Ensuites instead of family bathroom?

[Dreambow]

We have recently bought a new home in SE London! It was a HMO (around 4000 sq ft) so needs a lot of work to get it back into a family home. We could make it into 5 five bedrooms with 4 ensuites and 1 family bathroom or alternatively 6 bedrooms with 6 ensuites (with one bath in the principal bedroom). What would you choose? Would it be hard to resell in the future without a family bathroom? Thank you!

I would only ever have a bathroom or an ensuite with a window that opens to the outside world. Otherwise the possibilites for mould and/or stale smells are horrific. Not properly ventilated ensuites can also make the adjoining bedroom most unpleasantly damp, dank and musty.
If you can afford it, I'd have 'naice' downstairs cloakroom for visitors, plus, if you are a sporty/outdoors family, a downstairs wetroom with shower, loo and a big washbasin where you can wash muddy hands after gardening etc. Then, upstairs, I'd have a master bedroom suite with bedroom, walk in wardrobe and private bathroom, a guest room with private bathroom, plus a big and well appointed family bathroom on each floor that you have bedrooms on. All with decent ventilation. Unless you have a really, really good extractor fan in each of those bathrooms, then they should have an opening window each.

Assuming that all the en-suite won’t have a bath in them, I’d say a family bathroom with a bath is useful - it means anyone in the household can go for a bath without having to go through each other’s bedrooms.

It would be an occasional thing, but very occasionally a day visitor might need to use the shower etc, and a famiky bathroom might be better than going through bedrooms to the en-suite. Think a friend coming round after group cycle ride or other physical activity.

Agree that lots of people with small kids don’t want them to have access to en-suites. If you can lock them, that’s fine to cut off access, but most would then take the small children to a bathroom with a bath and it’s often easier if that’s a family bathroom rather than the en-suite which has a bath, as the bath might not in the child’s bedrooms, but someone else’s.

If depends how many people will actually live there. As someone else said, you could still have plenty of bathrooms with 4 and use the saved space for luxuries in the master bedroom such as dressing area and really luxurious large en-suite, this would be lovely to use but also gives a wow factor for re-sale to families, more than an extra tiny en-suite.

Different families would probably like different things….and even for them, what suits will probably change over time. A family bathroom though seems a standard thing in a house. It is a bit odd not to have one. Some people would consider it odd. People wouldn’t consider it off if there was only 4 en-suites or if 2 bedrooms shared a bathroom.

If you have six bathrooms, who will clean them?

Ensuites take up space. How huge are the bedrooms?

Test the ventilation. It is possible to get modern ducted extractors that are quiet, powerful, and use negligible electricity. Some people have an aversion to ventilation. I don't know why.

Different idea here.
What about having a bathroom that is just a bath ?
If you have that much space , there could be a room made for a lovely soak. No loo in it , no basin , just a bath, an occasional chair, side table for book and drink.

Anyone who can afford a six bedroom house with six ensuites, in London, can afford a cleaner, so I don't think anyone needs to worry about that.

Personally, I hate ensuites and we're planning a loft conversion to give us six bedrooms, so we're having a bathroom shared between the two bedrooms in the loft, a bathroom and an extra toilet (possibly with a shower, haven't decided yet) between the four bedrooms on the first floor, and we already have a downstairs loo.

Six ensuites and no family bathroom is mad, and would reduce the appeal to me if I were looking to buy. I'd rather have more bedroom space.

@umbel

All that cleaning!!

My immediate thought too! 😂

Too much cleaning.

I would never have an ensuite without a window for ventilation, if that affects your plans.

It would all depend on layout.

We have 4 bedrooms, 2 en-suites, a family bathroom and a downstairs toilet. The family bathroom never gets used. But, when we were turning one in to a wetroom for DD, we didn’t even consider using the bathroom. Nobody wants a house without a family bathroom.

I think it needs a family bathroom - I've looked at a few houses in the last few years where all beds are en-suites and I wasn't keen. If you have young children you will tend to want to bathe them together, or straight after each other and I think that would be easier in a main bathroom rather than en-suite. I would definitely do a master en-suite and maybe two other beds with shower rooms but not all.

We have 5 bedrooms and 3 ensuite bathrooms. The ensuite for the DC rooms is Jack & Jill and it's the same set up with the shared ensuite for our 2 guest rooms.

It works really well for DC. I don't particularly like it for the guest rooms though. It works well when we have friends and their DC sharing the 2 rooms. It doesn't work so well when we have 2 separate family members sharing, as they have to remember to lock/unlock the opposite door when they use the bathroom and MIL in particular is very conscious of the other occupant "hearing her".

We did look at changing the large guest Jack & Jill into 2 small ensuite bathrooms or turn it into a family bathroom only accessed from the landing. The structural changes were too expensive, so it's staying as is.

Unless you need 6 bedrooms, I'd personally go for the 5 and family bathroom. Simply as I think more people would discount the house for not having a separate bathroom than would discount it for not having a sixth bedroom.

I am sorry for the late reply - been so busy at work. Thank you so much for all the really useful and helpful replies! :) I think going through all the replies it’s important to have a family bathroom - thank you!

I have attached the floor plan to make it easier to view. So the bedrooms would be on the first and second floor.
For first floor - bedroom 1 will be principal bedroom and bedroom 3 changed to the ensuite and walk in wardrobe for it. I am thinking of converting the kitchen on the first floor to a family bathroom and ensuite for bedroom 2 (alternate option would be another bedroom and then an ensuite for bedroom 2).
On the second floor the kitchen would be a studio (perhaps for a nanny).
We need to reconfigure the whole of the basement and will add a toilet to lower and ground floors. It’s going to be a bit of a project for a while!

I ripped out 2 x en suites and made bigger bedroom in one and dressing room in another. I like toilets kept seperate.

Having seen the bedroom sizes personally I wouldn't do too many ensuites, rather have space for proper wardrobes, desk if children studying, dressing room table even.

On floor 1 if your basically having two bedroom, one is the master eith walk in wardrobe and ensuite, that leaves bedroom 2 and a family bathroom so you don't need bedroom 2 to have an ensuite as the bathroom is there.

Ooooo en suites. Who wants to share a bathroom if they don’t have to!

Worth considering if you sell it in years to come it might be more appealing with a family bathroom?

Ok so if it were me:

Nanny suite/studio goes in basement.

Top floor is 3 kids’ bedrooms (make sure you sound insulate the floor) and a family bathroom.

First floor is master suite as you describe, guest room with en suite (hard to see how to get a window in though…) and study.

Basement is en suite bedroom for nanny, utility (can double as nanny kitchen if you like), then whatever you prefer: another study, craft room, gym with shower, wine store, etc

Assume you know about the VAT exemption.

Enjoy!!

I have 6 bedrooms. Top floor 2 bedrooms sharing Jack and Jill shower room. Firsy floor Master bedroom with ensuite with bath and shower. 3 more bedrooms sharing large family bathroom. Downstairs cloakroom. Works for us. We had to choose between second bedroom being larger or giving room up for ensuite. We chose extra space.

Well it depends on how many of you there are and how many bedrooms you need but I think you need a family bathroom unless there is a downstairs toilet for visitors

Friends have six beds all with en suite showers, plus a family bathroom, plus another shower room downstairs. Theirs used to be a small hotel/B&B. It seems a bit extreme to me!

I’d want a family bathroom or shower room downstairs that is accessible to visitors who might need the facilities. Someone mentioned sport but there are also medical needs like colostomy etc.
Nobody knows what might happen in the future.
I know that’s thinking ahead but you have the chance to plan. Sounds like a great project.

How about a Jack and Jill between two bedrooms?

I think for a 4000 sq ft house ( which be in no doubt I am envious of ) - 6 beds is too many - I would go for 5 bedrooms and 1 or 2 en suites but a decent family bathroom and may be a separate shower room if you can manage it. - otherwise 6 bed ensuite - it might feel like a B&B But it will depend on your family requirements. I would also say make sure you have enough living space to accommodate the the amount of bedrooms - so a good sized kitchen and living room & downstairs loo. so 5 bedrooms even if one is small and a family bathroom and / or shower room and 2 ensuite or indeed 1 ensuite bedrooms with decent living areas would make a better balance for me than 6 ensuite bedrooms.

As I understand it from speaking to friends - in London resale value is more to do with square footage and condition rather than no of bedrooms.

But v envious and what a great thing you have there - good luck

Sounds like an amazing project!

We have three en-suite shower/bath rooms, a family bathroom and downstairs loo.

The family bathroom is only used for bathing the dog!