Upstairs or Downstairs Bathroom

ActionCat

I am wondering whether to move my downstairs bathroom upstairs but am unsure how that might affect selling the property when we move (not for a while yet though!).

Our house is a typical victorian small terrace. It has an extension on the back which houses a kitchen, lobby and bathroom. The upstairs has 3 bedrooms (or at least, it will once we reinstate the partition in the second bedroom). We would put the bathroom in the smallest bedroom and then create a (more usable) kitchen and breakfast area with patio doors leading into the small garden.

So...is a 2 bed house with upstairs bathroom and fab kitchen/breakfast room worth more than/same as/less than a 3 bed (v.small 3rd bed) with downstairs bathroom? What would be easier to sell? Any thoughts?

Thanks!
ActionCat

BTW, here is the full 'Downstairs Bathroom Dilemma' if anyone is interested

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=880995

mlz1413

i left my bathroom downstairs to retain 3 beds as I consider this more important, but knowing what it's like to 'nip' to the loo at night over a freezing cold floor(brrr) I had underfloor heating put in for the kitchen and bathroom tiles. I love this floor, ok it was an expense, BUT soooo worth it!

If your planning on staying in your house a while do what you want, if your planning on selling within 5 yrs then have a look on rightmove and research the price diff in 2 and 3 beds in your area.

To add a thought, is your 3rd bed over the kitchen and the bathroom is single height?
If so it might be worth a quote to build above the bathroom (shouldn't need planning as it's not an extention) this would mean you could probably get a bathroom better designed upstair without losing a bedroom (even if bedroom is smaller) and you get the bigger kitchen/utility area downstairs

abbecer

I personally wouldn't even think of buying a house with a downstairs bathroom. Having a bath downstairs wouldn't bother me but going to the loo in the night would. I would also be worried about the safety of children going to the toilet during the night.Would it be possible to just add a small toilet and sink upstairs so retaining three bedrooms and keeping downstairs as is. Failing that i would lose a bedroom and do what you thought because that sounds lovely.

Rebecca x

ActionCat

Hmmm...not really sure when we will move. We want to start a family next year so am just not sure when we could afford to. There is no upstairs extension - kitchen, lobby and bathroom are all single storey. I have thought about adding a second storey extension to create an additional room upstairs but am not sure that would be feasible to do without rebuilding the whole thing. How would you know if the current foundations could support an extra storey? And it would mean that space for a corridoor would need to be taken off the existing 2nd bedroom which would make it very narrow....dilemma!!

But thank you for the underfloor heating suggestion. I hadn't thought of that and it would really make a difference!

moneysavinmonkey

I would never buy/rent a house again with only a downstairs bathroom.
It was beyond inconvenient + dangerous.
i once fell down the stairs going to the loo in the night and knocked myself out for an hour or so!

Ms_Chocaholic

Although I've never lived in a property with a downstairs bathroom, I would never consider buying one. As previous poster said, could you not squeeze in a small loo and basin upstairs somewhere.

mlz1413

due to current legislation I would doubt any exsisting structure would legally support an upstairs extention, but it may be a case of adding piers and RSJ's, rather than knocking down and rebuilding.

Get a couple of builders around to quote, remember to ask them what interruptions there would be and the timescale. If you and partner are willing to get stuck in ask builders what you can do to reduce costs, ie removing old kitchen and bathroom prior to them starting so you save a days labour and waste removal costs.

PS the underfloor heating is worth it! I love cooking in the winter standing barefoot on my lovely tiled floor (sounds daft but it's the little things!)

ActionCat

There's not enough room to have 3 beds and a toilet upstairs. The third bed would be extremely small as it is...bathroom-sized, some would say I am just worried that I would seriously limit our market having only 2 beds when we move....but I suppose plenty of 1-bed and 2-bed properties sell. And a decent kitchen would be very welcome!

Still wondering....

sooz

have you considered moving the bathroom upstairs, & getting the loft done?

There are a lot of houses like yours near me, & the people who have taken the bathroom upstairs, then went up into the loft to re-gain a third bedroom.

Perhaps if you don't want to spend that much all at once, you could move the bathroom, & at the same time get planning permission for the loft.

Becks045

This is quite tough and in fact we are in a similar position with a property we own. We have a downstairs bathroom which like yours is through a loby/utitlity area off the kitchen.

We considered moving the bathroom upstairs but if we did that it would be a smaller bathroom than what we've got now. However the new layout downstairs would mean an open plan kitchen/breakfast room, seperate utility room and a downstairs toilet. Its a dillema as by us if we lose the third bedroom we lose about £30k off the price.

I guess its down to personal choice. I know people who don't mind where the bathroom is although theres a lot of people who just wouldn't bother with a downstairs bathroom so it does limit your market.

Jorgan_2

Try approaching a few local agents who should be able to advise you as to the type of market a property with either set up would appeal to & the potential price difference between a two bed with first floor bathroom and a three bedroom with a ground floor bathroom.