Where to put downstairs bathroom?

[cluelessaboutinteriors]

Hi, can anyone help me with some initial thoughts on where we could site a downstairs bathroom? I do also plan to speak to architects but that could take some time to sort out. I think the least complicated point would be to take a section out of the kitchen where it connects to the living room. That will be directly under the current bathroom and can use the same pipe work. I don’t think we can use our under stairs cupboard because it opens onto the living room.

The other option is the far end of the kitchen, which isn’t used as a diner (as indicated on the floor plan). It’s wasted space at the moment, just used as storage for bikes, scooters and other random bits and looks a mess most of the time. The study is used as a study and I don’t think we would want to re-site our workspace.

I do think the best use of the space would be to do a side return extension, put a stud wall in the dining room to create a corridor from the front door to the kitchen and essentially rearrange the whole of the downstairs, however we are likely moving on 2-3 years and I don’t think it’s worth the hassle and expense for us.

I would put it downstairs

I planning to redo the kitchen in around 6 months so it’s a good opportunity to do the bathroom at the same time. Would like to keep the cost of both together to under £15k. For the kitchen I think we could keep a lot of the existing cupboard carcasses but we need to change the floor, walls and most appliances.

What’s in the bathroom? Just a toilet and sink, a shower too or bath? Could under the stairs wc be an option?

Do you mean a bathroom or a downstairs toilet? Hell of a difference in size...

Just a toilet and sink, no shower/bath

Most people with houses of that size are battling to get the old fashioned downstairs bathrooms put upstairs!! Is there a particular reason, does it need to be accessible?

If you're just adding a cloakroom (wc and basin) use the under stairs space and relocate the door.

We already have a bathroom upstairs. We want an extra toilet downstairs

Sorry posting at cross purposes you mean downstairs loo! I thought you meant bathroom as in actual bathroom.

Have you looked at similar houses in your area on rightmove, to see what other people have form with floorplans?

@Anomalocaris what do you mean relocate the door? Do you mean have the door opening into the kitchen? That’s a good suggestion but not sure having the door open into the kitchen is any better than it opening into the living room…

I would put it under the stairs. what are the measurements of your storage cupboard? We're in a 30s house with the arrangement and this type of house, plus Victorian terraces etc make up the housing stock round here and lots of friends have the same thing. It would be by far the cheapest option as you wouldnt need to touch your existing layout.

Most other houses seem to have downstairs bathroom located at the end of the kitchen but that’s not an option for us because we have our study there. However we could possibly use the space between the kitchen and the study. We have a garden door on the left and a big window all along the wall, we’d have to lose part of the window and I’m not sure about how the bathroom would fit in that space in a way that makes sense. But it would be a good use of the space since we’re not using that space efficiently at the moment.

@Africa2go that cloakroom looks like it opens out into a hallway whereas ours would open into the dining area of our living room. Not very pleasant for someone wanting to use the loo in the middle of a meal with others!

Can you live with a smaller study or smaller breakfast area? You could put up an extra wall and door parallel to existing study wall and door. Divide the resulting narrow space into toilet on the left and an internal hallway from kitchen to study on the right. The toilet door will open into the little hallway space between kitchen and study.

Just get rid of that study and put the bathroom in there. Studying can be done somewhere else, surely?

@Jenjenn I considered something similar and I think it could be a good option.

@Dillydollydingdong we both work from home at least half the week and need an enclosed space for work meetings etc. We don’t have space in the bedrooms for a desk in one of those. If we wanted to use the existing study for a bathroom we’d need a much bigger reorganisation of the downstairs to create a study elsewhere.

Check your planning department - where we are (hampshire) you can't have a toilet opening directly onto a kitchen, there has to be at least two doors between (so a hallway or similar)

@Ohhgreat I wouldn’t want it opening directly into kitchen anyway so I would plan it on the basis of having a second door with small hallway/cupboard area in between

I think it might be your best bet - far side of kitchen left hand side. You can possibly add a window (I wouldn't personally have a windowless toilet unless living in an apartment) and the plumbing looks to be close enough. The little hallway also means that the study is separated from the house that little bit more. Plus if someone in future wishes to use study as guest bedroom the loo will be almost like an ensuite.

@Ohhgreat

Check your planning department - where we are (hampshire) you can't have a toilet opening directly onto a kitchen, there has to be at least two doors between (so a hallway or similar)

That rule changed years ago… 90s I think… so there’s technically no problem. But, I still wouldn’t want a lavatory opening into a kitchen!

I'd do similar to Jen, but move the study door to the left of the room, and make the tiny foyer near the back door to allow easy access to the toilet from the garden.

I don't think you could put it under the stairs as the soil pipe is a different side of the house and it doesn't look to be an external wall.
Your best bet is a reconfigured kitchen / dining section with a loo directly under the existing bathroom, but that study at the end might hold existing pipe work if it was once the downstairs bathroom so that may also be an option.

Can the door to the study be moved across to the left? If so, it might be possible to create a loo where the current breakfast area is, on the right hand side. You could put a new stud wall at the end of your kitchen and create a small porch area where the current back door is, with a door off to the study, one to the new loo, one back into the kitchen (or en leave that one out) and one to go outside. Can you put a window in on the right hand wall? You already have a dining room off your living room so you aren't losing dining space.

Under the stairs and only used for family. Guest go upstairs

@longtompot yes it is an option to move the study door to the left (although not all the way to the window because the study has full wall shelves all along the left). That does sound like quite a good plan. Forgot to mention that floor in the kitchen is made of concrete so that will have to be dug through but I guess that’s an issue wherever the bathroom is unless the pipes directly connect to an external wall.

@zaffa the left hand wall is an external wall