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Cross posting, I posted this in local forum but also would like broader perspective.
My husband and I are looking to redo the second floor in about a year, learning from our first floor gut reno we are planning wayyy in advance and purchasing special order items very early. Anyway, just beginning the brainstorming ideas stage and struggling with a decision. It’s cantilever dormered (not my ideal but it is what it is) we don’t think doing a large expansion is worth it here. House size is typical in our neighborhood.
Small house, the second floor is appx 800sf. There is currently a 5x8 hall bath. We were thinking of keeping the hall bath, making it a tad smaller with just a shower (first floor has a bath with a tub) and carving out space for a master bath with a free standing tub separate shower. In order to do this we will cut down some space from the bedrooms.
The other option is to reposition the bathroom, make it larger and comfortable and having the doorways be like a jack and Jill but more like entrance from hallway and master. Bonus for this layout is not adding a bath and not interfering with taxes (we already pay 15k in property taxes) We also have another full bathroom with a large shower in our basement which my husband uses daily when he comes in from work.
The second floor larger freestanding tub is a must to fit in our plans. . Even though or first floor tub is the deepest we can fit in the space it’s still short. I fit great but my husband not so much. He would love to take a bath once in a while to ease his body.
The house is comfortable but not very large. What do you think in terms of resale is more valuable? We aren’t planning on selling for at least another 5-10 years and that’s even if we decide to sell. We love our neighborhood. We build for our needs but always do consider the investment should we decide to move.
A master bedroom should have a master bath. However I wouldn't shrink the hall bath any further, 5x8 is already on the small side. Would adding a master bath bring you to 4 full baths (1 in the basement, 1 on the first floor, and 2 upstairs)?
If all the bedrooms are on the second floor- a hall bath is a must. If you can carve out enough space to add a master bath- all the better. But don't compromise the hall bath by eliminating the tub just so you can have a tub in the master.
Just for reference- I see tubs (of any kind) going away in master baths. The trend now is large walk-in showers. Two person, two+heads, two seats, just about two of everything!
I don't see the need for a bath tub in the 2nd floor bathroom. Most people are into showers now, as K'ledgeBldr said. Since there's a tub downstairs, if a family wanted to give kids a bath, they could do it downstairs or even in the en suite bathroom. But, a married couple really needs their own private bathroom, if possible.
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