Views on downstairs bathroom

[Tulip2013]

I'm after some opinions if possible. I live in a small two bed house. It's typical two up two down with kitchen and bathroom out the back and two decent (4m x 3.3m) bedrooms upstairs but the only bathroom is one off the kitchen. I'm tempted to move bathroom upstairs and make bigger kitchen with doors opening to garden but it would make second bedroom a very small double (maybe 2.3m x 3.3m). Do you think a double that small would put you off? Is a bathroom upstairs way better? Hubby and I can't decide!

If it was me I would go for the upstairs bathroom every time. Also like the idea of being able to make the kitchen bigger, especially the doors onto the garden.

If it is, as you say, a small two bed house you will not be losing anything, in fact it would be a massive gain. The second bedroom would be small but a lot of new builds have very small bedrooms. When you come to sell it would be ideal for couple with baby, retirees, professional couple or singleton which covers quite a lot of the market and they would all appreciate the upstairs bathroom.

Upstairs bathroom for me, every time. I grew up in a house with a downstairs bathroom off the kitchen (no upstairs loo either) and it was completely normal to me at the time. Every house I have lived in since has had an upstairs bathroom and I am still grateful for it! No dashing downstairs and through the house in the middle of the night for a wee! Also, it feels so much more relaxing to have a bath upstairs than it did downstairs for some reason.

Up stairs bathroom!

With small kids a downstairs bathroom is brilliant. You'd still need a WC if not a shower room upstairs though.

I would at least move a wc and sink upstairs.

We are about to move our downstairs bathroom upstairs to our third bedroom. Essentially we're shrinking the house but I'm told it will add value (that's not why we're doing it - just sick of skanky downstairs bathroom). However it has been great while the kids are small because you can wash up while the kids are in the bath (with the door open).

I would still move it though.

Could you have a small bathroom with a loo, sink and shower cubicle upstairs.

I agree that a downstairs bathroom is brilliant with small children but I wouldn't buy a house with no bathroom upstairs.

Can you have both? In would make just a small shower room upstairs, would this make the 2nd bedroom bigger?

And leave a toilet/ sink down stairs. Can you fit one under the stairs?

I would want at least the 2nd bedroom to take a double bed and storage comfortably as even a single person is likely I want to be able to offer the guest room to a couple.

Sounds like an identical layout to our first house. I quite liked the downstairs bathroom. We couldn't figure out a way to build one upstairs but what made us move in the end was needing more bedrooms.

Love the idea of making kitchen bigger. Could you squeeze a small cloakroom in downstairs? That would be a selling point for me. And small double is fine.

I would definitely put something upstairs. Even just a toilet and sink. Although a shower would be good too.

If you do move the whole bathroom upstairs, I'd consider keeping a toilet and sink downstairs too. I think a lot of people would like that.

Definitely move the bathroom upstairs. The size of the bedroom is fine relative to the house (though personally I would say the 2nd bedroom would be a large single rather than a double (however, that's perfectly fine for a child, single adult or guest room). Depending on what your storage situation is, I would definitely turn the downstairs bathroom either into a utility room with a loo downstairs. I'm guessing your existing kitchen is the size of the upstairs bedroom (4m by 3.3m) and the bathroom is a new addition off the back? If that's the case I think that's a really good sized kitchen for a 2 bed house. However, if possible, I would move the kitchen towards the garden in the old bathroom so the kitchen can lead right into the garden.

Could you have a shower room upstairs and make the downstairs bathroom into a loo/utility with room for storage and a w machine plus clothes airer?
Though the large kitchen into the garden sounds nice too.
DO you have a floorplan you can add to your profile?

I think upstairs bathroom, everytime. I think most people with a child wouldn't hugely mind having child in smaller room. Or if a singe dweller/couple could put a day bed in the second room? That way when people see the room it looks spacious and can choose to sleep in a single bed or pull out day bed to make a double jsut for one night-if that makes sense.

A bigger and brighter kitchen sounds lovely too. I mean really, bedrooms are for sleeping right? So if the living spaces are nice that's the best bit!

Thanks folks. Will think seriously about it now!