Shower in downstairs bathroom

[GreenMarigold]

We have a 4 bed house but it only has 1 family bathroom upstairs and a small loo downstairs. With 2 children rapidly approaching teen years we are starting to struggle with time in the bathroom in the morning!

We are looking at having some work done that would mean we could add a shower to the downstairs loo.

Would this feel odd to you? Nobody I know has a shower in their downstairs loo. I don’t know if future buyers would like this or not.

There are no other places we could put another shower so that’s not an option.

We had one in a previous house - we designed it that way when we did some renovations. I loved it and I really miss it. We are a sporty family and I would love to shove all of the muddy kids and adults in through the back door and into the downstairs shower rather than traipsing through the house. In my view it’s a fantastic feature, especially if you have pets.

If the option is no second shower at all or a second shower downstairs, I can’t imagine anyone is going to reject a house based on it having two showers rather than one shower, wherever the location of the second one. Most existing downstairs toilets will have been designed purely to fit a toilet and basin, with no room for a shower, hence why they’re not that common, rather than some sort of objection.

@Postchristmasblah Thanks that’s so helpful! We are right out in the country so mud is a constant feature of my household 🤣

@ComtesseDeSpair That makes a lot of sense, thank you!

To some it might be an advantage. When my mum had reservations done she had one added in case she wants to live just downstairs when she's older. She's currently only in her 60's, so it's hopefully a long way off, but easier to get sorted when there was other work being done.

It's definitely a good option if there's no scope for an en-suite

I have seen this before and I have also lived in a house where the only bathroom is downstairs.
if there’s room in the downstairs loo I think it’s a great plan. Obviously make sure ventilation is good to avoid damp/mould
it also has the advantage of making the house more accessible for anyone who might struggle to go upstairs. Disabled person, someone with a broken leg etc

Also, if a future potential buyer disliked it, it’s easy to remove.

My friend has an upstairs bathroom and a downstairs shower room, I've always seen it as a positive.

I have a shower in our downstairs loo. I'm so grateful for it at this precise moment because my DD broke her ankle so we have moved her to a downstairs room and she uses it. But the main reason we put it in is because our guest room is downstairs so it means guests can have a shower on the same floor. It's also in case our aging parents need it when they visit in the future.

Really good points about accessibility. Thanks all, I think it sounds like it will be a good plan!

I have a shower in my downstairs loo, I also have a guest bedroom downstairs so it works really well.

We are having a downstairs extension, for a utility room and a a downstairs toilet and shower room. Future proofing the house so when we get old and knackered we won't have to walk upstairs ever again.

A friend who is a pilot had one added when the did some renovations. She feels she disturbs the house less when she has a stupid o'clock start, having a shower downstairs.

Lots of friends do. Ideal for washing down boots / dogs / prams and I would see as an advantage.

Just what we did when building an extension, big shower for rugby lads and muddy dogs. Was such a boon.

On this week's love it or list it the renovations included a down stairs shower room - designed as a wet room. Looked great.

Another positive the water pressure is better.

We have one. Our upstairs bathroom has a (shit - needs replacing) electric shower over the bath that we don’t bother with. Our downstairs bathroom has a big walk in power shower.
It was great when MIL was here because she couldn’t get up the stairs so we made the living room into a bedroom and she could use the shower downstairs easily.
No one has ever commented that it’s odd.

We have a downstairs shower room & loo & it's really useful if coming in muddy etc. Also gives us option to be all on one level if one is us broke a leg etc. Definitely recommend additional shower/bathroom with teenagers - it was a nightmare with 2 teenage girls & us all trying to get sorted for school/work!

We had one put in when our extension was built. It's a great bonus and means the downstairs loo isn't tiny!
We mainly use it for washing the dog and chucking muddy boots in.

My parents did. Bathroom upstairs, bath and sink and separate loo. No downstairs facilities other than kitchen sink. Later extended and added a shower room downstairs with loo, sink and shower. Makes good sense to me. There's more space than there would be if they'd added an over bath shower, and someone can shower while someone else baths, which obviously would not be possible with a shower over the bath or even a cubicle in the bathroom!

We had a shower and downstairs loo put in - very useful with a family.

Our new build house has a shower in the downstairs loo and two bathrooms upstairs. I love it.

Another in agreement, well that's because I did it!

I live alone, older 3 bed semi, full bathroom upstairs, no ensuite, no d/s loo. I had downstairs re jigged and put in a d/s loo and shower, with room for washing machine. OMG it is just great. I don't use the d/s shower much I have to say, but it's there if needed.

You may ask why I bothered since I live alone. Well I'm in my mid sixties now and I was future proofing for my (hopefully) much older years as I've no intention of moving anywhere, this is my haven. My plan would be to convert the current office/dining room - never used for eating! into a bedroom and live downstairs. I plan to let out two of the upstairs rooms to lodgers so they have separate facilities. Well that's the plan anyway!