5 bedroom house - how many bathrooms?
Discussion
Yup, I'd be inclined to have two en-suite rooms, a big bathroom, and a crapper downstairs. I figure that depending on what children you have, one of them will want to do an excessive amount of preening when they are a teenager, so giving them their own bathroom would be a big timesaver.
Muncher said:
I should be able to get some decent drawings of the current layout tonight.
Don't bother. Crap ones are so much more useful.Two floors I'd be tempted with a utility room and WC on the Ground Floor. Assuming it's going to have properly sized rooms go with two en-suites and a family bathroom.
If you do messy activities - such as mountain biking - then I'd have a ground floor shower room in lieu of the WC.
mk1fan said:
If you do messy activities - such as mountain biking - then I'd have a ground floor shower room in lieu of the WC.
Not just messy activities: We have a downstairs shower room which is great if you need an early start and don't want to disturb the rest of the house like you would with an on suite or family bathrooms next to bedrooms. Even since I took out an airing cupboard and put a shower in the main bathroom the downstairs one still gets plenty of use.It's funny that when I was young there were six of us in my parent's house and only one loo and one bathroom yet we managed. My Mum and Dad manage fine in the same house and have knocked the loo and bathroom into one room, so they obviously aren't bothered.
My sister now has a three bedroomed semi with main bathroom, one on suite and a downstairs loo just for the two of them, but it was a new build house and the bedrooms aren't huge. I'm currently in the process of redoing our main bedroom (4 bed house) and knocking through to the next room to pinch some space from built in wardrobes (it will remain 4 bedrooms, just the 4th room is losing it's built in storage): We considered adding an on suite in this space and I even run a waste pipe when I had the ceiling down in the shower room years ago. However we've deceided it will be better for us to have a spacious bedroom and use the family bathroom or shower room rather than make the main bedroom pokey for the sake of having an on suite. If we were planing on selling in the near future then perhaps we'd be better off with the on suite, but I plan to be living here for the forseeable future. I suppose that's the thing for the OP to consider is whether they are doing this work for themselves or more with an eye to resale.
Tempted to say 2 (one family, one en-suite off the master) and a downstairs loo with a shower if you have room.
You could always make the second one en-suite/family by having a door from the landing and a bathroom and fitting locks to both doors. That way if you have guests they can have an en-suite but it can be family the rest of the time (although with just two of you, one and a downstairs loo for emergencies would suffice ).
M
You could always make the second one en-suite/family by having a door from the landing and a bathroom and fitting locks to both doors. That way if you have guests they can have an en-suite but it can be family the rest of the time (although with just two of you, one and a downstairs loo for emergencies would suffice
).M
thinfourth2 said:
Going by most new builds then you are looking at about 8 bathrooms
On a more serious note
You get dressed upstairs in the bedrooms
You get undressed upstairs in the bedrooms
The beds are upstairs in the bedrooms
Why does everyone having the washing machine down stairs?
A utlity room upstairs makes huge amount of sense
Most Dutch houses have the washing machines upsrairs.On a more serious note
You get dressed upstairs in the bedrooms
You get undressed upstairs in the bedrooms
The beds are upstairs in the bedrooms
Why does everyone having the washing machine down stairs?
A utlity room upstairs makes huge amount of sense
Bluebarge said:
And just for the sake of a bit of balance, speaking as someone who is not a powerfully-built company director, our house is a 2000sq ft 5-bed, with 3 double beds (1 en-suite)+ 1 large single upstairs, a family bathroom upstairs, and 1 double bed guestroom downstairs with large-ish wc/shower room next to it. It's a great family house and our 3 teenage kids are happy with the space. Our previous house was also a 5-bed with 4 doubles (1 en-suite) a large single, a family bathroom and downstairs loo, and it was 1700 sq ft. That was also fine.
Why don't you ask a local estate agent to look over your plans to give you a valuation on a "if built now" basis as a 4-bed and 5-bed. It should cost v.little and will give you some guide as to what it will be worthwhile spending and how you should configure it.
Sorry to say this, but I think your floor areas are wrong. Especially the 1700 sqft house unless it had integ garage with bedrooms over. But thsat leads to an imbalance between living and sleeping space. Why don't you ask a local estate agent to look over your plans to give you a valuation on a "if built now" basis as a 4-bed and 5-bed. It should cost v.little and will give you some guide as to what it will be worthwhile spending and how you should configure it.
Agent suggestion is sensible.
blueg33 said:
Sorry to say this, but I think your floor areas are wrong. Especially the 1700 sqft house unless it had integ garage with bedrooms over. But thsat leads to an imbalance between living and sleeping space.
Agent suggestion is sensible.
The figures are from the estate agents particulars but you are right about the 1700sq ft house - it did have a bedroom over an integral garage and the living space downstairs was ok rather than palatial. However, I think you need to take your Charles Church hat off and look at what families actually need and what people will buy, rather than what one small sector of the new-build market is used to. Families look for decent-size bedrooms for kids and an adequate number of bathrooms - you can't have one child having an en-suite because they will then all demand one. Families look at the number of bedrooms first because that is where the kids spend most of their time and the number of bedrooms tends to be what sets the value for a family home. All IMHOAgent suggestion is sensible.
Bluebarge said:
The figures are from the estate agents particulars but you are right about the 1700sq ft house - it did have a bedroom over an integral garage and the living space downstairs was ok rather than palatial. However, I think you need to take your Charles Church hat off and look at what families actually need and what people will buy, rather than what one small sector of the new-build market is used to. Families look for decent-size bedrooms for kids and an adequate number of bathrooms - you can't have one child having an en-suite because they will then all demand one. Families look at the number of bedrooms first because that is where the kids spend most of their time and the number of bedrooms tends to be what sets the value for a family home. All IMHO
I have been at volume builders too and built houses ranging in price from £60k-£500k there circa 700 houses pa for 6 years, at one and 3 years at another. In total of I have 20 years of resi development experience across all markets and the whole country. My roles gave me overall responsibility for product selection, sales rates and profit.When talking about living space I was referring to actual feedback from purchasers of family homes ranging from 850 sqft to 2000 sqft (this tends to be the range with rooms over garages) The units with rooms over the garage are ALWAYS harder to sell, and the L'shaped ones even more so.
BTW CC housetype range even in 2000 had hoses from 800sqft upwards
As I said the number of bedrooms is actually a location thing. Some sectors of society need a lot of rooms and will compromise on the size of them, some need two sitting rooms one for men one for women. In my experience and research most families prefer 4 good sized bedrooms to 5 tight ones, plus the average family buying a new build house of the sizes we and the op are discussing will be in the upper Socio-Economic brackets and will have fewer than the average number of kids. Again this makes 4 larger beds more appropriate.
Developers spend a significant amount of time trying to get house types right and you can never please all of the people all of the time.
I have a family (2 kids) and live in a family sized house. Mine is 1850 sqft and there is no way it would fit 5 beds and 2 ensuites. Its 4 beds and 2 of the beds are a bit tight as doubles and even as singles if you want to put in a wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a desk for homework.
With my kids the pressure comes for family space, ie sitting room for TV and family room for other TV, band practice etc.
The single best 4 bed house type I have seen is a CC one at 1680 sq ft (Lichfield IIRC) built some at Buckingham, but it was a very wide frontage so land hungry. I haven't really been taken by any 5 beds under 2500sq ft and I have seen an awful lot of new homes, both ours and our competitors. Worst 4 bed was a 1500 sqft housetype from another of my employers that was integ garage. L shaped with bedrooms over. Built some in Warwickshire and that type took 1 year longer to sell than the others.
Floor area in resi is normally measured as "net internal" that means to the inside faces of the outside walls. Agents often mis-calculate floor areas as my market research has demonstrated time and again.
Edited by blueg33 on Thursday 19th January 10:12
Edited by blueg33 on Thursday 19th January 10:31
Sorry this is the best I have at the moment, it's a little tricky to work out but essentially
Kitchen front right, dining room front left, utility room on the right in the middle, WC in an extended space under the stairs and massive open plan lounge with two sets of large doors.
Five double bedrooms, two with an ensuite. Master bedroom is pretty large and has its own ensuite plus a walk in wardrobe. Apparently the smallest bedroom on there is 0.5m smaller than what Persimmon class as a double. I can use that as a study, no problems.
It's basic concept only but it gives you an idea. The extension element is 6m from the rear of the existing house. The roof will be two hips with a valley in the middle at the rear.
The front is totally unaltered.
Kitchen front right, dining room front left, utility room on the right in the middle, WC in an extended space under the stairs and massive open plan lounge with two sets of large doors.
Five double bedrooms, two with an ensuite. Master bedroom is pretty large and has its own ensuite plus a walk in wardrobe. Apparently the smallest bedroom on there is 0.5m smaller than what Persimmon class as a double. I can use that as a study, no problems.
It's basic concept only but it gives you an idea. The extension element is 6m from the rear of the existing house. The roof will be two hips with a valley in the middle at the rear.
The front is totally unaltered.
Edited by Muncher on Thursday 19th January 11:53
Looks quire good. Very efficient stairwell and landing. Bed 5 is quite a bit smaller than a double if the door sizes are anything to go by (no scale visible) and if the store cupbaord is retained, but would be a good study. (PS I have worked for Persimmon, their double beds in secondary rooms like most volume builder tend to have little space for additional fuurniture)
Get the architect to plot the double bed in the master bedroom as by the time you have a bedframe or duvet overhanging it could be tight at the end of the bed.
Ground floor is good, watch for headroom if the cloaks is under the stairs.
The nice rectangular footprint and stairwell really help.
Get the architect to plot the double bed in the master bedroom as by the time you have a bedframe or duvet overhanging it could be tight at the end of the bed.
Ground floor is good, watch for headroom if the cloaks is under the stairs.
The nice rectangular footprint and stairwell really help.
blueg33 said:
Looks quire good. Very efficient stairwell and landing. Bed 5 is quite a bit smaller than a double if the door sizes are anything to go by (no scale visible) and if the store cupbaord is retained, but would be a good study. (PS I have worked for Persimmon, their double beds in secondary rooms like most volume builder tend to have little space for additional fuurniture)
Get the architect to plot the double bed in the master bedroom as by the time you have a bedframe or duvet overhanging it could be tight at the end of the bed.
Ground floor is good, watch for headroom if the cloaks is under the stairs.
The nice rectangular footprint and stairwell really help.
Bedroom 5 is already there and is a bit small, it is taking up the space of the WC there at the moment and a bit of the hall. With that in mind I think it should be big enough, certainly to use as a study.Get the architect to plot the double bed in the master bedroom as by the time you have a bedframe or duvet overhanging it could be tight at the end of the bed.
Ground floor is good, watch for headroom if the cloaks is under the stairs.
The nice rectangular footprint and stairwell really help.
Headroom under the stairs I will check but I think it's ok.
The bed on there was drawn too large, then reduced and is to scale a super king size which is what we want.
Muncher said:
Bedroom 5 is already there and is a bit small, it is taking up the space of the WC there at the moment and a bit of the hall. With that in mind I think it should be big enough, certainly to use as a study.
Headroom under the stairs I will check but I think it's ok.
The bed on there was drawn too large, then reduced and is to scale a super king size which is what we want.
Its a good layout. I have seen many worse onesHeadroom under the stairs I will check but I think it's ok.
The bed on there was drawn too large, then reduced and is to scale a super king size which is what we want.
I agree, looks a good layout. Plumbing tricky though due to bathrooms scattered about (easier to have them back to back for example) but that's the builders' problem. I would be tempted to go for double doors between dining room and lounge for the option to open it all up for extra wow factor, plus it might help with light, assuming the doors are glazed. Very nice.
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