Hypothetical question, You're building a house wouldn't one of your top priorities be putting an ensuite in the master bed room?

My opinion, yes. A bathroom in the master bedroom would be essential. Not just for normal use, but because the resale value of the house will be improved with more than a single bathroom.

To say nothing of the problem of – what happens when the only bathroom is in use, or broken? Or the tub is clogged.

My opinion: Yes, they should have two bathrooms. But it isn’t my son.

Having a second bathroom is essential, but not necessarily en-suite in the master bedroom.

We have an unusual house; it has two masters each has an en suite! One on the main floor and a one upstairs. We moved out of a three bedroom one bath.

It is so SO SO nice.

You’re right not my son, and they can make their own choices, I just shake my head four of them one bathroom, Mrs Squeeky and I have a five bedroom three bath home and love it, but will say because it’s just the two of us we don’t use the main bath all that much, just our ensuite and the bathroom downstairs next to the computer room.

I would consider that an unnecessary extravagance, and it would be near the bottom of my list of optional features. Right below the Fireman’s pole.

When I was a tween we were a family of five. We moved into a three bedroom house. It had a finished basement with a kitchenette, lots of bookshelves, cupboards for toy storage, a laundry room, and a toilet and shower. Having that toilet installed in our main play and lounging area made a world of difference. The main floor bathroom stayed company grade neat.

A second bathroom in a home for four people is an unnecessary extravagance?
Not everyone sleeps upside down shitting and pissing on the floor, some of us like to shower and do our business in a toilet.
And four people there is going to be a great demand for one bathroom, easiest time to put in a second bathroom is during construction.

It is pretty much not a thing here.
I work in architectural visualisation, and I have never had a floorplan that had that feature.

It is nice and desirable but no, a nearby shared bathroom seems ok to me in my opinion, so it wouldn’t be my absolute priority.

I suppose it depends on the bathroom habits and needs/desires of the people living in the same house, and how many other bathrooms there are and where. I guess once you have more than 3–4 people living in a house, you probably want 2+ bathrooms, but it wouldn’t be my personal priority to have one just for the master bedroom.

@SQUEEKY2 We lived with our two kids in a house with one bathroom until they were 10 and 12, then moved to a house with an en suite and other bathroom upstairs and a powder room off the kitchen. It certainly was easier but the other was doable.

My Ex grew up in a house with 5 children and three adults and one bathroom. The toilet was in its own small room though still just one.

I do agree with you though that if they could afford it , a second bathroom somewhere would be a big help.

Up until 3 years ago, my family of 5 only had one bathroom. We now have 1.5 bathrooms, and I consider it a luxury.

My father was one of 5 kids, and they only had one bathroom.

I think if there are more than two people living in the house, a second bathroom makes everyone’s life easier.

I don’t think the master bedroom necessarily needs its own bathroom. I grew up in a house with four to five people and two full bathrooms. Our schedules worked out that it was never an issue.

@janbb Yeah I’m not saying one bathroom isn’t doable, but they are building the house, even Mrs Squeeky can’t quite understand why they are not putting a second one in during construction

Every bedroom needs its own bathroom. Then there must be a powder room for guests.

A second bathroom (ensuite or otherwise) may not be necessary, but it certainly isn’t an extravagance either. If I were spending the money to build a house I’d insist upon it.

I grew up in a 3 bedroom 1 small bath house. There were 6 of us and another 2 (half brother and sister each summer). The bathroom was so small that you sit on the toilet, wash your hands in the sink and put your feet in the tub. I live alone and still want 2 bathrooms.

^ that would require a lack of embarrassment over certain things, like peeling in front of other people. Rick’s childhood.home had only 1 bathroom….and you.had to go through his parent’s bedroom to get to it! I have looked at that bathroom from many different angles and there was no reason his Dad had to build it out like that. I guess control freak is handed down from generations.
Rick and his 2 brothers peed out a lot of windows! And there was a second shower in the basement. The boys peed in there too.

A second bathroom will help with resale of the house, too. It’s not logical that the friend of @SQUEEKY2 won’t put on a second bathroom. It’s his house, of course, so he can do what he wants, but two adults and two children (who will be teens soon enough) will overwhelm a one bathroom. When the kids are teens, for all four people to try to get ready to go somewhere or for work or school will be tough. I have a two bedroom, one bath house and with me and my middle school-aged daughter, trying to get ready to go out can mean scheduling who’s going into the shower first, or when we both have to go to the bathroom at the same time, it can require a little scheduling.

I agree with you that the 2nd bathroom is worth the extra investment, if only for being there in times of plumbing malfunction in the original. The decision will catch up with them soon enough.

Thanks and I agree it’s their house ,but it’s not a huge expense at construction time to later try and frame one in and install later is more expense and work than they can think of .

@SQUEEKY2: Is it a two story house? If so, it’s crazy not to have a bathroom on each floor.

If they can afford it, yes. A second bathroom. It doesn’t have to be an “ensuite in the master bed room.” Why is that even a thing?

WE don’t see this couple that often @jca2 , but yeah it is two stories.
He told me he did run the plumbing for an ensuite later if they really want one , but for now they are sticking to one bathroom.

@Dutchess_lll you have never heard of a bathroom for the master bedroom?
Our house has one, my Fathers house has one, my sister in-laws house has one.
My best friends house has one.

What SQUEEKY? That’s what this whole Q is about.

The question wouldn’t you find it a high priority to put in an ensuite if you were building a house?
would you go through the hassle of building a house even just a three bedroom house and only put one bathroom in it?
Especially with more than two people living there?

@SQUEEKY2: That means either the guests (who are downstairs) will have to go upstairs to use the bathroom, which means they’re looking at the bedrooms when they go to the bathroom. If the bathroom is downstairs, people who are in bed and need to go to the bathroom will have to go downstairs. It makes no sense to have it that way. it would be hard enough if it were a ranch house.

@Dutchess_lll: En suite helps with resale value as it means privacy for the people in the bedroom with the en suite. Come out of the shower, you go right into the bedroom without having to put clothes on because you’re in the hallway. If you’re half dressed in the bedroom and want to go to the bathroom, you don’t have to worry about putting on clothes to go in the hallway to the bathroom.

It will probably be so much cheaper if the friend puts the bathroom in during construction, rather than deal with it after. Plus with the mess, if the house is being built now, better to do it now than to cause disruption when they’re living in the house and everyone is busy with their lives.

I just redid my one bathroom a few months ago, and it means we had to stay in a hotel for a week. It was kind of fun but it meant over 700 dollars just for the hotel for the week, which is added on to the cost of the bathroom.

In a 2 story house, the idea of a single bathroom seems almost malicious in its conception. The man hours and wasted energy traversing those stairs— who would deliberately design the inconvenience for themselves, let alone their visitors?

If I had the money I would add a master bathroom. If I didn’t have the money for another full bathroom I’d try to add a half bathroom, or even a buddy bath situation where there is a separate sink so more than one person can be getting ready.

I grew up in a 3 bedroom 1.5 bathroom house. I do have friends who live in one bathroom 3 bedroom houses, but those houses are very old.

I would just want any kind of second bathroom. My opinion (as a spoiled American) is one bathroom per 2 people (and the second one can be a master bath or a half bath, as long as there’s a toilet). I lived in a crowded house with four other guys in college and four of us had to share one small bathroom; it was a nightmare.

No, my priority would be to build a shed for the house staff.