"Downstairs" bathroom

suze1984

Hi All

I posted on here a few weeks ago about a house me and my partner were considering putting an offer on, the yard backed onto the back of a takeaway... well as we wernt too sure we tried to book a second viewing to be told an offer had been put in by another couple...possibly a blessing in disguise??

Anyway weve found another house which we like, the front of the house appears to only be two floors but at the back it looks like 3.

It is as follows:

Top floor: 2 double bedrooms

Middle (or ground floor from the front): Living room, Family bathroom and small bedroom

"Basement": Living room (at the front with no window), Large kitchen diner

The kitchen diner backs out onto a large yard with space for a garage/parking and a very accessible service road, we would prob use this as our main entrance.

I just wanted to ask you lovely people if it would matter that much to you if your bathroom wasnt on the same floor as your bedroom or if any of you are currently in this situation? Only asking with a view for when we eventually sell on...hopefully not in the next 10years! x

lincroft1710

Downstairs bathrooms are very common in Victorian/Edwardian houses and I have even come across them purpose built in 1970s houses.

Having lived in houses with downstairs bathrooms and houses with upstairs bathrooms, I prefer the latter.

hazyjo

Glad you didn't get it (sorry!) - think you'd have come to regret it. Not sure this one sounds 100% right either, mainly because of the 'service road' and the lack of windows in the lounge - although you mention two lounges, so I think it's probably just a converted basement, yet the house is on a hill so the back of it is lower than the front. Is that what you mean? I don't mind basement kitchens when they've been done well, but it puts a lot of people off.

You could make the middle floor small bedroom into a dressing room, then it wouldn't matter that the bathroom's down a floor. It's kind of how I live - we do have a shower on the top floor with the bedroom, but I have all my stuff in a bedroom/floor below, where the main bathroom is.

Check out this recent thread re downstairs bathrooms. Should have all the opinions you need!

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3282842

Jx

Running_Horse

In the end, it is what it is. Doesn't matter what we think of it. You have to live with it.

SAHD_Jim

You normally find that such houses will be worth slightly less and/or are slightly harder to sell on because a percentage of people will insist on a bathroom on the same floor as main bedrooms. If there's room and it's cost effective plumbing-wise, some people install a wc and basin on the bedroom floor to "soften the blow", since the thought of having to walk downstairs to the loo in mid winter is enough to drive some to a chamber pot! I've seen some wcs (or even shower rooms) in former landing cupboards!

Either way, if you can live with it and the house has other saleable features, it shouldn't necessarily be a deal breaker imho.

Good Luck.

elfen

Wouldn't bother me but sounds suitable for when you have kids and you need to clear them up in the night....I'd go for it!

suze1984

hazyjo wrote: »

Glad you didn't get it (sorry!) - think you'd have come to regret it. Not sure this one sounds 100% right either, mainly because of the 'service road' and the lack of windows in the lounge - although you mention two lounges, so I think it's probably just a converted basement, yet the house is on a hill so the back of it is lower than the front. Is that what you mean? I don't mind basement kitchens when they've been done well, but it puts a lot of people off.

You could make the middle floor small bedroom into a dressing room, then it wouldn't matter that the bathroom's down a floor. It's kind of how I live - we do have a shower on the top floor with the bedroom, but I have all my stuff in a bedroom/floor below, where the main bathroom is.

Check out this recent thread re downstairs bathrooms. Should have all the opinions you need!

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3282842

Jx

Sorry lol Ive got I feeling I would of been in the summer with the nice smell of Chinese possibly sticking to my washing!

Its called a service road but its actually a properly tarmac'd road which allows the houses on both sides to get to the back of their properties, its very wide and is blocked off at one end so isnt an actual through road (not too sure if that sounds any better lol)

The house is how you've described it and the "basement" living room is actually going to be used as a games room (we were looking for a house with a basement room anyway for my partner to put his 1000's of DVDs in and his Xbox) so the lack of windows isnt an issue.

Yea I prob would use the small room as a sort of dressing room but to be honest I tend to get ready in the bathroom now anyway, but its always good to hear other peoples ideas/opinions, thanks x

hazyjo

I love 3(+) floors, but it's personal taste.

When you said 'service road', I thought maybe there was rear access to shops or industrial something-or-others.

If it's a 'private road' (shared expense), that can sometimes put people off.

So long as the basement was converted properly, it should be fine.

Can definitely be a pain going downstairs for loo in night, or if you're ill, but the three floors would probably swing it back in favour a bit for me.

Jx

ceh209

Sounds similar to my last student house - except every spare room was turned into a bedroom, as seems to be the norm!

Going down one floor to the bathroom was fine, but i got fed up of going down 2 floors to get to the kitchen!