I have lived without one and I have lived with one. There's no turning back once you've had that convenience.

And whether you feel it's necessary or not, it absolutely adds value to your home.

I have never lived in a house with a first-floor bathroom until now. Ours isn't a powder room but is a full bathroom (with a large shower stall). It has been absolutely invaluable as we get our kids through their younger years. For example, they shower while we prepare or clean up from dinner and we can still keep an eye on them. It has also been huge for when my mobility-impaired relatives visit... and yes, it's great to have for guests.

In our previous house we didn't have a main level bathroom and it was pretty inconvenient during my 2 c-section recoveries (I had to stay upstairs) and also during potty training.

Anonymous wrote:It's also just daily life convenience - just walked in doors with groceries or after walking dog and picking up poop, or whatever and want to wash hands - but spouse is doing dishes in kitchen sink. Or 5 year old picked up something gross on walk and want to wash his hands immediately and not walk upstairs, trailing hands on bannister and walls.

Or watching a show and want to pee quickly - just faster/easier to be on same level than troop upstairs.

Or the flip side - I've gone to bed and DH wants some privacy pooping so he goes downstairs because our en suite bath doesn't shield sounds!

I live in a 1914 rowhouse in NW DC. Almost all neighbors have an added 1st floor half bath. PP is right - one without still gets multiple offers. But the half bath is much more attractive.

Agreed, we are planning to wedge a little powder room under the stairs in our NW rowhouse.

Anonymous wrote:Wow y’all, I guarantee it’s worse when these old row houses have a powder *in the dining room or kitchen. We just remodeled and while it would be a nice to have if we had a ton more space, it is *not a hardship not having one.

The row house powder room is typically a disaster. Right in the kitchen, or right in the dining room. So you can hear guest pee? Sound proofed and tucked away is the only way it can work but not easy in a row house.

Anonymous wrote:Wow y’all, I guarantee it’s worse when these old row houses have a powder *in the dining room or kitchen. We just remodeled and while it would be a nice to have if we had a ton more space, it is *not a hardship not having one.

Well I assume that most of these posters would not live in an old row home.

Anonymous wrote:All of the above. I have 3 kids under 5 so a bathroom on every floor is a necessity. I also don't want guests to have to use stairs, especially since many of my guests are older and mobility impaired. It's also a convenience thing for myself and my spouse - he sprained an ankle a few months back and having to go up and down stairs just to use the bathroom would've been a huge pain. I'd never consider a house without a powder room on the ground floor for all of these reasons.

Basically this.

I have one and like it but find I walk right past it to go upstairs to my own bathroom even when I am working at home so it's not a dealbreaker for me, more a nice to have.

No tub in the master would be a possible dealbreaker for me and no tub in the house at all would be a dealbreaker.

Wow y’all, I guarantee it’s worse when these old row houses have a powder *in the dining room or kitchen. We just remodeled and while it would be a nice to have if we had a ton more space, it is *not a hardship not having one.

Anonymous wrote:Guests. I seriously can’t imagine a multi story house without a first floor powder room.

Wait, can you not imagine it, or can you not imagine living in it? After reading this kind of response in several threads recently, I really need to know.

I live in an old house without a main floor bath and it's annoying not only for guests, but just for me. Say I'm outside all day doing yardwork and kind of dirty. It's annoying having to come inside, take off shoes, run upstairs, etc. Having one in or near a mud room would be so ideal.

However, one downside to main floor bathrooms can be privacy. I've been in houses where the bathroom is literally in the same room as the dining room. I hated using it. This was an older house where they had probably converted a pantry or closet into a bathroom as that was the only option.

We lived in an old 1940’s house with no bathroom on the main floor. It wasn’t bad when we did it, but we were in our early 20’s, and while I didn’t love it, I also didn’t want to appear spoiled or a princess. I wouldn’t do it now, now that well, I know I don’t have to. I’ve also gotten way more comfortable channeling my inner princess when buying a home, I won’t buy something I don’t 100 percent love. I’ll compromise on a lot but housing isn’t one of them. Changing things can be harder and more expensive then you might think.
I love having a powder room on the first floor. It’s physically easy to get to. Our 2 other bathrooms are upstairs, and if this house didn’t have a powder room on the first floor, I’d not have bought it. A main bathroom i.e. one with a shower wouldn’t make sense given the layout of the house, the powder room is next to the front door. No way would I expect anybody to shower in that bathroom, it’d just be creepy.
Ranch houses are a different ballgame, I grew up in one too and you’re correct, there really is no reason for a powder room, just as with the shower, it wouldn’t be appropriate for that type of house.

I think that was me - or at least I said that on some thread. I don't want guests going in or around our bedrooms, and also I have three kids who needed or will need to be potty trained - I don't want to be running upstairs for that.

Anonymous wrote:It’s where filthy DHs poop and leave streaks. Best to be avoided.

Why can't he clean the toilet after a particularly messy poops?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, my elderly parents don't want to go up or down stairs.

I've only ever seen one house in real life that didn't have a first floor bathroom. It was a 2 bedroom condo/townhouse where the bathroom was upstairs. And the people who lived there complained bitterly. They had a nice camp bucket set up in the garage for their mom when she visited.

I’m sorry, what?

It's a portable toilet setup. It's not as awful as it sounds and it's padded. What's the alternative? Handing her a diaper?

If I could have my wish- it would be to have a full bath on the first floor. My house has a huge closet in the powder room that I would create a shower out of if my parents came to live with me. It's just so needed to age in place or really to convalesce from a lot of surgeries.

I have a full bath and it is very convenient.

I lived in a small rowhome that didn't have a first floor bathroom and it was annoying. There was nowhere to put one.

It’s where filthy DHs poop and leave streaks. Best to be avoided.