Never had one. Don't want one.

Maybe it's a regional thing, in Texas I've never seen a house (suburbs) that did not have a separate water closet. Our bathroom tend to be large and it's no different that being near a powder room. I also don't like looking at the toilet when in the tub, so I'm in the yes to water closet camp.

#3. is your answer and the answer to #2 is always close the lid on the toilet before flushing.

For goodness sakes, it's a personal decision. There are guidelines on the size, clearances, ventilation, and the way the door is configured, but if you follow the guidelines, no one should tell you that having one or not having one is right or wrong. Let's just hope this never makes it to the Supreme Court....

Virgil Carter, my dad grew up on Cape Cod back in the day when the outhouse was the water closet. The only running water in the house was a pump at the kitchen sink, water provided by the well my grandfather dug. Grampa built the outhouse and the Sears and Roebuck catalog never went to waste.

I never had a toilet room until we moved to this house. We were fine without one, but I do prefer it if the floorplan permits it. Our toilet room faces the shower and there is a window next to the shower. I usually leave the door open, so no need to turn on the light. It is nice to close the door if needed, which if I am just peeing, I don't. (unless he is in the shower.)

If I want more privacy, I can use the other bathroom.

A water closet is a must have for me.  I wouldn't consider a home that didn't have the toilet separated.  It seems hard to find a newer home that doesn't have a water closet in our area.

"The whole gas chamber is ridiculous thing to say as well."

No it is not.

"There is a vent fan in the toilet closet to deal with smells."

There is a vent fan in the bathroom to deal with smells

"I guess people would rather stink up the entire bathroom rather than a smaller toilet room where you can close the door to keep any smell contained and let the fan vent it."

But there is a vent fan in the bathroom to deal with smells, and the small gas chamber would contain you and the smell.

@Mark Bischak, Architect

"But there is a vent fan in the bathroom to deal with smells, and the small gas chamber would contain you and the smell."

We have a separate vent fan inside the water closet.

Judianna20…actually, the Sears Roebuck catalog did “go to waste!” HAHAHAHAHAHA! (Great pun, by the way!). ;>

"We have a separate vent fan inside the water closet."

This is a water closet, it is a plumbing fixture:

My ex-father-in-law had an exhaust fan in his water closet on his boat. It was located under the seat.

Sorry Mark it is ridiculous.

@Mark Bischak, Architect, give it up. WC has joined a long list of misnomers including such greats as

• chaise lounge for chaise longue
• butler's pantry, for scullery
• nook, for useless small area near kitchen where a table won't fit
• custom, for pick from this menu of features
• HOA, for group of interfering busybodies

Oh, how I wish you were wrong, but you are not.

doesn't matter to me either way, since the two of us don't use the bathroom at the same time! I mean, how busy are you that a couple have to be in the bathroom at the same time, especially when one is taking a poo?? I'm sure there is more than one bathroom, so if time is rushed in the morn, then how about the one who has to do their business use the spare bathroom?

I did one in my bathroom only because we had the extra room. this portion of the house used to be part of the bedroom and that water closet was actually the old shower/toilet area! we expanded and made that spot the WC. What else were we going to do with it??

I had a WC in my last house and never closed the door. My new bathroom had a WC but I just had them leave the door off and they just framed the opening. The next owner could add a door if they want. Use Poo Pourri and the vent if you’re worried about smells.

For those who don't like water closets,  I'm genuinely curious if you share the bathroom while your significant other is on the toilet?  That seems really gross to me, to be honest.

We don't even share a bathroom! He has his and I have mine.

No to the prison room.

TT, a bathroom is a private place. No sharing.

I can’t imagine choosing not to have one. And agree the term gas chamber is ridiculous. I’ve only ever seen that term in one place, ever. (Here).

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20closet

For those of us who prefer enclosed toilets, many bidet toilet seats have a deodorizing function that uses charcoal filtration which should allay concerns about a gas chamber effect. There is also the added benefit of a hands-free experience.

The house we moved into 6 years ago when I was pregnant with our third child has a water closet (small room containing a toilet with its own vent fan and swing door) and I would not live without it. I am rarely alone in the bathroom. It is so nice to have privacy on the toilet while allowing someone else to gake a shower or sometimes one of my kids comes in to brush teeth if their sibling is using the hall bath. It is a wonderful setup and I dont have to hear or smell what anyone else does there.

Water closet=privacy. Not getting it at all. Wouldn't the WC need insulated walls and piped in music? A noise is a noise, a smell is a smell...just go into the bathroom and close the door. If necessary hang a "do not disturb" sign on the door handle. Going to the bathroom does not require togetherness.

“Problematic” words according to realtors and a few posters here include the term, ”master” bedroom, and ”plantation“ shutters, Im pretty sure that we could include the term ”gas chamber”. To me, its not funny, its just kind of gross, I hope you dont joke about the ol’ gas chamber w clients, its off- putting coming from an architect. If you want a W/C get one, if you dont…don’t. All the excuses pro and con are dependent on each persons wants, needs and preferences. Im happy with mine, I have no problem with being in the same bathroom as the person I spent some of lifes best and worst moments with. We have a separate fan and a charcoal fan w the bidet, there is not an odor problem.

We have a separate vent fan inside the water closet.

We also have 2 vent fans. One for the toilet closet and one for the rest of the bathroom. Thankfully our bathroom always smells sweet because the two never mix. ;)

Im pretty sure that we could include the term ”gas chamber”.

Yes in my family it has a different connotation as my parents lost distant relatives back in the 30's.

Thank you @love2browse for giving me my learning moment for the day, I thought you were making a joke about potpourri, saying "Poo Pouri," but I googled and learned it is a real product with an ingenious name! Febreze needs that marketer on it's staff!

A couple points for perspective:

- Most toilet rooms are only considered in larger Master Bathrooms, which for many people are viewed, accessorized, and furnished as "retreats," "home spas," and the like where the same people might consider a toilet's deed to not fit that ideal.

- Most Powder Rooms are somewhat close in size to a typical Master Bath toilet room, just a bit larger to hold a sink.

* "larger" meaning the Master Bath is not a standard 5x7 that a secondary bathroom would be.

@3onthetree, good point.  We do view the master bathroom as a bit of a retreat. I never thought about toilet rooms in terms of the size of the master bathroom.  I just checked and our current bathroom is 240 sq ft, and the new one will be 260 sq ft. Both have separate toilet rooms with windows in them.  However,  our old house had a smaller master bathroom that was under 150 sq ft, and it still had a toilet room (but no window).  We didn't mind not having a window and the vent fan worked well.

@3onthetree if you need a good laugh, go to YouTube and check out their advertising. You do have to like “potty” humor!

The bottom line is it is a personal choice.

But I still rely on my first comment encouraging every space in a home be a pleasant space to be in no matter what functions the spaces have.

"The further away the design is from a 3' x 5' windowless room with water closet fixture and an in-swinging door, the better. Make it bigger. Give it a window. Add a sink. Add a tub. Add a shower. Hell, give yourself a full bathroom, you deserve it!"

The other issue that remains unaddressed here is the potential need for someone handicapped in some way, in a wheel chair or using a walker or in need of assistance, may not be able to use a watercloset inclosed in such a tiny space. I have personal and professional experience in this.

It is probably obvious but as bathrooms get quite large, the idea of a toilet in full view becomes more of a problem. It also becomes less likely that it is a one person bathroom.

In a smaller bathroom, less of an issue.

Most new houses are big and have bigger primary bathrooms, so the WC makes a lot more sense.

So yeah - personal preference - but on a house built in 2022 of 4000 sqft, it is kind of a no brainer.

We have a smaller secondary home that we spend some time in without a WC. We survive and it isn't one of the things we really miss.

From a health standpoint, you shouldn't be spending enough time on the toilet to really care that much that it is a closet. But yeah, the closet is less accessible so you should consider that.

The other issue that remains unaddressed here is the potential need for someone handicapped in some way, in a wheel chair or using a walker or in need of assistance, may not be able to use a watercloset inclosed in such a tiny space.

This too is a very important consideration which is why in my bathroom, I designed the space so the wall could be removed fairly easily if needed.

It's also somewhat related to the other frequent debate: clothing closet through the bathroom or not. I'm in the camp that when I'm in the bathroom -- showering, flossing, whatever-ing, I want privacy, so the door is closed and no one is getting through to the closet. If the master closet is only accessed through the bathroom, then having a toilet room makes more sense.

We have one in our Florida home. It is probably not something I would choose to put in if I were starting from scratch.

You can always shut main door and not close the WC door if you have worries.

I agree with Pal about germs. If that true we would all be constantly sick or in the hospital daily.

There is a happy medium. You can design a bathroom with a partial height wall adjacent to the toilet which provides some privacy and also hides the toilet from direct view but is not totally closed off and allows free air flow. The whole germ thing is bogus.

Realtor speaking: I’ve definitely heard it mentioned during showings (the lack of in older homes). I have also noticed in new builds it is done 100% in primary bathrooms. Home owner speaking: I wouldn’t own a home without one. My husband and I like to get ready together, and a water closet door is a must. We’ve been married 23 years, and some things will always remain private. 😉

We did not include them in our new custom build as we were never in the bathroom at the same time in our previous homes. And since this is our retirement home, we are not that concerned with resale.

I honestly don't understand the gas chamber mantra that gets tossed around here. We are physiologically designed to be more sensitive to and more disgusted by the waste of other people than our own. So anytime a person is forced to occupy a space that recently contained someone else's waste it is unpleasant for them.

The best way to make it more pleasant is to limit the time any person might have to spend in a room where someone else's waste has recently been. The easiest ways to do that is to limit the purposes of the room used for waste or schedule waste activities so there is no overlap.

Increasing the space to dilute the odors doesn't really work that well. If you don't believe me, take a walk near a cow pasture.

Ummm, who flushes the cow manure? it sits there. Not a good analogy.

@kaseki, can you clear up the water closet ventilation dispute?

It was not an analogy...it is evidence of the detectability of fecal matter in large volumes of air... not a comparison.

However, if you need more evidence that a bigger room doesn't make it a pleasant experience... go hang around the Lowe's bathroom for a couple of hours starting around 9:30am and then come here and rate the experience.

No one said the odor disappears, it must matter if the source is no longer there. im not going to argue the point w you tho, you sound more knowledgeable than I about the lowes restroom.

From now on I will be avoiding Lowe's bathrooms at any times.

For those who deny the realities of toilet plume, consider this study examining its role in the infectious diseases transmission:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4692156/

Speaking Lowe's bathrooms, never use the powered hand dryers. I''ve read that their filters further disperse toilet plume. Use paper towel.

I like the powered hand dryers that are so powerful they take off the first layer of skin.

I like the powered hand dryers that work. Seems like more often than not I walk out of the restroom wiping my hands on my pants.

Just do not wipe your wet hands on your back pockets. Hand marks on your knees are easier to explain.