Bigger bedroom or bigger bath?

16 years ago

I'm hoping we didn't make a mistake with this current project. We had an old master bath that was really just 2 small rooms divided by a wall and a door. It was a terrible layout so we decided to remove the door and wall and make it just one room. In order to make it look more spacious we have extended the wall in to the bedroom and have moved the door. It was drywalled today and now I'm kind of shocked at how strange it looks closed in the way we've done it. We actually only used 2 feet on one side and the other is less than 3 so...I'm wondering if it was smart to make a larger MaBa while taking just a small amount of floor space from the bedroom? Has anyone done it and regretted it? For resale would buyers be more excited about the prospect of a bigger master bath that's been newly renovated and updated? What do you think?

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Comments (4)

igloochic
16 years ago
We stole a few square feet from our master...well heck quite a few really in two projects. We had a 650 ish sq ft space that had a tiny bathroom (one vanity, toilet, tiny shower and a closet). The tub was actually IN the master bedroom. So we took the tub out, and expanded the bathroom by ohhh let's see, about 3' on one side, and five on the other and expanded that closet out another 3' so we could have a tub, walk in shower, two vanities and a laundry (stackable) on that floor. We then closed off 12' of the room giving us a walk in closet that is about 12' x 15'.

Do I regret it? I haven't got to live in the suite with the new bathroom yet (tiling starts on Monday) but the loss of sq ft is no biggie. With the closet (full of buildins and a desk area) we lost all of the furniture we had for storage :) So we don't miss that space. With the expansion of the bath and the closet...we brought laundry up five levels (the main level 1 is down five levels where the other laundry is) which is fabulous, and we lost a few sq ft where we once had a dresser with a TV on it. We will instead have that dresser in the closet and hang a flat screen on the wall. Really...we lost a big amount of sq ft, but since it's more efficient, it's not a big deal. And as to the bath, I don't see ever regretting the change :) Not knocking elbows while brushing teeth is a huge change for the good...and showering without seeing DH on the toilet...priceless :oP

We had the place appraised with an as proposed appraisal, and while the master floor (top level) didn't change within it's walls in sq ft, the addition to the bath, laundry and master closet, increased our home value on that level alone by over $50,000. (Closet was $25,000 increased value).
peggross1
16 years ago
We also made a very large bathroom at the expense of the BR size and have no regrets.

We combined a tiny bath and walk-in closet and made them one nicely large bathroom with double shower and double sink vanity.

We took a 4 x 18 section at the opposite end of our BR and installed a wall with small french doors in the center. We had CA Closets come and make a great large walk-in closet for us with a dresser and lots of shelves and hanging space (His in the left, Hers on the right). It works great and we LOVE not having any dressers in our BR any more. Just a king bed, night tables on each side and an armoire to hide the TV.

Think about it, what do you do in your BR most of the time? You walk through it on your way to the closet or bathroom, or you get in bed and sleep/etc. in bed.

More closet space and bathroom space trumps BR space, imo.
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Your house is 4,000 sq ft. That should have at least 4 bedrooms. Where is all that space used? I don't believe for one second that the only option to gain a decent master bathroom and closet is to eliminate one whole bedroom. Maybe you're looking at the wrong room to make the master suite. It's not always the best approach to use all the existing rooms for the same purpose when you remodel. I'll bet there is another space in that 4,000 sq ft house that could be repurposed to make an awesome master suite, and still keep 3 other bedrooms. I have actually been through this same dilemma. The major difference is my house was originally a 4/2 crammed into just under 1,200 sq ft. Don't even ask how they stuffed all those rooms into a tiny house. It was awful. We removed the small bedroom 8x10 and expanded the master bedroom, bathroom, closet, kitchen, and living room. Now our house is a 3/2 with a slightly higher resale value, but the cost of the remodel probably exceeds the gain in value.
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I understand what you're trying to accomplish, but personally I wouldn't want to give up space in my living area. There are other ways you could layout your LR furniture so that you could enjoy the view thru the slider and it would save you moving the fireplace and adding another window. I see you have a large window on the left wall and if this is a TV watching area I would hesitate adding more windows. Keep in mind that moving the fireplace would not be a minor expense and I'm not sure adding a jog in the hallway next to the kitchen would be an improvement. How old is 'kiddo' and how much time does he/she spend in the room? Is it possible to set up the 3rd bedroom as a playroom or study instead of trying to make the BR larger? If the ceiling is the main annoyance I suggest you change the ceiling. Have a contractor check out why it's built as it is and see if you can't change the ceiling line to a vaulted one.
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weedyacres
16 years ago
I think it depends on how big both are before and after. What are the dimensions of your bedroom? Bathroom?

And igloo, what kind of closet can increase a home's value by $25K? That floors me....
skinnj
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks! My husband agrees that what we're doing makes much more sense. What we didn't do is enlarge the closet. Wish we had but couldn't agree on any configuration that made much of a difference without removing more walls and doors. I'll get the measurements after they leave. They're hanging sheetrock right now so I'd be in the way.

Bigger bedroom or bigger bath?

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igloochic

peggross1

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Bigger bedroom or bigger bath?

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igloochic

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