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Property/DIY

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Original poster

Is a downstairs loo really that important

91 replies

PenguindreamsofDraco · 30/05/2018 09:09

...if it then eats up 4' of the kitchen?

We are trying to sort out the downstairs of our house. Tall 5 bed place with 2 bathrooms upstairs. The kitchen is currently about 21' long and once the chimney breast is removed, 10' wide.

We don't have a loo downstairs and we were wondering whether to install one, but the only way to do it would be to move the kitchen wall in by about 4' and squeeze it in there, so the new kitchen would be same width but about 17' long.

We were looking to have an eating and seating area at the far end, basically the last 7' or so. So that would mean the working space in the kitchen to include cabinets and all appliances, would be about 10' by 10'.

My husband is now convinced this will be far too small for a large house and we should drop the idea of a loo. I am worried that a tall house needs a loo downstairs and with clever use of the space with a lush Higham kitchen, all will be well.

Any kitchen buffs who have any views or who fancy redesigning my ground floor ? Thank you!

OP posts:

Retrofair · 30/05/2018 09:17

Depends on how tidy you are. Having a downstairs loo means visitors need never go upstairs

UndomesticHousewife · 30/05/2018 09:39

Personally I like a downstairs toilet because guests can go there and they don't have to see the mess upstairs and the bathroom looking a total tip from the teenage dcs beauty regime, we've got an ensuite so I don't really go into the main bathroom unless I'm going in there to tidy and clean it up.
Also I'm lazy so I like going to the loo downstairs which is off the utility room so I don't have to walk far.

If you have small dc then it also comes in very handy.

LoniceraJaponica · 30/05/2018 09:42

Not to me, as long as there is more than one it doesn't matter.
It is easier to have one downstairs though for guests, if you have elderly visitors or visitors who can't manage stairs, and if you have small children.

Original poster

PenguindreamsofDraco · 30/05/2018 10:17

Our bathroom is pretty tidy, and no teeny tiny kids. Elderly inlaws but not overly concerned about them .

I'm just stuck on whether a big house needs a downstairs loo more than a slightly bigger kitchen. And since building costs are insane anyway (London) I don't want to make an expensive mistake!

OP posts:

PigletJohn · 30/05/2018 11:00

A downstairs WC is very handy. When the windowcleaner asks to use your loo, or you break your ankle, or become infirm or have a visitor who is not fit, you will need it.

Your kitchen is a reasonable size either way.

Be sure to get an effective, powerful, quiet extractor fan that comes on automatically and has a run-on timer.

PalePinkSwan · 30/05/2018 11:29

I’d get the loo downstairs. So useful for guests, or a quick wee, or if one of you is injured or pregnant or otherwise struggling with stairs. Think it helps with resale value, we didn’t look at anything without a downstairs loo.

AlwaysaNortherner · 30/05/2018 11:39

We are looking to buy exactly this kind of house and, because a lot of them are very similar, we always go to the floor plan first. If there isn't a downstairs loo it counts against the house for us - it wouldn't be a dealbreaker if everything else about it was great, but it's definitely a consideration. I'd say with clever use of space in the kitchen you probably wouldn't notice the difference much.

If you're planning to live there for the next 20 years then just do what suits you though!

trixymalixy · 30/05/2018 11:40

Having just moved from a house without a downstairs loo to one with, I'd say a downstairs loo is pretty important to me.

chickenchip · 30/05/2018 11:44

I wouldn't consider a large family house without a downstairs loo tbh

0h · 30/05/2018 11:46

I moved 6 months ago and a downstairs loo was on my list of must haves! Never had one before and I love it so much it's bordering on weird. . Wouldn't go back to a house without one now.

DesperateHouseknife · 30/05/2018 11:48

I would say essential to have a downstairs toilet in a 5 bedroom house.

We are lucky to have an outside toilet as well. Hence window cleaners, gardeners, builders etc can go there. It's very shabby, has no light and get's cleaned about once a year, but my husband seems to prefer it which is fine by me.

dudsville · 30/05/2018 11:51

A downstairs toilet by the back door means that when you're gardening or doing a messy project in the garden you can still nip in. An alternative to this was a friend of mine who refurbed the original outdoor loo. They did a fab job.

bilbodog · 30/05/2018 11:54

Could you put one under the stairs at all - thats where ours is and works really well.

SmallestInTheClass · 30/05/2018 11:54

I wouldn't buy even a 3 bed house without one. It was a deal breaker for us with a toddler and baby on the way because of potty training and mucky feet round the house.

grasspigeons · 30/05/2018 11:55

7ft quite tight for a dining area in a 5 bed house isn't it? is there another dining space

I suppose it depends on the layout of doors and things

Original poster

PenguindreamsofDraco · 30/05/2018 13:08

Yes, there is a dining room too. The 7' space between peninsular and back wall was really intended for a bench area with a small table just for us eating breakfast etc.

No, we can't put it under the stairs because the access to the cellar is there unfortunately. The only option is by eating into the kitchen.

I am pleased opinion is as split on this as we are

OP posts:

fruitbrewhaha · 30/05/2018 13:13

Could you put one in the cellar?

BubblesBuddy · 30/05/2018 13:24

You need to look up building regs for toilets and kitchens. I do not think it can be directly off the kitchen. You need a lobby. That’s more space.

Toilets in cellars might need pumps so that’s expensive. Personally I would extend rather than use the cellar. Cellar conversions are expensive. However a downstairs loo is worthwhile but not all townhouses have them. I think you would go from the kitchen being the hub of the house to a functional kitchen only with a cramped eating area if you reduce the size of the kitchen which is not particularly desirable either. I would want a utility room and a cloakroom for a 5 bed house. So an extension is the best solution.

AtSea1979 · 30/05/2018 13:29

How have they fit so many bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs yet your kitchen/dining space is so tight? Is the lounge massive?

BubblesBuddy · 30/05/2018 13:35

If it’s a typical townhouse, it’s tall with limited footprint. Everything is on floors above. That’s normal layout.

llangennith · 30/05/2018 13:47

Yes to a downstairs toilet! Whatever it takes.

kikashi · 30/05/2018 14:13

If the loo has a sink then it can open into the kitchen without a lobby. The building regs were changed several years back.

Original poster

PenguindreamsofDraco · 30/05/2018 14:22

Oh interesting! Yes, the plan was for it to have a sink (otherwise ew...). But also because I didn't know the Regs had changed, to extend the hallway into the kitchen (hence moving the kitchen wall) so that the bathroom would be accessed from the hall, and then step down into the kitchen.

No, can't put it down in the cellar either - the cellar is usable storage space with a big pressurised cylinder in it but it would cost a fortune to turn it into something habitable with a proper bathroom. And the stairs down to it are quite steep anyway, so it wouldn't solve the whole 'do we need a ground floor bathroom' thing.

And yes, typical Victorian London terrace - very tall. The kitchen is in the outrigger at the back. It's not that small at the moment - 21' by 10'.

We don't necessarily need an eating area in the kitchen but it would be nice (no, can't have a breakfast bar for various reasons). I'm just trying to work out whether the benefits of an extra 4' of kitchen space are more or less than the benefits of a small downstairs loo.

Think that's everything

OP posts:

Ihaventgottimeforthis · 30/05/2018 14:34

I have a long-running debate with friends about my opposition to downstairs loos, especially ones straight off the kitchen.
My problem is mostly the smell and sounds of poo in the kitchen. After that, the loss of space.
Contemplating an outside shed/loo/privy once house is finished.
I think I'm Victorian.

kikashi · 30/05/2018 14:57

We have a "cloakroom" (wc and sink) that goes under the stairs with the door opening into the kitchen (just inside it so kind of at right angles with the actual kitchen door from the hallway. (Victorian house)We keep the door shut. I personally don't like it and would rather have a little less kitchen and a bit of extra hallway but it was here when we bought the house. Now our kids are older, I keep trying to get my DH to agree to making it into a utility room to house the washing machine/dryer but he loves it and refuses. It was so useful though when the kids were smaller and as others have said good for tradesmen etc

The house had only been totally refurbed a year before we bought it and the plans etc for the kitchen extension and wc etc were all approved with council planning dept. The EA and builders I asked about the door opening into the kitchen all agreed that the regs had changed and all was fine (this was 8 years ago). You have to have a sink in the loo if putting a loo in but the door can open into any room. A friend has a downstairs WC that opens into her open plan living area (no hallway)

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