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Original poster

Toilet separate to the bathroom

108 replies

Eatthecakes · 14/03/2023 09:53

I’m downsizing to a 2 bedroom now it’s just me and one child left.
Every property I have viewed so far has a bathroom with a separate toilet. Ok, useful if someone is in the shower. But, why is the sink in the bathroom and not the toilet room?
So you do your business and leave the toilet room to go into the bath/shower room to wash your hands. Or to the kitchen if someone is using the shower.
Is this a normal set up or am I just being ott in thinking it’s very unhygienic?

OP posts:
ObamaLlamas · 14/03/2023 12:17

Eatthecakes · 14/03/2023 10:40

I’m glad it’s not just me. They’re all very tiny rooms so if I added a sink the door wouldn’t fully open or close. I’d rather knock the wall through but it would be a big job in terms of pipes. I guess I’ll have to keep looking until I find an actual bathroom! I’m downsizing from a lovely 4 bedroom so I don’t want to sell myself short so to speak.

It's not a big job at all, no big deal simple easy bathroom renovation. We've done it twice in 2 separate houses.

Lcb123 · 14/03/2023 12:19

We had this in our last flat, and buying a house now with the same. It’s great, especially when you don’t have another toilet. I don’t think it’s unhygienic-I just made sure to clean door handles occasionally.

starfishmummy · 14/03/2023 12:26

We have this set up. Tbh I can get to the bathroom without touching anything other than the loo door handle and tbh with a SN adult DC in the house that's probably not very clean so I'd prefer to wash my hands after touching it.

Natsku · 14/03/2023 12:26

I use a menstrual cup so I'd hate that, no way would I choose to live in a house with a loo that has no sink next to it. I don't even like using our upstairs loo because the sink isn't quite close enough to the toilet that I can reach it without getting up.

KnittingNeedles · 14/03/2023 12:28

DH grew up in a house like this too and it's the weirdest idea I've ever come across. One little room with just the loo, another room next door with a sink and bath. His sibling now lives in the house they grew up in and has added a small corner handwashing sink in the loo, but the main "bathroom" is still just bath and sink.

RalIy · 14/03/2023 12:45

Both my toilets are like this - Victorian house. There are pros and cons hygiene wise.

If you have a toilet in your bathroom look up “faecal bloom” and consider it next time you brush your teeth….

IHaveaSetOfVeryParticularSkills · 14/03/2023 12:56

Not all of these toilets have water running into the cistern. Especially the cheaper ones are just space saving.

I grew up with separate toilet and bathroom and missed that in UK quote a lot

maddy68 · 14/03/2023 13:03

I hate not having a sink. You could change the loonto one with a sink over the top?

maddy68 · 14/03/2023 13:05

Polis · 14/03/2023 11:09

I've done a fair bit of travelling and the UK/America are the only countries that out a toilet in the bathroom

Despite what some other posters have said, in my experience, it’s not uncommon in Australia too. In fact, thinking about it, I have rented and stayed in houses in other countries that have loos in the main bathroom.

It certainly isn’t just a UK/US thing.

I have worked all over the world and lived in several countries. I have never seen that in any other country except the UK. And even then very rarely

EmmaGrundyForPM · 14/03/2023 13:06

Faircastle · 14/03/2023 11:22

How are you supposed to navigate this set-up if you use a menstrual cup?

The same way you do in public toilets?

Iguanainanigloo · 14/03/2023 13:07

We had this in our old house, and managed to source a tiny little sink that fit under the windowsill, that the door just cleared! Knocking through the wall was going to be such a major job, and as it was a quick doer upper, the tiny sink thing worked well, and actually found it useful to have the toilet seperate to the bathroom as the other loo was downstairs

Theoldwoman · 14/03/2023 13:35

It’s the normal in Australia. And New Zealand. I could not stand to have a toilet in my bathroom unless I had another toilet somewhere else in the house.

Honeyroar · 14/03/2023 13:39

I hate not having a sink in a bathroom- total nightmare if you’re dealing with peri menopausal floods! Why don’t they put the shower bit on it’s own if they want two rooms, then the sink in with the toilet??

iloveyankeecandle · 14/03/2023 13:43

My
House was like this. I put a sink in

Blondeshavemorefun · 14/03/2023 13:50

Eatthecakes · 14/03/2023 10:40

I’m glad it’s not just me. They’re all very tiny rooms so if I added a sink the door wouldn’t fully open or close. I’d rather knock the wall through but it would be a big job in terms of pipes. I guess I’ll have to keep looking until I find an actual bathroom! I’m downsizing from a lovely 4 bedroom so I don’t want to sell myself short so to speak.

Rehinge the door so it opened outwards

wizbit93 · 14/03/2023 13:50

We have this. As it is the only loo I much prefer having it separate.
We rehung the door to open out rather than in and that meant we were able to put a sink in. I hated not having the sink in there!

Anyotherdude · 14/03/2023 13:57

There are two options for these separate loos: either a loo with a cistern top basin (drawback is that the vast majority of these only supply cold water, plus the sink is tiny) or a wall-hung loo with a low worktop on the hidden cistern, with a bowl type sink and a worktop mounted tap (bigger sink area and hot and cold plumbing is more viable)
I much prefer the loo to be separate from the bathroom, where I clean my teeth - why oh why do some people who have a sink next to a loo in the bathroom keep their toothbrushes in the line of loo “plume” oversplash???

Polis · 14/03/2023 14:08

I have worked all over the world and lived in several countries. I have never seen that in any other country except the UK. And even then very rarely

Just because you have never seen them, doesn't mean that they don't exist. I have seen them, I even have one myself.

I have just looked at an Australian estate agent's website in an area that I am familiar with. The first five houses I looked at, two have a loo in the bathroom.

Toilet separate to the bathroom
Toilet separate to the bathroom
Toilet separate to the bathroom
Toilet separate to the bathroom
Polis · 14/03/2023 14:11

*Had one myself, not have one.

IHaveaSetOfVeryParticularSkills · 14/03/2023 14:12

Some countries have washing machines instead in the bathrooms since toilets are separate. Bliss

red78hot · 14/03/2023 14:25

My childhood home was like this and my dad eventually put a little sink in.
My current house is the same, unfortunately no room for a sink.

bussteward · 14/03/2023 14:30

We had this and just finished knocking through: total game changer.

Polis · 14/03/2023 14:57

We are remodelling our bathroom soon. The loo, with sink, is being kept separate.

JenniferBooth · 14/03/2023 15:01

My childhood home that i grew up in where my elderly parents still live is like this. A wall between the bathroom and the toilet means there is no room/turning circle for a hoist.

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