Noise and smells in en-suite bathrooms ? (not for those eating)

[GrendelsMum]

I've never been very keen on en-suite bathrooms, but for various reasons in our house, it looks like we can have an en-suite 2nd bathroom or not a 2nd bathroom at all.

There are various reasons I don't like them

1. You are lying in bed relaxing, when you hear DH doing a great big shit. Or making constipated noises. Then he bounds out of the bathroom in the mood for sex. Sorry, but pooing noises do not turn me on.

2. As DH bounds out of the en-suite towards the bed, a great waft of farty smell comes with him, making the whole atmosphere even less alluring.

3. DH is frequently working odd hours, meaning that either he or I can be getting up at a time when the other is still having well deserved sleep. Showering next door is likely to disturb this.

4. What kind of bloody stupid word is en-suite, anyway?

Can people give me some practical advice on how to ensure that an en-suite bathroom is built solidly enough to prevent noise and smells coming through? (Or you can just tell me it's not possible, and we won't have a loo in there.)

A book I have suggests having a dressing room between the bedroom and bathroom, but that's not going to be possible. Another suggestion is to have cupboards up against the walls of the bathroom, which sorts out the shower noise coming through the wall, but not noise and smells coming through the door.

If you have a farty DH and an excellent extractor fan, please do tell me the make. If you'd like to swap your non-farty DH for mine, please send photos.

We are about to have an en suite but there isnt room for a shower and a toilet so we have to choose one, I think I'll vote for a shower now afer reading OP.

I love my en-suite but hate downstairs toilets that are within ear shot of the lounge or a kitchen for all the reasons given for the en-suite

At least with an en-suite usually the only people who use it are you and your DHH whereas downstairs toilets are used by workmen/friends/little children here for tea

Get a good extractor fan (we also have a window in ours) and maybe rules that any dumps must be done in the bathroom where they would be done if you had no en-suite.

Lots of my friends have downstairs toilets and have a "no solids" rule

Sorry, don't want to swap your DH for mine, mine has IBS so goes more than most men do to the toilet and he is also a sex god, very funny, my soul mate, wouldn't even swap him for Brad Pitt and that is really saying something

PMSL at this (obviously not noisily in the en suite)
"You are lying in bed relaxing, when you hear DH doing a great big shit. Or making constipated noises. Then he bounds out of the bathroom in the mood for sex. Sorry, but pooing noises do not turn me on."

"do you think they bend their knees from time-to-time to get that sound effect of someone pouring tea from a teapot and lifting the pot up and down as they do so"

My DH does both of these! As well as for some reason ripping hundreds (OK exaggeration) of bits of toilet roll off in individual pieces - or it sounds that way. Maybe he's not realised you can just tear off the length you want!
We have an en suite with a window and I much prefer he causes mess and smells in there than in the other bathroom that I'm trying to keep clean for non family members! No one else ever sees our en suite.

Oh and the shower really doesn't make that much noise, well it's white noise so doesn't really bother me.

the squeaky door on the other hand...

doesn't anyone have an extractor fan here?

yes, we do but it's not loud enough to cover the noises or strong enough to get rid of the smell straight away

OK, I'm back and now in Project Manager mode.

Ladies and BetaDad, we have the following suggestions:

• don't have an en-suite
• have an en-suite but no loo
• have a loo, but put it well away from the door and not against a bed
• have a window
• make the bathroom reasonably large
• don't just slice off a tiny corner of your bedroom and call it a bathroom
• have a door
• have an extractor fan
• have insulated walls
• make sure it's well enough built that it doesn't allow damp and noises to come through (need further instructions on how this is to be achieved)
• switch on a radio
• locate the bathroom next to bedroom, but not actually connecting
• make it easy to clean
• avoid wooden flooring

A smashing list of suggestions for all considering en-suites, and indeed all new developers.

I think I may take this list to the architects and see what they think. Our house is listed so we're rather limited in the options, but we should be able to manage insulated walls and a massive extractor fan! It does occur to me that the loo might need to be a Saniflo, in which case there's no way we're having one.

Grendel - an ensuite without a loo is NOT an ensuite. If you ever need to sell your house an ensuite without a loo will be regarded as a minus point.

The one golden rule required for an en-suite .......... IF YOU NEED TO POO IN THE EVENING GO ELSEWHERE!

I banned my smelly husband from using the en-suite for poo's he stinks! And the bedroom would stink to!

Our en suite is especially used for applying spray tan. It is now a lovely mahogany and no longer White . it does get cleaned but like someone said not as much as the main bathroom.

'avoid wooden flooring'...What?

What is this thing with CARPET on the WC floor here in the UK? Yuck and Double Yuck!

There's a lot to be said for an outside cludgie!

Grendel - what's wrong with having a Saniflo?

(genuine question as we are just about to order one in for the ensuite my DH is fitting in)

I've got wooden flooring in my en-suite. What's the problem with that???? It wipes clean.

Bedroom poo-stinks are not to be tolerated under any circumstances. In fact, when I'm queen, I shall make en-suite pooing a capital offence.

Another thing I did was, under the guise of economising, start buying unisex roll-on deodorant and shower gel (you know what I mean - only lighted scented stuff for sensitive skin and all that). I can't stand the smell of men's toiletries - they're horribly over-powering, they make me gag and they remind me of smelly university boys' rooms. In one stroke I eliminated another potential en suite stink problem.

Men are revoltingly smelly, when you think about it.

'avoid wooden flooring' = tiles, not carpet, FGS! Carpet in bathrooms/loos is gross (we have it (inherited) but I can't wait to get rid of it)

When we bought our house, we thought 'Oh, an en-suite, how lovely!' Yes, it's handy for night-time wees, but we didn't consider the poos... I just wouldn't, but DH, who like BalloonSlayer's husband doesn't even fart in front of me, has no modesty once the en-suite door is closed. It's just not nice to have to listen to farty noises & suffer the ensuing smell - we have a window & an extractor fan as well but all I can do is hide my head under the duvet. And, like Armi I have banned all male smelling toiletries - they have to be unisex & neutral - can't stand male deodorants or shower gels - they stink!

another annoyance of an ensuite is the dripping tap or shower that in the end you just have to get up for at 2am and nip them taps tight

DH & I have never discussed it but we have an ensuite (loo, shower, bath, basin and no window), both go for a pee during night without switching on light (& fan) nor flushing. Neither of us would dream of doing a No 2 whilst other was in bedroom. Bit of a storm in a tea cup in my opinion.

haven't got an en suite and think me-self bloody lucky after reading this!

however why do DH/DP take newspaper to the toilet while doing a No2? or is it just mine?

PMSL at sounding like a teapot!!

Tch we have a loo that opens off the kitchen and while I am (luckily)single so no farting pooping Man in there at any point, I do have a 4 yearold DS who hasn't yet got to grips with the concept of closing the toilet door so i don;t always get the full fragrant bouquet of my cup of tea.

i'd still absolutely love an en-suite!

omg..i am not such a feak as my dh makes me out to be when I compain at him pooing inour (horrid) ensuite,I am so glad i read this thread...op doesn't help your issues...but hey i am glad others have the same problems and have solved them..

(BTW dh thinks that because we share a bed etc I should cope with him using the toilet and I am a freak for not)

Vanimal - we've got a Saniflo in our other bathroom, and it's fine in a separate bathroom.

The reason I wouldn't have one in an en-suite is the noise - it is noisy when it macerates (really unnerving if you're still sitting on it at the time!) and ours at least randomly macerates occasionally during the day and night, so I think I might be woken up by it churning.

The advantage of having one in an en-suite is that you don't have to explain to all your guests that they musn't put any tampons, baby wipes, condoms, etc etc down it or you will have a huuuuuuge plumber's bill.

On the other hand, it doesn't seem to smell at all, and so far everything's gone down it without blocking.

I wouldn't put one in your en-suite until you've tried it out in a friend's house and seen whether you're happy with the noise.