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.

Despite the hate for en-suites on here, most people would not consider buying a reasonably sized house without 1 or 2 en suites.
We have only an en-suite to the master bedroom. No my husband does not shit in there when I am next door. A family bathroom will always be next to another bedroom anyway. I think a second en-suite would be good if you have guests or children of different sexes.

I'm a fan of en-suites but only if they're big enough, a tiny one squeezed into the corner of a room is horrible.

We have 6 bedrooms, 3 are large rooms with large en-suites, then there is one family bathroom and a downstairs loo. So there are 4 bathrooms and 5 loos and that works well for us. It is lovely to give guests their own bathroom.

OP, I think it depends on the size of the house in your case. If there's room for en suites and also plenty of storage then go for it.

I've been musing over the next house that DH and I will buy. It's a long way in the future as it's the house that we'll buy when we retire.

We currently have 4 bedrooms, two of which are set up as studies (no DC) and two are bedrooms. We won't need two studies when we're both retired, but do want two bedrooms plus a study. Currently we sleep separately (snoring and differing timescales) so would like to retain that option. DH uses the en-suite currently and I use the main bathroom. Again, this works for us, so I'd definitely like two bathrooms.

I've been looking at the Redrow "lifestyle" homes. Sizewise, some of them are similar size upstairs to a 4 bed home, but they're designed as 3 bedrooms with 3 en-suites and a walk in wardrobe to the master.

While we wouldn't need 3 en-suites, it does appeal to me in terms of the layout.

I agree with PP saying that it's not a great setup for young families particularly though, so could restrict the amount of people that you're marketing to.

Also, if the bedrooms that have en-suites were too small to comfortably hold a double bed, wardrobe and dresser, I'd much rather have one family bathroom between two bedrooms (you could always Jack and Jill them if that might be liked?) and make the bedrooms slightly bigger.

Also, dh and I have our own bedrooms and our own en-suites so we have none of this "I don't want to hear my dh go to the loo" business, neither do I, that's how we fix that. I love my own bathroom, it's clean and nobody else uses it.

One of the problems of staying in hotels I find, is if you go for a wee in the night you either have to do it in the dark so the light doesn't wake up the other person, or, if you put the light on an extractor fan comes on and stays on, which is also intrusive.

You can get sensor night lights so the floor just glows a little.

I think most new houses have an ensuite in the master bedroom these days, but in every room is definitely overkill. When i see house like that i think its too much, especially if the house isn't that big! Even 2 ensuites has me thinking how would i work that with my family? Which of my kids would get it? Or would neither and make it a guest room, which seems a bit of a waste, especially when its usually in a bigger room.
We have a family bathroom and a shower room in the loft and thats fine. Ideally a toilet downstairs would be good but we don't have room.

It's absolutely just the same as staying in a hotel room. You don't feel then like someone is in the same room whilst using the bathroom. I think the negativity comes from people trying to squeeze them into tiny spaces.

We used to have six beds three en suites (plus main bathroom). We converted the tiniest bedroom into a dressing room for the master so we now have 5 bedrooms in the main house:

master (bedroom 1) with separate dressing room and large en suite
bedroom 2 with large en suite
Bedroom 3 and bedroom 4 with jack and jill ensuite (we just knocked through)
Bedroom 5 was too small (4m x 4m) so just uses the main bathroom down the hallway.

Taking everything else out of the equation, how can an architect that you are employing and paying to do work on your property insist on anything OP? It's your house, your money. You need to regain the control here.

An en suite is a godsend for families with teens. We can get ready for work without fighting for bathroom time with them. And also a menopausal 3am wee

A downstairs bathroom is a godsend if you have older family members or those with disabilities. Not having to use stairs was very important for our parents to be able to stay.

An en suite for each bedroom is excessive unless the house is very big. Better to have good sized rooms than ones with a crammed en suite crowbarred in.

For those complaining about smell - you do know you can still use the main bathroom to crap in, right? And use the en suite for showers, teeth brushing, having a wee, doing makeup etc.

I don't really get the attraction of ensuites. They seem to be a must since we have been to a lot of new builds. One in guestroom seems convenient but I don't really see them as dealbreakers. I'd rather have proper storage space.

I personally hate a downstairs bedroom, especially if not a very big house and you are lacking living space. I would look at this as a 3 bed house and how I could more effectively use the space as a snug, playroom, study/ guest room and would only put in a small shower room.

I am genuinely amazed that anyone has a house with an en-suite on every bedroom!

We have one on our guest bedroom which I think is nice for people staying over, but we don't have one on our main bedroom and wouldn't want one either- our main bathroom is much bigger and nicer than we'd ever be able to fit into an en suite. And even with guests staying it's basically all ours, as they have their en-suite.

You do know they are a separate room from bedrooms, right? And usually have a door?!

We have just bought a house. In that process we actually didn’t make an offer on a house we loved because it didn’t have an ensuite, and it would have cost too much to retrofit one. Our ensuite is the most used room in our entire home, and I wouldn’t ever buy a house without one. As pp said the extra layer of privacy from guests, the ‘adult-only’ space, the fact just DH and me use it, and the calming nature of it just allows me to relax once I go in.

In your position I’d make certain there is enough space for an ensuite in the master bedroom and guest room only, and an office space elsewhere. No need for ensuites in kids’ bedrooms. Can you make that combination work?

En-suite for master and guest room is all that’s needed

I'm glad you said this. If I were designing for me this is exactly what I'd do. However to maximise return I imagine a 4 bed would retail at a high price point than a 3 bed + study

I would do ensuite in the master bedroom upstairs (if it's large enough) and a family bathroom for the other 2 rooms (to be used as office and/or kids bedrooms). I wouldn't personally want an ensuite in a room I used as an office. Then an ensuite in the downstairs bedroom, or make it a jack & jill bathroom to be used as downstairs toilet / ensuite if you can.

My house is set up like this:

Two large bedrooms with en-suites (master bedroom and attic conversion so definitely needed one up there!).

One medium sized room and a small room don't need one. They're right next to the family bathroom so what's the point?

Downstairs loo.

More than sufficient! I think an en-suite in every room is crazy and a waste of money. Why even bother with a main bathroom if you're going to do that?

Why on earth would you want to hear someone using the toilet a few feet from your bed?

Ugh. I'll go down the hall, thanks. An en suite would turn me off buying a house.

This.

So great for romance!

🙄

Good point about windows, @Dutchhouse14

I would never, ever buy a house with any windowless bathrooms.

I’m not a fan of en-suites either. Of course it makes sense in a family home for there to be more than one toilet and shower, but en-suites are simply not necessary.

I'd have a decent en suite in the master bedroom. So one that isn't a cupboard right by the bed. We had a lovely en suite in old house, proper room, with a window, large enough for 2 of us and the other end of the room from the bed.

In our new house the en suite if more of a cupboard by the bed and I'd rip it out in a heartbeat. But can't bear doing any more work on the house.

We have room in other rooms to put in an ensuite - but there's a decent family bathroom for guests and a loo downstairs. So that does us.

Anyway in short, a decent en suite - great. I also like an ensuite as a guest and don't mind if it's tiny.

A friend of mine with an en suite forbids her husband for using it for anything but a wee for this reason

We won't need two studies when we're both retired Don’t be so sure of that! Our marriage survival depends on not sharing a study.