Could you put in a downstairs WC/basin here?

[Ecrire]

In the attached floor plan would there be a way to put in a small WC and basin in the under the stairs bit you think? Trying to work out if adding a loo is feasible without undertaking a massive extension project… house in conservation area so have got to be careful and assume even a small downstairs WC like this needs planning permission ?current floor plan attached

Could be. Toilets and basins come in small sizes, or you could get a loo whose basin sits above the cistern, saving water too.
You don't put the sizes on the diagram or show the upstairs so it's hard to say. If the loo is above the kitchen then the pipework might be OK.

What height do you have under the stairs? You need a minimum height of about 215cm.

You don’t need planning permission for internal works like that, even if you’re in a conservation area.

The existing upstairs loo is above the kitchen but on the other side (the right side of the kitchen above the “stores” on the right). Is that a problem?

You will certainly need a building warrant for a lavatory and the appropriate drainage. A sliding door will save space. I would still check with planning before starting work.

Thanks. By “building warrant” do you mean building regulation approval? And by checking with planning should we give the council a call?

You’ll need building regs for it wherever. Why wouldn’t you use the larger “store”.
i wouldn’t like a toilet under the stairs leading onto my kitchen - smells and noises, quite off putting.

The wall to the kitchen would be boarded off but yes it would open on to the other reception room. Regarding the other stores we plan to do a large downstairs extension in 5 years time which would use that area and beyond at the back and we don’t want to be devoid of a second loo till such time we can do the extension

I don’t think you can have a toilet directly off a kitchen under current building regs. You might also struggle to get the drainage in as you’ve only got internal walls. If you made a small corridor / hallway and used the other store room then you could put the toilet in the far corner from the kitchen with another door and use the rest of the space as pantry / utility type space.

Do you honestly think anyone would actually use a toilet that leads directly into a kitchen? One with no window, minimal head height? Especially seeing as they only need to go upstairs to a proper toilet?

I don’t think people are reading that the toilet would not open into the kitchen. That wall would be - a wall - just a wall. The door into said loo would not be on the side that the kitchen is on.

A second loo is very useful and you could make a small window. If the dimensions are suitable why not. You’d have to ask a builder to quote for the job and they’d tell you whether the piping would work.

So the loo would be accessed from the dining room? I guess practically it's possible if there is the head height under the stairs for a door (I don't know anything about planning this regs).
But if it'll be 2 years until you build the side extension it surely makes more sense to put a loo and basin in the 'store' areas, even if you remove them and knock it down in 2 years? It would be so much simpler and probably cheaper to put them in there as you can use standard size basic loo and basin which will be a lot cheaper than a smaller loo/ mini corner basin type thing? And I think that side of the kitchen is under the upstairs loo. If you try and put a loo under the stairs you need to work out and pay for plumbing to get to your soil pipe I think?

Just seen the larger extension isn't for 5 years not 2... I'd use the 'stores' space. Loo, basin, utility stuff washing machine etc. Knock it down in 5 years and leave your under stairs cupboard as storage, from the kitchen.

In that case though how would the loo be accessed? There’s currently only an external door from kitchen to the store area - unless it’s something like a lean-to that’s built? But it would all be throwaway work right, up until the time the extension can be built ?

What are the stores like? Are they proper internal space or more like a temporary structure or porch?

The drainage is that side so wouldn't be such a substantial job.

To avoid it being directly off the kitchen you could have it as a utility leading to a small WC.

We added a toilet upstairs (our bathroom is downstairs) in a cupboard off the hall which is only a little over 1m x 1m (door opens outwards).

It wasn't particularly expensive to install but we did do all of the decorating/finishing ourselves. It doesn't have building warrants. Not sure it would meet them for ventilation but I don't really care. If we sell it can go back to being a cupboard.

Probably the best grand I've spent on the house as while the kids have been little they haven't had to go downstairs for a pee in the night (which is all it's really used for).

I think you have to decide if it's a stop gap and if so, even if it's only got a five year life span, is it worth it to you?

A toilet direct off the dining room is horrible. Imagine going in there while everyone is eating. Unless you plan to use it for a different purpose like a bedroom afterwards that also feels like a compromise and probably a more expensive one.

Where would you put a toilet if you extend? The cost of the plumbing is probably greater than buying a toilet and sink so you could perhaps factor that in so that it's close to where you want it once extended.

If you want to put a loo under the stairs, you will need to dig the ground up externally between the outside wall that the new loo is going on and where the current loo pipe goes into the ground so that you can connect the waste pipe. You will also need to work out where the nearest hot and cold pipes run in the kitchen and they will need to be redirected through to the new loo too. Which might mean that the kitchen floor needs to come up? Or you may end able to run pipes round the walls.