To ensuite or not to ensuite?

[PorridgeOatsSuck]

Currently planning a property for resale. Architect has insisted on an ensuite for every bedroom plus family bathroom but that makes everything tight. I would instead prefer to use some of the space for an office reflecting the change of use of our homes since 2020. Nevertheless, I'm told by a professional house designer this is the way forward, people expect ensuites. I have freinds who like to flip properties and they always squeeze ensuites into any available space which I have always thought absurd.

AIBU to think ensuites have become something of a noughties obsession. Times have changed and there is a greater emphasis on time in the home be that spent working, working out or for hobbies. The world is awakening to the fact that more ensuites mean more white surfaces to clean and who wants to sleep in a room their partner has just taken a dump in?

Or am I just a twentieth century anachronism. Every bedroom should ideally have its own ensuite because sharing is grim.

What is a god tier? Sorry for my ignorance. Google isn't helping

If it's done well and there is plenty of space in both ensuite and bedroom - lovely. If you're literally having a poo in a tiny cupboard in the corner of a cramped bedroom - no thanks.

I wouldn't want to live like I do in a hotel full time but I can put up with it for a few days here and there. At home, I'd much rather have more separation between my toilet/shower and my bed. I don't want steam to come into my bedroom and definitely no smells and that happens even if you have good ventilation. I could possibly put up with an ensuite if there is a window in there so I can air it out properly.

My priority would be to have toilet and bathroom access on every floor, including facilities for visitors on the ground floor. As we are contemplating a move, I see a lot of floor plans on my SM feed that only have facilities on one floor; I'm used to this in my two up two down terrace that didn't cost much, but I wouldn't want to pay a huge mortgage to traipse up and downstairs every time I wanted to go!

Ensuites are nice (or not, depending on your POV) but the location of facilities is more important to many people. Also, the OP has a point about office space (and study space too; already a priority for children and teenagers, it became even more of one during lockdown.) It would be worth sacrificing an ensuite - or making one of them a Jack and Jill - in order to make a larger study bedroom.

I'd follow the advice of your architect, maybe phone a few estate agents and ask what people are looking for and follow the trends of the big house builders (which seems to be more en-suites at the moment). The architect wants your project to be a success and the big house builders 1)work solely for profit so will only be doing stuff if it makes them money, 2) will be your main competition when you come to sell a renovated property.

I wouldn't go by the opinions of a few jealous people on mumsnet who have convinced themselves they "don't want to sleep in a room they poo in"...I mean they have a door!!!!

Personally, I don't think one full bathroom for a 4 bedroom house is ideal.

I don't really want to have to queue for a shower

For us as a family of four, my ideal house would have - an ensuite for the master bedroom, a shared bathroom for the other bedrooms, and a downstairs toilet

I definitely wouldn't do an en suite for every bedroom but I do think you might find the house hard to sell with only one full bathroom for four bedrooms, we passed over houses like that when we were looking

I'm surprised Jack & Jill bathrooms aren't more popular in this country as they Dan be a good compromise if the layout works.

I one lived in a small 2-bed flat which only had one bathroom but the bathroom had one main door into the hall and a second door into the larger of the 2 bedrooms - so it gave some of the privacy advantages of an en suite for that bedroom (the ability to go straight into the bathroom from the bedroom) without taking up more space.

We're all different but thinking logically, if space is tight, an en suite for every bedroom seems overkill. For me, my must haves are garage/off road parking, en suite to master bedroom.

We have a 4 bedroomed house and 3DC. We have the following:

1. A shower room downstairs off the utility. It's surprisingly useful for grubby children who have been playing football as well as guests who struggle with stairs or who are on the sofa bed downstairs.
2. A main bathroom with a bath and separate shower on the first floor.
3. A toilet off the office / spare room in the attic. At some point we'll maybe put in a shower room in the attic but I'll have the entrance off the landing rather than making it an en suite so that it's more useful and closer to the bedrooms than the downstairs bathroom which is in an extension.

I personally think that an en suite is more useful for a spare room than a master bedroom so that guests can have privacy until they feel 'presentable'. But two bathrooms that are both accessible to everyone is actually the best option in a larger house because it's far more flexible. I've visited so many people who have say 'oh, you don't want to use the family bathroom, it's a complete mess with the kids, use our en suite instead' and I always think 'eugh, no thanks, I don't want to go in your bedroom'.

It really doesn't have to be like that if properly designed

I have never noticed any steam or smells in our bedroom at all.

@PorridgeOatsSuck
God tier just means the top of a list/ranking. Imagine a pyramid, where god tier is the highest level: we were referring to upstairs laundry room being one of the best things to have in a home.

When I had small children I would not have wanted them to have an en-suite.

I recently stayed in a hotel and the en suite had a loo and shower in it .... the sink was in the bedroom. So you have a poo, then have to open the door with unwashed hands, in order to wash your hands. Such a strange way of planning a hotel room.

For longevity I would have a shower room downstairs (not en-suite). There may come a time or be a need for someone to be bound to ground level. I wouldn't want visitors trekking through my bedroom to use the toilet.

If there was space I'd get an en suite off the master and a separate upstairs shower room/family bathroom. I'd definitely want the option of an office room.

I was forced to move from a house with an en-suite (not even on my bedroom) to one with a shared bathroom.

It's annoying AF. I hear the shower crack on at 0730, I have to leave the house at 8. Incredibly frustrating stuff.

For a 3 bed, I'd do 1 en suite, 1 main bath, 4/5 bed I'd do 2 en suite, 1 main bath.

A bathroom/en suite for every 1.5 bedrooms. Approximately and space depending. It depends who you're trying to appeal to as well. Kids are ok sharing bathrooms. Guests would appreciate their own so they don't worry about getting in the way.

2 bed, 1 bath
3 bed, 2 bath
4 bed, 2-3 bath
5 bed, 3 bath

Its odd that a few posters are choosing to sleep in their en suite bathrooms, just how big are they?

The two bedrooms in our house that don’t have an en-suite have a jack and jill bathroom. It makes mornings so much easier, we had my mum and my husbands grandma staying over at christmas, it meant all four adults could get showered and ready at the same time, rather than having to book slots on one bathroom.

Based on the layout you have described, I would do:

Full downstairs bathroom beside but not en suite to the downstairs bedroom. Relatives have this set up and it works well - there's a spacious downstairs loo, and anyone staying in that bedroom doesn't need to bring all their stuff upstairs to shower.

Upstairs: Big family bathroom. En suite to main bedroom but only if both bedroom and en suite are a generous size. If you can put a dressing room between the bedroom and the en suit (i.e. two doors) then even better.

We have just turned two very small en suites into one large one to serve the master bedroom, there is a family bathroom and downstairs loo for a 4 bedroom house. It’s more than enough, it has made much more usable space in the back bedroom which had a tiny en suite by blocking off the doorway.

It's not though because if you don't have an en suite in a hotel, that means you'd be sharing a bathroom with strangers. Whereas in your own home it just means walking a few more steps outside your bedroom.

I agree with who would want 4 or 5 bathrooms to clean and maintain!
there are 4 bed new build homes by me that have 6 toilets!! One downstairs loo, 4 x ensuite, 1 x bigger family bathroom. Almost 25% of the floor space are bathrooms yet no storage, no loft space, no alcoves etc for wardrobes!
as a max I’d say 2 x ensuite, 1 x family bathroom and downstairs loo op

I'm veering towards a seperate shower room/bathroom upstairs and ensuite downstairs. That way guests don't have to emerge pre-coiffed into the public space and upstairs the family have two options for washing so no queuing. Possibly separate guest w/c downstairs in addition

Hate en suites unless the room is huge, I'd definitely rather a walk in dressing room over an en suite in a normal size UK house.

I would have one if you have regular guest bedroom as that's nice for privacy. But for family life I'd much rather a large- double sink, walk in shower, bath, space for a chair- family bathroom.

I'd rather put a shower in the downstairs w/c if there's space- very useful for post sports/ outdoors stuff/ dog etc

I'd try and have the downstairs bathroom not an en suite. It very much makes that room a bedroom whereas the space would be more flexible if there is a downstairs bathroom that was accessible to everyone and a room that could be a guest room or an office or playroom or snug etc etc.

I personally think en suites are wasted on a guest room, I wouldn't want to have a bathroom that was awkwardly located for the people who live in the house

Master and spare should have ensuite. I think family bathroom is fine for 2 bedrooms to share. Jack and Jill?