Master Bath Issues

[jwright]

Hello!

My H and I have been house hunting for what feels like forever.

We have been back and forth with sellers for a house that has lot of great qualities we are looking for - perfect neighborhood; yard; living space. The outdoors and downstairs living and kitchen are close to perfect.

The three bedrooms are upstairs and are giving us pause. The master bedroom was an addition constructed years after the house was built. The master is double the size of the other two bedrooms and has a large walk in closet, and a sitting area. However, there is no adjoining bathroom. There is a hall bathroom and a bathroom adjoining Bedroom #2. So if we sleep in the master bedroom we would have to go out into the hall to use the bathroom. Or we could sleep in Bedroom #2 but it would be a waste of the large master.

This would be a dealbreaker if we had kids. We wouldn't share a bathroom with our children, but we are not planning on having them, so not a huge deal. It would hurt resale value (I feel like that is the reason this house is still on the market).

We could potentially save for a remodel and rearrange the upstairs in a few years, but that's not doable in the short term.

Our friends are split from "no big deal" to "who doesn't have a master bathroom". This house is the top of our range and it doesn't even have a master bath?

Any opinions? Would you need an adjoining bathroom?

[darkling_glory]

I wouldn't need a master bath, though it would be nice. Especially because hubby and I are on the no kids wagon as well.

If the master is that HUGE, I'd probably save up and add in a bath later. Just for funsies. If this is going to be your "forever" home then it would be a nice present to yourself down the line.

If you really like the house and this is all that is stopping you from it, I'd still buy it.

[kaylie]

Why would they have done a huge addition but not done a master bath? Boo for poor remodeling choices. I would be concerned that there could be issues with the way the plumbing is set up that made it cost prohibitive. Are you able to get a plumber in there that might be able to give you some insight as to how hard it would be to add the master bath?

[sju]

Jun 11, 2012 13:47:12 GMT -5 kaylie said:

Why would they have done a huge addition but not done a master bath? Boo for poor remodeling choices. I would be concerned that there could be issues with the way the plumbing is set up that made it cost prohibitive. Are you able to get a plumber in there that might be able to give you some insight as to how hard it would be to add the master bath?

I agree with this. It is good to get an idea of how much it would cost to add a bathroom if even possible.

Even without kids, if guests stay overnight you may share the bathroom with them. Not the end of the world but still kind of awkward. For me not having a master bath would be a deal breaker.

[jwright]

Thanks for the responses, and yes it is very annoying that the sellers took the time to do a large addition to the home and didn't think about the master bath issues.

The existing bathroom does share a wall with the end of the master closet, so it would be relatively "easy" to convert.

We ended up making an offer that they have accepted. We just couldn't turn down this particular neighborhood. We'll plan on adding a master bath in a year or two. Now on to the home inspection!

[jenni232323]

Good choice - our main requirements were neighborhood, yard size and overall house size - most anything inside the house can be changed to suite your needs if you really want. GL!