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Would I be mad to remove the bathroom?

64 replies

PickledElectricity · 04/01/2026 13:21

I have fallen in love with a house that needs absolutely everything doing to it, in a conservation area.

It used to be a 4 bed but they turned a bedroom into a bathroom and it is absolutely enormous for what it is.

I have 2 DC and would like a third in 2-3 years' time so ideally need 4 bedrooms. 4 bedroom houses here are outside of my budget currently.

Would I be mad to remove the bathroom (maybe leave a small shower room) and put one in downstairs instead?

Floor plan attached.

Would I be mad to remove the bathroom?
OP posts:
Thread gallery
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Notmyreality · 04/01/2026 16:31

SalmonOnFinnCrisp · 04/01/2026 16:25

Havent rtft

In theory reconfiguring is fine imo. The problem is the sq footage (of lack of) you are working with.
This is barely enough for a family of 4 and I wpuld not fancy living there as a family of 5.

The Biggest room is 12 x 11 which is honestly small. It will barely fit a standard double and a wardrobe each (no chests of drawers).
We need to house a super king 2 x drawers and 3 double wardrobes between us 🙈. My dh is a horder so I just think 😵‍💫 when I see houses like this.

Given the size of the house I don't get why you wouldnt leave 1st floor as is and just convert the attic later....much easier all round.

Edited

Agreed

Justdancevance · 04/01/2026 16:31

Like other posters I’d swap the bathroom into the centre smallest bedroom.

The kids would probably be happy to share until teens.

ditto open plan is great for young kids, but a nightmare when they are teens.

what about the attic ? Is that an option

SalmonOnFinnCrisp · 04/01/2026 16:31

The downstairs is also really strange. That kitchen is just horribly designed... it looks tiny with almost no prep surface.

In aggregate ['d pass.

SoldTheMovieRights · 04/01/2026 16:32

AndSoFinally · 04/01/2026 15:58

I’d make bedroom 3 into the bathroom, turn the bathroom back into a bedroom, and then split bedroom 1 since it’s dual aspect. You definitely want a decent bathroom upstairs

I think this sounds good, but would what is now a bathroom fit a double/king bed as well as a wardrobe etc? It seems small for an adult bedroom.

HairyToity · 04/01/2026 16:47

I grew up in a family of five, and we only had one family bathroom. Sometimes you had to wait for loo / bath / shower, but we knew no different, and nobody ever wet themselves!

I remember chatting to a mum at school and she'd turned her four bed with family bathroom into a three bed (all ensuite with the master bedroom having a walk in wardrobe). I was gobsmacked as would rather have the fourth bedroom, and saved some money. She wanted the family bathroom added to her bedroom, and shrunk down the kids bedrooms.

soupyspoon · 04/01/2026 16:56

I dont know why posters are saying the downstairs is 'strange', its a fairly standard living/dining room arrnagement with a small kitchen off it, bog standard up and down the country

Im not sure where the downstairs bathroom would have been OP

I would just move the bathroom to the smallest bedroom, assuming drainage works ok and kids can share.

PickledElectricity · 04/01/2026 21:37

IceIceSlippyIce · 04/01/2026 15:26

Would a bathroom fit in the strip between the current bathroom and the wardrobe of the front bedroom? ie turn thr bathroom into a bed room, and shrink bed 1.

Reverting to just a downstairs bathroom would be a big negative step, imo.

This is what I was thinking!

Please excuse my crude drawings.

Would I be mad to remove the bathroom?
OP posts:
PickledElectricity · 04/01/2026 21:39

soupyspoon · 04/01/2026 16:56

I dont know why posters are saying the downstairs is 'strange', its a fairly standard living/dining room arrnagement with a small kitchen off it, bog standard up and down the country

Im not sure where the downstairs bathroom would have been OP

I would just move the bathroom to the smallest bedroom, assuming drainage works ok and kids can share.

I was thinking something like this.

Personally I don't like open plan living spaces like this but it might be ok. There's also a summerhouse with electricity etc.

The house is in a conservation area and I don't fancy my chances of getting planning permission for an extension, although you never know.

Would I be mad to remove the bathroom?
OP posts:
PickledElectricity · 04/01/2026 21:42

RandomMess · 04/01/2026 16:11

To achieve 4 beds and a shower room you will end up with a small double for the master bedroom. It depends how you feel about that.

I have a small double now. I don't love it, but I also don't feel like it's the end of the world.

OP posts:
soupyspoon · 04/01/2026 21:42

Im not keen on open plan spaces either, I will tolerate a kitchen diner, which is lucky because thats what Ive got!!

I hate open plan all downstairs, like a massive bedsit essentially. Also cant stand living room/dining rooms personally

If you have 3 kids you'll want your own space, with even the 2 you have now surely?

PickledElectricity · 04/01/2026 21:44

SalmonOnFinnCrisp · 04/01/2026 16:25

Havent rtft

In theory reconfiguring is fine imo. The problem is the sq footage (of lack of) you are working with.
This is barely enough for a family of 4 and I wpuld not fancy living there as a family of 5.

The Biggest room is 12 x 11 which is honestly small. It will barely fit a standard double and a wardrobe each (no chests of drawers).
We need to house a super king 2 x drawers and 3 double wardrobes between us 🙈. My dh is a horder so I just think 😵‍💫 when I see houses like this.

Given the size of the house I don't get why you wouldnt leave 1st floor as is and just convert the attic later....much easier all round.

Edited

Because the house is in a conservation area and no other properties have loft extensions, so I don't think permission would be granted.

DP and I don't have huge amounts of clothing, I don't know what I'd do with 3 wardrobes!

OP posts:
PickledElectricity · 04/01/2026 21:46

soupyspoon · 04/01/2026 21:42

Im not keen on open plan spaces either, I will tolerate a kitchen diner, which is lucky because thats what Ive got!!

I hate open plan all downstairs, like a massive bedsit essentially. Also cant stand living room/dining rooms personally

If you have 3 kids you'll want your own space, with even the 2 you have now surely?

Yeah this is weighing on me. At the moment they're young and I have my evening once they're in bed. I am actively ignoring the mountains of toys everywhere though (thank you Christmas...) but this would be difficult once they're older and staying up later.

OP posts:
PickledElectricity · 04/01/2026 21:49

Big, big sigh.

I was feeling brave after a couple of glasses of wine and shared the house with DP. I love a project but he would happily live in a prefab box and needless to say he thinks I'm bonkers and doesn't seem to be on board.

So I'm sharing the link to the house:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161154515

Check out this 3 bedroom semi-detached house for sale on Rightmove

3 bedroom semi-detached house for sale in Meadow Close, Sutton, SM1 for £500,000. Marketed by haart, Sutton

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161154515

OP posts:
soupyspoon · 04/01/2026 21:58

Not all loft conversations need planning regs. Building regs yes.

RandomMess · 04/01/2026 21:59

It seems cheap for the area? I could be completely wrong.

why isn’t DH on board?

Drivingmissrangey · 04/01/2026 21:59

OMG there’s actually a person in the photos 😂

soupyspoon · 04/01/2026 22:02

I would love to get my hands on that!

Cue lots of inappropriate comments about the condition and the pictures OP, EA probably shouldnt have let that go out.

JDM625 · 04/01/2026 22:02

Thanks for being brave and sharing the listing. I must say, I've never seen real estate pics with the resident sitting there and their face blurred out 😕

Is that carpet in the bathroom? No wonder you want to rip it out! I didn't realise it was a semi till seeing the listing. Does anyone else in the area have a loft conversation with dormers? Nothing more to add to my other post up thread.

soupyspoon · 04/01/2026 22:03

RandomMess · 04/01/2026 21:59

It seems cheap for the area? I could be completely wrong.

why isn’t DH on board?

Its because people wont be able to see past the pictures.

PickledElectricity · 04/01/2026 22:13

RandomMess · 04/01/2026 21:59

It seems cheap for the area? I could be completely wrong.

why isn’t DH on board?

It is cheap, which is why I'm keen. Obviously it is an absolute money pit and needs a lot of work.

Lovely little area too. We live about half an hour away in a less nice area. This house and street has bags of character, whereas our house is a plain box.

DP wants to pay off our mortgage and be debt free. Doesn't see the problem with one of DC living in a box room (smallest room in our current house is 1.7x3m) whereas I think that's actually unacceptable.

I think he could be persuaded for the right house but it will be down to me to do basically everything.

OP posts:
PickledElectricity · 04/01/2026 22:16

soupyspoon · 04/01/2026 22:02

I would love to get my hands on that!

Cue lots of inappropriate comments about the condition and the pictures OP, EA probably shouldnt have let that go out.

Tbh I think it's disgraceful that they have him sitting there. It's very sad and makes me think the house is being sold against his will. Which actually has made me reluctant to book a viewing.

ETA: do let me know what you would do if you got your hands on it 👀 let my fantasy live a bit longer!

OP posts:
RandomMess · 04/01/2026 22:16

How much do you expect your current property to sell for and is your DH on board with having a 3rd child?

PickledElectricity · 04/01/2026 22:20

JDM625 · 04/01/2026 22:02

Thanks for being brave and sharing the listing. I must say, I've never seen real estate pics with the resident sitting there and their face blurred out 😕

Is that carpet in the bathroom? No wonder you want to rip it out! I didn't realise it was a semi till seeing the listing. Does anyone else in the area have a loft conversation with dormers? Nothing more to add to my other post up thread.

I'll have to name change after this thread but oh well!

Yes, carpet in the bathroom. That's the first thing I'd remove 🤢

I had a walk around the area today and couldn't see any dormers - as I said, it's a conservation area.

It's even more lovely and charming in real life. Plus I saw what other neighbours had done with their homes and the results were very nice, there's so much potential here I could just about burst!

However, many houses had modern uPVC windows which makes me think that they're maybe not super strict with regulations and restrictions etc.

OP posts:
Liftedmeup · 04/01/2026 22:23

BadgernTheGarden · 04/01/2026 15:17

We only had one toilet for three of us for a while, a lot of crossed legs! Five people and one toilet will be bad, and particularly so when someone gets a tummy bug.

I know loads of five-person households and only one loo. It’s completely standard. We’re a four-person household and only one loo.

LibertyLily · 04/01/2026 23:29

Nice house with bags of potential @PickledElectricity (awful for the EA to have included photos - albeit blurred out - of the current inhabitant, though 😮).

We've reconfigured the layout of a couple of old houses - the last one was 400 years old, originally built as an agricultural building, converted to a cottage 200 years later with no indoor facilities. By the time we bought it in 2018 one of the three bedrooms had been kitted out as a large (12' x 9') windowless shower room. Adjacent to this was a disproportionately large landing with window overlooking the 0.5 acre garden.

Previously (from Victorian times till 1990s, I believe) that room and another bedroom were interconnecting, so I guess - apart from the joys of having to traipse outside to the garden for the loo - that layout wouldn't have worked for modern usage.

We toyed with dividing the space to make a smaller - equally windowless - bathroom and third bedroom, but we only needed two, so eventually we just created a hall and landing in order to have the bathroom on the side with the window. We DIYed this work as we've lots of previous building experience.

Currently we're reconfiguring a Georgian cottage that has a horribly inappropriate integral garage (done in the 1960s). We intend to return this to habitable space. We're also in a conservation area, but obviously our decision to remove the ugly street-facing electronic garage door has so far been met with approval.

If you definitely want four beds and can't go into the loft, I like the idea of shaving the back off the largest, dual aspect bedroom to create a new bathroom. Alternatively, swapping the bathroom with smallest bedroom if you could manage with three beds. Downstairs, at the very least I'd want to open the kitchen into the rear of the reception room, whilst closing off the front part to make a separate 'snug' living room.

Although, looking at sold prices for the street on RM, numbers 1 and 2 appear to have extended at the back to increase the kitchen size....

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