Would you buy a house with a toilet in an open-plan room?

[lostinspace00]

Hope to find some sensible opinions here before I (possibly) waste loads of money (and so sorry i just posted this on an existing thread by mistake).

My house has a separate dining room and kitchen with a hallway between the two leading to a toilet. I want to knock the walls down to create one large room but keep the toilet as it’s very useful. To cover all bases:
1 no I can’t afford to put the toilet anywhere else it would make the job too expensive

1. I want to keep the toilet (it’s a shower too) rather than get rid of it as it’s useful.

would you buy a house with a toilet in the middle of a big open plan room?

I’ve created some excellent architectural designs to show you what I mean (by excellent I mean a bit shit)

Thank you to anyone who can be bothered to respond

[image removed by MNHQ at OP's request]

this would be very odd and very random. It might make more sense to knock down the wall between the family room and kitchen if you want more of an open plan? Or ideally, if budget allowed, extend the conservatory? But if you can’t afford to move the toilet that seems to be out. I wouldn’t buy this, sorry! Imagine someone stank the toilet out!!!

If there is space under the stairs for a toilet, it would be worth considering if budgets allow in future. A macerator and pump system does not require underfloor drainage - that's the whole point of one, and why we installed one in the limited space we had. Plus we weren't about to dig up floors up in neighbouring rooms.
Yes you will need to have water to the room, but there are two bathrooms upstairs, one of which may have pipework close to the stairs. We don't know where the water pipes are outside - it may be relatively straightforward to bring water in. Your builder can advise whether this is feasible and at what kind of cost. As a PP says, the cost of installing a downstairs WC is likely to be recouped in the sale price (about the only home improvement that is, I understand).
FWIW OP, I think your open plan space looks good, but I really would be put off by a toilet jutting into the middle of it.

Looking at the updated floor plan, if you really want it to feel more open, remove the doors, and slightly widen the gap where the doors are now, and put arches in which would allow loads more light in, and allow a more sociable flow between the 2 rooms, then put some narrow shelves/ hooks in bit of the hall that leads to the loo, to buffer the noise, and keep coats shoes etc. tidy.
I've stayed in a few of the smaller flats in Paris from the Haussmann era (Mid 19C), and when they later retrofitted toilets a lot of them were put in opening directly into the kitchen/living space and it is not nice, particularly if you have guests.

We visited a house that had a similar set up (maybe not as sticky out but still a bit) and it was a new build and several houses on development had the set up. Seemed to sell OK and didn't cause any issues when we were there (despite teenage boys living there) Floor plan pictured....

All of the responses are super helpful thank you. I particularly like just knocking a part of each wall down so there’s still some separation but a more open plan feel. It’s an old house (130 years) with walls 1ft thick and a loud fan in the toilet and ventilation to outside so impossible to hear anything.

For those who asked, the shower is above the toilet (installed by previous owner who was elderly and couldn’t use the stairs) so the plan is to scale. Thank you I think I now have a solution.

Absolutely not. I’d find it gross. You may also not meet building regulation requirements as they generally have rules regarding walls separating toilets from kitchens and at one time it was required to have a ventilated lobby between kitchens and bathrooms typically in terraced houses that frequently had downstairs bathrooms as an extension at the back.

Was anyone else picturing this? 😂

I'm sure it would have IF multiple people on this thread hadn't already pointed out this building reg is no longer in place and hasn't been for more than three decades....

A house local to me was recently on Rightmove that was pretty much that! A loo in a reception room. No doors. No privacy. Just a plumbed in loo in the lounge!

Persimmon are building a new build house called the Gisburn where the toilet is in the kitchen.

I didn’t think it was allowed but it clearly is. I did put us off buying it though.

I dont like any open planned homes im a fan of doors.

It’s not ideal. I’ve seen that sort of thing in several new build townhouses recently. I’m not saying I wouldn’t buy it because it’s not enough to put me off if there are other good things about the property, but I can’t imagine actually wanting to use that bathroom! It would be fine if there are enough other bathrooms in the house.

I don’t see what you’d gain by knocking those walls down, or even partially knocking them down, and you lose so much. The house layout is best as it is.

No I wouldn’t. I have the same problem as you in my house. Are the two rooms similar in size or is one bigger than the other? Currently my kitchen is tiny and the lounge is big so I’m planning to swap the rooms around. Could be a cheap solution if that is part of the problem. But if you are set on open plan then I think you need a solution for the toilet!

I thought regulations required 2 doors between loo and kitchen I.e the loo door and another entrance to any kitchen area

They'd realize OP is of flesh and blood. The shock! The horror!

I suppose they could always install a Japanese toilet complete with "noise" button to cater to sensitive minds.

Lots of people on this thread confusing domestic regulations with workplace and commercial building regulations relating to food safety. The latter require an 'airlock' - so double doors or ventilated space - to separate toilets from food prep spaces, no such rules exist for domestic properties.

We had very similar layout in a previous home & no one would use the toilet if we were having family meals, guests over etc. it was just too awkward to get up and go into the loo in front of everyone, then out again to an audience! Walls were thick, so no noise but it was very off putting, especially for visitors. We’re not there anymore!

I'm intrigued by the shower being "above" the toilet! Cannot picture this!

Nope. Not if there's a basin for washing hands in the toilet/lootility.

I think I can sort of see your logic for want to open it up to be a bit arier if the house is that old.

Have you paid for the structural engineer to do the load calcs yet/ has the builder ordered the steels to put in when he takes the walls out yet? I assume that will be an enormous cost if you're having to replace a wall that thick & have 2 RSJs to keep the ceiling/roof up instead?

So just opening up the doorways to be a bit wider would let more light around & mean you can be semi-connected between rooms, but 2 big doorway lintels would cost far less than full length RSJs.

This kind of externally hung sliding door set might give you more light & a nice big doorway into the kitchen - but still leaves the option of closing itoff to manage (kitchen!) smells and draughts when you want to. Having a stack of 2 or 3 telescoping doors might be an option to have a nice wide opening into the dining room - just build it out against the wall after widening the door opening.

That has to be a better option than spending megabucks on RSJs to go properly open plan, for sure!

Cancel the cheque!

I once bought a new build house where the downstairs toilet was under the stairs and came off the dining area improve the kitchen dining room. It’s a legal requirement for new homes to have a downstairs toilet and we were pretty much told when we bought it that it would be easy to take out. ‘That’s the only place it would fit and legally we have to put one in’.

It was our first house and we were young and poor so we put a low bookcase in front on the toilet and used it for shoes but pretty much every other house had the toilet removed as soon as they moved in.

As has been pointed out multiple times, one door is fine.

Looking at that kitchen diner with horror

Where on earth would you put a table? There's 6 doors into that kitchen! You might be able to fit one of those 4 seat space saver Ikea ones where the chairs slot under the table but that's it

What a terrible design.