To buy a house with a bathroom downstairs only?

[PennyLany]

We are FTBs and have a limited budget for our area. All properties within our range are small cottages, often with 1 bathroom downstairs only (i.e. no loo upstairs). I know this is a pain point and might make it hard to resell but would it be silly to discard these types of properties fully? Here is an example:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/145466324#/?channel=RES_BUY

We are a family of 3 with a small DD.

The fact that the front door opens straight into the lounge would bother me more than the bathroom being downstairs tbh. Especially when coming in from outside when wet and cold. Space for shoes, coats? We don’t wear shoes indoors though.

The downstairs bathroom would be a benefit with a 3 year old when they need the loo, cleaning up etc. You could get something like this to keep upstairs for little one needing the toilet in the night and any emergencies for the adults (although emptying it would get old quick!) but I’d be checking if feasible to build a covered porch at the front and an extension for an upstairs bathroom on top of the extension already in the garden in a few years if you expect to be there for a while which will increase value as well of course.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8875165?storeID=897&istCompanyId=a74d8886-5df9-4baa-b776-166b3bf9111c&istFeedId=30f62ea9-9626-4cac-97c8-9ff3921f8558&istItemId=ixititqtx&istBid=t&&

I lived in a house with a downstairs bathroom for a couple of years and you get so used it, it’s not really an issue. I never get up in the night to pee though so so no traipsing downstairs at 2am!

The house looks very pretty but how practical is it? I would want to have a hallway where you could at least put a few coats and shoes. If you were planning on having another child the house would be a squeeze.

Not sure why it is being marketed at £135k more that 2021!!

I just moved out of a house like this after 20 years and raiding a child there. I grew to love my downstairs bathroom and miss it. My favourite thing was to lounge in a bath with a glass of wine while also chatting to dh cooking and ds pottering about.

When ds was a baby, we did the painful getting up thing, went downstairs and could stay downstairs all day. I really liked that.

I lived in a house with a downstairs bathroom for about 6 years. I had young children it was very practical at bathtime. We also had a dog so it meant if she was muddy she could also go right into the bath, not running all over the house.
I worried about needed the loo in the night but we soon trained ourselves not to!
It would never put me off a house with a downstairs bathroom in the future.

My current house that I've been in for 5 years has the bathroom downstairs. It's really not an issue. Just make sure you have a last wee before bed 😅

We only have a downstairs bathroom and have been fine for the 12 years we lived here.

We don't live too far from that area but renting.

When we were looking to buy a downstairs bathroom was one of my definitely not's. I've lived in a house with one and I just didn't like it, was a bit faffy.

We have ended up buying in Bracknell as first time buyers, not far from you. Lovely 3 bed house for £370.

Yes if you go another 20 mins or so on the train out from Weybridge you’ll get a hell of a lot more house for your money. Plus more countryside too. Just a thought.

Had one with young DC and liked it tbh but those were the days I never needed the loo during the night!

Are terrace houses called 'cottages' down south? 😅
It is a lot more easier having a toilet upstairs and downstairs, we didn't use to, but now we do we never go back to just one.
Although in a cottage terrace, i would expect only one bathroom either off the kitchen or upstairs as the box room.

I live in a terraced house. It’s not like the house in the picture at all. My bathroom is upstairs, not a box room, and was clearly designed like that.

Our first buy together was like this, we loved it and had no issues with only having a loo downstairs. Had no problems selling either.

I grew up in a 3 bed semi. I was 18 months old when we moved there and my brother was 3. The house had a grotty upstairs bathroom and an outside toilet. My dad converted the bathroom into the third bedroom, removed the outside loo and built a big bathroom downstairs (corner plot so had space). We never had any issues with the bathroom being downstairs. In fact, my 87 year old mum still lives there and has mobility issues, so she sleeps downstairs now and the ground floor bathroom is a godsend.

You can get a terraced cottage, and a terrace that isn't a cottage.

I quite agree.

OP those extension bathrooms usually don't have a radiator with a high enough BTU to deal with the 3 outside walls. I had to replace my radiator with one that was 1.8m high and 500mm to deal with that issue so that is really something to consider. I have a very similar layout but luckily an upstairs en suite.

Ours was 1794, bathroom/kitchen added 1971, absolutely chilblain-inducing.

🥶

Sold for GBP 365k in 2021, jokers.

Sold for GBP 365k in 2021, jokers

And considerably refurbished since then

Factor in the area and desirability with what people are looking for post covid- not such a joke. Possibly a little optimistic but that’s what offers are for. And the market will take what the market takes, that’s the way it works. It’s in line with other similar houses in the area.

Not generally no, only the exceptionally pretty ones.

I think it's a lovely looking cottage op and you have a nice little outdoor space too.
My first buy with my DH was very similar and had a bathroom downstairs. It was absolutely fine and we stayed there until DD2 came along as we needed an extra bedroom but I would have happily stayed there had there been scope to extend.

It's a lovely house and there a similar houses in the zone 5 area of South London I live in. We have a bathroom downstairs and upstairs in our (slightly different style etc) house and I only ever use the downstairs one so as not to disturb DC in bed so I am a big fan of the downstairs bathroom!

Have you consider sacrificing buying a period / “pretty” house for more space/better layout? We live in that area and got a 50s semi which isn’t as pretty but so much bigger.