Downstairs toilet in kitchen, can I knock it down?

Lar4893

Hi, we have just bought our first house together in wales. We have a downstairs toilet in the kitchen, for us this is a wasted space and we would rather a bigger kitchen.
Is there any regulations stopping us doing this?
Our estate agents doesn't and hasn't heard of anythong stopping us from going ahead. 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks. 

Rosa_Damascena

Internal work, you should be able to do what you like - just make sure the work doesn't affect your neighbour's in any way.

ic

Depends on the age of the house.
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/34/kitchens_and_bathrooms/4

Any dwelling unit that has been constructed after 1999 will have a ground floor toilet installed which has been designed to cater for any visiting wheelchair users.

During any re-fitting, this toilet should not be removed and the accessibility of the toilet should not be made any worse, as it would then be inadequate for future wheelchair users.

For these reasons, a building regulations application may be required if any alteration is to take place to an existing ground floor toilet.

Rosa_Damascena

ic said:

Depends on the age of the house.
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/34/kitchens_and_bathrooms/4

Any dwelling unit that has been constructed after 1999 will have a ground floor toilet installed which has been designed to cater for any visiting wheelchair users.

During any re-fitting, this toilet should not be removed and the accessibility of the toilet should not be made any worse, as it would then be inadequate for future wheelchair users.

For these reasons, a building regulations application may be required if any alteration is to take place to an existing ground floor toilet.

I'm stunned by this.

I bought a 2001 build and you couldn't swing a cat in the cloakroom, let alone get a wheelchair manouvred into place.

Jeepers_Creepers

Knock it out, Lar.

(Making sure it doesn't hold anything up...)

daivid

ic said:

Depends on the age of the house.
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/34/kitchens_and_bathrooms/4

Any dwelling unit that has been constructed after 1999 will have a ground floor toilet installed which has been designed to cater for any visiting wheelchair users.

During any re-fitting, this toilet should not be removed and the accessibility of the toilet should not be made any worse, as it would then be inadequate for future wheelchair users.

For these reasons, a building regulations application may be required if any alteration is to take place to an existing ground floor toilet.

Well, if it was supposed to cater for wheelchair users, Bellway* did an absolutely awful job of designing the downstairs wc in the newbuild I lived in 10 years ago. Getting into the room would have been a nightmare, let alone using the facilities...

As to the OP the main considerations would be wether any of the walls to be removed are structural  (in which case building control sign off would be needed) and what will happen if and when you sell. Lots of people value a downstairs loo (especially if it is the only secondary wc) so saleability and value may be effected and as mentioned newer houses are obliged to have a downstairs wc.

*I'm sure most other major homebuilders are capable of equally good/bad design.

Rosa_Damascena

I would value the downstairs loo a lot more if it weren't attached to the kitchen.

I used it because I had to for 4 weeks whilst I was having my bathrooms gutted and re-built. Since then I haven't ventured into it again.

Hasbeen

Lar4893 said:

Hi, we have just bought our first house together in wales. We have a downstairs toilet in the kitchen, for us this is a wasted space and we would rather a bigger kitchen.
Is there any regulations stopping us doing this?
Our estate agents doesn't and hasn't heard of anythong stopping us from going ahead. 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks. 

If as you say the actual toilet is in the kitchen? Next to kitchen units washing machine?
Then these days not allowed. LOL.

Or is it in a seperate space next to kitchen downstairs?

In my opinion. A larger kitchen is good but a downstairs cloakroom  is better.

Jeepers_Creepers

A guy meets a girl at a party. They get on really well and she invites him back home at the end of the evening.

They're getting on equally well in the front sitting room, but after a while the guy apologises and says he desperately needs to use the loo. "Ah, problem..." says she, "the only loo is upstairs and my parents are asleep up there. You'll have to use the kitchen sink!"

A few minutes later he pops his head round the door, "Any paper?"

TELLIT01

Rosa_Damascena said:

ic said:

Depends on the age of the house.
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/34/kitchens_and_bathrooms/4

Any dwelling unit that has been constructed after 1999 will have a ground floor toilet installed which has been designed to cater for any visiting wheelchair users.

During any re-fitting, this toilet should not be removed and the accessibility of the toilet should not be made any worse, as it would then be inadequate for future wheelchair users.

For these reasons, a building regulations application may be required if any alteration is to take place to an existing ground floor toilet.

I'm stunned by this.

I bought a 2001 build and you couldn't swing a cat in the cloakroom, let alone get a wheelchair manouvred into place.

My sister-in-law lives in a 5 year old house.  The door to the downstairs loo is wide and opens into the hall but there would be no way to decamp from a wheelchair in there with the door shut.

Doozergirl

TELLIT01 said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

ic said:

Depends on the age of the house.
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/34/kitchens_and_bathrooms/4

Any dwelling unit that has been constructed after 1999 will have a ground floor toilet installed which has been designed to cater for any visiting wheelchair users.

During any re-fitting, this toilet should not be removed and the accessibility of the toilet should not be made any worse, as it would then be inadequate for future wheelchair users.

For these reasons, a building regulations application may be required if any alteration is to take place to an existing ground floor toilet.

I'm stunned by this.

I bought a 2001 build and you couldn't swing a cat in the cloakroom, let alone get a wheelchair manouvred into place.

My sister-in-law lives in a 5 year old house.  The door to the downstairs loo is wide and opens into the hall but there would be no way to decamp from a wheelchair in there with the door shut.

The rules are that it needs to be accessible for disabled people. 

Disabilities are specific to the person and yes, it would be very hard in the average house to enable a wheelchair user and their carer, even, to get in, shut the door and move everyone and thing around, but someone partially mobile should be able to get themselves from chair to loo with the minimum of manoeuvring themselves.   Or indeed be manoeuvred from chair to loo with the dignity bit carried out subsequently behind a closed door.   The positioning, width and opening direction of the door all help with that.  

We should think about our homes, our visitors and about our future selves in the many different ways there are of living between perfectly fit and virtually incapable.