no bathroom on main floor?

[soontobe]

would you buy a house with no bathroom on the main floor (near kitchen, living and dinning room)? There is a bathroom in the basement-where the play room is and a bathroom near the bedrooms. we have a just potty trained toddler and im due soon.

thanks!!!

[sariana]

It depends--is this set-up typical for homes in the area? I always think about resale!

I would hesitate but would not rule it out if it met my other criteria.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Can you build one? Otherwise - I would have a hard time. Is it a split level?

[mackmama]

I would if there was room to build a small one with just a toilet/sink.

[daniele_ut]

If that was the only negative about the house, I'd still consider it. My sister has lived in a house like that for 20 years and they've survived. They have no place to add a bathroom.

[vludmilla]

I would hesitate to do so unless it was clearly the convention in the area for the price range of the house. We use our main floor bathroom all.the.time. I wouldn't want to be without it.

[soontobe]

I would if there was room to build a small one with just a toilet/sink.

i was thinking about that. i would have to give up a closet which i guess isn't the end of the world. any idea how much a very basic bathroom would cost?

[mackmama]

i was thinking about that. i would have to give up a closet which i guess isn't the end of the world. any idea how much a very basic bathroom would cost?

Is there existing plumbing near the closet? I think it would also depend on the type/cost of materials you choose. I'd ask your realtor who will know the typical costs in your area.

[logan's mom]

It would be a definite no for me, but my husband's job relocates us pretty often and we are usually thinking about how to sell the house before we have even finished the paperwork for closing.

[waitingforgrace]

I would probably say no to the house. Not only inconvenient for me, but having people over I wouldn't want them all over the house just to send them to the bathroom. It might work in a split level home where you aren't talking about having to go up or down a full flight of stairs to get to a bathroom, but in a traditional 2 story home for instance that would be a deal breaker for me.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Sure. It's the norm where I live for the typical starter type home. Not a big deal at all. That's how me and my friends grew up too

Beth

[infomama]

That would be a deal breaker for me.

[ehf]

We live in a house with one bathroom on the second floor. My DD is almost 2 and we're about to start potty training. It's been EXREMELY inconvenient but not impossible. Still, it's annoying enough that we're trying very hard to figure out a way to add a half-bath on the first floor.


Bonus: only one bathroom to clean!

[jgenie]

We live in a split ranch. The main bathroom is not on the first floor. It is 5 steps up on the level with the bedrooms. It hasn't been a problem for us.

[HIU8]

It would be a no for me. It's from the perspective that you have to constantly walk stairs to use a bathroom (and with kids I feel bathrooms need to be very easily accessible--says the mom who's DD pee'd on the floor b/c she could not get to a bathroom in time). Plus, I do not like guests going upstairs to use the bathroom. I prefer they use the half bath on the main level. We do not have a bathroom in the basement. If we did I would feel inclined to always have the basement playroom cleaned up (and I do clean it, but stuff is still everywhere).

[fumofu]

Our house is like that. One bathroom in the basement, one guest and one master bathrooms on the second floor.

We bought the house before we had DS. I guess potty training will be even more challenging.

It's fine for DH and me. I don't mind it. Even at my parents' house, there is a en suite bath in my sister's room but I never use it. I usually go to the bathroom I shower in on the second floor.

[mom2binsd]

Do you have family who will visit, like grandparents, stairs can become a HUGE issue with older people, like they won't be able to visit if they aren't able to navigate stairs.

For me it would be an huge issue, unless I could add a bathroom, not only the kids but for myself, I'm often running to the bathroom...

[khalloc]

No way. I cant imagine not having a toilet on the main floor of a house. Actually, I've never seen that. We have a finished basement and no bathroom down there and its a real PITA. I cant imagine if it was the main living floor of my house.

[lil_acorn]

I would say no - that is highly inconvenient. And when you have a toddler that's gotta go, the closer the toilet the better!

I would also assume it would affect resale value. Maybe you could add one per previous suggestions...

[SnuggleBuggles]

Really and truly, as pps have pointed out, it depends on the norm for your area. Plenty of people get by without the main level bath. It is darned nice but if that layout is common for where you will be buying then it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. Ask your realtor.

Beth

[wimama]

I say no!

We did buy a house without a 1st floor bathroom. It was a lovely house with lots of original architecture and charm. If I was only going to have one bathroom, I preferred it to be on the second floor near the bedrooms which it was. We also had an emergency toilet in the basement. The bathroom situation was never an issue for us. The house was built in the 1920's and this likely was not uncommon at the time the house was built. But, when it was time to sell this was one of the drawbacks that scared buyers away. So, never again.

[Canna]

That's not uncommon where I live. In most of the houses (which date from the 1920s) a teensy half bath has been added somewhere (usually losing the pantry in the kitchen, or added on to the back of the house). But you'll still find houses that have only 1 Bathroom upstairs. I have a friend who lives in one and when she redid her kitchen the contractor really thought she should consider putting in a half bath but she LOVES her pantry and didn't want to give it up! So she still has 1 bathroom. A house across the street from us sold about about 2 years ago (for over $300K) to a really nice family with a young baby and has only 1 bathroom upstairs

[alien_host]

I probably would not. we've had a 1/2 bath the main level (kitchen/LR/DR) in both houses and it really is great. I wouldn't like having to send guests upstairs or to the basement to use the bathroom.

Like PPs have said, it depends on the style of the house.

[lowrioh]

Really and truly, as pps have pointed out, it depends on the norm for your area. Plenty of people get by without the main level bath. It is darned nice but if that layout is common for where you will be buying then it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. Ask your realtor.

Beth

:yeahthat:

Our previous house was built in the 30's and we had a bath on the second floor and one in the basement and it was fine. Almost all the houses on our street were like that and the ones that had a half bath on the mail floor were just weird since the house wasn't designed that way. Now we live in a split level and have two on the floor with the bedrooms and a half bath down in the family room, which is where we spend most of our time anyway.

[lowrioh]

I say no!

We did buy a house without a 1st floor bathroom. It was a lovely house with lots of original architecture and charm. If I was only going to have one bathroom, I preferred it to be on the second floor near the bedrooms which it was. We also had an emergency toilet in the basement. The bathroom situation was never an issue for us. The house was built in the 1920's and this likely was not uncommon at the time the house was built. But, when it was time to sell this was one of the drawbacks that scared buyers away. So, never again.

I love that you call it the emergency toilet. Those random toilets in the basements are really common in our town and I always find them sort of humorous. Most of them don't have walls around them so you would just be sitting on the toilet in the middle of the basement. It painted a funny picture in my head.

[wimama]

I love that you call it the emergency toilet. Those random toilets in the basements are really common in our town and I always find them sort of humorous. Most of them don't have walls around them so you would just be sitting on the toilet in the middle of the basement. It painted a funny picture in my head.

We also referred to it as the inside outhouse. It had walls and a door made of 2x4s. I wanted to cut a 1/2 moon in the door to make it look more like an outhouse. I thought it was humorous. We had to wash our hands in the laundry sink and the toilet seat was ice cold in the winter. So, it was for emergencies when the other bathroom was occupied. ;)

[brittone2]

We also referred to it as the inside outhouse. It had walls and a door made of 2x4s. I wanted to cut a 1/2 moon in the door to make it look more like an outhouse. I thought it was humorous. We had to wash our hands in the laundry sink and the toilet seat was ice cold in the winter. So, it was for emergencies when the other bathroom was occupied. ;)

LOL. We had a similar setup growing up. Only one full bath and then the emergency bath ;)

OP, I wouldn't do it. With small kids, PTing, etc. would drive me nuts with no main floor bathroom. I would be concerned w/ resale unless you live in an area that is otherwise so desirable that future buyers would likely be willing to overlook it.

[ABO Mama]

No, wouldn't work for us.