Did I make a mistake in keeping the bathroom downstairs?

[Sadhoot]

Last year we had done major renovations, rebuilding our rotting extension and re-wiring and re-plumbing the entire house. The place was a shell. If you were ever to move rooms around, it was then. We basically didn't.

The house is an ex council, 1920s. The bathroom was tacked on at the end and is 3x1.7m, so pretty big. The kitchen is next to it and is 3x2m and is essentially a galley kitchen. There is a separate dining room 3x3m and a lounge 3x4m.

Upstairs there are 3 bedrooms: 2 decent sized ones and a box office/nursery.

We discussed moving the bathroom into the third bedroom but ultimately decided that it was nice having a large bathroom, that we didn't want to lose the bedroom/office and that was that.

Since then, it seems that everyone and their mother has an opinion about it and said we should have moved the bathroom and had a large kitchen downstairs instead.

I am annoyed but now second-guessing myself, especially as an uncle commented that we've made it "hard to sell" as most families will want lots of living space and an upstairs bathroom

TinkerPony

Good grief 😂 I think I'd rather walk downstairs!

Honestly yes you have. Annoying to live with a downstairs bathroom as you have alluded to. I wouldn't buy a house with a downstairs bathroom and I think it will put many people off.

I would LOVE to have the bathroom downstairs as long as we had a loo upstairs.

Our bathroom is upstairs with a loo downstairs.

It wouldn't put me off at all, but I would need a loo upstairs.

I live in a 1920s ex-LA, and although the downstairs bathroom isn't my favourite thing, I wouldn't sacrifice a bedroom to put it upstairs. As you say, the houses all have a similar configuration and it's just expected. We were able to squeeze a tiny ensuite into bed 1 though - highly recommend looking into that. Alternatively, if you're staying put.. maybe plan a loft conversion or a 2 story extension in a few years.. or both? It wouldn't pay off in our location, but perhaps for you it will.

I spent a year in the north of England looking for a house. I ideally wanted 2 downstairs reception rooms and an upstairs bathroom. The 2 downstairs rooms was a stretch (so many have been converted to one large room), but I wasn't prepared to budge on the upstairs bathroom.

I found a house with the upstairs bathroom, but not the 2 downstairs rooms. I wouldn't buy a house with a downstairs bathroom. It was my deal breaker.

someone whom i knew was so pleased to find a council house which had this arrangement, as her husband had had a stroke and could not manage stairs.
there are many families where one person would find stairs difficult and having the bathroom downstairs is a positive.
i grew up in a house like this, and never thought it was a problem. having a bathroom and indoor wc was an asset. my father made those improvements when he bought the house.
the people opposite, who rented, only had an outside wc , and the kitchen sink to wash at.

people have so much now, expect more and some are never satisfied.
enjoy your house.

I hate ensuites but need a bathroom on the same level as my bedroom so I dont have to run downstairs/upstairs to get dressed after a shower bath or had to sort out ds when he was little on a different level.

I had no problems having all bedrooms and bathroom upstairs and no bathroom downstairs.

But it's done now for you so not sure it matters now but no I would not have done it and there may be issues selling but only maybe

There would have been a lot of downsides in your putting an upstairs bathroom in and losing a bedroom... could you carve out space for a loo upstairs?

I would have kept the downstairs bathroom in order to keep the extra bedroom but I would have combined the kitchen and dining room to have a kitchen/diner. I would try and fit a toilet upstairs, is there an airing cupboard you could convert?