En suite or walk in wardrobe?

[FlippertyFloperty]

I have made an offer on a house. It currently has an en suite, family bathroom and downstairs loo.

It's quite dated so hoping to add value by modernising.

I am wondering whether to convert the en suite into a walk in wardrobe as the bedroom isn't that big. Would this devalue the property?

Other thought is to turn downstairs loo into a coat cupboard and refurbish both bathrooms upstairs.

3 adults will be living in the house, each have a bedroom of their own.

Actually this is a good point as I love our en-suite but that’s because it has a bath and shower and is the size of a normal bathroom , it doesn’t look like someone has squeezed a loo and shower into a closet .

@FlippertyFloperty It will devalue it to get rid of the loo downstairs. I would keep
the en suite if it’s a reasonable size. It’s hopeless having one bathroom in a busy house or sharing when you have guests. I’d have built in wardrobes in the bedroom - and maybe use a bedroom for more storage if you can put wardrobes in and no one is occupying it. Summer and winter wardrobes works well for me.

Thanks for all the replies. The en suite is okay, compact but not a squash. It was originally planned for the house and has a window. It is dated so would be expensive to refurbish

The family bathroom has a separate toilet so I could remove the wall and make a fab bathroom, but again expensive.

I plan to downsize in 10-12 years time when I retire. I just don't want to spend money and lower the value of the property.

En-suite. And I’d keep the downstairs loo as well. Maybe get inventing with storage so you can hang coats in there too.

youd be mad to convert the downstairs loo to a coat cupboard. You can do various things to provide a good place for costs, it's not polite to wee on the doormat!

obviously it depends how long you plan to live there, and if you're doing it because you want that, then fine. Leave the plumbing the best way possible for new owners to put a loo back in.

for the majority of people a downstairs loo is far preferable.

• small kids
• jeeping visitors downstairs
• elderly visitors
• after an accident/surgery
• any time of ill health

same with en suite -are you doing it for you or purely to 'increase value'??

for you? Do as you please.

for sale - leave the en suite. Extra bathrooms increase saleability & price. It's easier for buyers to imagine turning into a wardrobe than an en suite if that's what they want.

I absolutely wouldn't turn the downstairs toilet into a cloakroom. Ours is invaluable when we have guests round or when one of the kids or us is bursting when we get home and can run in. I'd be keeping it as it is to be honest.

If the ensuite is quite small would it make a decent sized walk in wardrobe with shelving and space to dress or would it end up just a large closet?

Keep downstairs loo and update current en suite ideally to a bathroom next door - can’t stand adjoining en suites. Walk in wardrobes are lovely but suited to houses that have plenty of toilets per bedroom.

Leave the ensuite as it is. If it is only dated, you could take your time to decide if you actually need to replace it, as it might com back into fashion.

As others have pp, keep the downstairs loo. It is more of a selling feature.

I'd get the work done on having a decent sized family bathroom, I can't stand those ones with the loo next door.

It all depends on the finish.

A downstairs loo that has been crammed into a cupboard under the stairs, that is small, barely usable and not soundproof would not add much value. Equally, a tiny windowless en-suite with barely enough room to move within is a turnoff for many.

A decent downstairs toilet and a decent size en-suite or a second bathroom/shower room adds value to a property.

However, the decision on whether to invest depends the number of bedrooms in the home, size of property and the expectations of your target audience.

I definitely wouldn't remove the wall between the family bathroom and toilet - I think it's much better to keep them separate, particularly if you get rid of the en-suite, and saves having to wait to use the bathroom when someone else is having a leisurely poo. I suppose the decision on whether to keep the en-suite or cha fe it to a walk in wardrobe depends on the amount of clothes you've got. I've managed to fill the wardrobes in three bedrooms with my clothes so for me thst woukd be wonderful!

I’d also wonder how many people really want a walk-in wardrobe? We had one in our current house that we turned into a study as neither of us has any interest in one. It’s one of those things that sounds impressive on house details but wouldn’t really get used day to day.

Wardrobe. I’d hate an ensuite personally, even though I do get up in the night to use the loo.

En suite and downstairs loo would be ideal for us as a family.

If there are 3 separate adults (e.g. so not a partner who wouldn't mind someone stepping in to clean teeth while the other is showering) all getting ready for work in the morning will surely be a nightmare with only one bathroom

We have an en-suite as we needed an extra bathroom. I’m not overly bothered by them but equally neither of us need to turn the light on in the night, I can’t see its that much of an issue?

@Growlybear83 It’s hardly hygienic not to have a sink available with a loo. Our friends have this (only loo!) and it’s horrible. With a downstairs loo and ensuite, just a loo on its own is yuk. Hate it every time we use it. Not washing hands until after grabbing a door handle is not great.

Yes, I agree. I knocked through in my current house.

I currently have a family bathroom and downstairs loo, and it works for us. But did really value having the extra loo when my children were young.

The property has four bedrooms so probably worth keeping the en suite.

I'm just put off by having 3 toilets to clean.

4 beds - you must keep the en suite! No family with girls would buy it without! Get DH to do a bit of cleaning - my DDs didn’t make a mess. Are your DSs? Just a bit of basic cleaning goes a long way.

I wouldn’t buy a house with an en suite. I really, really hate them. A room with a toilet opening directly into a bedroom is just wrong.

Agree that a downstairs loo is a must though!

If you have a house full of girls it’s vital! Ours opens onto an open space that leads to the bedroom. It’s all about decent doors and positioning! However 3 women in a house need more than 1 bathroom. With 4 beds people expect it now. Like a hotel room. We have 4 en suites and I have no issue with them, and two bedrooms share the family bathroom.

I would imagine it would be possible to squeeze a sink into the toilet. Our separate toilet is really small but we still managed to fit a small sink. You also get combination toilets with a sink above the cistern, which would be an easy option.

I live in a house with this set up and am considering losing the en suite in place of a walk in wardrobe so this is really interesting for me.

@Growlybear83 At our friends’ house it’s like a corridor! There is no room for a basin. Sinks above are a bit? Not a great look. It’s just better to knock the wall down. Almost certainly not load bearing. Having a bigger bathroom is just better all round.

There is no room for a sink in the toilet.

En suite.

I wouldn't buy without one.