150m2 maisonette, 2 or 3 bathrooms?

[NotReallyaNurse]

Hi Mumsnetters,

We've purchased a 150m2 maisonette flat (in Switzerland, where we live right now). It currently has 3 bathrooms: one on the 1st floor, two small ones in the ground floor (each bathroom has a WC and shower).

We can however change the layout as we're so early in the planning phase.

Question:

Our kids are now 7 and 9. We plan on living there for the next 15-20 years. Would you keep 3 bathrooms?.... or would you merge the small bathrooms downstairs and only keep 2 bathrooms (one upstairs, one downstairs)?

Thank you for your help!

Can you post a plan? I think it depends on the layout/number of bedrooms.

Where are the bedrooms and how many?

Personally I think 2 bathrooms is plenty, will be less expensive to maintain 2 bathrooms than 3. Will they give you a discount though as also less expensive to build? They won't have to put 3 soil pipes in.

Are your kids same sex or boy and girl?

Oh thank you so much for all your answers!

@chesirecat99 - I posted a plan - the downstairs and upstairs. What do you think?

@LIZS - there are three bedrooms downstairs and one upstairs (will probably be my study).

@starpatch - good point!, they won't give us a discount but we would save because we'd have to purchase less bathroom elements (one less WC, etc).

@AdriannaP - ah an excellent comment, we have a boy and a girl.... so probably a need for different bathrooms when they grow up.

I'd keep it as it is tbh. The only benefit might be in increasing bedroom four but that is the only bath.

I don't think there is much you can do with the 2 bathrooms because of the windows.

If it were my home, I would use the 3 bedrooms on the ground floor as bedrooms and use the 4th bedroom on the 1st floor as a library/office/second reception room with a sofa bed so it can be used as a guest room too.

If you want to save money on bathroom fittings, I would have the the 1st floor bathroom plumbed in with pipes and drains for a shower but cap them rather than installing a shower and use the space as a lootility room with a washer dryer, sink, loo and Sheila maid style ceiling drying rack. I would then use the alcove for the washing machine upstairs as a cupboard.

@LIZS and @chesirecat99, thank you so much for your inputs :) Now I need to digest all this, let's see what we're going to do...

You might be thankful for three bathrooms when your kids are teenagers...

the downstairs is effectively 2 bathrooms between 3 bedrooms, so one for the kids and one for the adults. I'd keep it like that.

if you aren't going to have guests in the upstairs bedroom, I might not have a shower and put in washing machine / dryer instead (ie. a lootility). Because I can't see where you do laundry otherwise.

Keep it as it is - if you DO ever want to sell, you need three bathrooms for a four bedroom house. You can never have too many bathrooms. (I am a real estate agent and have several of my own houses and always have as many bathrooms as I can fit in)

Is keep it as it is. 2 bathrooms upstairs and a downstairs loo is pretty standard for 4 bedroom houses, so all you've got is an extra shower downstairs. Seems fine to me.

Thank you all for your input, really appreciate it!

No one needs 3 bathrooms in a four bed house and you certainly don’t need different bathrooms if children aren’t the same sex. Madness.

If so as others suggest change to a lootilty upstairs.

Its similar to having an ensuite for parents, bathroom for kids and an additional guest bathroom near living area (and guest bedroom). Only additiom is the extra shower

I'd probably leave it that way.

I don't like the bedroom 1 being directly off the living room and kitchen. Could you make that bathroom smaller so the door to the bedroom is adjacent to the bathroom off the hallway? Maybe just have a downstairs toilet & sink in that one.
I'd be tempted to make the bathroom next to bedroom4 an ensuit and then the other one the family bathroom for the other 2 bedrooms.