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So while we are looking for houses, we said we wanted a house with 3 bedrooms and at least 1. 5 bathrooms and at our price range, it's not impossible but it's slim and plus it means the house might not be in as good condition as we would like. I guess we wanted the ability to have a second bathroom if one was being used.
I was doing some searching on the MLS again and decided to lower my search parameters down to a minimum of just 1 bathroom. Wow, what a difference! There were a lot of homes in good condition.
So I can't decided... This will be our first home, maybe we could just deal with one bathroom for a few years. Or will I regret it. (Oh, right now it's just me and the DH and the dog.) Oh and a baby would most likely be next.
ETA: Oh, we are currently in an apartment with 2 bathrooms.
We went with more - depending on how long you need to be in the house, how many kids you're interested in having in the future - it's a tough decision!
I think you need at least 2, especially when you have the baby. We had 1.5 in our first place together, and it was a pain. Mostly because we were always getting in each other's way in our tiny full bathroom. Also if you entertain a lot, or have company over, it's nice for them to have their own full bathroom. And when you have a kid, I imagine having a full bathroom for them will be much easier - bathtime, storing all their bath/toiletry items, etc.
EDIT: We now have 3.5 bathrooms, which is obviously way too many for 2 people. Our master bath has 2 sinks and a separate shower stall and tub which is really all we need for now, but we have guests over a lot, plus family coming to stay with us often, so those extra bathrooms do come in handy. We plan on living here for a while so with 2-3 kids in the future, I'm sure it'll be worth it.
@BlueDolphin: If you're looking at house with a basement, you could always add a bathroom downstairs or even off of the kitchen depending on how much room/remodeling you want to do. But yeah, more than 1 bathroom is so important to me when we have a family. Right now it's rough w/ 1 and there's only two of us!
Well if it helps at all my FI and I bought a house last year and it only has one bathroom, although its an odd layout cause the shower and bathroom are in one little room the toilet is in its own room and the mirror and basin are in a seperate one, but they are all in one big room, if that makes sense ha ha. Honestly in Australia most people only have one bathroom, depending on the house and the price range. I'd say go for the house with one bathroom, it probably wont bother you as much as you think it will :)
Definately go with one and a half at the least if you can. It is nice to have one for yourselves and one for your guests. Also, when you add a child to the mix, it will be even nicer to have more than one, especially if you or your FH are giving the baby a bath and the other one needs to use the bathroom. We have two and a half and there are three of us here. When we have company, it is nice too because even with the extra bathrooms, there can sometimes be a wait. Also, if someone is taking a bath or a shower and someone else needs to use the bathroom, there is no waiting if you have more than one.
I think for only 2 people, 1 bathroom is fine. We did it for a few years and it wasn't so bad (although I did set up a getting ready area in our extra bedroom with a vanity and such so it wasn't like I would be in the bathroom getting ready or anything). I think if you find a really great house in your budget that only has one bathroom you should go for it, but hopefully with a plan to add on a bathroom in a few years. 1 bathroom for any more than 2 people is such a mess.
If it comes down to your dream place having one bath instead of two, I say go for it. I know tons of people who make it work just fine. :)
@beekiss: Thanks for the suggestion. That's a good idea about being able to put another bathroom in the basement. I'm curious as to how much it would cost to get one put in. I guess it depends on where I live and where I want it placed in the house.
When we were looking for houses a couple years ago, our real estate agent said it should be about $8000 to put in a half bath and then a few grand more to put in a full bath. That estimate probably depends upon how close the location is to plumbing in the house, though. It may be cheaper for you to find a house with just 1 bath for now and then add one later if you have the space. And adding bathrooms always mean adding more resale value if you sell again in the future.
I would love to have either 1.5 or 2 bathrooms at least cuz then you can each have your own space to get ready when you're going out or you can have a guest bathroom. We're stuck with 1 bathroom for awhile though while we're renting.
2 is best, but if you can get at least 1.5 it would be better. I always like to have guests using their own bathroom. We only have 1 bathroom in our house now and I hate it when guests have to go in my bathroom and see all my stuff there.
FH and I ended up getting an amazing house a few months ago that pretty much had everything we wanted...except more than one bath. We really really wanted to have at least 1.5 baths, like you, but were finding it was hard to do with our budget. We decided on the house we bought because it was updated and in a great location, was the style we wanted and was in great condition. Sometimes you have to make scacrifices.
When we started opening up our search to one bath houses, we made sure to look for areas in the house where a bath could eventually be added. In a year or two we want to put a bath upstairs and make a "master suite" in our home.
Anyway, if youre not finding what you're looking for, that's my suggestion. Start looking at one bath homes but only consider the ones where you could eventually add another bath. The cost of adding a modest 1/2 or 3/4 bath is probably less than it would cost to buy the same house with two baths already in it. And then you get to make it the way you want it!
I think it depends on personal preference. Will it be a house you hope to be in for a long time? Or a for-now house?
Our house has one bathroom with a separate toilet but for us that is fine as there are just the 2 of us.
We brought our current house 4 years ago as a do-it-upper and is not our dream home but it is fine for now. We will look at buying a bigger house after the wedding, or when we start to have children and the plan is to rent this one out, so for now its perfect with just the 2 of us, but we would prefer more bathrooms for when a child comes along.
We have 2 full bathrooms and I can never go back to having just one. We each have our own and it's nothing short of awesome.
Our first apt on our own, sans roomates, was a 2B2B. The place before, with the roomies, was very cramped, so we might have been overcompensating just a bit :) but we loved the space. And even with just the two of us, we used the 2nd bathroom just as much as our master bath. (It was more accessable from common areas like kitchen, living, etc.)
Now we've upgraded in ammenities and area, but downgraded in size, and are in a 1B1B. Since we don't have guests over often, it's good for just the two of us, plus it's huge. However, when we buy a house and settle down for kids and whatnot, I want 3. One for us, one for the kid/s, and one for guests!
Consider the price for adding a 2nd bathroom.
We have a really small house, but have 2 bathrooms, and I can't imagine going down to one.
I insisted upon at least 2.5 baths for a multitude of reasons, and I will not budge. The number of bathroon=ms is a non-negotiable priority for me. Our previous house was a 1 bathroom and I hated it with a passion.
That said, it is all a matter of priorities. What are your non-negotiables. How will having only 1 bathroom affect your re-sale value? How many levels are in the house? If you are hanging out in the basement or on the first floor, do you have to climb staris to reach the bathroom? What if you have guests who can't climb stairs? Is there a rough-in in the basement to make it easier to add another bathroom in the future? Is there adequate space on the first floor that you can section off for a bathroom?
I would say at least 1.5 if you can manage it, especially if you plan on living in the house more than a few years. If it's only got one and laundry room with plumbing, you can always build that out as the 2nd bath and move the W/D.
Bathrooms are important to us, there's no way we'd live with just one. Especially if there's a baby in the future.
2 bathrooms is the perfect amount if you ask me. In our last house we had 2 full and 2 half baths. While it was good if we ever had people over - for the majority of the time it was just a lot more to keep clean! However we have also had an apartment with only one bathroom and that really really sucked! There will be times when both of you need to use the bathroom badly and one bathroom just wont cut it. 1.5 is the minimum that I would do.
I would go with a minimum of 1.5 because then the 1/2 bath can always be remodeled into a full. That remodeling is much easier is because you'll have existing piping already there and you will only have to add one in for a shower. Whereas if there was no half bath you have to add piping for the toilet, sink and shower.
FI and I have always shared a bathroom and it has never been a problem. We currently like with the in laws that have 1.5 bathrooms, with 5 people, and it is honestly never a problem. It isn't a huge deal to add a bathroom to someplace near water supplies, unless the house is really old. They converted a large laundry room into a small laundry closet with a small extra bathroom. Of Course FI and I like sharing a bathroom, we shower together, brush our teeth together, and sometimes he helps me fix my hair. We also run on different schedules, his work starts before my school, so he gets morning priority with anything, and then I have time to primp after he leaves. While some people say that babies need their own bath, I have always washed babies in the kitchen sink because it's easier to hold them when they are up high. A lot of mothers also shower with their babies. Toddlers on the other hand.....I've never known one that doesn't enjoy grabbing the most expensive bottle of smell good you have and dumping the whole thing in at once.
We have 1 bathroom. And while it is okay most of the time, when someone is sick, or more than oone person is in a hurry ... I flipping hate it.
FWIW we are a family of three (me, my partner & our son) and like I said if someone has the flu it is pretty awful, let alone if we have company-- I wanted minimum 1.5 baths but had to settle for 1 due to the market here (slim slim pickings).
ABSOLUTEY more than one bathroom!!
DH and I bought a house within 3 months of moving into a 1 bedroom/1 bathroom apartment specifically because of the bathroom situation. We were in a similar situation as you with buying because the area of town that we wanted to live in primarily had older homes with only one bathroom, with a half bath or second bath few and far between. It took a lot more work to find a home we were happy with and had a second toilet but in the end it was definitely worth it. So in the end, DO NOT compromise on having a second toilet.
I really, really miss having two bathrooms. We have a small rental apartment right now with just one and it's incredibly annoying.
I'm a total neat freak and I feel like I'm always cleaning the bathroom... and it never fails that as soon as I'm done - that will be the day FI decides to trim his beard and mustache... and he's very good about cleaning up after, but I still know he did it :)
My clean and his clean aren't the same.
We're sucking it up in a tiny place for a while until we can get our cash saved a little more and afford a bigger place. If you've got 2 bathrooms now, going down to 1 will be twice as hard.
Definitely at least one full bath and one half bath I would say. Having only one bathroom scares me, what if the urge hits you and you have a guest in the washroom already?
We have 2.5 and I like that because 2 are upstairs and the half is on the main floor, there's enough to go around and when we have kids we won't have to share with them.
We have 2 bathrooms, and I am SO glad we do.
Initially we were looking in an older neighborhood that had a bunch of houses w/ one bathroom - but we just couldn't do it. After living in an apt for 2 years, we really wanted our own inidividual sinks, and our own bathroom away from guests.
Go for at least 1.5 if not the full 2. Bathrooms is one thing I would not be willing to budge on. Having just 1 bathroom sucks!
Especially when you have friends over hanging out or have company for the weekend and such, having that extra space is really helpful. And remodelling and adding a bathroom down the road, while possible, is a pretty big undertaking. I think you'd be better off just getting a house with the bathrooms you want now.
ETA: With a house - I'd also require a bathroom on each floor. You don't really want to be having to go up and down staris all the time just to go to the bathroom (same with sending your guests up and down and all around just to find the toilet).
When we started looking at houses, less than 2 bathrooms was a deal breaker for me. We have one bathroom now in our apartment and I hate it. No one has any privacy and when guests come over, they are all up in our personal business. I also think kids need their own bathroom- especially when they are younger. Taking all of their toys out of the tub to take a shower every morning would be a huge pain.
I know sometimes the area you live in dictates what kinds of setups the houses have. There are a lot of 2 bathroom houses in the suburbs where we were looking where neither one of them were attached to the master bedroom. That was a huge no-no for me. I'm not wearing a robe and carrying a shower caddy with me down the hall like I'm back in college!
I voted 2, because I think if you can even remotely spring for a house with two it will be worth it in both teh short term and long term (resale). BUT if upgrading to 2 bathrooms gets you in a worse neighborhood where you won't want to stay for more than a few years AND you have to renovate, I think I would be more inclined to get the 1 bathroom house in the better neighborhood with no renovations needed.
Right now DH and I have a 1.5 bath apartment and we really need at least 2 full baths. When people visit, we all have to take turns showering and the bathroom gets really steamy, the paint peels and bubbles from all the steam. Also it's just nice having our own bathroom in our bedroom that's OURS, then guests use the one off the living room.
Isn't it insane what something as simple as a freaking bathroom will do to the price of a house?! We are looking in Berkeley CA right now, and 2 bathrooms in a house is basically unheard of unless it was added on recently (most homes there are almost 100 yrs old). It's like a $50,000-100,000 jump!! Makes me want to add my own 2nd bathroom from scratch...it HAS to be less than $100,000 to do that.
We just moved into a condo that is one and a half. The half was added by the previous owners (it was a closet!) If you find a place that you love but it has one bath, I would check with your inspector about adding one. It is definitely worth it. We are alraedy so happy that we have two bathrooms and we have only been living here a few months. When you have overnight guests, it makes a huge difference.
when we were searching for our home, we wanted 2 + bathrooms. Reason: I grew up in a house with 1 bathroom, family of 4. NEVER AGAIN. DH grew up in a house with 1 bathroom, family of 7. He also said NEVER AGAIN.
We found the same problems with homes, nothing we liked and in our price range. I had other requirements such as the kitchen (it had to be nice and big because I love to cook and bake). Needless to say we started to look at homes that were being built and it just made more sense to us. We would get more sqaure footage and we wouldn't have to make any improvements to the home before we could move in. Took a little longer but so worth it. Everything that already existed was just really run-down in our price range. Would building be an option for you?
Our house has 1 bathroom but we plan to add a 1/2 bath in the next couple years. Right now its just us and its ok. However, our "forever" home will have atleast 2 full baths.
We have two full baths upstairs in our townhouse and can't imagine only having one. We both have our own space, privacy, etc. I think it is just personal preference. Some people don't care about having multiples bathrooms, but for us it is a must. I can't even fathom sharing one bathroom.
2 baths is pretty much a necessaity I would say. I like it so that the family ( you, DH, and future baby) can share one, and then there will always be a clean one for company sans makeup, hair accesories, baby bath toys, etc.
You can definitely live with one though, and it is not unheard of, many families do, especially out of country, so it is doable.
We have one for the two of us it's fine. It's large with two sinks, which helps when we do have guests over (not often). If we had kids I'd want 1.5 - 2.
If you are thinking of renovating and adding an extra bathroom, be sure to do it BEFORE the kid(s) arrive and preferably before you are pregnant. We just finished a kitchen renovation that took a lot of time and energy (we hired out, but we had to watch like a hawk because they messed a lot of things up). Dust got everywhere, which likely isn't good for pregnant women. It also took forever - over 3 times the estimated length and that was after many delays in starting.
I can't answer this based on being married and having a baby but I currently live with a roommate and we each have our own bathroom, however, we REALLY wish that there was a half bath on the main floor so that guests didn't have to use either of ours. Just something to think about.
I put up with having 1 bathroom only because we're currently living in a 1br apartment, but when we buy a home, it has to be 1.5 at the absolute least, preferably 2. I'd prefer that guests had their own bathroom to use; I'm a bit protective of my things and a fairly private person so I hate the thought of someone using my towels, seeing all my products and junk...When DH and I have a house of our own, that is going to STOP, lol.
Add a baby into the equation...yeah, no way 1 would be enough.
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