we so need a second loo

Get yourself an architect and explain what you want. If there are problems extending out the back, what about the side? Do you have an integral garage that could sacrifice space for a shower room with loo? Failing that, what about slicing a little bit off both bedrooms and squeezing in just a loo and hand basin? Takes less room than a decent airing cupboard. Good luck, and all my sympathy. Have lived in quite a few houses and each time we have learned what is important; two bathrooms, pref one en-suite to master bedroom, and a utility room for laundry, pet bowls, vacuum, ironing board and other crap necessary items

Pretty much what sold us this house, an enormous (relatively) downstairs loo and decent sized en suite AND a lovely bathroom in what is really a modest sized three bed. For those of us thinking about the future and getting a bit ...well you know what ...we both thought well lit and roomy 'offices' where almost more important than the number of bedrooms. I can remember years ago thinking how odd it was that a much older neighbour had her downstairs loo turned into a wet room......I can now see her point. We are not quite at that stage yet....but yer never know.

The answer...live on your own.
My OH has his own house, a 15 minute drive away. I don't have to cook, clean, wash or look after him in any way at all unless I choose to do so.
No arguments about money or questions about where I'm going, with whom or when I'll be home.
No missing remote or football or Netflix etc.
It's like dating without expectation.
No worries about me being his carer (he's much younger) and we've been together for 6 years so it works well.

One thing we looked for when buying this house was an additional downstairs loo. It is in an extension tacked on to the back of the garage, and has a shower too. We often both need the loo at the same time, so both loos are well used, but the shower will really come into its own if one of us ends up needing to sleep downstairs.

Incidentally we also looked for ease of access, not on a slope, on a bus route, walking distance to shops, doctors etc. All boxes ticked.

We have a second loo downstairs, bur in the large house I grew up in in the 60s only had an upstairs loo. At least it was separate from the bathroom.

With us, it would be the other way round. DH, who was a teacher and had to stick to a timetable all his life, is as regular as clockwork. I was only ever a housewife or working in an office and could always go when I needed to, so I would be the one banging on the door!

PS I also recommend VIPoo or one of the other ones on the market - they do work.

We bought an apartment off plan a few years ago and as it had a large cupboard directly behind the bathroom we asked the builders to install a second toilet and washbasin which was great. Fast forward 2 years we put it up for sale and the couple who finally bought it were Japanese. The woman couldn't understand why we had had an extra toilet fitted to the expense of storage. To this day I wonder if she had her way and sacrificed the toilet for shelves and hanging space!

In the meantime..... a squirt of toilet gel will get rid of any nasty smells ??

Are you absolutely sure you can't have an extra loo or bathroom?

It may well be less expensive or less problematic than you think.

Why not get some quotes? There may well be a way to fit one in that you hadn't thought of.

I wouldn't give up on the idea without investigating all the possibilities.

petunia do you have a staircase? If so I know of a few people who have created a loo in the understairs space. Good in an emergency.
It needs a reliable system of odour expulsion though.
Another idea - an outside 'netty' as my Grandma called it. In the back garden.

I once stayed at a 4 star hotel which boasted en-suites. What it really was was a converted cupboard, the shower and loo just big enough to function and no more.
However it gave me an idea and on returning home I had a look at my own cupboard in the eaves and phoned a plumber, who said there's plenty room enough so for the past 10 years we've had a spare shower room. The loo is round rather than oblong to make space for legs but this was only a problem when you want to put a baby training seat over it. I often wonder how we managed before we had a spare loo. I can remember resorting to a potty in the night when I was pregnant...
As others have said, there are macerating loos now which don't require much plumbing.
www.plumbingsupply.com/when-and-where-to-use-a-macerating-toilet.html

I would extend , and the sooner the better , when the GSs visit it is a couple of hours before I can brave the guest loo

I think it was Michael Caine who said "The secret of a happy marriage is separate bathrooms".

Extend!

If you have 2 double bedrooms why not make one into a single and add a loo?

Ha ha. Thanks for all your replies. Unfortunately we have no stairs to put a guzunda. And our rooms arent spacious enough to steal room for a loo. The only way is outwards-which involves, an extension, drains, moving the greenhouse etc., etc.,etc.

I have days when I think-sod it, just extend. Others when I think-first world problem, just be grateful for indoor plumbing. Today is a sod it day

Petunia, maybe he would enjoy a caravan in the back garden all of his own with a porta potty in it .

Those systems which use macerators(sp) are a good idea but boy are they noisy?
My friends bought a dormer bungalow with two bedrooms uostairs and had a snall shower/loo made out of part of the landing and part of a bedroom
The loo would wake everyone up if it was flushed during the night.
It was so awkward to me that I chose to stay in a near by Premier Inn went I went over to see them.

In our previous home we had a second loo installed in the cupboard under the stairs. It fitted nicely into this remarkably small area; there was just room for the loo and a small basin. It was great to have it, and we were so glad we had it done. (And when we came to sell the house, it was a significant factor in its favour - many buyers expect second loos now.) It also made us sort out all the crap stuff we kept under the stairs; we bought a small cupboard for light bulbs etc. and we put the vacuum somewhere else. Recommended as an investment in your health and home - might it be worth you getting a loan for such a project?

Oh I too yearn for an extra loo! It's me, though, that is usually found hogging the littlest room for too long . We probably could find the room for a downstairs one to be installed, but I can't bear the thought of all the upheaval it would entail, all the mess. One day, one day....

Between houses we went into a rented house for a few months that had no downstairs loo. It was then that I realised how essential it was for us and didn't consider any houses without one.

The only problem is that my son in law insists on using the downstairs loo for the full monty and stinks the place out. I was given some of that VI Poo spray as a joke present but it works. Maybe you could ask your husband to use some of that if he insists on using the loo when you want to be in the bathroom. It has a lovely lemon smell as it is made with lemon oil. I'm not advertising but it has worked for us.

petunia......I know what you mean. My house is a 1930s place, which had been extended by the previous owner. The bathroom was downstairs, but the actual toilet is separate and is downstairs (a real pain when I have to get up in the night for a wee). My husband created a bathroom upstairs, by using part of my bedroom and part of the landing. The toilet is still downstairs, as there would be a massive amount of digging down to the mains sewer, we were told.

Luckygirl................how I envy you all those toilets.

We live in a bungalow with three loos!! How decadent is that??!! The GC quite like choosing their loo when the call comes.

Oh Petunia how I agree with you! I take furosemide.....which can lead to an emergency , he says he can’t move. I have been known to have to hurry to Tesco!

I agree, you need a separate loo, there must be somewhere you can squeeze one in, with macerators you can use much smaller piping. Under the stairs maybe? Box off part of a room? Why not ask for builder recommendations and get a few ideas and quotes so you know what is feasible?

Do not put up with being turfed out and having to live with the pong any longer! DH takes the cryptic crossword in there, if we didn't have a separate one I would be in agony!