't need to do that, because you go straight into either the bathroom or our bedroom and close that door behind you instead. It's a configuration we've seen in a few hotels with adjoining rooms where they can be independently let to different people, or you can close the outer door and leave the inner room doors open if you want them open to eachother.

I’m getting an en-suite in mine - just about to book it in! - just because I want one!

I’m single though so can do as I please

Ensuite if it's the only other room next to the master. You have another bathroom for people to use and not everyone will want to climb up into the loft extension anyway!

En-suites for guests room only.

With only 1 bedroom upstairs anyway, I'd personally keep it separate, especially if you stick a loo in there!

Separate loo for me any time, even if you prefer having an en-suite shower or bathroom. (which I don't).

Separate - for all the reasons above, plus the light and the noise of the extractor fan doesn't disturb the sleeper during the night. We have a shower, no bath, in the loft so if having a bath, it's easier for other people to access the loo in the loft. The "hallway" from which the doors to shower room & bedroom come off is a square just wider than a door. I've had both ensuite & separate & I much prefer separate.

Another alternative I've seen is a "jack n jill" bathroom, with one door opening into the bedroom and the other door opening into the hallway. Both doors with internal locks, so when you go in (from whatever way) you lock the other door for privacy, and then leave both unlocked as you exit. Another scenario where it's best of both worlds for maximum flexibility. If you want to keep it only as an ensuite, you keep the hallway door locked permanently.

If it's only one bedroom then en suite make sense. Everyone else will use the bathroom on their floor. We have an en suite, it's light, airy, has windows/doors and is absolutely no different from having a separate bathroom except my teenage boys don't use it which is a bonus.

Toilet smells and noises should be kept as far from the bedroom as possible. Had an ensuite years ago, neither of us used it as a bathroom

I prefer separate bathroom. Dh likes an en suite so he can roll out of bed into the door next to him. I hate it. I can hear everything. not envy!!

Depends on the amount of space a hallway would take away from the bedroom really. We recently had a loft conversion done and the bathroom is ensuite. Once the youngest is out of her cot all our girls will move into the loft so we wanted to keep as much space as we could for the bedroom. A hallway would have taken the space of wardrobes away. The ensuite has a fan and also a skylight which stays open and the door is furthest from the sleeping space. It's a dormer though so there is alot more space than just a converted loft space.

I don't like en suites. I don't see the point of it when it's your own house, it's ideal if you have guests stay over a lot.
the smell would have me vomiting. Id rather have a bigger room than have a en-suite that'll make it that bit smaller. The only thing I like about ensuites is being able to have a shower and come straight in to your room.

Seen as you only have one family bathroom, no additional toilets, I would say keep it separate so it is accessible without having to go through a bedroom

I agree it depends on the space even if the loft is just 1 bedroom. It also depends on how many other bathrooms and ensuites.

Assuming first of all, it's a house with just one other bathroom;

If you can have a decent sized bedroom with storage and a separate bathroom which is a good size, then that is the best of all worlds.

This is because most of the time, no-one else will use it, assuming there is at least one other bathroom. That means it is private just for you most of the time. You can nip to it in the night, naked if you choose as you'll never see anyone else. Any issues with lights or smells are removed from the bedroom. On the occasion when other people are staying or in the house,not hey can access the loft bathroom if you want to make it available to them.

If however, having it separate will mean smaller bedroom or smaller bathroom due to corridor issues , I would go for Ensuite.

HOWEVER...if you already have more than 1 bathroom elsewhere in the house;

• probably go for Ensuite if you prefer it, as there are other bathrooms for random to use.

It's all about your personal situation and there's no right answer. If you have loads of overnight guests and just 1 other bathroom is a problem, having 2 which all can access is useful.
If you don't have loads of overnight guests and particularly if space is limited and separate bathroom will reduce space of bathroom or bedroom, go Ensuite.

It is always possible, on the odd occasion to let visitors use the ensure if you need to. For most people this would be rare and so not an issue. Also depends if you want or need a sanctuary from the rest of the family (kids) - people feel differently about this.

So...no right answer.

We are literally mid way through a loft conversion. I never wanted an ensuite and so we’ve opted for a separate bathroom. For us this seemed entirely the logical approach and I can’t imagine it any other way. I just don’t get ensuite bath rooms at all, except for as previously said, in hotel rooms.

I think it’s more functional to have a separate bathroom to make life easier with different wake up / shower times (I’m a shift worker), if there’s an issue with the existing bathroom, guests staying or of course the horror of noro etc! Not having another door in our attic bedroom also makes for more functional wall space.

It’s a no brainer for me!!

At one end of upstairs (oblong shaped building) we have a bedroom straight ahead, a dressing room to the left and a bathroom to the right. Though the bathroom is separate it is like a bedroom suite, if that makes sense. Could that work for you ?

I hate en-suites. I'd have a bit of a closet, place to keep my clothes, shoes etc