If main bathroom of house was 6ft 6 x 5 ft 4 but you had a separate loo

[TKKW]

My DH and I are considering our options about having our main bathroom split into two. I am desperate to have a second loo. Even with just my DH, me and our toddler, its a nuisance having to hold in or go to the loo when someone is showering.

We have a 1930s house, its the smaller scale, 2 double bed/ box room with space for literally a single bed type, so small.

The boiler is newly installed under the stairs so we could have a double oven unit and a larger kitchen. So really there is no place for the loo to go downstairs.

If we did divide the one bathroom we have, we would have a teeny tiny separate loo room right beside the " main" bathroom.

The "main" bathroom would end up as 6 ft 6 x 5ft 4!!

The main bathroom would have a 1200mm bath with a shower over bath, as big as we can handbasin as sometimes i wash hair in ours, radiator hung upright and a loo.

It would look roughly like this except a touch smaller and our radiator would be at the left of the wash hand basin. Obviously we would have nicer tiling and and not gold coloured towels!

www.rightmove.co.uk/home-ideas/photo.html?homeImageId=21082325&searchTagIds=229%2C3961


The loo room would have to have concertina or a narrower than standard outward opening door and one of those loos with the handbasin attached like so:

www.cleverandeasy.com/Space-Saving/caroma-toilet-with-integrated-hand-basin.html

Both rooms would have windows.

Have not had a builder in yet as we are at the seriously considering stage but we have a fair idea of costs - Im guessing around £8-9k.

What do you think - would it be crazy to do this?

[RandomMess]

Or you get a macerator aka shit shredder...

We had to get one to put the WC in our porch. Erm 8 years on and still going strong!

[TKKW]

Random - you're funny!!!

[CatAmongThePigeons]

I wouldnt. A small bath would put me off a house because we are all tall and it would be too cramped.
Our house seems to have a similar layout to yours (before it was extended by previous owners) and I would say a downstairs loo would be much better.

We have an en suite with a seperate soil pipe.

[MrsTaraPlumbing]

If you are planning to live there for at least 10-15 years and you like the idea go ahead.
BUt - I think you will decrease the value of your property - an issue when you plan to sell unless you put it all back into one room again.
Some kind of ensuite sounds best option.

It sounds like you have a big garden. have you thought of building an out building for the toilet. Can such an out building easily be attached to your drains? Or would you have to use an alternative means of waste disposal?

[Mrsladybirdface]

I can understand the need for a second toilet! We have a bungalow and small bathroom. We are about to block in our front door and using the hall way space to fit in a second toilet/hoover/coats storage cupboard....I can't wait!! We could knock through to have a much larger bathroom, but for me the extra loo is more important.

I'd check your quotes we just had an extension for 7k!

[TKKW]

Poolter, thats exactly what my DH and Father IL think - its a smaller scale 1930s semi with no garage, so they say 'cos we bought it as we loved the whole feel of the house and others will too.

Walking down my street does make me v. happy.

Thanks Mrs Tara. What a nightmare returning it back would be!

No sure how it work accessing the sceptic tank and whether LA would allow that? We have a very narrow gateway to the rear, so not sure how it would be cleared?

Ooh, darn it- why did I want a bigger kitchen. If I had a 2mx 2m kitchen, I could have had a loo downstairs!

[Floggingmolly]

£8k for a little tiny toilet room? Just leave the main bathroom door open when you're having a shower, do you really need to lock yourself away when there's only you, your dh and a baby in the house?

[pooka]

2 upstairs loos would not IMO add any value to the house. I would be it off by a short bath. When we did the loft conversion here the original bathroom became the stair way. It was tiny! About 6 foot long (bath along this wall) with tiny sink and loo on the short wall next to the width of the bath. I grew up with it, but as a parent with dcs it made bathing the kids en masse tricky and hard to find floor space for drying and so on. One of the existing first floor bedrooms became a big bathroom.

A downstairs loo infinitely preferable.

We converted our cellar to a utility room with a loo. And even that was a pain in the arse for potty training - still stairs to deal with. it has a saniflo macerator which deals with loo and washing machine waste, needed because is below ground level obviously. Haven't had any particular problems with it apart from when a decorator poured white spirit down the utility sink which messed up the seals in the waste unit.

[TKKW]

its a galley kitchen so actually 1.75 on each side or thereabouts but with a hob, a 1.5 basin sink and an oven off that= no workspace.

[TKKW]

Thanks for the replies, really useful.

Flogging - that was just a speculative figure as I was thinking how much a bathroom refit would cost, say around 4-5k and then add a bit extra for additional plumbing etc, maybe 3k but I think Im overestimating.

[Xmasbaby11]

I cannot see the point of 2 loos on the same floor like that. Why can't you use the loo when someone is in the shower? Honestly, how often would you actually use it?

I guess it's just a case of different habits, but I just see the point, especially for all that money.

[Mandy21]

I cant see any advantage to a small bathroom with a separate loo next door - that layout would just strike me as odd. I certainly wouldnt be spending £8-9k on it.

We're in a 1930s semi and we have a toilet and tiny hand basin under the stairs. It is miniscule but we have just enough head height for an adult male to stand up and do what they need to do. The electricity meter is in there, and the door opens outwards into the hall. Its worth its weight in gold with children / visitors as the upstairs can be a tip

I'd get a builder to have a look and see if there is any way you can explore this.

[TKKW]

hi thanks mandy. our under stairs opens directly onto kitchen and also has boiler as well as the things you described. really dont think there will be room but we do have plumber coming fri to install new radiator so will ask then.also think i may ask an estate agent. i really dont know if 8k is over estimating.i think it mighy be les.sorry for lack punctuation.on phone

[TKKW]

when we have guests there is always a loo queue/teeth brush queue-we must be strange!

[noddyholder]

I wouldn't How often does the situation occur that you need to use the loo when someone showers? We have one bathroom ATM and we just shout to each ther anyone need the loo before I shower kind of thing. Folding door and small bath would put off buyers if you ever sell.

[TKKW]

The queues for toilet/brushing teeth occur about one weekend every 6 weeks when we have family or friends staying over.

Day to day, DH and I often need to go to the toilet at the same time, maybe two times a week. Really, it does happen that often.

So, it is an issue for us. Ive just realised we could get a 27 inch/68 cm narrower than standard door for the loo room.

[noddyholder]

WHy can't one of you wait 2 mins rather than spend 9k?

[TKKW]

we could noddy but its very unpleasant. why do modern houses have a downstairs loo, an en suite and a family bathroom?

it probably wont be 9k, more like 7k and we want a new bathroom anyway.

[noddyholder]

Oh ok you need to suit your own life really.

[noddyholder]

I think big modern houses do have all that but so do small ones and its not really necessary. I always put a downstairs loo in developments if I can but most people want the biggest bathroom they can have. You can get slim doors and smaller loos and also half doors work well with limited space. Could your biggest bedroom have a mini en suite?

[TKKW]

Thanks noddy. Unfortunatley no- waste pipe wont have a big enough slope to take it away and the biggest room really can only take an Ikea kingsize but fortunately we have about 6 built in wardrobes.

[Bonsoir]

Why don't you just separate the loo from the bathroom? I don't think you have enough space to accommodate a loo in the bathroom as well as a separate loo.

[TKKW]

Thanks bonsoir but our requirement is x2 toilets + x2 handbasins.

Would a 1 toilet family home sell well these days?

Im becoming a bit obsessed!

[Bonsoir]

Your requirement and your resources (space) are, however, incompatible!