Homebody Queries: Big Bath or Closet Space?

The hubby and I had a great time touring a slew of houses on Saturday (prior to our sod-laying bonanza).  No, we’re not in the market to move, but my realtor husband likes to keep an eye on the homes currently on the market and I’m always a willing companion.  I mean,what’s not to love about spending the afternoon checking out other people’s digs?

While we were snooping around all of those houses, I noticed that one house in particular had tons of potential – and a major flaw.  Basically, the master bath was tiny.  I’m talking cruise ship tiny.  Take a look at what I mean:

Homebody Query: Big Bath or Closet Space?

Homebody Query: Big Bath or Closet Space?

Homebody Query: Big Bath or Closet Space?

While tiny bathrooms can be beautiful and cozy (not cramped!), this particular bathroom certainly did not warrant the title “master.”  With a teeny stand-up shower, single sink and no window, there was no way that two people could be in the bathroom at the same time.  And this was in a 2,450 square foot house!!   Not cool.

Anyone who buys this house is clearly going to gut the master bath, without a doubt.  And there are two closets that back up to the master bath – one or both of them could be stolen to increase the size of the master bath, but closet space for the master bedroom would be sacrificed.  What’s the new homeowner to do??

The way I see it, the new owner will have two options with this master bath:

(1)  Leave everything where it is and gussy it up as much as possible. Pros: minimal costs and both closets would remain intact.  Cons: tiny bathroom, no tub.

Homebody Queries: Big Bath or Closet Space?

(2)  Gut it completely and steal one of two closets to make a decent-sized bathroom. Pros: bathroom fit for two with a tub.  Cons: lots of extra costs associated with moving plumbing, only 1 small closet in the master bedroom instead of 2 medium-sized closets.

Homebody Queries: Big Bath or Closet Space?

Here’s where you guys come in – what would you do in this situation?  Save costs by keeping the tiny bath, or create an awesome bathroom but sacrifice closet space?  Which is most important when designing a bathroom – a rockin’ bath or oodles of closet space?

Let me know your thoughts through this handy-dandy poll:

Big Master Bath v. Lots Of Closet Space
Have to have a big master bath!!!
Extra closet space is the way to go!!!
Other suggestion (leave comment).
pollcode.com free polls

[P.S.  If you're reading this post in a Reader, I've noticed that the buttons don't seem to show up on the poll - just right click on the title of this post to open it in a new window and vote away!!]

Anybody else seen something crazy in a home that can top the hideous wallpaper from the tiny bathroom we saw on Saturday?  Am I the only one that could tour houses until my feet fall off??

Images courtesy of PointClickHome, Real Simple and Apartment Therapy.

A Little Change Will Do You Good

Now that you’ve seen the reno pics and the “after” floorplan, I couldn’t wait to let you in on a few more changes that we made to the house.  Check out the “before” v. “after” floorplans!

BEFORE

090218before-reno-floorplan

AFTER

Picture 1

We kept most of the walls intact, but you’ll notice that we made these big changes:
  • removed the wall between the kitchen and den to create one huge living space
  • converted the old water heater closet into a pantry in the laundry room
  • added French doors to the office
  • converted the double closet in the master bedroom into one large closet
  • combined the dressing area and master bath into a large master bath
  • converted the master tub into a huge two-person shower by stealing about 12 inches from the closet in the third bedroom
  • pushed back the entry to the closet in the master bath by about 6 inches to align with the shower
  • added two new full height windows to the den, looking onto the covered patio
  • removed the sink from the laundry room and added a utility sink in the garage (using the original plumbing) so that we could have enough space to use a front-loading washer and dryer
  • flipped the refrigerator from the right side of the kitchen to the left side to accomodate a side-by-side fridge

Pretty cool, right?  What changes have you made to your house to better suit your lifestyle?

Related Posts with Thumbnails