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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To remove the ensuite?

124 replies

StayOrGoOrWhat · 15/06/2021 21:55

After reading another thread on here, I’m really surprised about how many people have said they hate en-suite bathrooms! It got me thinking… we love our house but the house bathroom is a pokey little cupboard. The previous owners crammed an en-suite into the master bedroom but this means that we have barely any storage space and are left frequently walking into the bed because there’s hardly any space around it. There’s no space for a beside table on my side.

So, is it unreasonable to have one tiny bathroom and a decent sized main bedroom or would you keep the en-suite? There is no downstairs loo although we are thinking of adding one but it wouldn’t be anytime soon.

OP posts:
JaceLancs · 15/06/2021 23:18

I don’t like en suites but think a downstairs loo is an essential
I’m thinking of adding a downstairs shower as well!
To add context my house has 2 beds upstairs and 1 downstairs so adding a shower seems to make sense

RampantIvy · 15/06/2021 23:22

I simply don't understand the hatred for ensuite bathrooms (I have only come across this on mumsnet - sorry)
Our ensuite has a window that we can open. No-one uses it for anything other than wees when the other one is in bed, so what exactly is the issue?

Do the ensuite haters hate ensuite hotel rooms as well?

In answer to the OP, I wouldn't get rid of the ensuite until you have installed a downstairs loo.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 15/06/2021 23:27

I simply don't understand the hatred for ensuite bathrooms

Uk houses are usually not built big enough for ensuits. Hence not even a bedside table. They can be practical and absolutely fine in big house

RampantIvy · 15/06/2021 23:29

We bought our house from someone who had it built, so our ensuite isn't taking up any space that could be part of our bedroom. It's in a gable that sticks out, so if we removed the ensuite the space couldn't be used as bedroom space anyway.

Laufeythejust · 15/06/2021 23:31

I wouldn’t buy a house without an en suite! It’s so handy having 2 bathrooms in a morning so me and DP aren’t fighting over the shower. I also like it when we have guests- no having to get dressed to go to the loo during the night!

therocinante · 15/06/2021 23:38

I'd get rid, I hate ensuites - puts me off a house, it's a waste of space (in my opinion, obv).

PastMyBestBeforeDate · 15/06/2021 23:39

I like an en-suite. If it's small and 4 foot from the bed then you would be circumspect if there's someone in bed.
Lack of a downstairs toilet would be a deal breaker.

therocinante · 15/06/2021 23:42

@RampantIvy

I simply don't understand the hatred for ensuite bathrooms (I have only come across this on mumsnet - sorry) Our ensuite has a window that we can open. No-one uses it for anything other than wees when the other one is in bed, so what exactly is the issue?

Do the ensuite haters hate ensuite hotel rooms as well?

In answer to the OP, I wouldn't get rid of the ensuite until you have installed a downstairs loo.

  • I have never lived in a house big enough that I needed a bathroom 3 steps from my bed to save me a long walk
  • The amount of threads on here about whether it's unreasonable to shit in the ensuite shows how unpleasant they could be
  • There's 2 of us and we don't plan to have any children so one bathroom is plenty and it would be a waste of space
  • They're usually poky and a shit shape and crammed into houses in the UK
  • It's another bathroom to clean
  • Yes, I don't particularly like having a bathroom directly off the bedroom in a hotel but obviously that doesn't happen often enough in my life to be a problem but I still wouldn't choose to have one full time.

Obviously if you have a mansion with faraway bathrooms, don't ever shit in your ensuite, have a big family/very frequent visitors, have a good sized ensuite that isn't just a weird quarter octagon, and don't mind cleaning (I hate it), then go for it. But I don't think it's that unusual to not like them!

purplecorkheart · 15/06/2021 23:44

A friend of mine got rid of her en suite and put in shelves and bars to make a walk in wardrobe, storage space was very limited if she wanted double beds in bedrooms etc and landing space was tight. She has a bathroom with a shower downstairs though so this helps massively if more than person needs to shower. An attic conversion in her house was not really practical and super expensive.

TwoLeftElbows · 15/06/2021 23:49

I'm an en suite hater but I'd keep the second loo, at least until you put one in downstairs. One bathroom was fine with littlies who have evening baths and little sense of modesty, but with teens it's much harder especially in the mornings.

A second family bathroom downstairs suits us perfectly, but it adds less value than an en suite and a lot of people seem to dislike them. I8

RampantIvy · 15/06/2021 23:50

DH has a medical condition that means he spends a long time in the bathroom. TBH it doesn't have to be ensuite, but I wouldn't buy a house with only one bathroom.

Sillawithans · 16/06/2021 00:05

I have 2 ensuite, a normal bathroom and a downstairs toilet. Now that my 4 are teenagers they are a godsend.

purplecorkheart · 16/06/2021 00:09

Could you but a door in from your current en suite to the family bathroom? Sorry sleep deprived so maybe a dumb question

CharlieAteThePies · 16/06/2021 00:40

I'm really baffled why en-suites are unpopular on MN.

I wouldn't buy a house with 1 toilet, so I'd wait at least until you've done the work downstairs and added another WC.

Hankunamatata · 16/06/2021 00:53

Always keep two toilets. Keep ensuite until you can fit downstairs. All it takes is for someone to be ill and you will be grateful for 2 toilets.

Mintjulia · 16/06/2021 01:14

I think ensuites are grim too. Who wants to hear & smell their partner's bodily functions while relaxing in bed on a Sunday morning. No thanks.

You do need a second loo though. I'd get on and put a downstairs loo in, and then rip out the ensuite and enjoy a spacious balanced bedroom instead.

BluePeterVag · 16/06/2021 01:29

It depends on the layout. I grew up in a house that was designed with an ensuite. It had its own window and the toilet was round the corner so you could actually hear more sounds from being in the next door to the bathroom than the ensuite.
I don’t live in a house with one, but if we were moving I would like one, but it would have to be part of the design, not stuffed into a cupboard.

LoveFall · 16/06/2021 01:37

What on earth is "grim" about an ensuite? Personally I would try very hard not to buy a place without an ensuite. They are convenient and really sensible.

Our apartment has a large ensuite with double sinks and a big accessible shower. We enter it through a hallway with closets on each side.

Would a bathroom off a hall next to the kitchen be any less grim?

I do not understand. Perhaps it is my Canadian genes. I like the privacy and easy access. And no, sounds and smells don't invade the bathroom. We have a very good, and quiet, extractor fan (Panasonic).

Shelddd · 16/06/2021 01:38

The ensuite hatred is weird to me.

No one has mentioned it yet and I don't know if they're just being polite or if I'm the only one and I'm weird.

But what do you ensuite haters (with children or other people living with you) do after sex? Do you not shower after sex? Do you like having to go out into the hallway and run into your children or house guests with possibly bodily fluids on you?

I wouldn't live with anyone other than my partner without an ensuite. It's a must. Not for the toilet but for the shower, so nice to be able to just go straight into the shower and clean up.

Sorry if that's tmi.

LoveFall · 16/06/2021 01:42

I meant sounds and smells don't invade the bedroom. I guess if the ensuite was literally next to the bed, it might be a bit more concern that way.

Our last house was built in the early 20th Century. The bedrooms were tiny. We could not have bedside tables either. My husband built a "bookcase" style headboard so we had a place for lamps, clock etc. He drilled holes in the back for cords etc. We have a bigger bedroom now but sometimes I miss that headboard. Very practical.

BettyBurntBuns · 16/06/2021 01:50

@Bluntness100

I also don’t understand why they are grim either.

I’d much prefer a cramped one than Four folks sharing one loo.

Hearing and smelling your partner poo is disgusting
ElGuardiandenoche · 16/06/2021 02:28

@StayOrGoOrWhat Do the stairs come up to the bedroom doors or the bathroom door?

BritWifeInUSA · 16/06/2021 03:02

I love our en suite. And out hot tub and pool. We grill our food outside almost every day of the year. I’m the MN equivalent of the devil incarnate.

Definitely keep the en-suite.

BritWifeInUSA · 16/06/2021 03:05

@BettyBurntBuns I’m genuinely curious as to how you cope in a hotel room when the other one needs to go to the toilet. Do you leave the room? I see this reason a lot on here t(that en-suites are grim because of hearing/smelling the other person) and I genuinely wonder what people do in hotels if it’s that unbearable.

I’ve never smelt or heard my husband using the toilet at home or in a hotel.

MilesOfSand · 16/06/2021 03:14

Is this like the MN hatred of TVs mounted on walls? Somehow a class issue?