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Why not just use the bathroom as storage & a closet but leave all the plumbing in place? Turn off the water, hang clothes on the shower curtain rod, add some storage shelves and just kinda work around the plumbing fixtures? Who says closets have to be square boxes with shelves?
Yes, this is what I would probably do. Leave the option open for when you want to sell this house, but in the meantime, use the space as you wish.
Please don't remove a bathroom. You'd likely regret it and it will definitely make the house less appealing to potential future buyers. I do like the suggestions of other posters.
OK -- if anyone's up for the challenge, here's the floor plan for our master suite (one without furniture except for our bed and another with current furniture placement). I have also attached a couple pix to show the sloped ceilings and windows, which limit furniture/closet placement. I'd love to hear your ideas!
Note: The builder's original plans were to create two bedrooms upstairs with a hallway and two bathrooms. Once construction started, a worker suggested keeping the loft area open, which was a great idea. Most buyers in this neighborhood are young professionals, retired couples, and a sprinkling of families with small kids. The master suite concept appeals to far more buyers (including us). Except they failed to include a walk-in closet, which is on most buyers' wish list -- even in a historic home.
Floor plan with bed:
Floor plan with furniture placement. Plans are for a half-wall along staircase with built-in bookshelves/cabinets.
Bed and TV area on left and office area on the right:
Clothes hanging closet along sloped wall (will need to relocate vent):
Last edited by la_cavalière; 06-20-2019 at 09:02 PM..
You should bump out some dormers.
What's that last picture? That wall on the left could be your new closet. You could put in one of those dormers that go all the way across - what are they called? With false windows to look good on the outside? That would square up that slanted wall.
NEVER remove a bathroom. It will definitely affect your value. It would be smarter to convert the 11 by 12 room to a closet and dressing room for the master. A master bedroom with two bathrooms sounds like a great selling feature to me. Jay
Agree. I'd never delete a bathroom. When I was in Germany, lots of Americans were hot on schrunks. Basically a big cabinet, the ones the people I knew liked the clothing storage jobs but I see by looking them up they're also made for dishes and stuff like that.
I decided to approach the floor plan with a whole new perspective: Wipe everything out and start from scratch.
First, I sketched the floor plan, keeping only the stairway. This is the original layout of the attic after they put in the staircase seven years ago. I kept our current sleeping/office area layout, as we like it the way it is. Then, I designed a large master bath and a large walk-in closet in the space.
With this design, there is one awesome master bathroom (instead of two mediocre bathrooms) plus a large walk-in closet that works better for clothes storage than the current "dressing room."
What do you all think? Still in favor of keeping two bathrooms in the master suite?
(Note: Knowing the market in our neighborhood, a killer master suite would be far more appealing than squeezing in an extra bedroom and bathroom upstairs, which is what the previous owner (a flipper) attempted to do. We already have two bedrooms and a full bathroom downstairs.)
I like the above plan, starting from scratch, but that leaves you with only 2 bedrooms in the house, which also diminishes the value of the home.
Here's my plan:
Close off the door to the bedroom on the top left of your original diagram. Open a door off the landing at the top of the stairs (right where the "L" of "landing" is written, or on the wall at the top of the word.) Now you have two separate bedrooms, each with its own bath. Use the bump-out on the right side of your diagram in the loft for your master closet, closing it off properly with a wall. This is your cheapest option to get separation. Now extend the wall at the top of the landing and add a door to the loft so the bedrooms do not have to open to each other.
what do you lose if you just convert the 12 x 11 room into a walk in closet and keep both bathrooms? it seems like the best move unless im missing something.
ndcairngorm - thanks for your ideas! The house would remain a three-bedroom. There are two bedrooms downstairs, and the loft master suite upstairs counts as a bedroom here, even without a door (although you could easily add one at the top of the landing.)
We want to keep the entire upstairs as a master suite. Cutting up the space into separate rooms would ruin the cool lofty feel of the space - and it wouldn't get us our walk-in closet. And I know it sounds strange, but having four bedrooms would not do anything for the value of the home in our market. I would consult with real estate agent before making any changes.
Our neighborhood is a mix of unique historic homes -- Craftsmen, Tudors and Victorians. Most homes are 2 beds/1 bath, with a couple streets lined with mansions. Homes our size (3 bedrooms/2+ baths) don't come on the market often and are very hot. Since we're not in the 'burbs, we don't see much demand for four bedroom homes. Buyers are mostly looking for nice master suites and kitchens. (We redid the kitchen two years ago).
Captain NJ: We do not especially like our current bathrooms. My husband's bathroom's layout is very funky, with a small, dark corner shower. We could remove his closet to improve the layout, but then he would have nowhere for his clothes My bathroom is OK, but there is certainly nothing "master' about it. They both will need to be remodeled sooner or later.
Although the 12x11 "dressing room" is a spacious, well-lit room, the wall space is not conducive to clothes storage (I particularly need hanging space.) One wall has a sloping ceiling where we hung a clothes rod. This works fairly well for me, since I'm short, but probably wouldn't work well for people who want to hang up long slacks or dresses. Another wall has two large windows, which would be great, but since they face the neighbors, it makes it a bit awkward to walk around in your underwear. One wall has the bathroom door and a heating duct, so the only thing that fits there is a chest of drawers. I put a dresser and a small chest on the remaining wall. I thought about hanging a 2-level clothes rod there, but it would have blocked half of one of the windows. I tried putting a small island chest in the middle of the room, but I kept bumping into it.
Last edited by la_cavalière; 06-21-2019 at 02:24 PM..
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My bathroom is OK, but there is certainly nothing "master' about it. They both will need to be remodeled sooner or later.
