Which would you prefer in your house?

[Penners]

Upstairs, our house has a large bathroom and three double bedrooms. It also has a downstairs shower room. When I get round to it, there's also going to be a small en suite off the main bedroom.

If I were to divide the big bathroom up, I could turn it into a small bathroom and a fourth (single) bedroom about 8ft x 8ft.

From the convenience point-of-view, this would probably be quite helpful for those occasional weekends when we have a house-full of visitors, but (although we have no current plans to move) I'm also thinking about the future market value of the house, for the benefit of my kids.

What do you think? Would prospective purchasers prefer a small main bathroom and a fourth bedroom, or a large bathroom and three bedrooms?

 

[MDE]

8ftx8ft doesn't sound like much of a bedroom to me - more a study or a box room. On the other hand, a shower room, bathroom and en-suite are ample for a 3 bedroom property. Personally, I wouldn't do it, but then I wouldn't do the en-suite either, unless it can be done without significantly affecting the space in the bedroom. Instead, I'd make the large bathroom look really nice (I assume it isn't at the moment otherwise you wouldn't be thinking of altering it).

 

[elm]

I'd choose the three doubles and roomy bathroom, currently our bathroom is a tiny freezing afterthought boarded off from the back kitchen - so right now any bathroom upstairs sounds good, and a decent sized one sounds even better!

 

[Penners]

Thanks for your thoughts, MDE.

You're right - the bathroom is currently very un-nice!

The en suite won't reduce the size of the main bedroom at all, because it will be created in what is currently an unused adjacent little room about 6ft x 6ft.

 

[Penners]

Elm - thanks for that, although I suspect that your views are perhaps a bit coloured by dreams of a comfortable bathroom, regardless of size!

Nevertheless, your thoughts are noted, thank you.

 

[Sue Wilkinson]

I've go for the big bathroom and 3 bedrooms. If I had a big bathroom I'd like to put a big old cast iron bath in the middle of it rather than up against a wall. I'd also like to make the room more like a bedroom than a bathroom, so keep tiles to a minimum and have an open fireplace in it (assuming there is one), and nice furniture as well as the essentials.

I think decent sized rooms are much more valuable than large numbers of small ones.

Sue

 

[Moo]

I know exactly what you mean about the inheritance factor (if your children are like mine, it will be their only hope of a pension income).
But - you have to live in it now, so having thought carefully about all the alternatives, and roughly priced each of them, do whatever will make you (and Mrs P, of course) as comfortable as possible.
If, having done all the research, you were to put all the alternative plans and costings down on paper the file would be useful if and when the house went on the market.
But remember you're not dealing with a mass-produced lego-house, but rather something unique that won't appeal to the run-of-the-mill buyer. Your future purchaser will be someone of the same finely-honed taste as you and Mrs P.
And however you juggle the space, you can be sure that there will be people who like the result and others who are put off by it.

 

[Penners]

Thanks, Sue. No fireplace, unfortunately, otherwise I suspect that Mrs Penners would already have vetoed my thoughts of modification!

I confess that I have never understood the (apparently widespread) preference for an 'island' bath in the middle of the room. It seems to me that a bath against a wall (a) halves the risk of slopping water on the floor, and (b) offers an opportunity for nice big shelves to put all your soaps, potions, loofah and rubber duckie on.

 

[Penners]

Moo - a thoughtful response, thank you. And I suspect that you're dead right. Some prospective purchasers would prefer the larger bathroom and some the fourth bedroom. It's a question of trying to divine which will be the larger group.

Hmmm - I was hoping this would be an easy decision!

 

[Sue Wilkinson]

Perhaps its because I've never had a bathroom big enough to do it, but to me it seems the height of decadence. I'd feel like an Edwardian lady reclining there in bubbles and candle light, or looking out of the window.

I guess you still have your shelves or cupboard, but you can't reach them from the bath.

All my ideals for old houses come from my Gran's more or less derilict farm house that I adored as a child and teenager. Everyone else hated it because it was cold and draughty and leaked. But I loved the big rooms and low ceilings. The bathroom was so big you got tired walking to the bath and back! That was in the middle of the room, but had one end against a wall where the taps were.

Sue

 

[Penners]

I guess you still have your shelves or cupboard, but you can't reach them from the bath.

Don't you find that prospect a bit impractical, Sue? Where do you put all your bathtime accoutrements? And what about your towel - do you have to drip your way across the room to fetch it?

Aren't men infuriatingly practical?!

 

[Sue Wilkinson]

Well you have a nice wooden soap rack over the bottom end of the bath for your soap, sponge, loofa, book, wine, duck etc.

Your towel goes on a free standing wooden towel rail that you've just put next to the bath of course! Men, no imagination!

Sue

 

[NT]

I'd be asking myself if I could do both. IOW have it set up so its elementar to convert between the 2. Then prospective purchasers can be shown how its all set out so that they can choose which they want, and it only costs them a bag of peanuts to convert it either way. So that means looking to put the bathing machinery in places that will work well with either bathroom size... not sure if its an achievable option or not

To anyone needing a 4th bed for a small child that 4th bed will be invaluable, even at a measly 64 sqft. And once one leaves home they'll surely want to convert back to the big bathroom.


NT

 

[biffvernon]

There is an expectation in the B&B trade for this modern idea of en suite - so new fangled there isn't even an English word for it. Sometimes prospective guests ask whether the room 'is en suite?' They never seem to ask if there is a lavatory in the bedroom. Well, there isn't, and we explain that we would not want to compromise the architectural integrity of the room, but, as a concession to modern times, the maid's room next door has been converted to a bathroom. When guests arrive they often remark how nice it is to have a large bedroom and never complain that they have to open a door and walk three paces to go to the loo.

Come to think of it, I'm not sure which is more useful, a bathroom or a maid.

 

[MDE]

Come to think of it, I'm not sure which is more useful, a bathroom or a maid

Both - then Penners would have someone to fetch his towel.

 

[Peter]

Size matters - or so I'm told (for bathrooms).

 

[Jocelyn]

Don't do it David! Our Holy land house did have a large bathroom and our vendors decided to divide it into two, result, a cute bathroom with a teeny weeny footbath and the second bathroom crammed in with the hotwater tank and airing cupboard. Consequently we are considering going back to the original size and dividing the largest of our 4 bedrooms to make an ensuite for guests. We have also ended up with the two bathrooms at the far end of the landing so that means a mad dash to pass everybody in the mornings, when I can barely speak a civil word.

By ensuiting the guest room we can all keep ourselves to ourselves!!

As an aside, it is rather unnerving to have a morning bath in such close proximity to the Roman Catholic Church service, no more radio 2, just hymns, bells and incense.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( all good stuff really) the two buildings are propping each other up.

Jocelyn

 

[Penners]

Thanks, Jocelyn.

Just a thought - could you perhaps lift a few bob off the RC church by renting your bath out as a standby font?

 

[Penners]

Come to think of it, I'm not sure which is more useful, a bathroom or a maid.

There's no doubt in my mind. :wink:

 

[Paul Hopper]

Penners

you are on form this morning!

Paul