Bathroom upstairs or ensuites??

[newstart15]

We are in the process of finally converting our bungalow into a chalet bungalow and now having a wobble over the layout so would appreciate other's input.

We're likely to sell the house in a couple of years so I need to think of selling and what would work for the majority of people. The house has a great garden and in an area for good schools so is ideal for families.

The current plan is for 2 downstairs bedrooms (1 with ensuite). The main bathroom with a bath & shower would also be downstairs. Upstairs would be 3 rooms. A large bedroom with ensuite. A double bedroom (potential for small ensuite but might be a squeeze) and a small children's room. There would not be a separate toilet upstairs, only the ensuites.

Does this layout seem ok or is an upstairs bathroom for young children essential?

An alternative is to turn the small child's room into a bathroom, take out the bath downstairs. Upstairs would then have a main bedroom with ensuite, a double bedroom and family bathroom. Downstairs would be 2 bedrooms, one with an ensuite. However this is more likely to mean children sleeping on different floors to parents as only 2 bedrooms upstairs

Any thoughts...we've had the house for years and finally getting the money to do the work but not sure what is right anymore!

So where does the occupier of the 3rd upstairs room go for their morning/nighttime wee? If the answer is downstairs, I wouldn't be keen.

I think first priority is there has to be a toilet available for everyone on the same floor (without walking through another room). Much lower down on the priority list is further bathrooms where space makes that possible.

Can one of the upstairs en-suites not be a shared bathroom instead?

I would put a shared shower room in upstairs and no ensuites, but then I think ensuites are often a real waste of valuable space. They are a "nice to have if all else perfect" rather than "must have" to me.

Ubiquitous ensuites will be looked at as the lace doilies of the 2010's, by the amused upcoming generation, who long for family bathrooms and are fed up of guests intruding on their bedroom to go for a pee.

I hate ensuites. Go for minimum ensuites.
I want a corridor between my bed and the whiff of DP's poo, not a door ( unless it is solid oak). Hence our house having 2 bathrooms and a downstairs loo.

To the bemusement of the architect when we gutted out our home. So I am the only person who thinks like this (or the only person to live with a smelly poo-maker).

Your proposed layout would put me off buying your house sorry. I think 3 bedrooms upstairs and a shared bathroom would be much more useful for most families.not just the toilet thing but also somewghere near kids bedrooms to bath them before bed etc. Also, I have a family of 5 and a house with 3 toilets (downstairs loo, main bathroom and an en suite) and that already feels like plenty of toilets - pita to keep them clean! Don't get too carried away with en suites

I don't get multiple en suite/bathroom love either tbh. There should be two doors between your bed and a poo

Glad I have something right then in my house. Our en suite is off a corridor leading to the landing from our bedroom. We fit the two door rule!!! In our main house, we have 3 bedrooms with en suites and 2 of those with dressing rooms as well. 2 bedrooms share the main bathroom. All on the first floor. Is the small bedroom worthwhile OP, or should this be a decent bathroom for both the bedrooms on the first floor? Decide which is your main bedroom and give that an en suite. Always make an en suite a decent size not a pokey box and sometimes decent sized bedrooms are more desirable than en suites. Dressing rooms/fitted wardrobes are definitely more "wow" than a plethora of en suites.

Take the ensuite out and have three bedrooms and a small family bathroom upstairs. Anything else will put off a range of buyers. And don't have your only downstairs toilet as an en suite! Have a small shared bathroom downstairs too.

We've just redone our bathrooms & purposely don't have any ensuites. We have a family bathroom (bath, shower, WC) which mainly gets used by kids & guests
We have our shower room (huge shower, WC) just for us but both are upstairs next to each other which weirdly works.
And a downstairs loo.
This works well for our 5 bed house both everyday & for guests/visitors & means I'm not forever cleaning loos.

I would go for a jack and Jill upstairs.

I was going to suggest a Jack and Jill. Id do a shared bathroom upstairs, for all three rooms, then a jack and jill shower room downstairs (with loo), then find somewhere to pop a WC in separate for guests.

We have an en suite and I love it, love having a separate bathroom that is mine and all the kid's clutter in a separate one. However the unspoken rule is that smelly poos can only be done in the downstairs loo (window open and air freshener!) or at a time when the bedroom is not being used. But to answer your question...I agree with others that you do need another toilet upstairs at a minimum, or lose the ensuite and have a family bathroom. Jack and Jill doors make me nervous! FWIW my SIL converted a bunglalow in this way and it's lovely.

We found with DDs that one bathroom for them and guests is just not enough when everyone is rushing to get out. I think it depends on the ages of the children and people will take bathrooms into account if they have teenage girls, believe me! Therefore ours have en suites. However, I don't find cleaning the bathrooms a big problem and it is infinitely better than constant arguments over who is in the bathroom and what length of time it is taking them!

I'd prefer a bigger family bathroom than a couple of small en-suites, although having an en-suite off the master is nice. Less loos to clean !