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?

[househuntinginmanchester]

Our bathroom is directly off the kitchen

It's social housing and we've lived here coming up to four years now... There's been more than one occasion when I'm making a cup of tea or
Cooking even, and someone is in the bathroom having a poo absolutely awful arrangement and I don't know how it's acceptable. At the time however, our situation was so desperate that a bathroom off the kitchen was the last of our worries.

[LugsTheDog]

Very much depends on local housing market I would think.

It's something we would have compromised on ten years ago, and better than losing the second bedroom I would think. Is converting the loft to reinstate a second bedroom an option?

[BackforGood]

I think it depends what you are used to, which tends to depend on where you live in the country.
In some areas, that's a really common design, most people are used to them and no-one bats an eyelid, in other areas - where people aren't used to them - it sounds strange and off putting.

[blue25]

I wouldn't buy a house with a downstairs bathroom. My in-laws have one at the back of the house off the kitchen. In the morning, you have to walk downstairs through the living room and kitchen to go to the loo or shower. It's horrible.

[Lilmisskittykat]

I bought a terrace and specifically looked for one that didn't have a bathroom off the kitchen which was a task in itself... For me I hated the idea of going down in the middle of the night (irrational fear of burglars/seeing something in the night in garden etc) so it did put me off a little.

I can imagine with small children it would be difficult too... Especially the whole any excuse to get up the loo would be perfect excuse

[Heratnumber7]

MrsCampbellBlack where do you live?

I know an actual Mrs Campbell-Black.

[SquinkiesRule]

We have the main family bathroom downstairs, which is fine, as we have a lovely En suite. The kids don't seem to mind coming down for a wee. The bathroom is in the hall, not at the back of the kitchen though.

[BertieBotts]

It was great for me with a toddler. Useful for potty training. I liked that I didn't have to leave DS on another floor when i wanted a wee. I liked that I could bath him and then it was upstairs for the night (well, that was the theory anyway).

My next door neighbour did say it was horrible when she was pregnant.

[BertieBotts]

I loved mine when I had one! It was annoying if you needed a wee in the middle of the night though.

[pollyblack]

Yes it totally is preference, actually i'd probably never have chosen it, but since we've moved it in has proven to not be a problem at all. My kids literally never get up in the night to go to the loo- only me and my crappy old bladder!

[MrsCampbellBlack]

We have a downstairs wetroom as well as a large bathroom upstairs with bath/shower etc. It isn't off the kitchen.

To be honest it is great - if you have muddy children or a husband who does a lot of muddy mountain biking then it just means the mud doesn't get carried upstairs.

I also think for a lot of people having an additional place downstairs to shower is a good thing if they have any type of mobility issues.

[namechangedtoday15]

polly I just think its a preference - you're quite right in that there are much worse things than having to walk down a flight of stairs in the middle of the night, but I dislike it and with children who are clumsy at the best of times, I wouldn't want my children walking down a flight of stairs in the middle of the night to use a loo when they're not 100% awake / alert.

[TurquoiseDress]

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.

[TurquoiseDress]

Actually, yes, it reminds me of student living arrangements

[TurquoiseDress]

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!)

[pollyblack]

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.

[namechangedtoday15]

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!!

[YelloDraw]

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.

[PurpleDaisies]

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

[pollyblack]

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.

[YelloDraw]

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.

[YelloDraw]

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.

[Artandco]

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.

[anyname123]

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.

[Cashewnutts]

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).