Keep the separate loo?

[sallyanne33]

I'm buying a house which has one bathroom with shower and sink and then a separate WC with no sink, just a toilet. As my kids grow I think I will need two bathrooms ideally. Rather than convert the understairs cupboard into another WC, losing my only easily accessible storage space, would it be weird to add a toilet to the main bathroom and leave the separate WC as it is? So I would effectively have two toilets next to each other, separated by a stud wall. The problem is it's a bit gross not to have sink in the separate WC and it would be very tight to fit one it. I know you can get toilets with hand basins on top of the cistern, has anyone ever had one of these? Is this idea too strange? I'm thinking I've never seen this arrangement in any house I've viewed so there must be a reason for it!

It's a good idea, my parents in law did this. But yes, work out a way to get a tiny sink in there.

My 1960s house has a separate toilet (no sink) to the bath/shower room.
I like it that way.

Ideally, a house should have a downstairs toilet/cloakroom, and newer properties does have this.

Could you create accessible storage space in another part of the house, if you were to convert the understairs cupboard? I've seen a lot of property programmes where this happens.

Personally, it sounds strange to have two upstairs toilets but it's whatever suits you and your family.

With my own house, I did consider having a toilet put in the same room as the bath/shower, with a view to installing the washing machine in what would have been the toilet room, but like I said, I personally like having the toilet separate to the bath/shower room.

I didn’t read the OP properly. Ignore!

We have one of the toilets with a sink above the cistern in our downstairs loo. It’s been great!

I've got that toilet with the sink in the cistern as well, it's brilliant. We get lots of compliments on how nifty it is!

We have this exact set-up and it’s brilliant! Very useful if a child needs the loo when someone is in the shower/bath. We just wash our hands in the bathroom.

Tbh I think you would be better spending your money on converting the space downstairs into a downstairs loo.

People like downstairs loo so that will be better for resale value. And more useful to you as a family too to have a separate loo downstairs.

I know somebody with that toilet / basin and it’s great!

I understand your reluctancy of getting rid of your only storage space. I work as an interior designer and it can be super hard to redesign homes when people overlook the importance of storage spaces.

What about if you convert the under stairs cupboard into a small cloakroom and then the tiny toilet upstairs could be a storage room?
You'd have to put a toilet into the bathroom upstairs of course.

I have exactly the same as you in a house I'm moving into. We are opening up the tiny toilet and making the bathroom bigger. However we have one extra bathroom upstairs so we don't have the need for the toilet and bath to be in separate rooms.

Also I think the toilet with the sink ontop is a great alternative solution.

My last house was a typical older house with bathroom and separate toilet next to it. We had a toilet added to the bathroom and kept the separate one as well. I have seen this elsewhere as well. I would hate to have only one toilet in a family house and we had a cellar there so no understairs cupboard to convert downstairs.
It's no problem having no basin with the separate loo. If the bathroom is empty, just go in there to wash your hands and, if it is busy, use the kitchen sink.
It is fashionable to want a bigger bathroom and merge the bathroom and toilet but I really think that is impractical in a family house with no other toilet.

Thanks, good idea to swap them round.