Removing downstairs toilet

[Pebble65]

Hi All,

We’re in the process of moving house but noticed when we viewed the new house that the downstairs toilet is not great. It’s an early 1800’s cottage which has been extended in the last 7 years to almost double its size. The kitchen is open plan to the hallway which leads to the front door and the toilet is off this hallway.

The downstairs toilet room is the width of the toilet (tiny and claustrophobic), it effectively leads off the kitchen and we just don’t think it’s a good use of space. We have a downstairs toilet in our current house that barely gets used and the idea of everyone in the kitchen being able to hear people in there is off putting.

This is all part of the new extension and we assumed we could remove it and extend the pantry in to it which would be a much better use of space. However, I’ve been reading up about building regs and now I’m worried we won’t be allowed to remove it.

Do the rules about downstairs toilets apply to extensions or does anyone know if they just apply to new builds?

Can you improve it? I'd struggle without a downstairs loo.

I defo wouldn't remove the downstairs loo. I wish we had a second loo! As pp said, could you improve it/renovate it?

We don't have a loo downstairs and tbh I wouldn't consider any houses in a future move without one so I definitely wouldn't remove it.

Ours is right next to the kitchen, and it's less than ideal but there is no way that my Mum would be able to get up our staircase to use the toilet upstairs.

The rule apply to all houses so you cannot remove a downstairs toilet even if it doesn’t meet current standards. This has been a building regulations requirement since 1998 so not new. Can you move it or improve it?

I think it's only a problem if/when you want to resell. Take it out, leave all the plumbing connections, refit it when you want to sell it.

I would struggle without a downstairs loo, I wouldn’t like visitors, tradesmen, and whoever else traipsing upstairs.

When I was house hunting any house without a downstairs loo was off the list immediately.

A Picture or diagram of the downstairs layout might be helpful here. You might be able to re site it somewhere else, but like all other posters so far, I would definitely NOT get rid.

If you decide you don't want it, it can be capped off and as long as it can be "reassembled" if you ever sell and leave that would be ok I think. I don't believe you can eliminate it completely since it's already there.

Make sure you are making the right decision here though.

What are these rules that people are talking about?

I definitely wouldn’t get rid of a downstairs loo, really wish we had one no matter how small

We've got one that is off the kitchen - it's fine when it's just the two of us in the house. And when we've got visitors, the shyer ones just pop upstairs to the family bathroom.

Anyway can you move the door to it - or put one somewhere else?

I don't think it's a dealbreaker for future housebuyers if you do decide to get rid of it though. (though as others have said, you'll need building regs approval...or chance it that it won't be picked up when you sell on)

Thanks for all your response! I have to admit though I’m really surprised at how much people love a downstairs loo!!

Both our current house and the one we’re buying has one downstairs, one in the en suite plus the main bathroom- three loos to clean is a pain in the arse!

Trying to anonymise this as much as possible- the floor plan shows the toilet’s location.

Yes the rule is that you cannot make your house less “accessible” than it currently is in terms of toilet facilities. So if you currently have a ground floor loo you need to keep a ground floor loo (or as pp say the ability to quickly put one back in). This is not just for new builds. New builds have to include a downstairs loos in the design I believe, older houses don’t have to add one but if it’s there already you can’t remove it.

Leaving aside the regs- Downstairs loos are useful in all sorts of situations. Broken leg/sprained ankle, D&V, potty training, and most often, a quick wee before going out when you have shoes on already and don’t want to traipse dirt upstairs.

If you’re that worried about noise I suggest a radio or white noise/bird song player in the loo.

I would keep it. I would never want to live in a house without a downstairs loo. Just much easier than having to run upstairs constantly, especially as I get older!

Are there no doors from the hall to the kitchen/diner?

I'm only going on what your plan shows, but I'd definitely keep the loo. I'd put a door in at the end of the hallway into the kitchen. Block off the access to the utility from the kitchen, and merge the loo with the utility with access only from the hall.

Or if that is too radical, just put doors at the kitchen end and leave the loo as it is. Plenty of houses are like that with the loo in the hallway somewhere.

You could put a row of shelves under the stairs for "larder" suitable foods, and toilet paper/kitchen towels etc.

That may not be suitable though, as I'm only going off the diagram.

Our house doesn't have a downstairs loo, and I would never again buy a house without one.

We’ve been without ours for a while and I really missed it. The biggest issues we had were elderly family members with mobility problems struggling upstairs, and all other visitors/workmen having to go upstairs. I felt obliged to keep (all three!) upstairs loos immaculate just in case. Much easier to keep the downstairs one immaculate and the others clean enough for ourselves.

Downstairs toilets are amazing when you have kids. Easy for them and their friends to find nightmare sending kids upstairs. . Great when you get in or are working in the garden. Older family who cant make it upstairs they are essential. If people are worried about noise they run a tap!

P I prefer a downairs loo over an en suite any day!

We have a downstairs loo and I wouldn't consider a house without one. Yours doesn't have a window that would concern me as I'm very claustrophobic. I would choose a downstairs toilet over an en suite. Dd2 has just moved into a new house and they have moved the downstairs toilet from under the stairs to a similar position as yours next to the kitchen. It is also windowless and has a black toilet suite so I think I'm going to be trekking upstairs!

We're reconfiguring our layout downstairs and the toilet will be moving so that it's right next to the living room. We're planning to soundproof the walls to prevent noise travelling!

Depending if you need the study or not I would reconfigure it to be a downstairs shower room or if you need the study I would pinch some of the space from it to make the toilet larger.
We have a house without a downstairs toilet and it’s a bit of nightmare, we are lucky in a way as still have an outside one left from when lots of houses had one that the kids can run out to when they have shoes on etc that they don’t want to take off to run upstairs.
We plan on extending out the back and including a utility and downstairs shower room, we don’t plan on moving and having a downstairs toilet would make life so much easier.

though I’m really surprised at how much people love a downstairs loo!!

Do you never have visitors?

We like to invite friends round for dinner and it's so much easier for them to nip to our downstairs loo than troop upstairs.

Can't see why it's an issue from your plan. Maybe you need more soundproofing 🤔 but definitely don't remove it.