Powder Room in a bad spot, what to do?

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DenisTheThief

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Our Powder Room is right beside our dining room. It's a bad spot. We are trying to decide what to do. We are thinking about switching the Laundry Room and the Powder Room. These 2 rooms are beside each other. This would involve some plumbing, maybe $350, since our basement is unfinished, luckily the ceiling access is easy. We currently have 1 full bathroom, upstairs.

We have 3 options:

1. Switch the Powder Room and the Laundry room. The cost would not be cheap since some plumbing and electrical work would be required. Also we would need to tear-down a small interior wall of about 50" and erect one of about 60". This would require a permit, I believe. But the drywall and painting I could do myself.

2. Turn the Powder Room into a Pantry and finish the Bathroom in the basement. We already have the rough-in in the basement and I can install ceramic myself. This would cost a little more than option #1 I think. But add more value to the home. Except, not having a toilet on the main floor could be a turn-off to potential buyers down the road.

3. Switch the Powder Room and the Laundry room and finish the Bathroom in the basement. This of course is the ideal solution but also the most costly.


Any opinions on which route to take?
What is more of a turn-off do you think, not having a toilet on the main floor, or having a toilet right beside the dining room?
Does having a small pantry on the main floor appeal to anyone?
 
I think that a powder room on the main floor is a "must". I don't know how often you entertain, but having a parade run upstairs where the bedrooms may not be tidy enough seems a bit awkward, and seniors may not be able to get around so well. Basement bathrooms are handy, but again, basements tend to be less convenient to others.
 
Our powder room is in the hallway between the kitchen and the dining room at the top of the basement stairs. So it isn't technically in either room. I would consider no powder room on the first floor a bigger negative than one that is near the dining room.
 
That's not the worst I have seen. Imagine the powder room on the side of the table and people have to move to let some one into the door that opened out.

So what exactly is the complaint, noise, visual or?
 
That's not the worst I have seen. Imagine the powder room on the side of the table and people have to move to let some one into the door that opened out.

So what exactly is the complaint, noise, visual or?

It's just embarrassing for us when we have company over. I wouldn't say 'noise' but you can hear it. And even just being at the dining table and seeing people enter and exit the powder room. People can use the upstairs bathroom. But obviously we don't want to ask them to use the upstairs one.
 
It's just embarrassing for us when we have company over. I wouldn't say 'noise' but you can hear it. And even just being at the dining table and seeing people enter and exit the powder room. People can use the upstairs bathroom. But obviously we don't want to ask them to use the upstairs one.

But just moving it to where the washer is, still puts people in the same hall way.
Not enough upside to that move.
 
I would not like to use a bathroom with a bunch of people close by but at the same time I don't feel comfortable wondering upstairs in some else's house. And as that is your personal space you should not feel comfortable with everyone going upstairs. But if I know there is a bathroom in the basement, that is where you find me. But for the other 15 hrs of the day, that bathroom would be handy enough.
I would do up the basement bathroom and when company comes over remember to point out that they should check the new handy work in the basement and after that everyone knows where it is.
 
Put in a white noise generator and run it when you have guests over. If you were up for it insulate the walls and weather strip the door to cut down on noise. For insulation you could blow in recycled cellulose fiber with the machine from your local big box home improvement store. It would only require a couple of 1.5 - 2" round holes using a hole saw on a drill. Packed cellulose would do a better job at noise reduction than fiberglass. A solid door would be better than a hollow core door as well.

White Noise Generators

https://www.amazon.com/white-noise-generator/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Awhite%20noise%20generator
 
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In General I was taught the doorway for a Powder room should not be visible from the seating locations in a dining or living room area. On the same token it should be close by and in a formal setting never in the personal areas of the home.

I don’t know if your sketch is to scale or not but it looks like a little wall coming off the powder room wall would accomplish that or even a wall with a L in it.
 
But just moving it to where the washer is, still puts people in the same hall way.
Not enough upside to that move.

I'm afraid of that. I agree it's not much of a move distance-wise. Then again, with respect to the dining table, now there would be the kitchen wall in between - whereas currently there is nothing.

I guess like anything, it will come down to the cost of doing it...
 
In General I was taught the doorway for a Powder room should not be visible from the seating locations in a dining or living room area. On the same token it should be close by and in a formal setting never in the personal areas of the home.

I don’t know if your sketch is to scale or not but it looks like a little wall coming off the powder room wall would accomplish that or even a wall with a L in it.

Yes, I agree with that principle.

It's not quite to scale but not far off either. I can't build a wall off the powder room. Because to the left of it is the stairs. So it would either cut into the stairs or that little hallway.

But that does lead me to an idea I never thought of! I could extend the kitchen wall. I can't extend it too far as there is not a lot of room. And it would cut down a little bit of the light going into the dining room. But it would address the problem a little and it is a low-cost option.
 
What direction do the stairs run in your picture? Would wall B restrict access to them?

Also, with respect to the noise generator I mentioned earlier, put it on the lighting circuit so it turns on automatically. Or, wire the fan so it comes on with the light. Unless you have a really quiet bathroom fan, they usually make enough noise to mask the sound.
 
There you go.

Just so others can picture it here is what i suggested wall A and your idea wall B.

Thanks. Your wall (A) is tempting. But that hallway is 4-feet wide. So I don't think it's enough room to do it.
 
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I'm wondering if you would gain any advantage just from changing the swing of the door, so that it helps block any view. If the door is hollow, you would have the chance to change or insulate at the same time.
 
What direction do the stairs run in your picture? Would wall B restrict access to them?

Also, with respect to the noise generator I mentioned earlier, put it on the lighting circuit so it turns on automatically. Or, wire the fan so it comes on with the light. Unless you have a really quiet bathroom fan, they usually make enough noise to mask the sound.

No, wall B wouldn't restrict access to the stairs. Just make the area less open and a little less natural light.

To the left of the power room is the stairs going down. And left of that is the stairs going up. It's one of those multi-level designs.

Good point, the fan does help with masking the sound.
 

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