Is it worth squeezing a small downstairs shower in?

[FillyerBoots]

Getting downstairs loo put in. There’s enough room, just to put in a 800mm shower, quadrant.

I think I’d rather have a loo with more space in it than having a shower that will be tight.

It’s a 5 bedroom house, family bathroom with shower and an en-suite with shower. The downstairs loo willl be in in a utility space off the kitchen. It’s right next to back door and you’d access it from the hall.

I don’t think we’d use it except for dog washing and maybe occasionally after a v muddy bike ride or walk.

We went for one but 3 bed and 1 bathroom. We've got 2 girls and I had an eye on the teenage years. Went for a slim sink and loo to manage the space and works perfectly.

I don't think I'd bother. We're currently in a 5 bed with one decent shower (in our ensuite - the main bathroom has a shitty bath tap attachment that nobody uses) and nobody is ever queuing for it. We're planning a loft conversion to go 6 beds and will have one bathroom between the two loft bedrooms, one bathroom and an extra toilet between the four first floor bedrooms, and a downstairs loo. No ensuites because I hate them.

There's 7 of us (6 females) in the house.

I think when we sell it’s likely someone would put another bathroom in the loft, there’s space by making the 2 loft rooms smaller. We wouldn’t do it but it would be an obvious thing to do.

Dh very tempted by a dog shower but might persuade him to big sink instead.

It would be a plus point for me if buying. I can only assume the people saying no don't have active outdoors filthy dogs like I do

A small shower in the downstairs toilet is not going to be ideal for wrestling an excited, muddy dog followed by an excited sopping wet dog. I wouldn't want to attempt to deal with my spaniel in my downstairs shower.

I also think that an 800mm shower is small for washing a dog. We fitted a 900mm one at a previous house and found it really tight for showering our mini poodle sized labradoodle. We rarely used it.

Otoh, I'm not a fan of wet rooms either, but that might just be because they remind me of the one my parents had, which - whilst fitted with expensive sanitary ware and furniture - always felt very care home-y to me 🙁

The 900mm shower was in a five bed house where we had a family bathroom and a separate shower room upstairs. In addition, near to the kitchen we had a fairly spacious loo-tility with washing machine, butler sink unit, floor-standing boiler and loo.

The reason we put in the ground floor shower room was because a previous owner had built an attached annex which we incorporated into the main house and it was some distance from the other loos in the property - plus we were a) thinking one of our parents might move in and use the old annex as a bedroom, so a shower room next to it would be useful and b) with an eye to resale - it might be used as sleeping quarters for a disabled relative etc.

At the house we owned prior to that, there were two bathrooms (one actually a tiny shower room) on the ground floor when we purchased. That property was bottom heavy, with two beds (no bathroom) upstairs and five reception rooms, a conservatory, kitchen and the two bath/shower rooms on the ground floor.

We put in an ensuite bathroom to the main bedroom (upstairs) and converted the ground floor bathroom to a second shower room because it was quite a small space. When we sold our buyers had five DC so intended using several of the ground floor rooms as bedrooms. The two downstairs shower rooms worked well for them.

We're in a much smaller property now and there's only two of us - plus two dogs - at home. We're currently reconfiguring the ground floor which involves extending as well as putting in a cloakroom. We considered adding a ground floor shower room - again mainly from a resale perspective - but decided that it wouldn't make the property (a small, 400 year old mill that currently only has two beds and one bathroom) any more saleable. If we decide to go up into the attic, we'll put one there instead. There are so many steps involved in the approach to this house, it's unlikely that an elderly or disabled person would buy it anyway 🙄

I've never quite understood downstairs showers, do you keep towels and clothes etc in there ready for when you might come home muddy? Or do you shower then run upstairs in a towel to get dressed again?

We're putting one in right now as part of a side extension.

Apart from providing an extra shower for "rush hour" busy times when the kids are older, it'll be useful for visitors who sleep on the (expensive) sofa bed in the front room, especially those who can't manage the stairs easily any more.

It's also a backup in case any of us is injured or infirm and has to sleep downstairs.

Can you put a dog shower on the outside, complete with hot and cold water? Seems more sensible tbh

We have a downstairs shower, it’s a fancy steam shower and it gets used every day. It opens into the utility room so it’s quite spacious and it’s private so you don’t feel like you’re naked in the kitchen.
We have a 4 bed house but only 1 family bathroom upstairs and no en-suites because I don’t like them.

I’ve just had a downstairs shower put in as part of an extension. We did it because we’ve also had an office room built that has a sofa bed in it and so doubles as a second spare room if people come to stay. It means they don’t have to go upstairs to shower. Handy for my elderly mil when she comes to stay.
It’s also useful for the dogs. If you have space I would do it.
(And yes I do keep towels in there on a shelf. No need to run upstairs and get one).

No. We had this option when remodelling and went for a spacious toilet instead. I have no need for a downstairs shower and can't imagine using one.

I have had a downstairs shower room for 15 years, we use the loo all the time but never use the shower except if the main bathroom is out of use.

The shower is used for the cat litter tray only. So I guess it’s really useful because if my old boy misses it’s really easy to rinse away.

The rest of us wouldn’t miss it though.

It will neither add nor devalue as it's a lifestyle choice. The toilet will be what adds the value.

I have a house with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms (1 en suite) upstairs, plus a downstairs shower room off a study (which cam double as a spare room) downstairs. We use the downstairs shower a lot but that's because I have two sport-obsessed teens who come in muddy and can jump straight in it. It's a godsend for us. However, once they've left home I doubt it will get used at all and will just be taking up unnecessary space.

@CasperGutman we are doing exactly the same

In most cases, add a shower if it makes the ratio of bathrooms to bedrooms in the house ‘right’. That means these days ensuring a 4 bedroom house has at least 2 bathrooms/shower rooms (not so key if one is en-suite) and 5 bedroom one has 3.

Most reasonable sized houses should have a downstairs loo. If there’s room for a shower and the house is a shower short, then it can go there. If the house has enough showers, unless there’s a very particular purpose, a butler sink in a Utility area or room is probably better. Most people will prefer to shower upstairs if that is available, but if the only space for the extra shower is downstairs, so be it.

A 5 bed house (which Op had) with one bathroom and an en-suite isn’t quite balanced for today’s lifestyles. If 2 bathrooms were available to all 5 bedrooms the balance would be better overall although people love an en-suite these days. 4 rooms to one bathroom in that 5 bed house isn’t enough. You wouldn’t want it in a 4 bed house and you don’t. In a 5 bed either. That extra bathroom will have to go wherever it fits best….upstairs is usually best, but downstairs will do for the extra shower if that’s where there’s space. In a 5 bed that already had 3 bathrooms upstairs, I wouldn’t bother.

Once you get into really big houses which have large utilities and boot rooms etc etc, you have room to fit all of it if you want it….perhaps there’s a lot of outside activity in the grounds going on where a downstairs shower could be useful ….depends on the kind of house. Swanky modern plush styles don’t really fit with a scruffy downstairs shower for mud. Aristocratic ancient pad with plenty of room and old stuff might well do.

We’ve just had a shower installed while redoing the downstairs loo (also have en-suite to main bedroom plus a family bathroom). It opens off the utility.

We do use it quite frequently- if we’ve been doing gardening/outdoor jobs it means we don’t trail mud & grass upstairs , DH uses it straight from muddy bike rides/ bike cleaning, and it’s useful for guests using the sofa bed downstairs. Sometimes use it if we both want to shower at the same time. We do keep towels and dressing gowns in there, and the ‘messy’ laundry basket is in there.

Did think about a wet room but this was the simplest drainage option.

We had a downstairs shower, never used it, took it out a few years later.
I thought it would be useful for muddy footballing kids, but none of them ever got into muddy sports.
Same size house as you, 3 kids, two adults, two showers totally sufficient.

It's an interesting dilemma - we are in a 5 bed but have one of the kids partners staying with us at the moment so we have us (me and dp), 3 adult kids and 2 under 18s so 7 of us and we feel we are missing a bathroom but like you, the obvious place would be to put a proper one in the top floor.

We also have one en suite and one full bathroom and we are definitely one short!

Are you not tempted to add one on the top floor while you're doing the work?

We’re also 2 people in a 5 bed with a shower in the downstairs loo. I was thinking of changing it to a coat cupboard or something but actually it may come in handy when we’re ancient and struggling with the stairs.

We do but only have 1 bathroom upstairs. Downstairs shower is used much more than upstairs, wouldn't be without it. Wet dog and muddy sweaty teens all staysdownstairs until showered and dry. Future proofing was a considerationwihth potential mobility issues as well as current convenience.

The whole thing about future proofing is a good point. The amount we’ve spent doing up this house means we can’t ever afford to move. In our 50s now but ….

@FillyerBoots just come across this (as thinking about our potential wetroom/shower room in downstairs extension) & thought I'd add my thoughts.

We are specifically adding a wetroom/shower room wc into our extension off a utility/boot room. This is our "forever home", but We had a downstairs bedroom with good size wetroom in our last house & LOVED It. Dog shower, toddler shower, rinsing off stuff (including small children after poonamis) & DH into shower after mucky sports & then his dirty clothes near washer (or in washer) and also future proofing as I've had illnesses. I want a "dirty area" (boot/coat bit & utility then shower room) before coming into the "clean areas" of the house

When we sold our house (it was pretty modern decorated/tiles etc we sold it to a couple in the 60s who Said it was a selling point for them and lots of people commented how they wished they had somewhere to clean dogs etc like that.
We are in the country though 🤣

It's interesting what ppl say on the wetroom/tray though, ours wasn't an issue in our last house, but I might go for the tray option which we had in another bathroom

Who wants to trail through the kitchen and downstairs in a wet towel? Having undressed in a cramped space, fetched towel because it isn’t big enough to store bath towels etc?

A downstairs loo and washbasin with useful storage: great.

A cramped shower through the kitchen: like a student house. I know people with these showers, they don’t get used.

An outdoor tap and low sink for dog and boot washing?