Where to put a downstairs loo…

[TheEveningReport]

…by the cheapest method. We’d really like a downstairs loo for mobility reasons, we do have some cash but want to pay down the mortgage as much as possible.

I’ve attached a floor plan, you’ll see that we have an outside loo, which does not have access from inside the house. To do so would probably mean ripping out the kitchen which sounds costly!

All ideas are welcomed!

I’ve seen people put them under the stairs. Would that work?

Is there space under the stairs?

Can you access your garage from inside your house? If you were happy to lose some garage space I would put in a utility/toilet at the back and make a stud wall corridor maybe?

In the understairs cupboard? That used to be very popular

In the entrance hall on the left as you come in? Probably more costly due to lack of immediate plumbing

I think under the stairs is probably going to be the most convenient. You would probably need to run the drainage under the garage floor, which may not be cheap. Probably cheaper than replacing the kitchen though! It might be cheaper to put one in at the end of the garage, but may be less suitable if you're doing it for mobility reasons.

Mine is under the stairs.

ILs have an attached garage like yours and have built one in the garage, knocking a door through at the bottom of the stairs.

Partially convert the garage to create a corridor through to the downstairs loo? You’d have to move the toilet of course, but not far, just to the other wall. Might work out cheaper than getting a soil pipe under the stairs - which I do think is another good option.

We have a tiny downstairs toilet under the stairs and have just put in one of these, which works really well: www.diy.com/departments/nes-home-2-in-1-compact-combo-basin-and-close-coupled-toilet/5530752576843_BQ.prd

Where's the upstairs bathroom? Where is the soil pipe?

I’ve wondered about the garage. Feels odd but might be the best way, there isn’t currently access from indoors but there is space for a door. The stairs go up and left and so there wouldn’t be enough height I think.

Over the sink

Another way might be to build a lean to conservatory/sun room linking the back kitchen door and the outside loo door, effectively bringing the outside loo indoors.

Unlikely to be a cheap option but my plant filled sun room is my favourite place in the house.

Cheapest will pobably be to locate it nearest to existing soil pipes.

Can you incorporate the outside loo into the house, eg, corridor under the stairs (where cupboard currently is) leads into garage (where you convert that corner of the garage, eg, loo-tility).

Or under wherever the upstairs bathroom is.

Is your garage on the same level as your entrance hall? If it is and if you can walk under the stairs then put the garage access there and the loo in the back left corner of the garage back to back with the outdoor loo. Obviously doesn't work for accessibility if it's not all level.

is this quite an old house with solid brick walls, or a newish build? My brother’s Edwardian house had a similar sort of outside loo set-up, which was a fairly chilly place at the best of times.
Do you use the garage to store a car, or is it a dumping ground. I know a lot of garages can be quite narrow, so you could take the opportunity to repurpose that space if you wanted to.

If you are serious about future-proofing, you could look to double the footprint of the loo and add a shower (or at least the plumbing for one), demolishing the existing wall(s) and building a well-insulated bathroom, accessed through the existing garage doorway. I can’t figure out how your stairs work, but it looks as if the wall changes half-way along that row of cupboards in the garage?

If you started to tweak the kitchen without doing anything major I think you might just end up with an annoying layout!

That's a lovely idea!

If it’s an option I’d leave it where it is in the garage and put a door into the garage and one into the loo from the garage. Yes, it’s not ideal, but it would be cheap. The better option may be to move the kitchen cupboards as you say. And maybe not that expensive if you can do it in a smart way.

That does sound lovely

At your inlaws, when they open the garage is there a wall there at the opening? I imagine there would have to be as where the door would go at the end of the stairs in flush (excuse the pun) with the garage door.