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Original poster

Would you convert bedroom into an en suite/dressing room?

63 replies

NamechangeyMcnamechanged · 04/05/2019 14:23

Hi, we have a brilliant house but it drives me nuts. We're not v DIY people but nor do we have loads of spare cash to get big amounts of work done.

We have a family of 4 in a 5 bedroom house. One tiny bathroom and the two kids will soon be teenagers. We have three reception rooms.

We do have a downstairs loo which we could convert into a wetroom/shower but I don't think anyone (except guests sleeping downstairs) ever really uses downstairs showers IME of houses that have them.

I'm constantly reading about how converting bedrooms is a very bad idea but do you think it would reduce value in our case (ie given we have a lot of floor space)? I'm thinking that very few families need 5 beds and given we have the extra study/guestroom downstairs, it might just add value or at least not detract?

Or am I just WRONG!?

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Thread gallery
7
WhereDoesThisToiletGo · 04/05/2019 16:03

So what is bed 4 at present? Which room do you put guests in, or are you like me and avoid having them at all costs!

borntobequiet · 04/05/2019 16:08

Make Bedroom 4 into a shared ensuite for the bedrooms on either side.

Original poster
NamechangeyMcnamechanged · 04/05/2019 16:09

Wheredoesthistoiletgo like the "study" it is also mostly not used for its main purpose but the storage of unsorted junk! Grin

If I said DH's junk that would be COMPLETELY uncharitable of me, obv, do I won't say it. So actually, neither are currently used for guests ever, they sleep on the sofa bed in our third reception room downstairs (which does kinda work because they then have private loo/sink overnight). But yeah, it's a dog's dinner we've been avoiding!

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Toooldtobearsed2 · 04/05/2019 16:11

I think i would be tempted to make bedroom 4 a Jack and Jill style of bathroom - other access from hallway, which you can keep permanently locked, keeping smeely teens out.
BUT, it makes it more flexible for future use. If you did need 2 bathrooms accessible, no need for anyone to trail through your bedroom to get to it.
Personally, a 5th bedroom is get riddable. 4 bedrooms, and they do seem to be a good size, are more than enough.
We have 5 bedrooms and 2 of them are used once in a blue moon - we could easily lose at least one of them!

Toooldtobearsed2 · 04/05/2019 16:12

Your teens are more likely to be smelly than smeely.......

Original poster
NamechangeyMcnamechanged · 04/05/2019 16:13

BreakfastatSquiffanys that's brilliant. I'd never have noticed that loss of space. That bathroom is tiny so opening it up more would work. We can't lose the chimney stack which runs through the middle so would end up with a pillar in middle of room! Well we could lose it but taking it out would cost a fortune and if we're staying, then I have plans to reuse it to have a woodburner running off it downstairs.

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W0rriedMum · 04/05/2019 16:14

I love a good thread with drawings!
@BreakfastAtSquiffanys is onto something. You then have a larger bedroom and an ensuite.

MyOtherProfile · 04/05/2019 16:17

I would absolutely lose a superfluous bedroom for an extra bathroom and personally I love our en suite.

BreakfastAtSquiffanys · 04/05/2019 16:21

Photo got deleted

Would you convert bedroom into an en suite/dressing room?
maidenover · 04/05/2019 16:28

I did this and have no regrets, although we went from a 6 bed to a 5 bed. We have to walk through the dressing room to get to the en-suite which I really like as it does give a bit of distance between bed and toilet! It’s one of my favourite bits of our renovation.

Original poster
NamechangeyMcnamechanged · 04/05/2019 16:29

Jack and Jill bathroom in 4 also an extremely good thought. Especially as my parents get older and need to stay sometimes and would appreciate their own bathroom. That way, they could have study/family bathroom just for them and we could all pile into the jack and Jill one, and then if/when a kid leaves home at some point, the bed 3 suite is really flexibl.

Husband is more sceptical about that. He thinks it will be too costly to put plumbing on that side of house...

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waltersdog · 04/05/2019 16:35

I'd convert bed 4 into a Jack and Jill en-suite. We have 2 en-suites and a bathroom, and teenagers so no fighting over the shower or loo !

TanMateix · 04/05/2019 16:35

It us a good idea but remember that it is easier to get water and drainage pipes to the studio as they are just at the other side of the wall.

Making tiny middle bedroom into a bathroom may require a lot of disruption to the hallway to get services there. It may also require for the ceiling of the room under and next to it to accommodate the drainage or you may end up with a macerator toilet which is a pain with children and visitors

TanMateix · 04/05/2019 16:36

... for the ceiling of the room under it to be lowered to accommodate the drainage

BreakfastAtSquiffanys · 04/05/2019 16:38

You could disguise pillar by creating open shelving cupboard as you enter larger bathroom

Would you convert bedroom into an en suite/dressing room?
TeacupDrama · 04/05/2019 16:43

it depends on how much more to use bed 4 instead of bed5/study
if it would cost £3000 to change bed 5 into bathroom but £6000 to change bed 4 well that's a big difference but if it was £3500-4-000 in bed 4
would the convenience be worth an extra 500-1000 but not an extra 3000?
you will still an upstairs guest room

lpchill · 04/05/2019 16:53

Crazy option but we are currently using the back end of our airing cupboard and cupboard in our master bedroom and a bit of space from our master room to make a tiny en-suite. The bathroom is next door so it will be cheap and easy in terms of plumbing and it won't take up too much room nor use a whole bedroom (which are usually worth more money)

Original poster
NamechangeyMcnamechanged · 04/05/2019 16:59

I'm getting in to my drawing now. I've added in drainage...

As you can see from position of loo, soil pipe is on the bottom wall - it's a detached house and that's the side wall. The downstairs loo shares the soil pipe with a short extension.

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Original poster
NamechangeyMcnamechanged · 04/05/2019 16:59

Sorry here's the latest version...

Would you convert bedroom into an en suite/dressing room?
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BreakfastAtSquiffanys · 04/05/2019 17:03

Jack and Jill the en suite made from study?
(keep door to landing locked expect when you have guests, then lock door to bedroom and everyone but guests use family bathroom)

Would you convert bedroom into an en suite/dressing room?
SecondHandTicking · 04/05/2019 17:10

I'd rather have a 2nd family bathroom opening onto the landing than a jack and Jill. More privacy for the bathroom user, especially at night when it's quiet, and less risk of disturbance for anyone asleep.

Personally though, we love having the second bathroom downstairs. Whoever gets up first uses ours so the rest of the household is undisturbed, and in the evenings it's our youngest's domain. It's brilliant when someone is awake early with little ones or on early morning football match duty, and everyone else wants a lie in. We tend to breakfast in our dressing gowns anyway so it's no inconvenience to shower downstairs and there are lots of upsides.

Robin2323 · 04/05/2019 19:23

We have a downstairs shower room and it was a bit of bonus ti buying the house.
We have a family bathroom and an en-suite but it is the downstairs shower that gets all the use.

Also with elderly parents we've converted the study into a bedroom so no stairs involved if they stay over.

Eyequeue · 04/05/2019 20:29

I don't like Jack'n'Jill bathrooms. Much better to leave your bedroom and walk into the bathroom than have the stress of making sure t'other door is locked!

Original poster
NamechangeyMcnamechanged · 04/05/2019 21:13

Thanks everyone: you've given me loads to think about. Extremely helpful!

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cockadoodledooooo · 04/05/2019 21:26

Make bed 4 another bath/shower room and have Juliet doors ie one into each bedroom either side?