Bathrooms without windows - OK to live with, or not?

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We've seen a house - not a love affair, more of a least worst option IYSWIM - and as this yes-or-no will be a head not heart decision, I would appreciate the collected wisdom of Mumsnet.

So....

Internal bathroom with extractor fan but no window or natural light. Normal, or nightmare?

It wouldn't necessarily be a deal breaker on it's own, but would prefer a window tbh

have one wth no wndow but bg mirror....it is o and you forget actually, but would prefer a wndow!

Have lived in a couple of places like this. Need to make sure extractor fan is effective or you get mould. Other than that there may be options for adding light if you're desperate to - either one of those sun tubes or we put a velux in the roof above when we were having it replaced and then have skylight in bathroom ceiling with obscured perspex.

Most hotel bathrooms don't have external windows - worth looking at those for ideas.

Same as Sooperdooper not a deal breaker - far worse things to put up with.

Friend has some glass bricks between one of the bedrooms and bathroom with a blind in the bedroom to stop light disturbing during the night.

It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, but I would prefer a window and some good light

Thanks all. Urbane, did you get a sun tube? Wondered how good it was, in practice.

I hated this when we lived in a flat. I like reading in the bath (or did before ds!) and don't like artificial light when its daytime. Think its sort of confusing. Kind of irrational but.

We didn't get tube - roof needed replacing anyway so velux was actually cheaper. But friends have one. Doesn't exactly flood bathroom with light - But with light over mirror is v nice. Amazing difference small amount of sunlight makes. But you can also get that little bit with borrowed light over door (and much cheaper than tube). Or glass bricks as someone suggested (sorry am on phone so can't check posters names easily)

Ventilation is more important though so damp doesn't hang about.

My BF's downstairs bathroom effectively has no window (apart from a horizontal slit one near the ceiling) - It is a gorgeous, very modern bathroom with just the normal halogen lights and it is not a problem at all.

Actually, thinking about it, most hotel bathrooms don't have windows, and they can be really lush too.

We have no window but do have a skylight, it's fine. Large mirror tiles on one wall. Previously we had a windowless bathroom and put a large mirror on one wall. Thinking about it, previous to that we rented a grotty tiny flat with a windowless bathroom and no large mirror. So I have lived with windowless bathrooms for 20 years! Never been an issue, and certainly wouldn't be a dealbreaker.

Oh, I'm digging deeper now. Previous to that, I shared a flat with a windowless bathroom, and previous to that I had a bedsit with a windowless shower room. Make that 22 years!

Hmm. We could save up for several years and really splash out on a high-end hotel-type suite, I guess....

It's not that expensive to do your bathroom out nicely if you shop around

It's not great but it wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me.

When I had a windowless bathroom I abandoned all attempts to make it light and airy, and instead painted it a deep strong colour all over (including ceiling) with a huge ornate mirror - kind of baroque boudoir. Think of how you can make it look so dramatic and different you don't notice the lack of light - paint it in F&B Downpipe (dark grey), with acid yellow metro tiles?

I must be odd. I prefer a bathroom with no window, all womb like and cosy. I even suggested to Dh we brick over our two 8ft high bathroom windows.

Would be a dealbreaker for me.

Smells, condensation, noisy fans, no natural light, no fresh air - builders always do this in new builds - saving money and building in long-term damp problems.

Don't have one if you can avoid it.

I am loving the idea of perfumedlife bricking up her windows to create a bathcave

I don't like the humid feeling to bathrooms without a window. Deal breaker if it is not a particularly wow factor house.

Our en suite bathroom is windowless. Not a problem for us, it has an amazing extractor fan and after 3 years not a hint of mould.

We have a huge mirror and the Walls are White, it's a big bathroom so it's light and airy. It's very hotel like actually.

Only thing I do make sure of is that I check my make up in another room before leaving the house! I apply it in our bathroom but prefer to check again in natural light just incase I look too orange/missed a bit etc

We don't have a window in our bathroom, thing its is common in NB houses. Not a problem as has extractor fan.

We've got a bathroom wtih a window and one without. I prefer the one without tbh, it feels more private and cosy.

yes to big mirrow.
make sure you get the most efficient and quiet extractor fan you can get.
if possible put it on a timer so that it also can run without the light on.
we have led lights on the mirrow, which give a really good light for make-up.

Didn't someone say on here the other day that in some European countries (think it was Holland, actually) they thought that bathrooms with windows was a sign of bad layout?

FWIW, we have two internal bathrooms, and jolly nice they are too - a sort of hotel bathroom aesthetic. We're going to have extractor fans triggered on humidity rather than via the light switch, so that they only run when you're showering etc, rather than when you pop in to pick up something you've forgotten.

We have a windowless family bathroom we have a wonderful modern extractor fan that you can hardly hear and is over the shower so the bathroom is never steamy or humid - much better than ensuite with window and old noisy extractor. We have a lovely big mirror and six halogen lights, I have them on a dimmer to make it snugly when we want.