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Original poster

Only bathroom in house is through bedroom 3?

50 replies

Unihorn · 25/10/2018 18:42

We're going to view a house this weekend on a street we love. However the house only has one bathroom/toilet and it's upstairs through bedroom 3. It's an end terrace that has already been extended at the back so the kitchen is 17'x8'.

We have two children who will be sharing bedroom 2 and my stepdaughter who will be with us about 8-10 nights a month in bedroom 3. She's currently primary school age so we can only get away with the walking through her room situation as it is for about 3/4 years max I reckon.

I've attached the floor plan, but I'm thinking:

  • take about 4x8 of the kitchen away to make a downstairs cloakroom, but there are currently patio doors at the rear
  • take the top right chunk off bedroom 2 (??) and put a partition in bedroom 3 to make a corridor, which would reduce bedroom 3 to about 8x6
  • possibly do something with the rear left side of the building that's not been extended
  • there's also room to go back again into the garden

Any had a similar situation, or know much about building as to whether this is doable!? I'm not sure whether we should go to the viewing otherwise.

Only bathroom in house is through bedroom 3?
OP posts:
cushionsgalore · 25/10/2018 18:46

I'd reduce bedroom 3 and put a corridor in. I don't think that's too mean as your other two dd are sharing and presumably sd also has a room at her mothers house. It's a weird setup! The other alternative is to make bathroom into a bedroom and put a corridor along. This would make current bedroom 3 a smaller bathroom. If that makes sense! :-)

minipie · 25/10/2018 18:50

Could you make the bathroom into bedroom 3, and then split bedroom 3 into a corridor and a 8'x6'bathroom?

minipie · 25/10/2018 18:51

Cross post!

cushionsgalore · 25/10/2018 18:53

@minipie what a great idea 😁😁😁😁 wise minds!

Bluntness100 · 25/10/2018 18:56

The easiest wat to do this is just to put a corridor in from the top of the stairs to the bathroom so taking a chunk of bedroom three, and moving the door from the left to thr right.

If that's not feasible due to bathroom stuff and windows, then yes make the corridor through the left hand side of bed three as you look at it.

Ideally bedroom two would have been the bathroom, but it's prob too big a room.

Bluntness100 · 25/10/2018 18:57

And yes minipies works if you can afford a new bathroom, that works well,

SputnikBear · 25/10/2018 18:58

It’ll be very expensive and disruptive to swap the positions of bathroom and bedroom 3. Re-tiling and moving pipes etc will cost a fortune. Plus the toilet will be located next to the soil pipe and you can’t move that. I’d go with making bedroom 3 smaller and adding a corridor. You can’t leave it as it is because the occupancy of bedroom 3 would have no privacy or peace to sleep!

MrWolfknowsthetime · 25/10/2018 18:59

Yes, either swap bedroom 3 and the bathroom around and put in a corridor. Or you could take a bit from bedroom 1 to make a bathroom, and combine the current bathroom and bedroom 3 to make a nice big bedroom. The 2nd option would give you three good sized bedrooms but might be a bigger job due to needing to move the water supply and waste etc further away from their current locations b

VisitorsEntrance · 25/10/2018 19:00

The easiest thing is to not buy it.

I agree with taking a chunk out of bedroom 2 to make a corridor and make bedroom 3 smaller.

But then unless it was the only house I honestly wouldn’t bother.

RandomMess · 25/10/2018 19:01

You could locate a WC under the stairs with a saniflo macerator?

SputnikBear · 25/10/2018 19:02

People suggesting relocating the bathroom have obviously never renovated houses. You can’t move the toilet away from the soil pipe.

Lorddenning1 · 25/10/2018 19:04

I personally wouldn't buy it, or make bedroom a big bathroom and do a loft conversion

PrimalLass · 25/10/2018 19:04

I would split bedroom 1 into two rooms, as it has two windows. Then use bedroom 3 as a playroom or as a dressing room (preferable) with EVERYONE's clothes in floor to ceiling wardrobes (so no need for clothes in bedrooms) and a dressing table etc. Then try and squeeze a loo under the stairs.

In my dreams all our clothes would be like that in one space. So quick and easy to put away.

PrimalLass · 25/10/2018 19:05

In fact I would put the washing machine and drier in there too.

florenceheadache · 25/10/2018 19:05

I’d have bd 3 as a reading nook with a Murphy bed and a bookshelf to close off, give privacy when needed.

TheChatsPyjamas · 25/10/2018 19:06

For now how about floor to ceiling curtains around the bed in bedroom three?

Could all children share bedroom 3 and have bedroom 2 as a playroom / lounge area for them? Then save like mad for a loft conversion.

I’d only go to viewing if the price reflects the weird bathroom situation.

AJPTaylor · 25/10/2018 19:08

Why are you going to view? It just doesn't work for you.

AornisHades · 25/10/2018 19:11

Putting a corridor in would take a huge amount of bed 3. You either go on the left in which case bed 3 has no window (illegal I think) or on the right in which case you would either have to put two corners in or move the door and rejig the corner turn on the stairs.

PrimalLass · 25/10/2018 19:12

Why are you going to view? It just doesn't work for you.

It does with imagination. If they did what I've suggested it would work fine.

HotInWinter · 25/10/2018 19:15

Just be careful with adding a corridor - you could end up with a bedroom with no window.
My first house had this plan - except bed 3 and bathroom were one huge bathroom.

I think Primal has the best solution, unless you can switch the bathroom and bed 3 around.

MrWolfknowsthetime · 25/10/2018 19:16

Do you know any builders? If so you could take them to the viewing, to find out what the options are and get a ballpark cost.

NeedAUsernameGenerator · 25/10/2018 19:17

My Mum currently has a downstairs bathroom and was considering doing what this house has done but she decided against it because it means bedroom 3 isn't really usable. 8x6 doesn't sound too bad but you need the corridor on the side without a window ideally, which might mean moving the stairs. Could you convert the loft?

AornisHades · 25/10/2018 19:18

Primal's idea could work well.

A580Hojas · 25/10/2018 19:19

Make bedroom 3 into a small windowless bathroom? I can't see what else you can do.

Original poster
Unihorn · 25/10/2018 19:21

Excellent ideas thanks! It is reflected in the price, which is why we're going to view, and it would give us such small mortgage payments that thankfully it wouldn't be too long to save for renovations. I do think I would like a second small shower room downstairs anyway (we have a 3x6 one in our current house) but wasn't sure how costly that would be. I also assumed the bedroom/bathroom switch wouldn't work because of plumbing.

The current owners actually use the third bedroom as a dressing room and I think that sounds amazing @PrimalLass. We had also considered all three in the front room and us in bedroom 2 with he hired as a bit of a free for all. Just so many variables!!

It's just a bit tricky with my stepdaughter because as she gets older we feel she is unlikely to stay as often or as long unfortunately. We don't live too near her school and I know from my own teenage nephews that once they hit about 13 they tend to disappear a bit! Our two younger DDs are under 2 (one is still in with us at the moment) so quite a big age gap for the children all sharing as they get older.

OP posts: