How important is downstairs WC?

[bebeboeuf]

If you are a couple up to a maximum of a family of 4, how important would a downstairs WC be in a 2/3 bed house?

And if it is important would you carve out space from dining room to have one?

It really depends what shape the dining room would be with a bit carved out of it! If it’s a large house, then it might be worth it. I wouldn’t have a separate dining room anyway but if you have one it must take a table and 6 chairs and storage, ideally. If it’s too small it becomes a study or box room. If it spoils the shape of the room or features, I would be careful.

Most of the 3 bed semis I’ve been in didn’t have a downstairs loo from new, but many have been extended to include them and yes, they are £500,000!

We had a downstairs loo another toilet upstairs and one in the ensuite.
I have removed the toilet downstairs,put the washing machine and tumble drier the n and shelved one wall for excess kitchen stuff(tiny kitchen).
I've capped off the drain pipe so anyone buying in the future can easily reinstate it
My first house had a downstairs loo but that was because there wasn't one upstairs when it was built.Apart from people on modern houses most of my family and friends only have upstairs toilets.

Couple here , would not consider a property without aloo on each level

We added one after many years to enable visits from an infirm parent who could no longer manage the stairs.

It is easy to manage without one until you need one.

We have a 30s semi and put ours in a hall extension which, from the outside, looks like a porch.

Caurniebred - was it easy getting the plumbing there?

To explain the type of house - it’s a typical Victorian terrace. Front room knocked through to back dining room with a later kitchen diner extension adddd behind that.

So currently the area that has a secondary dining table in doesn’t get used as a dining room as we eat in the kitchen diner.

The dining room once having space stolen for a wc would then probably be repurposed into something else.

As much as I like my formal dining room, it doesn’t get used. But maybe I would regret that?

I agree - I love our downstairs loo!

I think whether one is a necessity depends on whether the upstairs loo is in the main bathroom or separate though.
With teens, the length of time the loo would be inaccessible, makes at least a second loo a real requirement if the first is in the bathroom!

You don't really need very much space , I put one in a former pantry , moved the door from the side going into a kitchen onto the end going into a small hall , it was about 4'x 6' and quite spacious , could have been smaller if building the room from scratch and needed to be smaller ( although you would need to check building regs on this ) I needed building regs

Wouldn't bother us either way - family of 4 though 2 males who don't spend much time in bathrooms.

The other option is that we are planning a loft conversion in future anyway once we have the funds available.
This would add a second bathroom.
Would we better just waiting and doing this than adding just a toilet for now?

Thanks everyone. It seems unanimous

It's a MN thing! In RL millions of people live happily without a downstairs loo.

It's important to have 2 toilets, if there's an en suite and family bathroom then I wouldn't be bothered by the lack of a downstairs toilet

very - so much so we're putting one in

A second bathroom in the loft is great, but it really doesn’t change anything except not having to wait if someone is using the family bathroom.

A downstairs toilet isn’t essential, unless you have mobility issues, but it makes life SO much easier and so much better that I wouldn’t now consider a house where there wasn’t one/one couldn’t be put in and that’s without having a toddler/small child & newborn.

I’m in my 40’s I used to run up & down the stairs without thinking about it. I have a couple of health issues now which make the stairs a complete mission. I go up and down as infrequently as possible so the downstairs loo is a godsend.

I would look at what you can do to reconfigure the downstairs area.

I've missed for 54 years without one!
The kids were potty trained ok.
Our lopis just at the top if the stairs so its hardly traipsing around the house!

If my next house didnt have one but ticked boxes for everything else it wouldnt bother me.

I meant I've managed for 54 years

It depends where it is. I can't quite visualise from your description - would it have access off the dining room and would it have a window? A downstairs loo is great under the stairs, or at the end of the hall. Through a door in the kitchen or dining room less so - think noises and smells. I actually think a poorly situated and designed downstairs loo could people off - even those who insist no downstairs loo is a deal-breaker. A family of four could probably manage with one loo - provided it is separate to the bathroom - though two loos would be preferable (an extra loo in the loft extension would tick this box). People with mobility issues are a separate category - they may have other requirements than just a downstairs loo.

I couldn’t manage without a downstairs toilet to be honest. The children always need the toilet when we’ve been out etc and wouldn’t make it up the stairs 😂

Totally non essential for me, but we don't have kids!

@lilliangish the downstairs is typically mostly open plan other than the rear kitchen diner which is separated by a wall.

This would be where the toilet would go. It would have a window and the quote we have had includes for sound proofing and insulating the stud walls to ensure no sounds get through.

It would effectively create its own little corridor to the kitchen diner

Car information space off adibibg room in which to install WC sounds a bit disgusting to me

Carving space, sorry

I live in a house built in the 1960's the bathroom is down stairs which is great,

Vital!

Non essential, we're a family of four and have only ever had one bathroom/toilet.