Decisions - please help: Separate shower room or soil pipe through the house?

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We are currently converting the loft into two bedrooms and a shower room. The ideal location for shower room is at the back, over the existing first floor bathroom. But space is very tight there. There are 2 options now

1. have just a sink and loo there, soil pipe straight out the back and into other soil pipe. Shower room at the front, with enough space to get changed etc. this would mean the landing only gets natural light when nobody is in the shower room and the door is open.

1. have the whole shower room plus sink and loo at the front, but that means running the soil pipe from the loo across the whole of the house between the joists and out at the back.

we could use the remaining landing as storage and built in wardrobe space for the two bedrooms (children) up there.

My thoughts on the soil pipe through the house are "no way!" But the builder says it's done all the time and no problem.
But what if there is a problem with the loo?

Can you help me with my decision? I would rather have a window and storage on the landing, the other option sounds a bit untidy. Also having a glass door or lights above the door. Might all work but might not.

Please help! Decision has to be made tonight and my head's spinning.

Our house has a loft extension, and all drains etc are on the left side of the house. We have two toilets up in the loft - one on the left side and the other at the front. I have never checked too closely but the soil pipe must run from that toilet under the bathroom and out to join the soil pipe on the left side of the house - there is nowhere else it could go. It must be really common, and has certainly never been a problem for us. The only problem we do have is that the water tank is also in the loft, and is barely higher than the toilet cistern, so we find that the toilets upstairs take ages to refill. We're hoping to swap to a mains feed soon.

Is it possible to have borrowed light from the shower room to the landing?

If you have the soil pipe running between the joists will there be a sufficient fall?

I've just had a new soil pipe up and also want to put plumbing in the attic. The new soil pipe ends in a dergo valve inside the attic and when it's boxed in I think I'll virtually forget it's there.

If your builder is thinking saniflo soil pipe running between the joists I'd think carefully about that for other reasons. One reason I decided to tackle the plumbing here is a saniflo toilet in a disabled bathroom...

Thanks Lemon, we don't have a tank, we have a mains fed system and a big enough combi boiler with high flow rate to feed the loft shower room, maybe with a pump though, have to ask but seem to remember that when we replaced the boiler last year. Glad to hear you have no problems with soil pipes in/under floor.

Isa, no saniflow, normal loo, with enough fall. Plumber is really good and says it's ok, it's just me and my memories of a downstairs loo (in our fist house) which was always blocked and smelly...

PS. Yes, we could have borrowed light from both rooms on to the landing. Not an issue. The only issue is the loss of storage space on the landing. There would be enough storage space in the shower room for toiletries and towels. In the separate loo/basin room there won't be anything more than a shelf.

Hope you got your mind clear and the plan goes to plan :)

We have a soil pipe that is boxed in in the corner of the children's playroom and one that goes down the outside on the back of the house.

Lots of older houses have the soil pipe running down a kitchen wall, tell tale sign is the fact that it is boxed in in a corner.

The main issue being that if anything goes wrong they have to get access to the pipe.

I have never had a problem with a soil pipe, ever, but then I have only ever lived in relatively new build houses ie the house is no older than 12 years when I moved in. So no experience of Victorian plumbing.

Hi all, thanks for your help I think we will trust the builder and the plumber and create one room (shower, loo, sink) at the front, leaving a window for the landing and space for a big built in wardrobe. There is about 7 m to cover across the house, but 1 inch drop every 40 inches is no problem. Pipe would be boxed in in the corner of one of the bedrooms at skirting board level. I think I can live with that. Makes the best use of the space up there which is vital.

sunpipe from the roof to a frosted skylight.

I'm glad you're steering clear of saniflows

don't forget an effective extractor that comes on with the light switch and runs on for 20 minutes. You can get a ducted one that goes above the ceiling, in the loft, and can be quiet and powerful.

Thanks PJ, no, won't touch Saniflo with a barge pole. Extractor comes with the electrician's package, will make sure it's powerful. Also there already is a large top hung Velux window in (what will be) the shower room (velux 118x78). Same Window on landing, so no need for skylight (is a pitched roof, 3.50m high - hip to gable conversion).