Additional shower room downstairs?

[Fancypants2022]

Hi all. Family of 4 in a 3/4 bed dormer bungalow. Now the kids are teenagers it is clear that one main bathroom upstairs is not enough. We have a downstairs toilet that could be made into a shower room too if we take a little space from the kitchen larder. We would then knock through the kitchen into the dining room to make it bigger and more sociable. I know some people hate downstairs shower rooms but this would be in addition to the main bathroom upstairs. I am just a bit worried about losing value if we are essentially putting people off whilst trying to make it work better for us. The new downstairs shower would be electric so could be used at the same time as upstairs. Does anyone think this is a terrible idea? No space upstairs for an en suite or anything like that as we are already tight for space in the eaves. Any feed back appreciated.

No it’s a good idea. 2 showers in a family home , always better than 1 , and having a downstairs shower actually helps age-proof your house.
We have a 3/4 bed chalet too and we have a full bathroom downstairs ( as was original) and added an upstairs shower when we moved in. The downstairs is rarely used, but it will be if I make it to old age.

If you come to sell it might pose a bit of a problem, your children will be leaving home in a few years.

Not necessarily true.

A lot of people like a downstairs shower.

For reasons of mobility or practicality (for example if you work in a messy environment coming in and not having tramp mess upstairs to shower is a big bonus especially if the shower is off entrance/hallway or if family sport like football/rugby).

Also it's not big a deal to change back into a toilet if you don't like it.

If it suits your family OP I'd do it.

Thank you - we will be here for at least 5 years. I am worried about devaluing the house.

We have a downstairs shower room...also a family of four with two teenagers. I don't know how we'd manage without it especially on weekday mornings.

I don't like downstairs shower rooms, but if you can make it a good accessible one it might help future sales. If you're sure it won't end up with people fighting about who has to go downstairs etc.
Fwiw we had 6 people and 1 shower, you just need to all have your alloted times and stick to it.

I’m turning a large downstairs loo into a shower room (will still have loo and sink) so that my elderly dad can come to stay. I’ll have three showers.

I didn’t realise that downstairs showers were frowned upon, never crossed my mind as I’ve always had one.

You need to make any house work for you today imo.

Just get the best wiring and go for the most powerful electric shower, 10.5Kw last time I looked.

High quality installation won't devalue. A 4 bed home with 2 bathrooms is welcomed. I'd go for it

We have a downstairs shower room & wouldn't be without it. 2 showers def makes life so much easier with teenagers in the house. Now just me & DH but really handy esp if coming in from working outside, & are dirty - saves trailing all thro house. Useful for showering dog & sending straight outside to dry too!

A downstairs shower room is an essential for me - but so is a spacious walk in larder so I wouldn't want to sacrifice one for the other.

Most extensions on my road incude a downstairs shower room. Future proofs the house for you and allows guests to stay more easily.

Funnily enough, we've just had someone to look at converting our broom cupboard (next to the downstairs loo) to a shower room by knocking through.

Not all of this (or even any of it) will necessarily apply to you, but because of the positioning of drains and water supply, and the fact that there is a concrete floor in both the loo and the cupboard, and a brick wall separating them we were told that it would cost over £30k for the labour alone. That, plus the cost of fitting means that it won't be happening - it is just too much to pay for the sake of being able to shower downstairs now and then. I might have thought about it when we had children and a dog coming in and out, but now there is just me and husband it's not worth it.

Having a downstairs shower would (to me) be a plus, so long as it wasn't instead of one upstairs. If yours is more feasible than mine would have been I wouldn't rule it out, but be prepared for a shock at the cost.

A downstairs shower room would be a massive plus for me and make me more likely to buy the house! Conversely I wouldn't want a house with an en suite... So you'd still have a market.

It's useful having a second bathroom for a bigger family or when guests come to stay, and a separate shower downstairs is far more use than an en suite upstairs. Plus it's sensible for accessibility reasons - either for an elderly resident or visitor or if one of you has an injury that means climbing the stairs is difficult for a while. Just make sure it's a reasonable size.

Plus it's great if someone comes in from a muddy walk, sweaty hobby or gardening and wants a shower without trailing everything upstairs.

Thanks all - so helpful. ShyMaryEllen - wowzers that is very expensive. If it is that kind of price it is a definite no! Will see what our builder says.
Dreamingofgdfinchlane - alas it is not a walk in larder (I would also never give that up!). It is a small awkward space that houses the fridge and nothing else so wouldn’t be too much of a loss to brick it up and knock through to make that shower space.
appreciate all the replies!

@Fancypants2022 Yes, I was taken aback! But our downstairs loo used to be outside, and the cupboard was once a coal store, hence the brick wall and concrete floor. If your space has always been indoors it's likely to be less of a nightmare project.

We’ve recently turned the downstairs toilet into a shower and toilet. One of our 3 kids also has her bedroom downstairs so it makes sense. Really like it - also good for hosing down the dog.

Thank you - my husband is a trail runner and always muddy - a bit like a muddy dog I reckon 🤣

Our downstairs shower room is fantastic!
we have a tiled hallway, kitchen and utility room. The shower room is off the utility room. It was originally just a WC but we picked a bit off the utility room to mage space for the walk in shower. Muddy / sandy / wet kids get ushered straight through and into the shower room. We wouldn’t be without it!

Ours has been brilliant and have no regrets

I actually bought this house ( a 3 storey Victorian) precisely because it has a downstairs shower room. If I ever get to the point where I can't manage stairs I'll turn one of the downstairs rooms into a bedroom and live downstairs. So, some people want an extra shower room!

Have you also got a downstairs bedroom? I’ve got a dormer bungalow and converted the small 4th bedroom to a laundry room, 3rd bedroom also downstairs. If it gets to the point where I can’t manage stairs etc then I’ll convert laundry room to a mixed laundry / shower and keep upstairs for guests/kids. I’d see it as a positive for selling and a big plus for you now

All bedrooms are upstairs. It’s a really small space and in an ideal world we would extend out the back to make a nice bathroom and bigger kitchen but we just can’t afford it. We overpaid for the house as we were desperate and now trying to make it work better without spending a lot more than it’s worth

I’d love a downstairs shower room - just to future-proof the house.

Make sure the room is big enough to use comfortably. We had a downstairs shower and loo when we moved in. But the room was just too small; getting on and off the loo involved moving awkwardly so that you didn't hit your head on the opposite wall, and the loo was so close to the side wall that you had to sit there shoulders against the sliding door on one side! The shower was similarly, though not so very badly, cramped. And there was no wash basin at all. Didn't want to lose the shower, but there was no chance of extending the room. So we got rid of the shower, moved the loo and put in a decent sized wash basin. And replaced the sliding door with a regular opening door.