Downstairs bathrooms

[Cashewnutts]

We have one (tiny terrace, no space/too expensive to move it upstairs without losing the second bedroom) but all I ever hear is that they are impractical and not family friendly.

What are your opinions on them? From a purchasing a house point of view, are they really that bad?

It all depends on the purchaser- older people do not want to walk upstairs
to the loo.

They are fairly common round here, and I'd guess anywhere with lots of Victorian terraces.
I lived in a house with its only bathroom downstairs and through tbe kitchen for a few years, but I wouldn't again.
It's a pita if you need a wee in the middle of the night, or have D&V.
It would be difficult with young children for the same reason, and older folks. Even if you just fancy a drink in the middle of the night, having no running water upstairs is annoying.
If it's a second bathroom, then is probably ok, but not as an only bathroom - not for me anyway.

This victorian cottage had a downstairs bathroom when we moved in which was horrible cold and damp - couldnt wait to move it upstairs which we have managed to do at great cost but still have 3 bedrooms. Would never live with a downstairs bathroom unless i had no other choice but i know a lot of small terraced houses are like this.

We have one in our current (rented) house and I hate it. Traipsing through the kitchen to go to the loo is grim, especially for guests.

Would completely put me off buying a house if it was the only bathroom. We had a downstairs shower room in previous house and that wasn't great even though it did give extra shower.

October just out of curiosity what is it about it that would put you off?
I'm asking because Ive never really been bothered about where my bathroom is but I know it matters to a lot of people!

The house we're buying has a downstairs bathroom, but we're only happy with that because the whole house is upside down to take advantage of a lovely view.

A downstairs bathroom in a normal house would have been a deal breaker for us-it's the getting out of bed and having to walk a long way to the shower that I really wouldn't like.

Our only bathroom is downstairs. Before we moved it I thought it would be a huge problem and thought we would move it upstairs ASAP. Four years on it absolutely does not bother me, we have redone the bathroom where it is, after all we spend most time downstairs. I like it too as visitors never need to go upstairs as only bedrooms up there, so downstairs is the "public" space and upstairs more private so i dont have to tidy upstairs so much

I'm looking to move just now, and I wouldn't consider a downstairs bathroom no matter how great the house. I've had this set up before and found them usually to be cold, damp after thoughts tacked onto a kitchen, which makes for a not very relaxing bath time, IYSWIM.

if i had a choice I'd choose downstairs because my knees often go and I find it difficult to get upstairs - motorbike accident. you can always put in a tiny loo upstairs. I wouldn't let it put me off the house and it should bring the price down a bit.

I've just downsized from a house with a bathroom, a shower room and an ensuite shower room upstairs to a two bed Victorian cottage with a downstairs bathroom. It does not matter to me. There is a cloakroom in the eaves but we are going to take that out to provide a large walk in wardrobe.

It depends on layout.

Bathroom at the back so you have to walk through the kitchen? No way at all.

Bathroom downstairs but at be foot of the stairs so you don't have to walk thru any other rooms? Maybe. If there is an upstairs toilet then yeah not an issue.

In my terrace I used to live in I slept on the top floor and only bathroom was on the middle floor so I don't mind the steps, it's the going thru the kitchen in most of these terrace w downstairs bathroom I don't like.

polly that's the best part of it. I can leave our bedroom door open and no one knows about how much of a mess it is!

Those who said they don't like having to go through the kitchen, why not? It's not like you're peeing in the kitchen sink so I don't quite see why bathrooms off the kitchen are a no-no?

Fwiw our bathroom/kitchen are two halves of a single storey extension. The bathroom door is the first thing on the left as you enter the kitchen, running along the length of the extension, parallel to each other. Not one of those tacked on to the end of the house ones (not a fan of those really).

It's not a hygeine thing for me, it's more of a "going up to have a bath" means that upstairs is mostly quiet, so without clanging pots and pans, then as you are already up there you can potter about in nightdress and not habe to be in communal rooms with wet hair etc. Just a funny little quirk of mine maybe, but I genuinely hate downstairs bathrooms.

It's the whole having to go all the way down the stairs in winter when it's cold, walking through cold kitchen floor etc. Instead of just out bedroom, few steps to loo and back to bed.
Also with small children. We live in a flat, and the advantage of 2 year olds being able to get up and wee alone first thing in the morning or in the night was invaluable. Them having to wake an adult to help them safely down and up stairs isn't great.

Yah it's not hygiene, it's just ackward.

At night you have to go down and walk across cold tiles. In the morning you have to go through and say hi to people or whatever before you've had a chance to properly wake up. Guest don't feel comfortable wandering thru the kitchen in only a towel etc.

I don't want to speak to people before I've brushed my teeth in the morning.

Also o don't like the idea of doing a big smelly shit in a room that is connected by a door from the kitchen. What a way to put you off your breakfast.

I've never heard of a bathroom being off a kitchen. Mine is off my hall downstairs, so no having to see other people or walk on cold tiles.

I go to the loo more often during my waking hours than my sleeping ones so its actually much more convenient having the loo downstairs.

As a student we lived in a house with a bathroom off the kitchen. It wasn't good.

I've never heard of a bathroom being off a kitchen.
It is very very common in small terrace houses - the outside toilet and coal shed got incorporated into the house, usually off the kitchen which is the back room in the trad layout, and turned into the bathroom when bathrooms were moved inside as this was the easiest thing to do.

I would not consider a house with it either. Lots of student houses had that set up, hated it as a student, definitely wouldn't consider it for a family house.

But I get the whole not having to tidy up the upstairs - was the whole reason we wanted a downstairs loo (aswell as an upstairs bathroom).

When you say you spend most of your day downstairs, yes that works when you need the loo. But most people shower at the start of the day - so the thought of getting out of bed, down the stairs through the kitchen into the bathroom to shower and then either have taken your clothes down with you or walk bath through the house in a dressing gown / towel wrapped round you does not appeal?

And what about guests - in a morning, you'll be there making coffee / breakfast and they have to traipse through the kitchen?

Getting up in the middle of the night and having to go downstairs? We're in the middle of some works to the house and upstairs bathroom has been out of action meaning that we've had to go downstairs to the loo under the stairs. Even without having to go through the kitchen, it was awful.

It would drive me mad!!

My bathroom is not off my kitchen, it's just at the bottom of the stairs, so none of these things are really an issue.

It's hardly "awful" having to walk down a flight of stairs to use a loo really. I have mobility problems and it's still no biggie. I have no problem with my family or guests seeing me in a towel on my way back up after a shower, to be honest I don't usually bother and just run up in the skud :) I'm up before anyone else anyway.

Personally it's a big no for us.

The whole having to come downstairs for the loo during the night, giving the toddler a bath with the bedroom being upstairs, sounds like too much hassle!

We viewed a 2 bed victorian terrace and it had a downstairs bathroom, off the kitchen.

Didn't pursue it further or put an offer in.

It was't just the bathroom though- overall, the dimensions were tiny, as was the garden plus it was almost impossible to park in the narrow road outside (or even do a 3 point turn to get out!)

Actually, yes, it reminds me of student living arrangements

Just to add- the property we viewed had a bathroom at the back of the house just before you go into the garden- had to walk all the way through the kitchen before getting to the bathroom.