Adding a new en-suite

sandyk01 · 6 July 2018 at 10:31AM

Hi,
Looking at buying a house :j and like the look of this however we would like an en-suite upstairs- any thoughts on layout changes upstairs to add this in? Not sure if it can be done with where the bathroom is currently and the size of the rooms etc?

See image of floor plan:
http://tinypic.com/r/28rpl4x/9

Thanks in advance :rotfl:

TamsinC · 6 July 2018 at 10:39AM

where is the water downstairs? Under the bathroom? Those bedrooms are quite small already not sure it's worth it - you could potentially put one in where the wardrobe is but then you would need a wardrobe for your clothes. Personally I've never really seen the point of ensuite - why trap bathroom smells and steam in the bedroom with you? Our new house has an ensuite - hubby is already banned from doing no 2s in it and we haven't even moved in. Luckily it's a large ensuite so showers aren't banned -yet! The 2nd bedroom has a teeny tiny ensuite and I really dont see the point, claustrophobic, dark (no window) and cramped. I feel thats what yours would end up like. Would it really end up adding value?

spadoosh · 6 July 2018 at 10:42AM

Ensuite with toilet and basin doesnt take up much room. A shower will need more space.

You can get a product call a macerator (i like to call it a **** (poo) shredder). Which means you can use smaller waste pipes so you dont have to mess about with a 4" waste pipe. It requires an electrical connection.

So in theory you should be able to put an ensuite where you want it.

To me it would only make sense to have an ensuite in the master bedroom. Between bed 2 and master bedroom seems the most logical place to me. If the wall is not structural you could take bits out of each room to minimise the impact on reducing the sizes. If it is, you could still do it but it will cost more.

So you should be able to do it, its just a case of if its value for money.

ReadingTim · 6 July 2018 at 11:23AM

There is absolutely no sense in putting in an en-suite in that house - it's simply too small. You will incur costs in doing so, and reduce the value of the place when you come to sell it.

Put a bucket in one of the wardrobes of the master bedroom and pee in that to realise what a silly idea this is.

need_an_answer · 6 July 2018 at 11:27AM

It may just be possible if you were to take some space from the master and some from bedroom 2.

However what you would end up with is an average sized double room as the master bedroom and what amounts to 3 large singles for the other rooms.

I assume its a reasonably new house,I'm sure if the developer thought they could economically squeeze in an ensuite at the time it was built they would have

sal_III · 6 July 2018 at 11:35AM

Do you need 4 beds?

If not, knock some walls and move the bathroom to where bed4 is, then use the remaining space to enlarge bed3 and add en-suite to it. This way your pipes won't have to move.

Squeezing the already small bedrooms to add en-suite is crazy IMHO

tacpot12 · 6 July 2018 at 12:00PM

I would look to move the wall between Bed2 and the Master bedroom back to so that it is in line with the top wall of the airing cupboard. You will either need to remove the airing cupboard (AC), or do away with the built in wardrobes. Removing the airing cupboard is really only practical if you have a combi boiler and there is no cylinder in the AC; the only other option to relocate it is to move the cylinder to the attic. You might also want to consider moving the boiler to the attic if you are going to this much trouble. Doing away with the AC would allow you to keep 3 out of the 4 built-in wardrobes.

I would suggestt that the ensuite ensuite should not be square but be oblong with a corner cut off to maximise space in the bedroom. You could consider having the door to the new ensuite open into the bedroom (and not the ensuite) to minimise the space needed in the ensuite. Also consider quadrant shower trays, electric showers (unless you have and can retain the hot water cylinder) and corner toilets. If you do put the ensuite so it backs onto Bed 2, you should also factor in the cost of acoustic insulation so that the occupant of Bed 2 isn't woken when you flush the loo or take a shower.

This is quite a big job, but if you have three children, aged 8-13 I think that you personally would get the return on the investment. I don't think it will detract from the house's value if the job is done carefully.

sandyk01 · 6 July 2018 at 12:36PM

Thank you all for your extremely helpful replies. The house itself is beautiful and downstairs has much more space. Will need to weigh up the costs/added value etc. We don't have kids at the moment but intend to stay here for awhile and start a family.

Thank you all!

Doozergirl · 6 July 2018 at 12:54PM

ReadingTim wrote: »

There is absolutely no sense in putting in an en-suite in that house - it's simply too small. You will incur costs in doing so, and reduce the value of the place when you come to sell it.

Put a bucket in one of the wardrobes of the master bedroom and pee in that to realise what a silly idea this is.

It's what I do all day long and I wouldn't do it in that house unless I was happy with a three bed. The room sizes are compromised as it is. An ensuite is supposed be a luxury. Squeezing around beds, losing storage, having doors opening onto beds and showering in what feels like a phone box etc is not a luxury.

It won't add value either.

seashore22 · 6 July 2018 at 1:37PM

Do you have a downstairs loo and could that be turned into a shower room? It's what we did with a previous house as we wanted 2 bathrooms, but didn't have space for an ensuite.

I'm one of those weird people who doesn't like ensuites. I don't like having so much humidity virtually in my bedroom and prefer more space between me and the loo. Both my husband and I will get up to go to the loo in the middle of the night and it's more likely that we can do that without disturbing the other person if we use the main bathroom. I do like having two bathrooms/shower rooms though and it is the only thing I would change about our current house. It only has a main bathroom and a downstairs loo.

AlexMac · 6 July 2018 at 2:00PM

I'd avoid both a macerator (we once lived below one- sounds terrible) or losing a bedroom; no matter how small, bedrooms are waht determines the value of a house in this country.

As you're thinking long term / family, is there potential to extend? Your floorplan shows windows on three sides so I assume you're semi-detached? Although as someone said above the rooms are so small that it implies a new build so there may be restrictions imposed by the developer?

Mates of mine installed one of the tiny cabin ensuites; an integrated, moulded shower/wetroom/ toilet cubicle the size of a wardrobe... but it leaked!

So as and when it becomes necessary , take a ruthless look at the relative costs and benefits of converting or extending and staying put - versus - moving; perhaps to an older, bigger house in need of TLC or with space to extend back, up or sideways?

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Adding a new en-suite

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