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Property/DIY

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Would you remove downstairs toilet?

43 replies

ByeByeLilSebastian · 01/11/2016 15:49

We live in a house with 3 floors, one toilet on every floor.
The downstairs toilet is right next to the front door, the entrance hall is v small. I'd like the toilet gone so that we have a bigger entrance but dh is worried it will affect the house price when we come to sell in 5+ years time.
Wwyd?

OP posts:
Fairylea · 01/11/2016 15:50

A downstairs toilet always helps a house to sell. Could you relocate it somewhere else on the ground floor?

Redglitter · 01/11/2016 15:52

I'd rather keep the downstairs toilet than have a bigger hall

atticusclaw2 · 01/11/2016 15:52

Nope, keep it.

Hellmouth · 01/11/2016 15:53

A downstairs toilet is a bit of a selling point. Not everyone likes to traipse upstairs to answer the call of mother nature :)

I would relocate it or leave it as it is.

PurpleDaisies · 01/11/2016 15:53

Ground floor toilet for when we have visitors was one of the things we actively looked for. If you're thinking of selling I'd keep it or move it somewhere else on the ground floor.

seminakedinsomebodyelsesroom · 01/11/2016 15:53

I'd keep the toilet if possible. Can you add a porch to give you more space?

Bluntness100 · 01/11/2016 15:54

I agree, keep it, not having a downstairs loo is normally always seen as a negative.

ByeByeLilSebastian · 01/11/2016 15:56

I'm not sure we'd be allowed a porch. The houses are just less than 10 years old and have a certain style running throughout the street.

Nowhere else we could move it to as it's quite open plan and would look odd.

Damn , I was hoping you'd all agree with me! Grin

OP posts:
OnePlanOnHouzz · 01/11/2016 15:57

Keep the loo - but add a few wooden plaques of hanging hooks that you can use for now - so it becomes a walk in coat store - and when you come to sell - simply remove the plaques and it's back to loo again ?!

AppleMagic · 01/11/2016 16:04

Don't do it. We rent in a block of townhouses with a similar sounding layout and all of our owner-occupier neighbours have turned their entrance way/closet into a downstairs toilet.

YelloDraw · 01/11/2016 16:06

Don't need PP for a porch if it is a certain size - check it out.

Don't take away the loo - most people woudl want it. Can't you just put lots of hooks inside the loo and use it like a coat cupboard? You could even remove the toilet (but keep the pipework and connections) wiht a view to putting a toilet back in when you sell.

atticusclaw2 · 01/11/2016 16:07

3 square metres

pileoflaundry · 01/11/2016 16:07

Could you make the loo smaller to give you more hallway space?

ByeByeLilSebastian · 01/11/2016 16:12

I've thought about using it for coats too but I can't see how they would fit. It's a small room and would look odd I think. At the moment our coats aren't a problem as we keep them in our rooms and also have some hooks under the stairs.
I'd just like some more space for shoes and getting ready to go out with the kids. Didn't realise how important they are for potential buyers though so I'll leave it as it is.

OP posts:
RiverTam · 01/11/2016 16:15

I'm going to go against the grain here, because we have a very narrow hallway and it's a pain in the arse. We also don't have a downstairs loo, much as I would like one, in fact we only have one loo, so for me an extra loo is a bonus even if it's not downstairs.

megletthesecond · 01/11/2016 16:15

Keep it. They're worth their weight in gold when you've got mucky dc's running in and out to play.

johnd2 · 01/11/2016 16:17

Your money is for you to spend, tbh just take the toilet out and make it how you want it, and cap off the pipes.
Maybe it'll knock a few k off the house value, so decide whether to install a toilet there when you move.
Not everything revolves around house prices, unless you're in a tricky financial situation just make it how you want it.
If you were moving next year maybe it would be wasteful, but 5+years, it's your house! Good luck.

Svalberg · 01/11/2016 16:23

I'm about to put in a downstairs toilet and tbh we wouldn't have bought any house that didn't have space to put one in, if it didn't already have one.

ImperialBlether · 01/11/2016 16:30

Who's that woman on TV who has a dating site but also does house selling? I remember her recommending someone put in a downstairs loo, saying that it instantly added value to the house. The guy didn't and she nearly exploded.

willconcern · 01/11/2016 16:32

Sarah Beeny, Imperial

I wouldn't buy a house without a downstairs loo. Sorry.

ImperialBlether · 01/11/2016 16:35

Oh that's it, thanks!

user1475010410 · 01/11/2016 16:40

Why don't you cap the toilet of and use the room as storage for coats, mucky shoes etc and then when you move pop the loo back in. Having everything in a cupboard will make the hallway look tidier

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 01/11/2016 16:42

I wouldn't buy a house without a downstairs loo,it's the only thing missing from our current house.

RiverTam · 01/11/2016 16:42

If you're not planning to move any time soon I would make the house how you want it, you can always rejig it in the distant future (or simply point out to buyers that there was a loo there and the price reflects putting it back).

user's suggestion sounds sensible.

PigletJohn · 01/11/2016 17:10

I would certainly keep a downstairs WC. It will save people tramping through the house, say someone is giving you a lift, or the windowcleaner or plumber needs it, or a casual visitor that you don't especially want in your family bathroom, or people in the garden.

If the soil pipe goes through the wall (not the floor) you can easily change it for another, such as a "short projection" WC that fits close to the wall and is smaller, maybe also a narrow cistern. Very few WCs are now available to plumb through the floor.

You can put a coat hook at each side of the WC, where coats will not be in your way, and a towel rack for folded towels, and a shelf for toiletries, above the cistern. People will not hit their heads on it unless it is abnormally deep. Or you can put a good-size mirror above the cistern.

Towel rings beside the basin take up less room than a rail. Small basins and corner basins are available for cloakrooms.