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Original poster

4th bedroom or ensuite to master bedroom....which would you prefer?

42 replies

queenrollo · 01/09/2007 15:23

we have a narrow room (was previously gallery style kitchen) next to our bedroom.
We are currently doing the house up to sell. Our original plan was to turn this space into an ensuite to the master bedroom, which i think would add more to the appeal of the property. A friend said she would rather have a 4th bedroom than an en suite?

so mumsnetters......do we install a bathroom (and as the room is so long we were thinking of stud-walling and putting in a walk in wardrobe too)or do we put in a very narrow but long 4th/guest bedroom?

OP posts:
MerlinsBeard · 01/09/2007 15:26

4th bedroom/study for me. i don't like ensuites

RubySlippers · 01/09/2007 15:27

an unusuable bedroom (ie one which is so narrow you can only get a bed in or is not practical as a bedroom) is not appealing to me as a buyer
but a smart en-suite is nice
what will add more value to your home based on other stuff in the area?

ScoobyDooooo · 01/09/2007 15:28

4th bedroom i would choose, how long does anyone spend in a bathroom anyway? i would much rather have the extra room for guest, toys, study or something.

macneil · 01/09/2007 15:28

I can see both ways (fat lot of help, sorry). I think Sarah Beeny says you should have one bathroom to every 2 bedrooms, or is it to every 2.5 bedrooms. And most families will have 2 kids rather than 3 kids, and it's good to have a family bathroom and a special little bathroom for yourselves when the kids get older. But people with relatives who live far away will need a proper guest room. 4 bedrooms to one bathroom sounds like quite a lot - is there a guest cloakroom downstairs too?

Personally, I'd go for the bathroom, by which I mean I'd buy the house with that set-up with the bathroom before I'd buy the house with the skinny 4th bedroom. HTH.

fleacircus · 01/09/2007 15:28

IMO a four bedroom property with only one bathroom isn't massively sellable, better to have the ensuite. It probably depends on the market in your area, though.

crokky · 01/09/2007 15:29

If your existing bathroom is relatively nice then I would have this extra room as a 4th bedroom/study.

Depends if you have a toilet downstairs? If you don't, then you'll have a 4 bedroom house with only one toilet, which is perhaps not quite enough?

SlightlyMadSCAREYthing · 01/09/2007 15:29

4th bedroom IF it is usable as a proper bedroom full time. (as RubySlippers says)

LIZS · 01/09/2007 15:30

ensuite/wardrobe for me . Do you have a separate downstairs loo and good size bathroom ? Sounds like it isn't really a usuable 4th bedroom space anyway

Original poster
queenrollo · 01/09/2007 15:30

we do have a study/office area already, we could make it a 4th bedroom/playroom for ds........our property is unusual in that only the kitchen is downstairs (we have converted and installed it).....our living room is upsairs and massive.

OP posts:
Furball · 01/09/2007 15:31

It may be worth contacting an estate agent and asking for their views and which would add the most value or salebility to your house.

ImBarryScott · 01/09/2007 15:34

depends on how many bathrooms/loos you've already got. I agree that just one bathroom/loo in a 4 bed house is not ideal.

Original poster
queenrollo · 01/09/2007 15:36

we will be getting a local agent round for advice, but it's always good to have lots of views. we only have the one toilet in the existing bathroom.
dp would rather use it as a bathroom/wardrobe, and i don't mind either way.
i just thought that if i was staying in this property i would rather have an ensuite.....i do like to relax in the bath, and when ds grows up (and if we have more kids) i'd like the sanctuary of my own bathroom.
will see what the estate agent(s) have to say, but i have been given food for thought.

OP posts:
LIZS · 01/09/2007 15:47

If you plan to sell, it needs to be presented as a bedroom or viewers will assume a bed won't fit properly.

portonovo · 01/09/2007 18:00

4th bedroom as long as it looked like a proper bedroom. How narrow and how long is the room?

If it would look odd as a bedroom (i.e. with a bed actually in there), I would go for the en-suite. Or create a dressing room area which could be used for whatever buyers wanted. My brother has just moved into a new build with a 'dressing room' that the show home presented as just that, with wardrobes etc, but which some buyers are choosing to use as nursery rooms or studies or whatever.

I don't think every family necessarily looks for an en-suite, despite what the property programmes tell us. When we moved, our priority was to have four decent bedrooms or the potential to create a fourth, no matter how many bathrooms there were. And I know lots of families in a similar position.

En-suite would always be low on my list of priorities, a 'nice to have' rather than a 'must have'.

yomellamoHelly · 01/09/2007 18:22

For me would be a bedroom if the bathroom was a good-sized one.
Why not phone a couple of estate agents and get their view?

1dilemma · 03/09/2007 01:22

bedroom for me

MrsMarvel · 03/09/2007 01:28

If you keep it as a bedroom potential buyers will say "ooh, we could convert that into an ensuite and add value to the property". Don't do it yourself, let them pay for it.

fridayschild · 03/09/2007 13:48

I'm with MrsMarvel - your buyers can shell out for the work if they want to.

I hate en suites, never enough sound proofing. Why do I want to be woken in the night by DH flushing the loo (or worse) not flushing?!

Tinker · 03/09/2007 15:18

Agree that en suites are now something we are led to believe are "essential" rather than desirable.

expatinscotland · 03/09/2007 15:21

En suite.

fizzylemonade · 03/09/2007 22:05

I'm going to go against the grain and say en-suite. We would never consider a property that only had 1 toilet unless we could put another one in.

The last thing I want is to be having a bath and my son comes in for a wee, or my husband. Or worse a poo. I speak from experience.

We have a 3 bed house with a main bathroom and an en-suite, we are about to put a bath in the en-suite so that I can have a bath undisturbed. It will have a shower over it. It was a bath or a double shower, bath is easier to clean

It would depend on the ceiling price in your area for a 3 bed.

LoveAngel · 04/09/2007 11:10

We had this choice to maske and we went for a 4 th bedroom (we're about to move in, argh!). I'm glad we went for the 4th bed, now. I think in general 4th bedrooms add more value (or have the potential to) and are more versatile. You could always turn a bedroom into an en suite if you change your mind down the line.

bozza · 04/09/2007 11:19

Although we have an en-suite I am not that bothered about it, given that we also have a downstairs loo. I find 3 toilets for 4 people slightly excessive, so I would go for the bedroom, but not sure that my opinion is a majority one.

MuffinMclay · 04/09/2007 11:29

Ensuite rather than 4th bedroom, if the 4th bedroom was tiny. Should be done really nicely though, so it doesn't look like an afterthought.

Depends a bit on the rest of the house. Often houses where extra bedrooms have been added don't have the living/non-bedroom space to match.

I'd ask estate agents for their view on what buyers in your area would look for.

titchy · 04/09/2007 11:32

What's your layout? I.e. what rooms do you have on what floor? Might give a better idea of how practical just one bathroom wold be to a potential buyer? (And I'm nosy!)

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