Do I really need to upgrade an en suite to sell?

[BG2015]

Thinking of downsizing in the next 12-18 months. 3 of us in a 4 bedroomed house, so 2 bedrooms and main bathroom are not really used.

Only room not refurbed is my 20 year old sons en-suite. The house is 20 years old and it's the original fixtures still in there and is minging and I mean AWFUL.

The tiles in the shower are stained (& believe me I've tried everything) the toilet is terribly stained (9 years of teenage boys not flushing 🤢) and it's just grotty.

Had a couple of quotes for very bog- standard sink, shower & toilet at £5k and £6k. That's with the plastic panels in the shower and the splash back tiles remaining and new sink butting up to it.

Would also need decorating, new mirror, flooring (Lino)

Is it worth getting it done or not? Just thinking it could be a negotiating tactic for future buyers so would rather get it done.

I'd mentally take £10k off my offer in order to sort the ensuite replacement.

Tbh I hate the way a lot of modern en-suites are done and quite often want to rip them out anyway. Those subway tiles and black hardwear are going to look horrifically dated in five years and when I see them in a Victorian house where everything else is classic and beautiful, I get irrationally angry!

Dated is fine. Gross is not. Replace the toilet, hack the tiles off* and rather than starting from scratch with panels, do a retile with whatever you can find for cheap that doesn’t clash.

We have panels in our rental. Black ones upstairs: absolute limescale magnets, hate them with a passion.

Downstairs they seem to make the bathroom absolutely freezing in winter? I have no explanation for this.

So, personally, I am looking for a house that doesn’t have panels. I probably wouldn’t buy a house with a GROSS bathroom cos it’s a nuisance getting tradesmen, but I would buy one that’s a bit dated but won’t make me queasy that I can do in my own time.

You can often get loos and tiles from FB marketplace for cheap (even free in some local recycle groups).

*try joining the FB group Help I don’t know how to clean this - they are amazing

If the room is as awful as you say, it could put potential buyers off. I would get the room upgraded in a cheap and cheerful way.

Have you tried neat coke in the toilet?

Or getting a professional cleaning company in....probably worth a couple of hundred quid for them to blitz it and see how much difference it makes so it's clean and dated rather than minging and dated.

But it you can't get the tiles clean - then the suggestion of hacking them off and getting it retiled isn't a bad one.

We have grey/sparkly panels in another en suite and they are lovely. So haven't got an issue with them.

No time (or inclination) to source stuff myself so it would be a total do over using a bathroom fitter/plumber.

It's beyond cleaning

Why don't you paint over the tiles? You can probably clean the toilet with spirit of salts. You only need to get it clean enough that whoever pokes their head in on a viewing won't think it's offputting. I don't think I'd bother retiling etc unless you can do it yourself

I think the sort of group you need for this is the diy on a budget type of thing, you'll be able to transform it on very little money and won't have to live with the consequences

Nothing is beyond cleaning.

New people moving in often want to change out to their own taste anyway, but seeing ingrained filth does put people off.

Try some aggressive cleaning strategies. There's a whole load of stuff you can use to improve things to a level where they might not look great, but will stop people being put off buying.

Another one who thinks a deep thorough clean and a lick of paint. Honestly, I would not waste money on a refurb. The tv programmes seem to be able to do it and they are really minging. I’m sure yours isn’t as bad as that. Bicarbonate and white vinegar I seem to remember.

Agressive cleaning of everything, including the tiles.

Or regrout - I’m assuming that’s what is stained, it’s hard to stain tiles.

Fit a New loo seat and keep it closed.

two coats of Emulsion on the painted walls. Decorate with a print in a simple frame ( Asda, arogos , matalan )

Get a new LARGE bathroom mirror - about £30 from ikea. The biggest you can fit into the space.

Put brighter, cool white bulbs in the light fittings

Buy a big set of coloured coordinating towels and put then artistically on the towel rail and over the side of the bath. Don’t use them and take them to your new house.

Accessorise with some house plants ( fake is fine ) and a few pretty bottles of toiletries or other suitable decorative objects . Put up a small shelf if nessary for this - about a tenner from Ikea etc.

subtle tasteful home fragrance.

I’d rather the original was just cleaned up than have those awful plastic panels - would just do it up when I had time funds but if I was expected to pay for someone else’s refurb and needed to redo would put me off buying

This is all excellent advice, and in my opinion the best on here so far. Please no plastic panels. They're horrible

I'd go for the best clean ever and paint. I wouldn't get it done on the cheap, that's obvious and a waste as new owners may change anyway. At the moment with house prices dipping, I would just expect to sell for a little less.

I would consider it worth chucking a little money at it.
Employ a professional deep cleaning style cleaning company (ask for references)

Or go to an industrial janitorial supplies and DIY with professional quality cleaners

Change the loo seat for a new one, add towels etc as per the above suggestions.

Look at tile stickers, you can get them on Amazon, and then a grout pen to clean up the grout.

Nothing can't be cleaned up.
Denture tablets in the loo. They're magic. Bleach the tiles
Scrub scrub you'll get everything off eventually

There is a product called EcoEgg Hard Surface Cleaner that combined with elbow grease works really well on tiles, grout, mirrors, shower doors and sinks. Amazon stock it if you can't find it locally. It comes with a scrubby sponge, apply as a paste liberally and work well in, you can leave it for a couple of days on tiles and grout. Come back, re-wet the sponge and scrub. Use a microfibre cloth to remove residue and polish to a gleam. It is hard work but so worth it. It's non abrasive and natural.

Then follow the other good advice re towels, plants etc.

These are all excellent ideas.

I'm going to try them - thanks.

(Can you also come round and tell my disgusting 20 year old to stop pissing on the seat and up the wall)

Posted too soon, you may need to reapply, particularly around the bottom walls of the shower, great to tackle mould too. Here's a link

https://amzn.eu/d/i81cvoW

Kick him out OP.
I hope he's not coming to you to the new house.
But if that's so, that might make him, even sub consciously, try to delay / sabotage the sale. (E g. By continuing to piss against the wall 😩.)

To be fair, his older brother ( no longer living here) contributed!

And yes, he will coming with us.
🥴

Why??

Re doing up - I think if you're not going to get any use out of the space yourself, I'd be inclined not to do it and it's just a negotiation point. In a 4-bed you're not necessarily talking first time buy / 'walk in and do nothing' buyers so a little project is unlikely to be too off-putting.

My incredible discovery lately after moving into a house where the bathroom had not been cleaned in 5 years (toilet beyond gross and all the tiles and grouting rusted colour) has been - mix bicarb and bleach into a paste and rub over the tiles and grouting - wear gloves and just do it with your fingers into all the grouting grooves. It is INCREDIBLE!! Honestly, worth a try - 10 times better than plain bleach or commercial cleaning stuff.

Have a window open though!

Why what?.

@Ilovegoldies
Sorry I'd just replied to the OPs post right before mine...why is she bringing the 20 year old who pisses against the wall to her new place.