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It's extremely common! Most of the older homes that have "powder rooms" downstairs added them on after the house was built.
Tell me you've never done the dash -- you're driving home and realize you've "got to go", finally get home, throw your things down, and take the stairs 2 steps at a time to get to the bathroom. It's a way of life. (Yeah, somebody here chime in with "third world problems".)
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Originally Posted by Spazkat9696
Personally I wouldn't want a house like that. I wouldn't want my house guest going upstairs to use the bathroom, and I wouldn't want to do it either.
This was one of the reasons I finally moved, after 15 years. Another thing was just logistics -- after I broke my leg, it got a little tedious hobbling all the way upstairs every time to use the bathroom!
Realtors call this "functional obsolescence". That is the proper word for what you describe. This is a very difficult property to sell and any smart Realtor would never accept this listing. Especially in today's depressed economy.
The other negative thing is townhouses are just rotting on the market too along with condos. They were a fairly tough sell even during good times when homes actually went up in value.
Keep on looking. Old homes perhaps 3 to 4 decades ago it was very normal to have just 1 bathroom no matter how many bedrooms. But 1 bath upstairs only? No way!!!!!!
that is a little much i think. many older cities have these types of homes. do you propose that no realtor should take it on?
Realtors call this "functional obsolescence". That is the proper word for what you describe. This is a very difficult property to sell and any smart Realtor would never accept this listing. Especially in today's depressed economy.
You're making me laugh my ass off. This type of house is extremely common in many regions of the country.
This was one of the reasons I finally moved, after 15 years. Another thing was just logistics -- after I broke my leg, it got a little tedious hobbling all the way upstairs every time to use the bathroom!
My friend lives in a large house with only one bathroom on the second floor. They got one of those adult potty-chairs when her daughter had a long recovery after a car accident. They also rented a hospital bed for her on the first floor. You can always get a potable potty, but you can't move a kitchen! LOL
Realtors call this "functional obsolescence". That is the proper word for what you describe. This is a very difficult property to sell and any smart Realtor would never accept this listing. Especially in today's depressed economy.
The other negative thing is townhouses are just rotting on the market too along with condos. They were a fairly tough sell even during good times when homes actually went up in value.
Keep on looking. Old homes perhaps 3 to 4 decades ago it was very normal to have just 1 bathroom no matter how many bedrooms. But 1 bath upstairs only? No way!!!!!!
Depends on the market and the city. I have one of these functional obsolescence.. My first home, single. I plan on putting in another bathroom though. The townhomes in this area are just like this. Starter homes and retirement homes. Seriously they are not on the market for long at all. Over the last 2 years they have also increased in price by 10-20% from the drop.
Different strokes though. I knew it would be a hard seller without the second bathroom, but when I bought it was a bit of a bidding war and townhomes were selling like hotcakes. Now they are on the market for barely a month. (i'm looking to buy another one for income property so have been keeping my eye out).
It's extremely common! Most of the older homes that have "powder rooms" downstairs added them on after the house was built.
Tell me you've never done the dash -- you're driving home and realize you've "got to go", finally get home, throw your things down, and take the stairs 2 steps at a time to get to the bathroom. It's a way of life. (Yeah, somebody here chime in with "third world problems".)
This was one of the reasons I finally moved, after 15 years. Another thing was just logistics -- after I broke my leg, it got a little tedious hobbling all the way upstairs every time to use the bathroom!
The new term is "first world problems". :-) Said with tongue firmly in cheek, and I've seen it on facebook, not said out loud. "Like OMG my life is just sooooo hard cause I don't have any pop tarts! <first world problems>" And there is your new "with it" term for the day.
I remember it as a kid. "Where's the bathroom grandma?" "Its upstairs, first door on the left."
I lived in a home built in 1964 with one bathroom. There were seven of us and we all survived. It kind of forces a person to anticipate his or her own needs if you know what I mean. Some times you wait in line just like in real life.
Then I owned a house built in the 1800s with only one bathroom and once again I survived.
Now I have three full baths to clean and wouldn't mind going back to 1 or 1.5 baths.
It depends on the area but no I don't think it's unusual.
I again appreciate responses. I am not trying to cranky but some people are responding with comments that seem to indicate that I was talking about one bathroom houses... and again, it wasn't the one bath issue. It was the one bath upstairs only thing. Also this is not a potential purchase, but a potential rental and I would probably only choose it if it were the only option or if other options had a lot more negatives.
I haven't lived in a house with 2 bathrooms in a good 11 years or more, primarily because everything I have lived in in recent years has been built before 1915. There are five of us in the family, we've just learned to deal with it. Most commonly heard phrase here is probably "Let me know when you are out!" and we try to split it so some of us shower at night and the others in the morning, for efficiency's sake.
I can handle going upstairs too if it were the only option, it just seems like it would be a bit more awkward for guests to have to do. No huge deal; the place I am in right now has one bathroom and it is only accessible via one of the bedrooms, so we just lead guests through whichever room is cleanest that day.
Like I said, two story homes with one bath are very common in my region. Going upstairs is no big deal. I think it's weirder when the one bathroom is on the first floor because then you have to go downstairs to shower when all of the clothes are in the bedrooms upstairs.
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Originally Posted by Sally_Sparrow
I can handle going upstairs too if it were the only option, it just seems like it would be a bit more awkward for guests to have to do.
It's not awkward at all. I've been to many houses with the bathroom upstairs. It's so common. Nobody thinks about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sally_Sparrow
No huge deal; the place I am in right now has one bathroom and it is only accessible via one of the bedrooms, so we just lead guests through whichever room is cleanest that day.
This is way more awkward than walking upstairs. Nobody wants to walk through someone's bedroom to use the bathroom. And why do you need to lead them to the bathroom? At least when the single bath is in an upstairs hallway, you just say, "Up the stairs, second door on the right." Guests don't want a chaperone escorting them to the bathroom.
The other thing that is very awkward is when the powder room is added to the first floor and the door opens into the living room or some other space where other people congregate. Everyone can hear what you're doing in there, and you come out of the bathroom directly into a group of people. THAT'S awkward!
I had a two story colonial that was built in 1920. A small house, 2 bedrooms and the bathroom was on the second floor. I got used to it and no one ever visited so it wasn't a big deal, however it was a big deal when I went to sell it. So yep, its common.
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There are five of us in the family, we've just learned to deal with it. Most commonly heard phrase here is probably "Let me know when you are out!" and we try to split it so some of us shower at night and the others in the morning, for efficiency's sake. 
