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lulatoola

To bathroom or not to bathroom, that is the question...

14 days ago

Hi everyone, thanks for reading in advance! We are thinking of doing an addition to our house by changing our garage into a guest suite, adding shower to the existing powder that is attached to it and then adding a new attached garage on the other side of the house. While we were there on that side of the house, we were going to add an en-suite bathroom to an existing bedroom and create another door to an existing hallway bathroom to another bedroom. Now that I am beyond overwhelmed with the cost and the scope of the work, I thought maybe we could not do the extra ensuite bathroom to help with the cost and maybe we don't actually need it? Anyone have opinions they can share? Currently we have a 4 bedroom/2.5 bath, original plans would have made it 5 bedroom/4 bath or should we delete a bath and do 5 bedroom/3 bath? Thanks!

Comments (9)

  • 14 days ago

    Can you post your existing plan? Have you had a vetted builder price it for you? The garage location is questionable if it makes it a long haul with groceries to the kitchen. Does your neighborhood support the level of work you are planning (potential resale if that’s a concern). With the work you describe it’s not just numbers of bedrooms and baths it’s the flow of the home and how it actually works that makes it successful or just a ‘hack’. It may make more sense to keep the garage side as is and adding an en-suite to the bedroom side (what were you planning for driveway work with a new garage location -that seems like a lot of dollars not wisely spent). But seeing the whole plan would help.

  • PRO
    14 days ago

    Sounds interesting, but why the need? Connecting an existing bathrooms to a bedrooms could make sense because you are making two on-suites.


  • 14 days ago

    No answers, but some important questions and observations:

    - If you add these bedrooms, will it make your house bigger /potentially better than your neighborhood? You never want to have the biggest /most expensive house in the neighborhood, as the smaller /less expensive houses will bring your value down.

    - How often will you use these bathrooms? Said differently, how badly is the extra bath needed?

    - Would it be possible to create a Jack-n-Jill type space anywhere? Showers /tubs don't aren't used that many hours of the day.

    - Budget choices: Shower pans cost less /last longer than tile floors. Shower curtains cost less (and are easier to keep clean) than glass doors. Linoleum floors are perfectly acceptable -- and are warmer /softer underfoot.

  • 14 days ago

    think about how each bedroom guest space will use the bathroom, double up? need a private one... I have 5 toilets in a two bedroom house... only two full baths, but I do have an outside shower as well for summer use. Think it through... Measure twice, cut once.

  • PRO
    14 days ago

    All is idle conjecture..until you post a floor plan of the existing condition, with every and all dimensions, wall , windows, openings feet and inches. Both living floors.

    Add jpegs for all above and show the exterior of the house as well.

    Much depends budget, your reasons, potential length of stay in the home as well.


  • PRO
    14 days ago

    Additions and alterations to a home ALWAYS cost more than homeowners anticipate. It's not uncommon for our clients to "value engineer" projects after a final budget comes in.

  • PRO
    13 days ago

    Bathrooms equal $ and its always more than you think. They also gain $ on resale. That said I would always keep a powder room. Always. If i were doing anything I would do one complete additional bath to serve the new garage room and not omit having a powder room. A guest doesnt want to share their bathroom with the household.

  • PRO
    13 days ago

    Do NOT add a shower to a powder room. It morphs to bathroom, and a mental mind wah wah of how to hide the bathing.: ( Drives me insane when a builder does it next to "flex space" .Commit, and its one or the other.

  • PRO
    12 days ago

    We can only guess. We need ato scale plan of the house as it sits now , then one with the addition added . Garage conversions are of expensive becuase the garage is not living space as it is and adding bathrooms are also pricey . Where I live the garage will need to be ripped down and so really an addition is what you are doing.. Also codes in your area decide if this additional space is allowed . So a bit more info and those plans are a must for help here.