Squeeze in another bathroom (floor plan!)

[Lexi334]

Ideally we would like a family bathroom and some other kind of bath/shower/wet room which this doesn’t currently have. Would even settle for just a WC.

We’d change the current shower room into a family bathroom.

Obviously it’s not the biggest property. Can anyone suggest any clever layout changes to allow us to add in a small shower room or WC? Eventually we’d look to extend the property - theres space to the side and back to do this - but hopefully not for 10 or so years.

Crikey that’s a tall order. Can you lose a bedroom?

@ReeseWitherfork Isn’t it just?! 🙈 definitely can’t lose a bedroom.

House is in our perfect location, within our budget. There’s been nothing within budget in this area for at least 4 months! Huge amount of interest and it’s going to a closing date. We just can’t decide if it’s going to work for us without the immediate scope for a second loo. It’s been fully renovated in the last 3 years - heating, wiring, windows, roof etc all redone so it’s in perfect condition. Big double garage (not attached to house), big garden to the front, back & side. Plenty of scope for future extension etc. BUT, it doesn’t have the second loo that we could really do with. DH has IBS so having a a second loo makes a big difference.

Squeeze is the operative word OP. You said it yourself. What's the point?

Between lounge and bedroom 1? I personally wouldn't want to though as there will be precious space lost.

The only possibility I see is to use part of the Lounge. Use a slice of space along its back wall ( 4 feet by 12 feet)to give you a cloakroom/short corridor leading into a WC. It would make the Lounge fairly small ( around 12 x 12 feet) but cloakroom storage space in addition to WC might make it worthwhile. I think the cheapest way of extending to allow space for at least a WC, would be to add a front porch. You're normally allowed a porch,without planning permission, provided it does not exceed 3 square metres.

Could you take the wall out between bedroom 3 & the kitchen to make an open plan living area. Then change the current lounge to a bedroom and add a bathroom to it?

Lose the double doors to the lounge and add one of these loos between the lounge and bedroom 1?

I was also thinking lose the double doors and then use the cupboard space and a slice of the living room.

Alternatively cut the bedroom 3 in half along the same line as the vestibule, have that as an office / small bedroom with a door from the living room.

How big are the bedroom one cupboards? For a short term solution I'm thinking a composting or camping toilet in the cupboard might work.

I think the only way of creating an additional bathroom without significant structural changes is to slice a section in the lounge off the wall nearest bedroom 1 with middle double doors that open outwards into the room, a sink straight ahead, a shower to the left or right and the loo the other end (but it might feel odd for guests to use the loo) if situated there or doing the same layout where the cupboards are in bed 1 but obviously you reduce the size of that room. However with both you’d have to think about soil pipes and how to run them. it’d be significant disruption (floorboards up etc) so I’d think about that carefully. Personally i’d bank the money you’d spend on this work concentrate on saving for the extension and do that sooner rather than later.

This is the layout of our bedroom/en-suite in our new build. It's a small en-suite the same width as a shower tray basically with a small sink and toilet. I'd say remove the cupboards in bedroom 1 and take a little bit from the lounge.

I don’t see it’s really possible without huge compromises elsewhere. If you could do a small extension sooner, it would be a good idea to add an en-suite to your bedroom but until then I can’t see what you can do without wasting money

Can you make a nice "gardeners loo" in the back of the garage? I have IBS and a comfy private loo away from the house is my dream. 🙂

Could you change the use of the rooms?

How important for important to you is it to have a large lounge the size of the one in the floor plan?

Because if you could do smaller I'd turn bedroom 1 or 3 into the lounge and turn the lounge into an en suite bedroom.

Especially if the extension can be done kitchen side or at the back by the current bedroom 1.

That you all!! I’ll have a look into all of your ideas 😊 I couldn’t see any sensible solution myself, hence the post.

With the way the market is currently, property in our town is selling for about 20% over the home report valuation. Since January there have been 4 properties go on the market that could even be possibilities for us 😓 and they needed a LOT of work straight off. This one is immaculate and has potential to extend in future so we might just need to muddle through with 1 loo until we can extend.

About 50% of the houses in the street have extended and added either of these. In theory you could probably combine the 2 and extend out the side and along the full length of the back.

I agree with pp. Lose the wall between b3 and kitchen. Single door to lounge but make it master with wall of cupboards and ensuite built in.

Apologies for my poor phone edit hand eye coordination, but hopefully this offers a couple of options?

Could you extend into the loft instead? I'd add a loft bedroom & family bathroom & return the downstairs bedroom to a 2nd reception room. If you have kids, they will need another reception room as they grow up.

I personally wouldn't bid on the house because it might be hard to resell later. Plus, it'll cost too much to get it how I want it & building costs have increased dramatically.

I've seen a few properties recently where the owners have squeezed in loos etc & it's ruined the house imo. The houses all left the feeling of spaciousness & looked cluttered.

Ignore me, I've just realised it's a flat!

@Lingoflaming It’s a bungalow 😊 with the pitch of the roof I’m not sure how feasible it would be to extend upwards. It would definitely at least need dormers and still even then, nobody else in the street has extended that was so I’d be inclined to think it’s not a possibility!

You’re paying a premium for the fact it’s ready to live in, when it doesn’t suit your needs and would have to have money spent outing in a toilet that wouldn’t even be permanent - because when you extend, the whole house would really benefit from remodelling inside.

I’d stretch and get the extension and remodelling now, if I could. or even buy a property that needs more work overall but has the floor space.

How's this?

Where’s the back door?

@Caspianberg I was waiting for that one 🤣 it’s the first thing I noticed too! It’s in the kitchen directly opposite the entrance believe it or not 🤣

I'd cost up building a WC off the vestibule.
Yes. It would have the extra cost of the brickwork, but all the services will be on that side of the house, so there might be savings there.

If you are going to have all the expense of adding walls and trying to get the plumbing in place wherever you add a toilet, could you build a small extension to the side of bedroom 3? Would it be much more expensive? If the back door is at the end of the kitchen you could have a lobby area with a door to the toilet/ shower room straight ahead then a door to the side going into the garden.