Downstairs loo opinions

Z

zsuzsa

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Hi all
We are getting a 90sqm 1940s terraced house renovated, ground floor extension and it will not need planning. Downstairs will be doubled in size and upstairs we are leaving, as we don't want to go through planning etc. Upstairs we have 2 large bedrooms, one box room/nursery and a small bathroom.
The bathroom is really the only thing we can't do much about and with a 4 person family it can be crowded in the mornings..
Our architect has suggested two options for when we do the extension downstairs:

1. small downstairs loo under stairs, toilet and tiny sink only.
2. larger shower room beside utility room - will eat into open plan living space though.

We are going to convert the attic to a double bedroom ensuite down the line (in 2 or 3 years), but are just getting the stairs put in for now to save on costs.

I personally think a downstairs shower room is just not nice. Would anyone think buyers in future would be put off by it? I think when we have the ensuite in the attic, the small bathroom upstairs and the downstairs loo we will have plenty of bathrooms available, even if not spacious. The architect thinks we are mad and should use some of the renovation space to make a shower room.
I also don't get the idea of getting up and bringing stuff downstairs to have a shower.

There are no options to make the bedrooms as is ensuite, as they are large but would be poky with ensuite.

What does anyone think, anyone think it could affect resale value positively or negatively, anyone have experience of downstairs shower rooms?

Thanks in advance
 
I cannot imagine it affecting the value of the property much tbh, but like you we would not be keen on the downstairs shower so it would never get used. Our understairs toilet/tiny-sink gets heavily used though, so would highly recommend that.

One of the things missing in our house was a small storage room for the likes of the vacuum, ironing board, clothes drier, and general over-flow from the kitchen. If you don’t already have a storage room like this downstairs, I’d put one in instead of the shower.
 
I have lived in a house with a downstairs shower, and it was not nice to have to traipse downstairs to shower and dress etc. It would put me off if I was viewing a house that doesn't have sufficient washing facilities next to bedrooms. A lot of people who have them in larger houses use them for pets or not at all! Is there any scope to add a bedroom with ensuite downstairs, even if it means applying for planning? If you are seriously thinking of selling down the line, I'd be careful about how you extend now. You might be as well off saving for a deposit on a bigger house than renovating your current one and just living with what you have. If your children are younger, then have them bathe at night and you in the am, teeth brushing etc can be down in a washroom downstairs.
 
Yes, we have a small storage room for washing machine etc in plans and that will stay. It's not the type of house where you'd put a bedroom downstairs, so we are going to convert attic. It will then be a 4 bed with one ensuite and 2 and small bedroom sharing the upstairs bathroom.
 
When we added an extension we converted the existing main downstairs bathroom into a wc with shower, this shower is only used by visitors that stay in the downstairs guestroom and never by ourselves as we have en suite options with main bathroom / shower upstairs, the downstairs wc/shower room is not large but is the only loo on the ground floor so the loo gets used a lot, my experience of under stairs loos is that they are not great re head space or privacy.

I would add the shower as we have using a quadrant shower enclosure, the room need not be large, it does not need to take up a lot pf space, well ours doesn't, we tiled it black and white and it receives favourable comments..
 
When my friend was recently faced with similar problem her architect suggested under the stairs loo (husband is 6ft. 4 and 2 teenage boys heading in the same direction). Plan B was to get rid of the bath and hot press = showeroom 1. Pinch a little space from bedroom next door to add to bath and hot press space to create showeroom 2.
It's working well. One showeroom for adults and a seperate showeroom for teenagers.
Downstairs showers are a pain.
 
Just for opposite view, we only have one bathroom/shower and it's downstairs in a two story 90sqm house. I've never considered it a pain. Granted I grew up with the exact same setup in my parents house so I've never thought much about it being unusual.
 
I previously owned a house with a 2nd bathroom downstairs. It had been added by previous owner as an accessible bathroom for an elderly family member. Didn't put us off. We took out the shower and put the washing machine & dryer in there. It certainly wasn't a negative when it came to selling the house, it was easy to explain it could be easily converted to a shower / wet room. Whether you've toddlers or elderly relatives a downstairs toilet is a definitive plus.
 
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