Wednesday, August 16, 2006

How many bathrooms do you want (need?)

Sitting Pretty recently posted a review of Barbara K's book Invest in Your Nest. Although the book sounds interesting, I found Sitting Pretty's comments equally interesting.

One point she raised was a disagreement with Barbara K over whether it made sense to add additional bathrooms.

I've bought, remodelled, lived in and then sold quite a few houses, like Sitting Pretty has, however, I find I disagree on the point of bathrooms and agree with Barbara K.

Growing up with four teenage sisters having extra bathrooms would have been a huge improvement in quality of life.

Even today, I seek an excess of bathrooms to bedrooms for several reasons:

1. As a parent I prefer my children not see some of the more dangerous tools in my bathroom (razors, etc...), even though they are in safe places - I don't want them to mimic me if they should get their hands on something dangerous.
2. We sometimes do have family and guests visiting - a guest room with a bathroom is very nice for them.
3. My in-laws live with us.
4. A powder room is wonderful when guests are visiting - do you really want to clean up ALL the bathrooms they might visit - or just the powder room. I have a nasty vision of a friends child getting their hands on grandpa's dentures and running around the house with them!
5. Separate bathrooms help isolate family noise when family members sleep at different hours - unless you can sleep through the hair dryer, toilet flushes, etc....

To a degree Sitting Pretty associates excess bathrooms with economic wealth. I've had friens put powder rooms in for $5,000 and whole bathrooms for $10,000 - $25,000. If you have the space or can create the space it fits into a mortgage fairly inexpensively.

Then again, maybe I'm speaking from left field. What do you think? How many bathrooms do you have, want and plan to install in your home?

Regards,
makingourway

3 comments:

mOOm said...

I think she is coming from a perspective of what adds market value and what does not?

For me, more than one already seems luxurious :)

Tiredbuthappy said...

We have one bathroom on the second floor, and 3 bedrooms. We also have a stinky, dark and scary powder room in the basement that I use about twice a year.

So far, I think 3 BR and 1 bath is fine for us. It would be nice to have a powder room on the first floor so guests don't have to go upstairs at all, but this house is not that house. This house is a fine for now kinda house.

makingourway said...

moom, I'm sure she was focussing on adding value.

perhaps the question has two legs: economic and ergonomic.

in my experience, with many house guests and residents, you can never have enough bathrooms!