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.

I dislike those three bed houses with crammed-in, tiny en suites. Often windowless. It’s a pet peeve of mine.

Not relevant to this thread though, which relates to a 4-bedder.

Definitely keep the downstairs wc. Many potential viewers won’t be interested otherwise, and will scroll on by.

An en-suite would put me off.

@Jk987 You won’t be buying a modern house then. Most people like an en suite which is why builders put them in. They do the research. My en suite is large. Bath, walk in shower and large sink. It’s luxurious and roomy. I love it: it’s my private space. Guests can use their en suites or use the main bathroom. It speeds up everything when we have guests and no one ever complains.

Check building regs not sure you can remove a downstairs loo.

@Aligirlbear I hadn't thought of that.

Why not?

I’ve just come back from staying with friends who have modernised their house and taken out a bed and bathroom and turned it into their biggest walk in wardrobe I’ve clapped eyes on.

Meanwhile the rest of us (totalling 7) in 4 other bedrooms had to juggle bathroom time without knowing each other. (Fine in families when you can yell at them, but not so good when you’re lying in bed waiting for the bathroom door to open and doing polite dancing on the landing!)

Personally I think it’s madness to take out any kind of sanitary fittings, and I think they’ve devalued their house by doing so.

I guess it's a balance of having a house the way I want it with the needs of the occasional guest.

Wardrobe would get my vote

@FlippertyFloperty I think you do need BR approval to take out a downstairs loo. Just keep it.

If people invite guests it really is easier to have two or more bathrooms. Most people do have guests at some point or older DC and sharing one bathroom is a faff. Takes way too long. I’m sure you can find room for creative storage space.

DH manages to have a wee quietly at night, and doesn't wake me up.

How long are you planning on living there?

Personally I’d choose walk in wardrobe. I don’t particularly like en suites. But I think en suites are still popular and would probably be better for the value of the house.

If I knock through the main bathroom it makes better sense to keep the downstairs loo.

There is room in the en-suite for a bath, so maybe make it into a spa like retreat

@FlippertyFloperty Assuming your main bathroom has a bath, we really like the large shower in our en suite. Nice big walk in one. Large drench rain head shower. Heated towel rail as you exit with a big fluffy towel warm and ready! We have a bath in there as well but we mostly use the shower.

En suites and ground floor loo are a must.

He's a keeper. 😁

Indeed
I have kept him for over 43 years now.

Unable to silently use the toilet at night should be grounds for divorce.

I have both and would choose ensuite

@RampantIvy Same here! DH is house trained too.

Oh! And 43 years married!

I can’t stand en suites and always need more wardrobe space so I’d say wardrobe

If it has no window you might be worried about damp with an ensuite and modern bathrooms have to have fans which are noisy at night. Are you happy to do/pay for the extra cleaning. Alternative could be a study space.

A small ensuite consisting of just a loo and wash hand basin AND a walk in wardrobe would be my ideal set up. Most showers in ensuites are tiny.