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minglee415

New Upstairs Addition: Bathroom Dilemna

10 years ago
I'm planning an upstairs addition that will have a master bedroom with en suite bathroom and two additional bedrooms, one for each of my kids (one boy and one girl). I want to add just one bathroom for the kids to share with a layout that has the bathtub, shower and toilet in a room and two vanities facing each other in a room adjacent to it. This way the more private things can be done behind a closed door but they will have their own sink. My mother thinks each bedroom should have a bathroom. I'm resisting this for cost and cleaning reasons and also I want to minimize the new plumbing running through the downstairs space. Plus the upstairs will have a playroom/guest room and having a communal bathroom seems more convenient.

So Houzzers, am I shooting myself in the foot, so to speak, if I don't include en suite bathrooms with each kid's bedroom?

Comments (8)

  • 10 years ago

    No. If the master has an en suite then consider yourself lucky. It really doesn't matter if any if the other bedrooms have an adjoining bathroom bc for potential buyers, they could care less if their kids have to share a bathroom as long as they get their own in the master.

  • 10 years ago
    I like to browse house plans for entertainment, even the ridiculous ones I'd never be able to afford to build, and honestly every time I see all bedrooms with an en suite on a normal house, I end up wondering about the waste of time and money involved. All those expensive fixtures and fittings, all that cleaning!

    The only time it makes sense to me is in a vacation home type property where often there will be multiple adults staying who might appreciate the privacy of an en suite. (Like a place where you invite adult friends and family to come visit, not a place designed as a vacation property for parents and a bunch of kids. Especially if the property is a shared investment between adults in the family, as then the individual bedrooms and bathrooms allows each investor to have their own little area of the space that they can really consider their own.)
  • PRO
    10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Two teenagers sharing a bathroom is always a nightmare but IMO your idea should take some of the pressure off

  • 10 years ago

    No reason for two bathrooms for the kids. It's a learning opportunity. :)

    One caveat: if you put the toilet in a separate room from the sinks, you are going to have hygeine problems (with the first door knob and/or with them leaving without washing at all). A simple bathroom might be best, and they can knock. Or just put a wall dividing the toilet from the rest, but no doors.

  • PRO
    10 years ago

    For the girl, I'd give her a private bath, and have her keep it clean.

    Have a second bath off the hall for the boy and visitors.

    After the kids are gone, the girls room becomes the guest room.

  • 10 years ago
    My kids are pretty young 5 and 1 so this is a bathroom they will be using for a long time! :) Thanks for all the great suggestions and things to consider. I am solidifying my opinion that they don't need the en suite baths. And I like the idea of them coming out of their rooms at some point to use the bathroom when they are older! Glad to hear a similar layout worked for a PP. What do you think of putting the shower and bath in a room by itself with a pocket door separating the toilet and sinks?
  • 10 years ago

    This worked well for our kids, don't know why I don't see it more often.

    5x8 standard 3 piece bath accessed through a 5x3 (or so) alcove that contains a replica sink setup (sink with base cabinet, mirror above the sink with hidden medicine cabinet). The only locking door goes to the 3 piece bath. The alcove (with the sink opposite the hall entrance door, side entrance in front of the sink to the 3 piece bath) has narrow solid french doors which are in practice always open to the hallway.

    This way, there is always a sink available even when the tub or toilet are being used, and a second sink when they are not. The toilet user can wash hands before exiting any doors.

    This is in our 1979 built tract home but I have never seen it in another community.