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Remodeling Design Dilemma

add a master bath if it means the third bedroom becomes tiny?

3 years ago

Hi, we have a very modest 1250 square foot home with 3 bed 1.5 baths. we love our tiny mortgage payment and huge yard, so we don’t want to leave. With one almost teenager, I’m wishing for a master bath. For cost reasons we want to avoid adding to the exterior. I can add a small master bath but the third bedroom would become very small: 8’3” x 9’x3” ... we think this would suit us fine and I’d have a twin bed, bedside table, and small dresser in there for my youngest. The room is on the back of the house and I still think it would be quite charming with two windows and a view of the garden. What do you think of this for the long term value of the home though? Is this too small? It also has a tiny closet for hanging clothes and a small area the door opens into that is not included in the the dimensions I listed. Thank you!

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Comments (9)

PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I need to see the spaces I think for a young child that size bedroom could work I would like to see the whole floor plan for that level too Make sure the plan is to scale please. In Europe many childrens bedrooms are that size and they seem to manage . Teens are the ones who really need a bathroom to themselves they are just not tidy. I guess it would help to know the age and sex of the youngest .
eld6161
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
If you are planning to stay for many more years, I say do it. You deserve to have a master bath.

Yes that is very small for a bedroom, but doable since it’s on,y for one person.

In years to come, the next owner can add on since you say you have a large backyard.
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We thinking along the same lines as tinycastle. Our secondary bedrooms will be 12 x 12'4 with decent sized walk in closets. Our goal is to have drawers and hanging space in the closets and just bed and nightstands in the bedroom. They do not spend much time in there and we couldn't see spending more square footage in a place that is ample and used predominately for sleeping. There is a small 8 x 10 bonus space outside of their bedrooms that they also can use for lego creations, studying (yeah right), games, etc. jasi-my bedroom growing up was very small - not even sure if it was 10 x 10. I spent all of my time in the common areas too, which honestly weren't very large by today's standards (and it never felt cramped, hmmm). I think the house was 900 sq feet total for a family of 4 and 2 dogs! We are hoping our boys will spend more time in the communal areas also - and we'll have a nice sized basement rec room. I think it really is a personal preference and how you live that dictates.
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I was just talking with a realtor about this - in my area the enormous master suites (I've had smaller apartments than some of these suites!) with sitting areas and walk-in closets or dressing rooms, multiple bedrooms with private attached baths, and suchlike are pretty much confined to the high end of the spectrum, in either new construction or major renos. In ordinary middle-class houses (like mine), if there's one bedroom with a bath accessed only through that bedroom, even if it's not the largest bedroom, that's a master suite, and you're pretty dang lucky to get one. You might see a modest master suite and a Jack & Jill or hall-accessed second bath in a newer, nicer 3/2, maybe a powder room if you're lucky. Our house has a first floor master suite (I nicknamed it the suite-lette as it totals only about 225sf) and 3 upstairs bedrooms (two of which are almost 1/3 larger than the master bedroom, the third is the smallest of all and well suited to an office or playroom) sharing a bath accessed from the hallway, and a 1/2 bath in the laundry room to boot, and that's very nice for its market "niche". In working-class houses here (which is what we'll be shopping for), the master suite notion is almost nonexistent, and having even 1.5 baths is quite the luxury. "Master bedroom" by itself here means NO attached bath and is not necessarily the largest bedroom - it really means the "best bedroom". It might have the best view, better closets, access to a patio or deck, or a location in the house that gives more privacy.
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Thanks for the feedback. I have spoken to a handful of agent friends who work in the area - there really is no consensus. Some are more old school and think number of bedrooms trumps all, while others are more in line with my thinking that my target buyer is the newlywed or newborn crowd. I could *technically* still list the house as four bedrooms as that basement bonus room has a closet and is adjacent to a bathroom. I also thought about just converting that into a master suite, but I think that adds a ton of livable space as a second living room for a relatively small house and 5 bedrooms would be overkill. The whole thing has raised another question - is having a large master with a big bathroom/closet going to be important to my target buyer? Sure, it would be nice, but there are two bathrooms upstairs right next to each other and I don’t see it being much of an inconvenience for a married couple.
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I'm confused. are you planning on selling soon or living here for a while? if you're leaving soon and think this is a teardown, why even bother having anything done to it? (just need a little clarification is all.) if having a smaller bedroom means you get a necessary extra bathroom, I say go for it! I've lived in three homes with my husband, and every single one of them had tiny bedrooms. they're really cozy, and they seem to stay a little warmer at night after we turn the heat down. then we can use the larger spaces for offices, workrooms, etc. as for small closets: I always used the office closet for my clothes. this system has worked well for us for many years.
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Clara
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you!
PRO
Sabrina Alfin Interiors
3 years ago
Check the building code in your area. Sometimes there's a minimum square footage required for bedrooms. Also make sure there's no loss of egress for fire code reasons.
tfitz1006
3 years ago
I had a very small master bath but it really helped take the pressure off the family bath so I would opt for that.
apple_pie_order
3 years ago
Have you considered adding a shower to the half-bath? A shower takes up less room than a full master bathroom.
Kate
3 years ago
Kids love a cozy bedroom and you need your own bathroom! It can be an office or craft room down the road. A master bath is a better selling feature.
Maureen
3 years ago
Previous owners enlarged the bathroom by taking the space from a bedroom. Best decision ever.

In our previous home, my daughter had a huge bedroom but she adapted to the room easily enough, which is approximately the size yours will be, (but without a closet).

Day bed, armoire, small dresser and chair and some decorative boxes under bed for added storage. Mind you she was happy to move to her brother’s larger room when he moved out and we are now using as a guest room.

When we sell, owners can see it’s a workable room, so I have no worries there.
Clara
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks so much for all your wonderful replies! I really appreciate it and feel much more sure of the idea now. I drew my plans for my husband and he really liked them so I think we’re going to go for it.

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