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Original poster

If you have two bathrooms/one bathroom and an ensuite...

206 replies

QuentininQuarantino · 16/01/2022 18:56

Our lovely first home has two bathrooms (bathtubs) which are extremely outdated. Think khaki tiles and yellow bathroom suite, mold and staining... ew.

So, we're saving up to redo them and are at the planning stage. We'd like one to have a bathtub and one to have a biggish shower. The smaller could easily be made into an ensuite by moving where the door is.

For those of you who have lived for a while with two bathrooms, what works best for you? And what do you think we should do? Both to live with and hopefully not to decrease the value of our property (although no plans to leave!). We have DC under 10 if that is relevant. Thank you.

a) bathtub in family bathroom and shower in ensuite
b) shower in family bathroom and bathtub in ensuite
c) two family bathrooms and no ensuite.

OP posts:
evilharpy · 16/01/2022 23:22

@RedHot22

Out of interest. Why are posters bothered about toothbrushes in en-suites and not family bathrooms?
Because if one of us goes to bed before the other, the other risks waking them up going into the ensuite to brush their teeth, go to the loo etc before going to bed. I'm a terribly light sleeper.
LoveFall · 16/01/2022 23:40

We took out a tub in our master bath and turned it into a large shower. I really like the large shower but I wish the tub in our other bathroom was bigger.

And I do not understand the whole "toilet in your bedroom" thing about master baths. Ours is large and the toilet I would say is a good 25 feet from the edge of the bed, through a closet area. And there is a door for goodness sake.

In our old Edwardian era home the toilet was actually closer!

I would not be without an ensuite again.

Oruguita · 17/01/2022 00:19

We have an ensuite with shower in each bedroom and then a family bathroom with a bath (4 bathrooms in total). I had thought perhaps the 4th bathroom was superfluous but I keep it as it’s the only one with a bath and it’s where guests use the toilet. I would definitely have a bath in the main family bathroom.

Much as I like an ensuite I wouldn’t necessarily bother if it was going to cost a lot more money.

boobot1 · 17/01/2022 00:27

I have a bath and separate double shower in the family bathroom and double showers in the two ensuites. I would never buy a house with no bath. If I were you I would have a bath in family bathroom and overhead shower and an ensuite with a shower.

Twillow · 17/01/2022 00:34

Tip - make the second shower (over the bath maybe) electric, so that if your boiler has a fault you can still have a shower!

Volterra · 17/01/2022 00:39

We have A. I love our en-suite and it is very high on our must have list for house hunting. Spent a miserable few nights last week having to traipse to toilet in a cold house so appreciate mine even more.

halloweenie13 · 17/01/2022 00:42

we have a separate bath and shower in the main bathroom, a shower in the en suite and a down stairs loo

AlwaysLatte · 17/01/2022 00:47

Because our house is extremely old we can't change things around as we'd like but we've got bath/shower/WC in our ensuite, shower/WC in our family bathroom, shower/WC in guest bathroom then WC only in kids en-suite.

backtolifebacktoreality · 17/01/2022 00:50

I don't like en-suites so would suggest two family bathrooms.

En-suites can be noisy etc if your partner is trying to sleep.

I'd sooner have a separate bathroom that can be accessed by anyone (if that's what you agree) off the hallway.

Heartofglass12345 · 17/01/2022 00:57

We have A, but they are both tiny. I would like to knock the wall down in between them and have a bigger room and keep the door in our room maybe, but my husband doesn't want to and we can't afford it Grin

I do like it though, I just leave the window open a bit in the en suite most of the time.

Flickflak · 17/01/2022 01:05

This reply has been withdrawn

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backtolifebacktoreality · 17/01/2022 01:23

Doesn't the light from the en-suite wake you at night?

Sunnytwobridges · 17/01/2022 01:27

I wouldn’t buy a house without an ensuite. It doesn’t have to have a tub as I never take baths anymore. Couldn’t imagine having to share a bathroom with anyone else (kids/guests)

Zonder · 17/01/2022 04:14

@backtolifebacktoreality

Doesn't the light from the en-suite wake you at night?
Not for those of us lucky enough to have walls and a door on our en suite. Probably different for those MN'ers who just have a loo in the corner of their bedroom 😂
SuPerDoPer · 17/01/2022 04:48

All the en suite love is from people with "massive" bedrooms and "well-designed" bathrooms. But they aren't all like that. And I definitely don't have a "gross man crapping next to my bed" because I would never invite a gross man into my house but if I forget to shut the door I can see the toilet while lying in bed. I bought a house which ticked all my boxes re location, number of bedrooms, room to expand etc and having never had an ensuite before the proximity of the toilet to my bed is taking some getting used to.

I like the drama of the PP who spent a miserable night "traipsing" to the bathroom on the landing. I grew up in a house with an outside toilet (I'm not even that old) and can't imagine being so despondent about the bathroom location. I guess it's all down to what we're used to, what suits our particular families and what sort of house you have.

PissedOffNeighbour22 · 17/01/2022 04:57

Our new house needs both bathrooms renovating.
Personally I don't like en-suites but I've got quite used to it over the last few months, especially as I'm heavily pregnant and the main bathroom is in far worse state than the en-suite.

Currently there's a bath and shower in the main bathroom and a large shower in the en-suite. We considered a second bath as there's room but decided a shower only for the en-suite as it would have to be a shower over bath and I have back problems which mean it's much easier to just have a shower to walk into.
Our main bathroom isn't really big enough for a large separate shower but we're going for it anyway due to my back issues, and also as we want a slipper bath (currently has a huge roll top).

Having read your updates about the space issues, I wouldn't have the second bathroom as an en-suite. Our room lacks space and I'd much rather have had the room to put lots of storage as I have far too many clothes etc. We only have room for a triple wardrobe and 2 sets of drawers in our bedroom. Our previous house main bedroom had room for 4 double wardrobes - but no en-suite.

user1497787065 · 17/01/2022 06:41

Only on MN have I ever heard people hate en-suite bathrooms. It seems a basic requirement even in the smallest of houses that there is an en-suite, however small. I think in the 70s they would have been a built-in wardrobe.

If there are two bathrooms in a house I would expect one to be an en-suite. Hard to say if it would be a deal breaker for me if purchasing but possibly.

RedHot22 · 17/01/2022 06:52

Doesn't the light from the en-suite wake you at night?
I never put the light on when I pee in the night, whichever bathroom use. Neither of us poo in the en-suite loo unless we’re in the bedroom alone.

RedHot22 · 17/01/2022 07:02

Because if one of us goes to bed before the other, the other risks waking them up going into the ensuite to brush their teeth, go to the loo etc before going to bed. I'm a terribly light sleeper.

Thanks for explaining @evilharpy
We always go to bed together so not really an issue. If I’m out and will be home late I get ready for bed before entering the bedroom anyway. I have a toothbrush in family bathroom too.

Volterra · 17/01/2022 07:29

I like the drama of the PP who spent a miserable night "traipsing" to the bathroom on the landing

That was me, it was last week in my Stepmum’s house which has never been lived in properly, was freezing , has a step immediately outside the door to a small landing then another step back up. I’m used to a warm house with my bathroom close by and need to go to the loo a fair bit as part of menopause. My Dad died last Monday hence me staying there and it was one thing I could have done without.

I’m ready for it this week and have suitable dressing gown and slippers which I didn’t have as shot out the door last Monday morning after hospital rang to say come and say goodbye for Dad and I had to drive there not knowing if I would make it in time. That was the dramatic bit, the nightly trips to the toilet were a mere pain in the arse but did make me grateful for my en-suite.

RedHot22 · 17/01/2022 07:35

@Volterra

I like the drama of the PP who spent a miserable night "traipsing" to the bathroom on the landing

That was me, it was last week in my Stepmum’s house which has never been lived in properly, was freezing , has a step immediately outside the door to a small landing then another step back up. I’m used to a warm house with my bathroom close by and need to go to the loo a fair bit as part of menopause. My Dad died last Monday hence me staying there and it was one thing I could have done without.

I’m ready for it this week and have suitable dressing gown and slippers which I didn’t have as shot out the door last Monday morning after hospital rang to say come and say goodbye for Dad and I had to drive there not knowing if I would make it in time. That was the dramatic bit, the nightly trips to the toilet were a mere pain in the arse but did make me grateful for my en-suite.

Sorry for your loss @Volterra

Yes to the drama Smile
It’s the little things in life that can make it so much easier.

Caspianberg · 17/01/2022 07:45

We have a bathroom just outside bedroom, along the landing. So it’s really not traipsing. It’s just it has bedroom door, a few metres and bathroom door so sound reduced if people using when other sleeping.

But I do get that, my parents only have a downstairs bathroom at the back of terrace house, so you have to go along landing, downstairs, through all the downstairs rooms to reach it. And it’s freezing.

Policyschmolicy · 17/01/2022 07:46

I’d go for one big walk in shower, one bath with shower over. Our bath is actually in the en-suite because it’s massive but we don’t ever use it - it’s mostly for show (and because I think a house should have one bath). There are benefits to either setup - two family bathrooms offers more flexible usage, especially if the ‘nicer’ shower is in the en-suite. An en-suite is more private with kids around etc, won’t get the chance to bump into them in the middle of the night. Ours was already laid out as an en-suite but I probably wouldn’t have changed it if the setup was different.

Policyschmolicy · 17/01/2022 07:57

Oh but if it’s two bathrooms and no separate loo I would keep them both as access from the hallway. If you have DC or start a family then multiple loos are essential.

ThePoetsWife · 17/01/2022 07:59

For flexibility it's one bathroom and one shower room. No en-suites.
This works really well for us.

I am not a great fan of en-suites - if one bathroom is out of order then you get people coming through your bedroom to use the en-suite.