In praise of the 3 bedroom 1 bathroom house.

[chouchouu]

I've been looking at real estate and noting what a relative bargain 3 bedroom 1 bathroom houses are. I think they're the ideal house size for the average family plus they tend to come from an era where housing standards were of a better quality than newer builds. They're also better positioned, practical, have bigger yards, tend to be close to public transport etc. I grew up in the same configuration and despite a household of 5 never had any bathroom issues that people seem to complain about. While everyone seems to want ensuites and double sinks I think a few years down the track the humble 3 bedroom 1 bathroom is going to make a major comeback.

What do you think?

[Buffaloski Boris]

The logic is good. But why not buy a house that lends itself to adding on a bathroom as a DIY project? Maybe just a 1/2 bath.

[FIRE@50]

I have no issue with a 3 bedroom house for my family of 3. I am however addicted to having 2.5 bathrooms. And yes, there are times when all 3 are being used at once.

[carolina822]

I don't care about en suites or double sinks (what's up with those, anyway? I don't want anyone else in the bathroom at the same time even if they're just brushing their teeth!) but you can rip my second bathroom from my cold dead hands.

[Aelias]

We’re a family of soon-to-be 5 and we have like 1.75 bathrooms (the upstairs bath has a tiny shower than almost never gets used).  90% of the time, we’re using the downstairs bathroom, so I’m pretty confident we’d be fine with just one bath.  But, man, having a second toilet available when you really need it— The height of luxury! ;)

[EvenSteven]

I don't care about en suites or double sinks (what's up with those, anyway? I don't want anyone else in the bathroom at the same time even if they're just brushing their teeth!) but you can rip my second bathroom from my cold dead hands.

I'm lusting after double sinks for ease of cleaning after beard trimming. My wife has all sorts of bottles around the sink, and when I trim my beard the hair goes every where and it's a pain to clean up. I want a dedicated beard sink with nothing around it, and I wants it now!!

[FIRE@50]

Is a dedicated beard sink a real thing or did you just make that up? I'm visualizing something like the "vegetable sink" in some kitchens.

[OtherJen]

I’ve never lived in a house with more than 3 bedrooms and only lived in one with more than 1 bath for less than a decade. We’ve lived in our current 3-bed, 1-bath, 950 sq.ft. home for 16 years. The mortgage, taxes, and insurance are easily affordable, cleaning is very manageable, and every room gets used every day. Husband wouldn’t mind a basement for extra storage, but honestly, not having one keeps us from accumulating unnecessary junk (we both have latent packrat tendencies).

My parents are both from 7-kid families. Dad’s family lived in a 3-bed bungalow with one bath (the 5 boys had the bigger upstairs room). Mom’s family was slightly wealthier: their 3-bed bungalow (5 girls in the upstairs room) had an extra half-bath and small extension for a family room. Given those stories, I always felt spoiled for having my own room.

[Sibley]

I have 3.5 bedrooms (could be used, doesn't qualify as a bedroom), and 1.5 baths. The only problem I have is my mom has difficult with stairs, so it would be really nice to have even a shower on the first floor. Unfortunately, no room to do so.

[EvenSteven]

Is a dedicated beard sink a real thing or did you just make that up? I'm visualizing something like the "vegetable sink" in some kitchens.

I don't know if it is a thing, but if I had a second sink I would make it a thing. No more stray hairs on the soap or around the mouth of the tooth paste.

[slow hand slow plan]

Get a beard Mat. They are awesome it is like a thick latex rubber mat and you lay it over the sink then when you are done you roll it up and empty the hair in the trash. Even if you had your own sink this is still easier than cleaning up all of those tiny hairs.

[Clever Name]

One bathroom is fine until you have two people with a stomach virus at the same time...

[EvenSteven]

Get a beard Mat. They are awesome it is like a thick latex rubber mat and you lay it over the sink then when you are done you roll it up and empty the hair in the trash. Even if you had your own sink this is still easier than cleaning up all of those tiny hairs.

I had no idea this existed. Looks cheap and useful. Thanks!

[YttriumNitrate]

Nope, I don't like waiting to pee when I have to go. With a family, 1.5 baths is the minimum in my opinion.

[SunnyDays]

I’ve never lived in a house with more than 3 bedrooms and only lived in one with more than 1 bath for less than a decade. We’ve lived in our current 3-bed, 1-bath, 950 sq.ft. home for 16 years. The mortgage, taxes, and insurance are easily affordable, cleaning is very manageable, and every room gets used every day. Husband wouldn’t mind a basement for extra storage, but honestly, not having one keeps us from accumulating unnecessary junk (we both have latent packrat tendencies).

My parents are both from 7-kid families. Dad’s family lived in a 3-bed bungalow with one bath (the 5 boys had the bigger upstairs room). Mom’s family was slightly wealthier: their 3-bed bungalow (5 girls in the upstairs room) had an extra half-bath and small extension for a family room. Given those stories, I always felt spoiled for having my own room.

I live with my 3 pets in a 3 bedroom, one bath with a basement, which to me is the height of luxury.  Grew up in a 3 bed, 1.5 bath with one sibling, and that was plenty of room too.  The second bathroom hardly got used as more than a mud room.

My mom grew up as one of 6 kids in a two room (not bedrooms, 2 rooms total!) and an out-house.  My dad with 2 sibs in a two bedroom and one tiny bathroom.  I spent lots of time in both homes as a kid, and somehow, they felt just right!  We're all so spoiled now.

[Just Joe]

I don't care about en suites or double sinks (what's up with those, anyway? I don't want anyone else in the bathroom at the same time even if they're just brushing their teeth!) but you can rip my second bathroom from my cold dead hands.

I'm lusting after double sinks for ease of cleaning after beard trimming. My wife has all sorts of bottles around the sink, and when I trim my beard the hair goes every where and it's a pain to clean up. I want a dedicated beard sink with nothing around it, and I wants it now!!

That's called a deep sink or utility sink and they are typically found in the garage... ;)

We found that having kids and one bathroom to be a challenge. Sometimes when we arrived at home everyone had to go right now. Us guys could flee to the back yard if it was dark enough... Benefits of living in the country. These days I think 1.5 is the minimum number of baths we require in our house.

We like the little cottage style homes from the 1930s/1940s when properly updated. There is a TV show currently hosted on Hulu called "Good Bones". Shows what is possible with these little houses. Sometimes there isn't much left of the original house depending on the level of neglect the house has endured but those houses are $4500-$5000 in some cases.

We don't need anything as elaborate as the TV trendy remodels but clean and safe inside and out is a must. No half-ass results.

[carolina822]

I don't care about en suites or double sinks (what's up with those, anyway? I don't want anyone else in the bathroom at the same time even if they're just brushing their teeth!) but you can rip my second bathroom from my cold dead hands.

I'm lusting after double sinks for ease of cleaning after beard trimming. My wife has all sorts of bottles around the sink, and when I trim my beard the hair goes every where and it's a pain to clean up. I want a dedicated beard sink with nothing around it, and I wants it now!!

Fair enough!

[ericrugiero]

I can't see them making a comeback.  We (as a culture) are just way to spoiled.  Now if you buy a house with room to add a 2nd bathroom (or at least 1/2 bath) you could add quite a bit of value. 

Personally, I'm adding a 3rd bath in my home.  That will be nice for us while we are there (but admittedly not needed) and add lots of value when we sell.  Doing most of the work myself the cost should be <$2,000. 

[Cranky]

I admit that when we bought this little house 24 years ago, my one non-negotiable was a second bathroom. We had 3 girls, and the lines were getting long in the morning.

So we have funky basement bathroom off the laundry room, with a toilet and a shower. No one ever wanted to go down there except me, and that was great.

[partgypsy]

I don't know, two toliets is a beautiful thing.

[ysette9]

I don't know, two toliets is a beautiful thing.

Amen.

We lived in a 3/1 for five years. For the two of us it was completely sufficient. Add house guests and/or a toilet training toddler and it quickly became woefully insufficient.

I still remember the first time after moving into our current house that I wanted to go at the same time as my husband. He suggested I go in the second bathroom and it was like the angels started singing. What luxury!

[Fishindude]

Raised our kids in two different houses and neither had a second bathroom.   We managed just fine, of course we are in the country and boys can always pee out side in a pinch.
Two or more bathrooms is nice, but you can live without it.   The whole indoor plumbing thing has only been commonplace for about 100 years.

[mspym]

Our last rental was a 3 bdm 1 bath 950 sqft config and I was rather fond of it. I did move to get AC and another bathroom but once the boys are gone I can see us down shifting to one again. Good bones.

[kei te pai]

Having the toilet separate to the shower/bath helps solve some morning queue issues, but as many households are only 1 or 2 occupants these days having multiple bathrooms in all new builds seems rather excessive.

[Milizard]

Definitely need the 2nd toilet for the hour+ my DH seems to spend there daily.

[Sanitary Stache]

We have a 3 bedroom 1 bath, but the front closet was converted to a half bath before we bought it, so its a 1.5 bath.  Our long term plan is to build a second bath between two bedrooms, which DW calls a jack and jill.  We recklessly converted the full bathroom to an ensuite already.  We hope to have the jack and jill completed within 5 years, as the oldest gets older this arraignment gets worse.

[Sanitary Stache]

Our house is excellent and the half bath is very convenient. It was a great price.

[marion10]

We raised our family of 4 in three bedrooms, 1.5 baths. Once we had 4 big people who had to get to jobs and school - that 1/2 bath was pretty nice. I got up and took my shower, then husband and daughter. (Son showered the night before)- then I moved to downstairs bathroom while hubs was in shower to do my hair ( blow dry, etc.) Usually brushed my teeth in 1/2 bath. Son often brushed his teeth at the kitchen sink. Three of the four of his had to get out the door at the same time when younger.

[Adam Zapple]

One bathroom is fine until you have two people with a stomach virus at the same time...

Unless you want to repurpose those buckets in the garage. 

Seriously, my mother-in-law, my daughter and I had a vicious 12 hour bug and two bathrooms were not enough.  1 would not have cut it.

[golfreak12]

Sorry but 1.5 baths is the minimum even with 2 people.
i don't mind waiting to take showers but when #1 or #2 calls, you got to go.

[EricEng]

I would not like guests having to use the 1 primary bath that is full of our stuff.  It would also necessitate the bath being accessible from common space.  Friend's place was 3 bedroom, 1 bath and you had to go through the master bedroom to reach the only master bath.  That was...awkward.

2.5 bath is my min.  1 for master, 1 for bedrooms, 1 for guests near living room/hosting/common area.  More is nice.

[mm1970]

gosh, I'd love a 2nd bathroom.  Or 3rd bedroom.  I used to say the bathroom was more important. But with a spouse who snores, the bedroom would come in a lot more handy.

[Ynari]

My rule of thumb is about a half bath per person - so I'd probably go for 1.5-2 baths for a 3 bedroom expected to house 3-4 people. That extra toilet is priceless in times of need. (Heck, I think my ideal set up for 2 people is a 1br 1.5 bath!)

That's probably why it's a bargain, eh? All of us here are saying we'd give our kingdoms for a second toilet!

[jpdx]

I agree with the OP. My family lives in a 3/1 in a great walkable neighborhood, and wouldn’t trade this setup for a larger home even if it were the same price.

I do dream of adding a DIY 1/2 bath upstairs, but you have to consider: more bathrooms means more bathrooms to clean.

Regarding two sinks in one bathroom, that’s a disgusting, opulent trend that hopefully is going away.

[Pigeon]

I'm not sharing living space with anyone without a second bath.

[norajean]

We recently downsized from five bathrooms to 3.5.  We use exactly one with no issues whatsoever. Our morning and evening schedules are offset by about an hour.  So I think a 3-1 sounds perfect.   Resale will not be great because other people seem to think 1 bathroom is insufficient.

Think about how many hours per day the bathroom is in use.  Maximum one hour per person?  A well-managed bathroom could serve 24 people per day.  However, "peak usage" trends might push that down to say 4 people per day.  So, with a bit of schedule management a family of four should easily be able to manage with one bog.

[MayDay]

Although I grew up in such a house, I'm happy to pay extra for a 2nd toilet. And we might even pay to add a shower stall. But certainly if I loved in a HCOL we would do without if we had to.

[Kl285528]

no way does the 1 bath house make a comeback - I'm living in a 2BR, 1BA condo while building a house - we are a family of 3 - 15 year old son and me and my wife - I would KILL for a 1/2 bath - considered buying chamber pots, but just decided to tough it out - the lack of a second potty is a real problem - I do think you can find under market properties that are 3 BR and 1 BA, and profit by adding a second bath -

[Metalcat]

M'eh, I have lived in over 40 homes with various combos of blended family and roommates and spouses and only a few times did we have more than one bathroom.

As a kid, 7 of us had 1 bathroom with no issues.
In university I lived with 4 guys and 1 bathroom and we managed just fine. They were all exceptionally tidy guys though, so that helped.

I respect if this is someone's line in the sand, but if I was in OP's position, I would absolutely opt for 1 bathroom if there was a significant savings.

However, I would prioritize looking for a place where a half bath could be added, if just for the sake of the increased resale value since OP's market seems to really value that additional toilet.

[Bernard]

Outside of the inner city slums, the most requested home is a 3+2. These houses sell faster, and for more money than a 1-bathroom house. But if your toilet clogs or one of your family members is in the bathroom and you'll have to go, you'll be doing your business in the backyard. Not everyone is cut out for that, although it's the normal way of going to the bathrooms in the slums of Mumbai.

On the same token, a 3+1 could be a great opportunity to add a small powder room and increase the home's value.

[Hula Hoop]

I grew up in an apartment with one bathroom.  I never remember it being a problem.  As a student, I later lived with 5 people in a 5 bedroom, one bathroom apartment.  It was occasionally an issue but not a deal breaker.  We now have 2 bathrooms (4 person family) and we very rarely use the second bathroom although it's handy sometimes.

I always wonder what people do with all those bathrooms.  I know people who have one bathroom per family member.  I just think of all that extra cleaning that they have to do.  It's bad enough getting the mold out of one shower and mopping one bathroom floor, let alone 4!

[MayDay]

Speaking for us, every morning and every night we are using both bathrooms to get ready and/or use the toilet.

As a kid with 5 people sharing we scheduled 10 minute getting ready slots. On days when everyone had to be put the door at about the same time, someone had to get us way earlier. It was a tiny bathroom so someone could pee/poo/brush teeth/do hair while someone else showered but two people could not pee/poo/brush teeth/do hair at the same time. If someone overslept or spent too long in the shower, the whole schedule was thrown off and there was much door banging and screaming and carrying on.

Now in my current nuclear family the biggest issue is extremely slow pooping (on a regular basis) and stop.ach flue on a less frequent but much more terrible basis.

[maia_sue]

I am curious, a half a bathroom.. is that a room with just a toilet and a place to wash your hands?

I lived most of my life in the Netherlands and as far as I know houses there only have 1 bathroom. But some houses have an extra toilet (a small room with a toilet and a place to wash your hands).

I believe the multible bathroom thing is a typical American thing.

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[Adam Zapple]

I am curious, a half a bathroom.. is that a room with just a toilet and a place to wash your hands?

I lived most of my life in the Netherlands and as far as I know houses there only have 1 bathroom. But some houses have an extra toilet (a small room with a toilet and a place to wash your hands).

I believe the multible bathroom thing is a typical American thing.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G901F met Tapatalk

Yes.  A half bath has only a toilet and sink.  No bathtub or shower.

[MasterStache]

We have a small 3 bedroom house but still have 2.5 baths. We often times have 3 people getting ready at the same time in the morning so 1 bathroom would not cut it. The extra 1/2 bath in the basement (oddly enough the biggest bathroom in the house) rarely gets used. Our kids friends will use it when they come over to play in the basement and I use it for haircuts. 

[Adam Zapple]

We have a small 3 bedroom house but still have 2.5 baths. We often times have 3 people getting ready at the same time in the morning so 1 bathroom would not cut it. The extra 1/2 bath in the basement (oddly enough the biggest bathroom in the house) rarely gets used. Our kids friends will use it when they come over to play in the basement and I use it for haircuts.

Just curious, when you purchased the home, how did the basement bathroom weigh into your purchase decision?  We have considered adding a full bath in the basement but are concerned about resale value.  It would bring us from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 baths.

[dashuk]

The conclusion I am drawing from this thread is that either:

 - many Americans suffer serious constipation and routinely spend hours on the toilet, or

 - many Americans have serious bladder control issues and can't wait a few minutes for someone to finish having a poo or a shower.

3 bed/1 bath is basically the standard UK suburban house. Probably drifting towards 2 bath in new builds over the last decade, but most housing stock is older. People seem to survive without having to squat in the flowerbeds.

We do have a second toilet, which isn't unusual, but ours is in the (unheated) outhouse/utility, so in practice only really gets used if we're working in the garden and don't want to take boots off.

[Hula Hoop]

I'm not sure how things are in the UK - but here in Italy 2 bathrooms is becoming more and more common - ironically enough - as family sizes shrink.  When we renovated our 4 room 1 bathroom apartment a few years ago we did the typical thing of slicing the one large bathroom into two small ones.

I've been told that Canadians also have tons of bathrooms.  My Canadian friend here has 4 bathrooms in her apartment for 4 people!  As I mentioned above, I'm an American who grew up with one bathroom so to me this seems excessive.  Apparently, in Canada it's considered "unhygienic" to share bathrooms.

[Imma]

I am curious, a half a bathroom.. is that a room with just a toilet and a place to wash your hands?

I lived most of my life in the Netherlands and as far as I know houses there only have 1 bathroom. But some houses have an extra toilet (a small room with a toilet and a place to wash your hands).

I believe the multible bathroom thing is a typical American thing.

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Yes.  A half bath has only a toilet and sink.  No bathtub or shower.

The English use of the word bathroom is always a bit confusing to me as well. I'm also in NL and most houses I've been in have one actual bathroom (a room with a sink and shower or bath, and sometimes but not necessarily also a toilet) and a separate toilet (half bathroom). When I was growing up one toilet was the norm in my social circle and people who had two toilets had a fancy place but these days two toilets in a home is very common. Having just one bathroom that includes toilet, sink and shower/bath is quite uncommon except in very small apartments - if there's only one toilet in the house it's usually in a separate room. Otherwise it would also be a bit awkward for guests.

@Hula Hoop I also see more and more bathrooms appearing in new builds in NL. Several of my friends now have 2,5 bathrooms (two rooms with a toilet, sink and shower and a separate toilet downstairs) and they all have small families. It could be useful for people who have lots of kids but I guess many large families wouldn't be able to afford it. I think one reason why new builds are way more expensive than existing homes around here is because the new builds are just so massive with all kinds of unnecessary rooms. One of my friends owns a 5-bedroom 2,5 bathroom home and they only have one child. Kid is still in elementary school but they think it will be convenient when she's older.

We have 3 bedrooms/1,5 bathrooms / 2 toilets - our house is old enough that it used to have an outhouse. When indoor plumbing was installed they just built an uninsulated annexe off the kitchen. If I'm upstairs working in my home office or sleeping and need the bathroom, I used to have walk down the stairs, through the living room, through the kitchen to the cold annexe and at some point I got tired of that, so we installed a second toilet in the bathroom upstairs. Adding the toilet cost about €500 and the comfort is certainly worth it, not to mention the higher resale value of a home with 2 toilets. But if the first toilet had been located in a more convenient location we wouldn't have done it. We shared 1 shower and 1 bathroom with 5 people when I grew up and it wasn't an issue. My friend grew up in a similar home with 6 siblings and they installed an additional sink in the girls' room to make sure everyone got out of the house in time every morning.

[MasterStache]

We have a small 3 bedroom house but still have 2.5 baths. We often times have 3 people getting ready at the same time in the morning so 1 bathroom would not cut it. The extra 1/2 bath in the basement (oddly enough the biggest bathroom in the house) rarely gets used. Our kids friends will use it when they come over to play in the basement and I use it for haircuts.

Just curious, when you purchased the home, how did the basement bathroom weigh into your purchase decision?  We have considered adding a full bath in the basement but are concerned about resale value.  It would bring us from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 baths.

It didn't really. I mean it was a complete gut job anyways. It would be an awkwardly small room by itself if we did away with the bathroom though. It is definitely nice to have and will be good for resale value.