En Suite or Not - Your Preference

[FolkloreEvermore1989]

Hi all!

I’d love to get your views on our options in our renovation.

We already have one family bathroom which we are refitting. It’s not that big and has limited storage, but it does have a bath and shower etc.

Our plan was to then build an ensuite in the corner of the master bedroom. It would be small - just a shower, sink, toilet. It would have a pocket door to save space.

Other people have done it in our house type. I know it’s possible… Our builder has cleared it and is due to start in a couple of weeks.

The problem is it makes the rest of the room quite small. We’ve done the maths and with fitted wardrobes on the opposite wall (we’d put drawers in here) you’d end up with about 65cm space to move around a king sized bed. And that’s it for floor space.

For storage, we also have a large wardrobe in the spare bedroom for the rest of our clothes.

We have two small children and I know it would make our lives easier to have a second bathroom, especially as they get older or at nighttime so we don’t disturb them after bedtime.

But thinking of resale in a decade or so - what would you prefer? En suite which makes the room smaller, or only one bathroom and four bedrooms?

thank you!

I think these days people expect two bathrooms in a 4 bed house.

When we were house hunting, we didn't even look at houses with just one bathroom.

Do you have a downstream loo?

I wouldn’t even look at a house that only had the one. So on that basis I’d put in the en-suite. With kids etc I can’t believe you are even swithering, you would regret not doing it. Also a godsend with guests and if you are ill.

I dislike en-suites full stop. I especially dislike them when they’re crammed in a corner of a room and the bedroom is then too small.

Actually i don’t mind en suites if they’re kind of round a corner, bit like in a hotel. A friend of mine built a house from scratch and designed a nice en-suite a bit like this, I don’t want to be able to see the door to it from my bed!

ime kids sleep through anything. I’ve never disturbed Dd by going to the bathroom in the night. So that wouldn’t concern me. But if you only have one loo then that could be an issue. Do you have a downstairs loo or could one be put in?

Id rather a walk in wardrobe than an ensuite.

Whatever people expect, people buy what they can afford. Extra bathrooms are a luxury for most people with small children.

Is this a house built as four bedrooms? If so, is there space downstairs to make or move a downstairs loo to be a shower room?

If you plan to move before the children are teens, then prioritise what makes life better and keeps the house in good state for the next ten years. It was the teenage years when extra bathrooms really came into their own.

I love my ensuite however it’s the same size as my family bathroom and it’s off a bedroom that fits a super king bed and still leaves plenty of space for furniture.

Personally I would prefer good sized bedrooms over a small bedroom with a tiny ensuite. As long as you have a second loo I would go for a larger bedroom.

I really don't like en suites (I don't use mine). I would prefer a bigger bedroom. However my house is a 2 bed.

And I grew up in a family of four with one bathroom. It's perfectly fine.

Agree that people these days expect a family home (esp 4 bed) to have two bathrooms. I think it's up to you: what would suit your family? Not the next people who might live there.

You seem undecided so I'd park the idea for now.

Do you have a downstairs loo? That would improve the quality of my life.

I can’t stand en-suite bathrooms.

I grew up as one of two children and I had two children of my own and we all coped with just one bathroom. I wouldn’t be without a downstairs lavatory though and my preference would be for a separate lavatory and bathroom upstairs.

An ensuite is essential but only if designed as a separate room with good ventilation, decent sized window, etc. Designating a corner of a bedroom to shoehorn one in is a no no.

I personally don’t like en-suites although I wouldn’t rule out a house because it had one (except the house we looked at which had an open plan en-suite - just why?). I wouldn’t necessarily expect 2 full bathrooms in a 4-bed but not having a downstairs loo (or at least another separate toilet) would be a dealbreaker for me. And I’d definitely prioritise having a bigger bedroom over an en-suite.

Two bathrooms was a requirement for us when we were looking to buy so I discounted houses that didn’t have them. That said, I also discounted houses with bedrooms that are too small and cramped, particularly the master bedroom.

Is there anywhere else to squeeze in another bathroom? Or could you take some of the space off your room and some off the next door bedroom?

I’d love a downstream loo.

Thanks all! This has been helpful so far.

To answer the question about downstairs - yes we have a downstairs loo. We did think about putting a shower in there but it disturbs the dining room etc and generally I wasn’t sure it would be useful.

I think on balance we’re going to go for it. I’ve always had en suite since I was about 13 and so for privacy and logistical reasons I can’t imagine not having one. Also, like many others, we discounted houses with only one bathroom - only went for this one as we saw the potential to build it.

I will try and be clever with storage and layout etc to make it look as big as possible.

We’ll just have to hope in two years we don’t have as many en suite haters! (So random as I’ve never known anyone not like an en suite!)

I wouldn’t bother with one if it’s going to restrict space that much. I am renting at moment and have one, and it’s handy if I need a wee in the night, but I wouldn’t spend thousands creating one.

I wouldn't buy a house without an en suite. I have 4 bathrooms in my house which is perfect for 5 of us!!

I hate an en suite but there will be enough people who value that above floor space. Plus you clearly want one and that's more important as you are actually living there.

I prefer not to have an ensuite and to have a bigger bedroom.

OP most people in real life like an en suite and find it a plus 😀

Our bedroom is quite small with not much space around the bed, but I love having an en suite, particularly now my DS are grown up. We actually moved from a bigger bedroom in our house without an en suite to a smaller one with one and it is so much better.

I wouldn’t have an en-suite as I wouldn’t want DP using a toilet that opens straight into the bedroom. I’m sure you guess what I mean.

We have an ensuite, I'm not fussed but my children are young. That being said I think as they get older you would benefit from two showers, whether that's upstairs or downstairs I think matters less. Also depends how long you want to stay in the house, if it's a while do what you want. I am not overly fussed by a big bedroom but then I don't spend hours in mine.

Not that fussed either way about having an en suite. It's another toilet to clean.

I love my en suite, wouldn’t buy a house without one. It’s just for me, DH uses the main bathroom which has a separate shower and bath.

There are just the two of us at home now and even we struggle with just one bathroom. 😂

Definitely no no. 2's in the en suite though.

However, I'm the weirdo who really doesn't like downstairs loos so I'm probably not the best person to ask. 😄