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How much would no downstairs loo put you off a house?

98 replies

firefirefire · 25/03/2019 17:06

We are selling a really well presented and solid 4 bed semi detached house.
The garden is landscaped, fairly new kitchen etc etc, new bathroom.

The downside is that it doesn't have a downstairs toilet.

Would this put you off massively?

I should say, there is a huge utility room and garage and therefore lots of space for someone to put one in. We would have done this if we were staying

OP posts:
Kazzyhoward · 26/03/2019 08:33

As long as there's space to install a sensibly sized one (i.e. not the tiny low height under stairs cupboard), then it wouldn't put me off as I'd just have one installed.

Otherwise, yes, sorry, it's a deal breaker. For us, a downstairs loo is absolutely essential - I don't want visitors/workers traipsing upstairs to use the facilities and don't want to have to keep going upstairs myself.

Kazzyhoward · 26/03/2019 08:37

I'd far rather have one downstairs and one upstairs than having an upstairs family and extra upstairs en-suite. Far more convenient and flexible to have one up, one down.

Murinae · 26/03/2019 08:41

I wouldn’t buy a house without at least two toilets. Wouldn’t particularly bother me if they were upstairs or downstairs.

Seeline · 26/03/2019 08:45

is the existing toilet in the bathroom or separate?

I the only toilet is in the bathroom, it would be a definite no from me.

needsleepzzz · 26/03/2019 08:45

We had a large utility room so put up a stud wall and had a downstairs toilet created, took the builder 5 days, works great and is a good addition, meant stacking white goods, have the washing machine and dishwasher on the ground with a worktop above that has a fridge and the tumble dryer.

firefirefire · 26/03/2019 08:49

@needsleepzzz Do you mind me asking how much it cost you?

OP posts:
needsleepzzz · 26/03/2019 09:19

Hi OP, attached our invoice. Ours will probably be more expensive as we had our existing toilet moved downstairs and a new one installed upstairs that had a built in sink (very small space!) so that was extra work. We also had to have the fuse box boxed in which was extra, plus plasterboard the ceiling as it was a horrible cork board to start with.
We supplied the sink for this job which was i think £50 from B&Q, i think it can be cheaper if you supply the toilet/sink/waste but would be worth checking with a builder seeing as they get trade.

How much would no downstairs loo put you off a house?
BubblesBuddy · 26/03/2019 09:21

Marinae: you can buy my house when we sell then! We have 7 Loos! Wherever you are in our property, there’s a loo!

CloudPop · 26/03/2019 09:32

How about getting a quote and design for installing a loo and basin which you could share with estate agent and prospective buyers, so they can see it's not too much of a big deal?

Hoppinggreen · 26/03/2019 09:40

The house next door to us has the same layout as us but took out the downstairs loo. It’s been on the market for 3 years with 4 estate agents and has finally sold at over £20000 less than asking price ( which is 450000 less than what it originally was on for). I know a few people who went to look at it and fed back to the EE about the lack of downstairs loo only to be told “ that’s what everyone has said”
The people who bought it would have paid closer to the asking price but they needed to reinstate the downstairs loo, so have knocked money off to pay for that
So basically it might not bother everyone but it bothers enough to cause issues if you want to sell it.

Roomba · 26/03/2019 10:51

Wouldn't bother me, but I don't have one now so I'm used to it. Well, I suppose we did have one (an outside one!) but I ripped it out and put the washing machine there instead. I know it's a deal breaker for many people though.

CatkinToadflax · 26/03/2019 11:41

Marinae: you can buy my house when we sell then! We have 7 Loos!

Bubbles I can out-loo you! Grin Not me (we only have three) but a house I know of at the same end of the same county as you has 11 loos.... (who on earth needs eleven loos....)

ChicCroissant · 26/03/2019 11:56

The first two houses that we owned had downstairs loos put in by the previous owners, both had mobility issues so wanted to avoid the stairs (our first house was a 2 bed semi) although the second, larger family property had a separate upstairs toilet (from the bath/shower).

Our third property is a newer build and has a downstairs loo as well as one in the main bathroom and the ensuite - for a 3 bed property, a loo each seems overkill but it does seem to be standard.

If you have small children, a downstairs loo is really handy so it could well be a drawback for a large family property.

Having said that, growing up we always managed with one loo!

CaptainMyCaptain · 26/03/2019 12:02

I would advise anyone not to buy a house without a downstairs loo if they are planning to live there when they get old. It was a big problem for my Dad when he became disabled. He had a stair lift but there are times when that just isn't quick enough. It could make all the difference to someone being given able to stay in their own home - that or use a commode (no thanks).

Yabbers · 26/03/2019 12:05

Wouldn’t buy one without it. DD has a disability and our parents are getting on a bit. It’s a necessity.

Is your utility room off the kitchen? Depending on the layout it might not be as simple as putting up a wall as there needs to be a door between the kitchen and the WC door.

happymummy12345 · 26/03/2019 12:06

It wouldn't put me off at all.

Tunnockswafer · 26/03/2019 12:10

I’m not sure if that’s true anymore Yabbers, something about needing a sink I think but not two doors. There is some issue with needing loos to be accessible but I think this is only in certain circumstances, need to google more.

BibbityBobbityEars · 26/03/2019 12:11

Yes, it would put me off and I wouldn’t even consider viewing. Even if there’s a possibility of putting in a downstairs loo I would’t want the hassle.

willowstar · 26/03/2019 13:02

It would put me off unless I really really liked the house and had the money to install one myself.

We have two reception rooms downstairs and use one of them as our guest room so have a shower room with toilet downstairs. My mum doesn't do well with stairs and she stays with us occasionally.

bathorshower · 26/03/2019 13:16

Having a loo on every floor (or at least the capacity to add one) was a deal breaker when we bought this house - we'd previously rented a 3 bed place with one bathroom, and when we had lots of guests, it was a right pain. When my grandmother came to visit (she'd driven herself two hours to do so), she couldn't cope with the stairs; fortunately she was just coming for tea, not staying!

A house the size you describe is a family house that people are likely to stay in a while. So even if they don't have toddlers/bladder issues/elderly relatives now, they probably will in the future, at which point a downstairs toilet is very desirable.

BlackSatinDancer · 26/03/2019 16:20

I would love a downstairs loo but, as long as there was an appropriate place where I could put one in, it wouldn't particularly bother me.

Murinae · 26/03/2019 17:10

@BubblesBuddy no thanks. We have three and that’s plenty for four of us! 7 is too much cleaning Confused

Ella1980 · 26/03/2019 17:20

We have one downstairs loo and there's four of us. We get by in the main. When I was married we had four loos but ex-husband turned out to be a proper twat and tbh he wasn't worth a poo in peace for 😂

WombatChocolate · 26/03/2019 17:35

OP, so really your house is a 3 bed house in terms of everything except an additional bedroom above the garage. That makes it all rather confusing for buyers - they see it advertised as 4 beds (which it is) and then expect not just 4 beds but a full 4 bed house....and that's what they are looking for. A usual feature of a 4 bed is a downstairs loo, probably a bit more living space than you have too, possibly a larger kitchen - unless you've extended in these other areas too.

So all this extending and converting which goes on,morgen does add one extra room to a house, but doesn't make it into a TRUE 4 or 5 bed or whatever, because the overall footprint of the house doesn't reflect what is associated with a house with that many bedrooms. It can muddy the water regarding price but also interns of expectations from buyers.

So I assume your house isnroeiced somewhere between a 3 and 4 bed house. The viewers mig see it as a cheaper 4 bed, but haven't reconciled to a lack of 4 bed features because hey are in the market for a 4 not 3 bed with an extra room. Unless yours is substantially cheaper it may struggle to sell and actually things like a downstairs loo are often part of upgrading from 3 to 4 beds.

Great you could get one in. If it's proving a stumbling block, pay someone to do the whole job ASAP and then you'll know you've removed that barrier.

Similar barriers to sale I've seen with extended houses are those which have had an extra bedroom or 2 added in the loft, so have become 4 or 5 bed roomed, but still only have 1 smallish living room or a smallish living room and a kitchen you can't eat in, or have a very small garden, or lack off street parking.......they overall don't feel like a 4 or 5 bed house and won't fetch the price of one.

When extending is important to keep the house in proportion, if re-sale is a factor - and it will be for everyone at some point.

So I'd say a 4 bed needs to have at least 2 family spaces - that can be a dining room and living room, or a living room and a large kitchen which also has a sofa in it - just 1 isn't enough. It also needs at least 2 loos - 1 might be Ensuite, but 2 loos which are usable for everyone living in the house is good, plus a downstairs loo for guests is very usual in a 4 bed. Most people also expect a reasonable siz d garden given 4 bed is a family home and would also expect off road parking unless the house is very old or in a very urban setting.

Buyers have expectations about both what they should get for a price but also what should be included in a particular type or size of house (usually measured in terms of bedroom numbers) and anyone offering less than what is considered usual or normal for that house can struggle to sell,neven at a slightly lower price. Sometimes they have to price at the bedroom size below and even sometimes market it as the smaller bedroom number,must to attract viewers through the door at that price and expectation level.

BubblesBuddy · 26/03/2019 17:36

I guess a house with 11 loos has mostly en-suite. Probably 8 bedrooms plus three other loos downstairs and in the grounds. As the loos don’t all get used at the same time, it’s no big cleaning issue.