3 bed 2 bath vs 4 bed 1 bath

rubysgirl · 08-01-2022 10:42pm #1

Hi there, looking for some advice.

Currently renovating our home. It's currently a four bed with one small bathroom (2.4m x 1.6m). One of the beds is a box room (2.4m x 2.5m).

Considering converting the small bathroom into an ensuite for the master bed and converting the box room to a family bathroom.

Would this negatively impact the value of our house in a potential resale?

cubatahavana · 09-01-2022 9:08am

My 2 cents:

when looking for our new home, it didn’t matter the number of rooms as much as having minimum 2 bathrooms. We would have settled for a three room and two bath against a 4 bed and small bathroom bath very time.

We bought a new build in the end with two ensuites and a main bathroom and downstairs toilet.

sydthebeat · 09-01-2022 9:27am

The existing bathroom is tiny and unsuitable for a modern 4 bed house.

Value wise a 3 bed 2 bathroom would be more attractive to a wider range and therefore more valuable

silver2020 · 09-01-2022 9:32am

I would not entertain looking at a house without an ensuite and in pour 4 bed we have made one of the back rooms into a walk-in wardrobe.

The day of big families is gone - rarely does someone need 4 beds and usually bed 4 is a storeroom / office room. A good sized bathroom and nice ensuite would be my preference

Remember, the chances are that the two people making the decision will be the ones using the ensuite everyday. So that will be the clincher

Driving gloves · 09-01-2022 9:42am

Why do Irish people obsess over the number of bedrooms and not the overall square metres of the house?

Q&A · 09-01-2022 2:01pm

It's obviously subjective, while a four bed will appeal to a larger family that doesn't mean they have the disposable income to afford it. I.e., questionable value for you if you wanted to sell.

While people are right to point out the changing size of the average Irish family there are other societal factors to consider. A lot more of us are now working from home. A place that was a 3 bed 2 years ago is now a 2 bed 1 office home. Having a spare(bed)room versus the kitchen table to work at carrys it's own value.

[Deleted User] · 09-01-2022 2:08pm

I don't care for ensuites much tbh, but I would always rate having two bathrooms higher then one extra bedroom. But I dont have piles of kids either

Caranica · 09-01-2022 2:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118442656#Comment_118442656

Because most kids would rather have their own small bedrooms than share a big one. Especially if they are different genders.

Deeec · 09-01-2022 2:24pm

Could you steel some space from one of the bigger bedrooms for your ensuite and renovate the existing bathroom rather than losing the box room.

The 4th bedroom is very valuable and has many uses - I wouldnt want to lose it.

Patsy167 · 09-01-2022 2:29pm

Easy decision - has to be 2 bathrooms.

houseyhouse · 09-01-2022 5:47pm

Personally I don’t like en suite bathrooms because I have no desire to see/hear/smell what my partner is doing in the bathroom when I’m in my bedroom but must people seem to want one. I do think two bathrooms is more useful to many people than a spare room.

I’ve seen several houses in my estate convert the fourth/ box room to a bathroom, so I’d guess there will be plenty who would be happy with that set up. A lot of people use the box room as a home office these days too. Think about others living in your area - do many of them have more than 2 kids? Do a lot of people work from home?

rubysgirl · 11-01-2022 11:19pm

Thanks all!

Sorry, so I probably should have clarified - there is a WC downstairs.

There's also a garage attached to the house that we could potentially convert into a fourth bed / office in the future if it was needed.

I'm swaying towards converting to bathroom and en suite...!

e.r · 12-01-2022 12:13am

unless your planning to move within the next year or two.

make the house work for you and your families needs today, don’t worry about down the line as it may never come.

silver2020 · 12-01-2022 9:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118458540#Comment_118458540

That's a slam dunk then.

If you did sell in the future the garage will be seen by all buyers as the extra bedroom/office.

Big enough as a self contained bedroom with ensuite and kitchenette I would guess.

I certainly look at sq ft before anything else. The overall space is what is important for me.

Claw Hammer · 14-01-2022 4:32pm

I have a friend who bought a new house which was planned as a 3-bed with ensuite. He added modified to give him a 4 bed with no ensuite. When he sold he got a higher price than the other houses which had an identical footprint but 3 bedrooms.

Yellow_Fern · 17-01-2022 6:17am

Has a plumber being consulted? Because might not be easy to squeeze in a required 4 inch pipe

Ray Palmer · 17-01-2022 5:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118487685#Comment_118487685

If need be they can use a Saniflow but they can be a bit noisy

3 bed 2 bath vs 4 bed 1 bath

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