How Many Bathrooms Are Right For Your Home?

While not given the most thought in a home, bathrooms still remain the most important rooms for any home or business. Without bathrooms, people would have to leave a building to get rid of bodily waste, clean themselves, or even groom themselves. So it’s important if you’re upgrading and working with bathroom remodeling companies to make sure you have the right number for your home. But how many do you actually need?

Your Home Life Factors

Different homeowners will have different requirements for bathrooms. How many people live in residence is not the only defining factor. Different sets of single people can live in a home independently, and one bathroom is enough for one resident. One is completely inadequate for another resident who constantly throws parties throughout the week.

The Bedroom Rule

One quick rule of thumb—which is not necessarily ironclad and set in stone—is that there should be a bathroom available for every bedroom in a house. Therefore, if a home has three bedrooms, it should have three bathrooms.
This is the baseline approach and, depending on the make-up of residents in a home, often serves the needs of everyone there.

Family Planning

If you’re moving into a home to raise a family there, you need to think longer-term about the bathroom situation. Starting out as just a couple, the one or two bathrooms may be sufficient, but if there’s a plan to have one, two, or more children, bathroom space becomes competitive and a serious issue years later as bathroom use habits change. Where small children may only need a bathroom for using the toilet and brushing teeth, adolescents will have the same grooming interests as adults, necessitating a bigger demand in the usage of bathrooms.

Visitors

How many people you entertain in your home and the nature of the visits can also play a large role in what counts as sufficient bathroom space. A couple living by themselves and keeping mostly to themselves may find the master bathroom attached to the bedroom to be more than sufficient on most days, with little need for any extra bathrooms.

However, if there is a very active social life, especially one that hosts many parties at home, then there’s no such thing as having too many bathrooms with a lot of party-goers. Similarly, if the residents have guests that stay for longer periods, such as regularly visiting parents who may spend weeks at a time in the home on multiple occasions during the year, then more bathrooms may be required to respect everyone’s needs and privacy.

Every Case Is Different

In general, more bathrooms in a home is something that can add value to the property, both from a usefulness perspective and the actual sale price of the house. However, it’s important to make sure experienced bathroom remodeling companies add any additional bathrooms so they are of high quality and reliable.

Also, consider the types of bathrooms required. A “half-bath” is an easy and cheaper addition since it adds only a new sink and toilet or an additional shower stall if needed. Explore your options.