The key words here are ten more years. If your preference is to have more counter space and storage, that's what you should do.

I would speak with a real estate professional knowledgeable in your area. Ten years isn’t long and you ought not act to limit marketability.

If it works for you, please go ahead with your plans. I decided to forego the second sink in the master bath I had remodeled in my former house so as to allow space for a built in hamper at the vanity. Not everyone would be happy with the single sink, but it was fine for us

Several years later, that house sold its second day listed and I had two (unneeded) backup offers in place by end of first week ;0).

If a single is what you want, do it! I would do a single in a heartbeat for the reasons you stated. And I seriously doubt that it would matter that much in resale. People change a lot of things when they move anyway.

We have a single sink and are redoing with another single sink. We have no need for 2, and I prefer the look of just one.

I just remodeled my master bath and went from two sinks to one. I valued extra counter space over a second sink.

Interesting comments. Maybe I'll end up in the minority here, but I can't imagine being happy with only one sink in a master bathroom unless I lived alone. And in my area, a decent size master bath with only one sink would be a negative factor in selling.

My vanity is only 6'-7" and there is plenty of room for two sinks. I'm baffled with wanting to sacrifice a sink to maximize counter space. As far as I am concerned, more counter space encourages more mess and clutter. Here is a picture of mine, which has enough crap on it to satisfy anyone, and still plenty of open space:

In the long run when selling the 2 sink is more preferable. The new owner will change from one to two and ask for a lower asking price for the home to update this. Yes you can deny it but lost the sale if you don't. If you are single or to sell to a single person you would be fine.

Ken

I don't think a single over a double sink in a master bath would be a deal breaker on selling the house. None of my two previous homes had double sinks and it was never mentioned by the buyer. It is personal preference. My hubby and I never used the bathroom at the same time in our 45 years of marriage. That is our private time. I no more want to see him spitting toothpaste as he doesn't want to see me spitting toothpaste. Plan your bathroom for your lifestyle, not for someone else.

Yes that is true but a busy family will fight over one sink. Do what will make you happy. If this is your home to stay do the one sink.

Ken

Ken, she said master bath, not the childrens, family, or guest bath. She already has a shared bath for the rest of the family with two sinks.

I think double sinks are way overrated. Lots of better things you can do with that space! Personally I'd have a shorter vanity and a linen closet though.

If counter space is your goal, you must go with undermount.

Counter is 84". 2 sinks @ 19"/ea leaves 46" to spare. Maybe 12" left/right and 22" in the middle. Pretty nice layout if you ask me.

Do what works for you rather than attempting to figure out what a mythical buyer will want in ten years.

As this thread has shown, MANY people have a preference for a single sink which gives more counter space and storage. Most stuff done in a bathroom doesn't depend on actually being OVER the sink. You wash your hands and you brush your teeth and then you don't need to be over a sink basin for whatever else you need to do.

I recently remodeled and got rid of the second sink in favor of more storage. If I were looking for a new home, I certainly wouldn't see a sink sink with more counter and storage space as a negative.

I think most people feel that a single sink is negative because it is generally one small single sink with limited storage and counter space. You almost never see a relatively large vanity with a single sink so people are reacting to the actual size of the "grooming area" versus having only one sink in a larger vanity.

The additional counter and storage space available with a single sink trumps the value of a second sink in the Master IMO. If you have a very large Master bath with two separate vanities across the room from one another - then my answer would be different. But if you have the typical situation as you describe in your OP with a 7 ft vanity and a choice of one or two sinks - then one sink is plenty. I've sold many homes with one sink in the master and it just doesn't come up as an objection for many, not all, buyers. Remodel this bath for your own use. Forget what will happen in 10 years. It may be an entirely different market.

Thanks, everyone! I didn't realize how many people actually prefer a single sink. I actually think the double sink is more valuable in the hall bath (which will soon be only the girl's bathroom!) because they are way more territorial than my husband and I.

Now we just need to figure out how to have a big mirror that isn't necessarily centered around a single sink.

I did a wall to wall mirror with separate decorative mirror surfaces delineating the separate spaces. The sink has a different mirror treatment over the wall mirror versus the non sink area. Each area has sifferent but complementing sconce and light treatments.

We too have a very long vanity with just one sink in our master bath in our present home. Our last 2 homes had TWO. But I prefer one because when my hubby had his own sink he wouldn’t keep it clean (duh) and I’d grumble about looking at it till I couldn’t stand it and then I’d clean it. With only one sink, I clean it daily cause I use the same sink.

So, my short answer is ONE sink cause I’m lazy.

I prefer 2 sinks in a master bathroom. 1 sink would negatively affect resale in my neighborhood in a big way.

Also, I'm sure no one will agree with me on this, I prefer less counterspace in the master and more counterspace in the kids'/guest bathrooms. The reasons are:

- I don't like a bunch of things on the counter. We built a tower in the middle of our 94" vanity and we put almost everything in there. The only things on the counter are 2 soap dispensers and 2 folded towels. Since it's the master, and only we use it, we put everything away, charge toothbrushes in the tower, and have several drawers to put things also. We have a linen cabinet as well, so there's plenty of storage. 7' is probably a little tight for a tower, and a lot of people hate them anyway, but you could look for other opportunities to increase storage by putting drawers in your vanity, installing recessed medicine cabinets, or looking for another way to increase storage. Also we severely purged our stuff as we moved back into the bathroom.

- For kids'/guest, they wouldn't put things away even if I provided loads of storage, so might as well have more counterspace because that's where everything is going to end up anyway. And guests arrive with their little toiletry bag to put on the counter. They don't need a place to put anything away.

We had two issues when redoing our long narrow master: storage and a window above part of the vanity. Really wanted the storage. Didn't want a second sink in front of the window (duh) so opted for one sink and can honestly say, I'm perfectly happy with that. BUT, we did choose a larger than standard sink and this has helped. In the rare moments when we are both in there at the same time, I'm usually using the make-up mirror which I keep by the window because I love the natural light for that. I rarely even use the mirror above the sink.

I realize you intend to stay in your home for the next 10 years, but as a Realtor in an area that is predominantly vacation & retirement homes, the last 5 or 6 couples that I've worked with would not even consider a master bath with only 1 sink. This may or may not apply to you, but it always helps to know what's going on in the market. I would also advise to stick with classic design and fixtures, rather than big bowls that sit on top of the counters or other trendy things. Leave those to the luxury, high end homes that completely remodel every couple of years; nothing is worse than living in avocado green long after it was the trendy thing to do.

@AJCN - Isn't it semantics in terms of counter space storage as the reality is that if you put in a second sink you lose all the storage in the sink cabinet that. could otherwise be used for drawers and pullouts.

I got rid of the second sink during my recent remodel but I also don't like a lot of stuff ON the counter because it makes it more difficult to swipe down and I don't like clutter. However, I have increased storage in that section. Also when I am actually using stuff, it is convenient to have space on the counter in which to keep the items while using them.

I have seen a lot of double sinks crammed into a relatively small area so there is limited counter space as well as limited storage space in the vanity.

FWIW, my sink cabinet is fitted with a pull out to avoid items stored there being lost in the Black Hole Of Calcutta of a sink cabinet with no way to access items stored towards the back.

Helen -

That’s why I chose two vessel sinks with relatively small footprints. It doesn’t steal from storage under the countertop and it still leaves a lot of space on top of it.

Helen, what I meant was I wouldn't want such a long expanse of counter space no matter the question of 1 or 2 sinks because we don't "store" things on the countertop. It would look weird since I would put nothing on it except a soap dispenser and a folded towel. It would be a big blank expanse of empty countertop like a runway. All the daily-used stuff that people usually store on the countertop, we put in the tower, like a medicine cabinet, such as electric toothbrushes, daily medicine, shaving stuff, deoderant, etc. We prefer 2 sinks anyway since we get ready for work at the same time.

As far as resale, in our neighborhood, nobody would even look at our house without 2 sinks in the master. If you plumb for a second sink, and the realtor tells potential buyers about that, maybe that would help, especially if they wanted to change the countertop anyway. Adding a second sink at that point would be pretty easy if the plumbing was already there.

Two sinks. We don't need extra storage space on the counter because then it all has to be moved when cleaning the bathroom vanity. Ugh. We love having two sinks and would not want to buy a house that has one sink in the master bath.

Here is a master bathroom vanity in a new house (completed 2020) in my neighborhood is western Los Angeles.

I have a double sink vanity in the master bathroom in our house in the desert, and I would prefer just one sink. I think the extra sink is a waste of counterspace, not to mention the waste of space beneath.

People have these delusions of needing two sinks in a MB so two people can be in there at once.

How often do you REALLY want in any way to be in your bathroom pushing around your spouse at the same time? My answer is: never.

Not due in small part to the fact that if both of us were in the MB at once, our kids would be busy burning down the house somewhere......

Cindy, since you plan to stay put for at least the next 10 years, do what you want to live with for the next decade. I wouldn't worry about resale because almost anything you do now will look dated in 10 years anyway.

2 sinks for us. Everyone uses their bathroom differently. If you’re not going to brush teeth and shave at the same time, then just get 1 sink. We get ready at the same time, so we’re in the bathroom at the same time almost daily brushing teeth, shaving, etc. We actually like being in the bathroom at the same time bc were about to leave for a long day of work, and we’re so busy after work with the kids we barely get to talk anymore! In the early morning quiet, it’s a chance to talk for a few minutes while getting ready, before the whole house wakes up and the day starts to rock and roll. Even though there’s a WC for privacy, when one spouse is in there, the other spouse politely finds something else to do, like go make the coffee or feed the dogs, to give additional privacy. Other than that, we’re in there at the same time almost daily.

We have 2 sinks in the master bath and kids bath and wouldn‘t have it any other way.

2 is better then one!! in all situations, yes you may like only one, but in the long run 2 is the way to go. Ask any realtor, custom home builder, architect, a home buyer, they all say 2 has the most value and personally use. You might loose a little counter top for WHAT? You don't want to spit out toothpaste with your significant other? If that is your thought you just lost value to your home. You should have a cabinet to hold all your stuff off the counter. I do see the point in that but now all you see is junk on your counter. Take it either way, yes good if you are single, but look at it the other advantage point.

Ken

Some couples don't like to share side-by-side sinks and will avoid using them at the same time!

To my mind, the most functional arrangement is one occasionally seen in hotels: one vanity with single sink in the bathroom, and a second vanity outside the bathroom - usually on the same wall for plumbing efficiency.

Our master bathroom started out with a 7' vanity and 2 sinks (Kohler Blueberry color 1981). Discovered quickly that we were both happier in separate bathrooms so the roomy two person bathroom was all mine but I didn't need two sinks. When we remodeled in 2007 we cut off a few inches of the vanity length to make room for a wider tub and removed the un-needed sink and made a knee space. Lost a little drawer space but DH built built-ins in one of the bathroom closets so it's all good.

We have two sinks in our master bath and even though we rarely are in the bathroom at the same time, I like the idea of all of my stuff undisturbed at my sink, and she feels the same way about her territory. I consider two sinks to be an investment in domestic harmony. :-)

My parents rarely used their double sink vanity at the same time but the double sink was a "must-have" for my mom as she got grossed out looking down into a sink with little beard hairs stuck to it while she was brushing her teeth or washing her hands and my hirsute father could not be trained to rinse the sink fully after shaving. He rinsed, but his standard of "clean sink" was not the same as my mother's standard. Two sinks was the solution and key to a successful marriage in their case (at least in regards to sharing a bathroom).

Go with a single sink. I am firmly convinced that duplicate sinks have become "a trend" in more expensive houses just for status rather than actual function. Going with a single sink keeps the master bath to a reasonable size, while still allowing each spouse a drawer stack.

Mrs Pete-

I don't think they are a trend in expensive houses...they seem to be common in average houses, particularly because they don't really cost that much more to do. For me it comes down to function and whether 1 or 2 sinks works better for a couple's lifestyle. Just my 2 cents....

For resale, 2 sinks. Even if you don’t like it now, you’ll like it when you sell.

I’m coming in late to all of this but IMHO build the bathroom in a way that suits your needs. Anyone who can accurately predict what some random buyer may want a decade in future should probably consider a career with Psychic Friends Network.

Although I do like the idea of roughing in the plumbing for second sink. Make things lot easier for you, should decide to change your mind, or a future buyer.

Chocolate or vanilla? You're never going to get a consensus. Do what you want and like.

I just ordered a custom 66" vanity to accommodate a single, centered 23" sink. This is what I want and it'll make me happy.

@Helen, can you post a picture of how you did the mirror treatment you're talking about? Sounds super interesting and I might want to copy it - i'm in the middle of a remodel

@Lars, do you know the mirror that was used in that picture you posted with single sink vanity?

@kristinpmom

Here is a picture of the mirrors in my master bathroom. There is a wall to wall/counter to ceiling mirror and then the sconces and additional mirror treatments and lights were applied over that mirror.

The portion over the sink has an Art Deco design in mirrors with two Art Deco sconces.

The portion over the lowered "vanity" has lights with a beveled mirror which can be removed to access the electrical for the lights framing that section.

Second photo may or may not show the mirrors better. There is a small lucite bench under the vanity seciton for seating.

Since this thread just got revived- I thought I'd give everyone an update. We ended up going with one sink. It's set to one side (plenty of clearance between it and the wall). We have two framed mirrors- one over the sink and one over the stretch of counter where a second sink would have gone. There's three wall sconces around the mirrors. The second mirror w/out a sink in front makes it easier to lean in for makeup/grooming.

It's been in for a year now and we are happy with the look and set up. The extra drawer space is great. Apparently, we aren't messy bathroom types because clutter has not been a problem at all (and my husband cleans up his beard hair when he shaves!)

Who knows what future buyers will think. Though we are in an established neighborhood with big lots, big trees and good schools. The homes are a mix of 60s ranches to new builds (on subdivided lots). The houses are generally well maintained, but homes with just a single hall bath aren't uncommon. So I doubt our single sink in an en suite bath will be a deal breaker for people who want to get into the neighborhood.

Great idea! I think I would have done the same. In fact I am. I'm designing our master bath - for the 3rd time now - with only one sink.

I'd love to see a pic!

Here are two angles- I even left the clutter on the counter for honesty's sake.

It looks so good!!! I’m
Noticing the lights you chose because that’s next on my to-do list! Do you like them functionally?

I do like them. It was actually husband's must-have that we have them on the side of each mirror instead of overhead so there's no shadows when he's shaving. Sadly, I think I look better with shadows these days (stupid wrinkles). But of course, nice and bright to see your face also means blinding. So we have ceiling lights over the bath and in the shower that are on a separate switch.