Tiny en-suite - loo and sink or shower and sink?

[ElizabethinherGermanGarden]

The previous owners of my house created a tiny en-suite from the space above the stairs and installed a shower and toilet in a very cramped, very bodged, doorless en-suite off the bedroom. The shower has never really worked and is ugly.

The toilet got broken during the renovation, plus I didn't fancy a loo 4 ft from my head in bed staring through the open door way so replaced with a tiny basin. I didn't have the money at that point to fix it up nicely so left it for a few years unused.

I've now finally fitted a door over the opening and am considering re-doing it so it's functional. There's a soil pipe right by it so a loo in the place of the shower cubicle would be possible, with a sink and cupboard. Alternatively, I could fit a new, working shower and a new, nicer sink and cupboard. There isn't room for all three bits so it will never be a full en-suite.

My house is 2 beds and has a family bathroom at the opposite end of the top floor. That's the only loo in the house

My questions:

1. which would be more useful?
   
2. would either be better in terms of resale or rental?
   
3. would either add value, or is this something that's nice to have but makes little difference?

[MrsOldma]

If your house only has one toilet definitely go for that! But if you can have all 3 then why not

[ElizabethinherGermanGarden]

I could potentially increase the size by stealing about 18 inches from the second bedroom but it's a supporting wall and would require an RSJ and all the attendant faff. Ideally I don't want to do big works.

I've thought about the suggestions for a combination of wet room and dual function loo/sink and I think, sadly, it would just be too small and feel cramped/quirky, like the bathrooms you get on sleeper trains. I'd rather have it feeling conventional and like a useful extra rather than a proper bathroom that a tenant would then potentially moan about.

Votes please!
A - loo where the shower is and better sink where it is now
B - loo where the sink is now and good sink/vanity unit where the shower is
C - same layout with shower and sink

[Whatthebloodyell]

I’d get rid of it all together. A small two bedroom house doesn’t need two bathrooms, especially if it is unlikely to ever be occupied by sharers. I’d much rather have the extra storage instead of a squashed in loo next to my bed.

[minnieok]

I share the not liking of toilets in the en-suite that much but it's handy for when guests stay, we don't use the toilet otherwise (unless we have been out somewhere and both come home desperate, there's no downstairs loo). For what it's worth I wouldn't buy a house without a second toilet somewhere, en-suite showers I can give or take with just 2 of us

[purplecorkheart]

I would go a dressing room/walk in wardrobe as well.

[HyacynthBucket]

I have a small ensuite with just enough room for a shower, loo and basin because the shower is curved and fits into a corner. Would that work OP?

[combatbarbie]

I'd be inclined to turn it into a walk in wardrobe myself

[JemimaTiggywinkle]

Is there a window? If not, I wouldn’t get a shower because it will get damp and mouldy really quickly (even with an extractor fan).

I would go sink and toilet, with ground rules that it is only for weeing (no number 2s in the en suite)

[ElizabethinherGermanGarden]

I have thought about walk-in wardrobe before but there is plenty of storage throughout the house and it would be too narrow to have two rails and walk between them, so it would become a squeeze-in wardrobe!

It sounds as if loo and sink would be the way to go. I take the point about the window, though - I like the idea of cutting off the bottom half with plasterboard and making it tidy.

That will be phase 9 of the renovations, then.

Thanks so much everyone for the suggestions - huge help in thinking it through.

[ItsMeA]

An en suite doesn't appeal to a lot of people, especially when its crammed in.

We live in a 2 bedroom flat with a small child and one bathroom, it's not a problem we don't really have far to go for a night time wee. A walk in wardrobe/storage space sounds more appealing.

[RandomMess]

Is your main bathroom big enough that you can have a separate loo?

Our big bugbear is the person that loves really loooooong baths...

[LadyCurd]

We did the rsj option from our tiny loo and sink on our landing. Now we have a 3m long by 0.8m wife wetroom. Door opens outwards onto landing in the toilet and sink half and 1.5m is the shower end as a plush wetroom. Swanky expensive extractor and underfloor hearing and the room is always dry within an hour of a shower and it’s amazing! I would do it again in a heartbeat. The steels bit was £1000 and the wetroom build was prob between 12K and 15k But I did go a bit overboard and not really keep track! Photo attached

[LadyCurd]

This is our floor plan for info

[ElizabethinherGermanGarden]

That looks fab! I have nowhere near that budget, sadly, but love the pictures. X

[TurnipLegsSwedeFeet]

I too hate the idea of a toilet by my head while I’m sleeping. Just googled tiny wet rooms, surely everything in there gets soaked? So after you have a shower you have to dry the toilet before you can use it?

I would go for a good shower and a sink in your predicament, OP. I hate our en suite.

[randomsabreuse]

Pocket door. Really good extractor fan ("silent" type).

[nevertrustaherdofcows]

You shower once or twice a day ; how many times do you go to the loo?

Multiply by however many people are in the house.

Might shed some light over how useful an extra loo vs shower might be

[minipie]

@LadyCurd love your skinny wetroom! We may try to do something similar. How did you duct out your extractor (assuming you are in a terrace) and what brand/model is it please if you know? Thanks!

[minipie]

Oh and I’m in the loo plus sink camp too. Mainly because I always need a wee in the night so an en suite loo is very valuable to me!

[Elouera]

Why not put a sliding door onto the bathroom, rather than losing space in your bedroom?

I agree with boarding up/replacing the full length window in there for a smaller one. Another idea is to remove it all together and get a sky light.

With the window gone/half gone, a corner toilet might be an option, so you arent sitting on the loo in full view from the bedroom, and give the illusion of more spaceSomething like this:
www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/spek010/cedar-spek010-cloakspace-saving-toilet

My priority would be a toilet, but ideally a shower also.

[LadyCurd]

Extractor vents out of the loft. Was a £300 envirovent model. Possibly overkill but was determined for it not to be damp mouldy. The toilet and sink end stays dry as have 1.5m shower area. As you can see from the floor plan the other half of the bedroom we made into walk in wardrobes. You could make it so access from bedroom and not landing.

[minipie]

Ooh through the loft, hadn’t thought of that. Thanks. Yes ours would be a thin slice off a bedroom.

[user1471538283]

I was about to say get a toilet and sink combination!

[Greenphonegirl]

Have about removing and turning space into a walk in wardrobe, i know what I'd prefer