How Many Bathrooms Should A House Have?

Whether you’re getting ready to face the day or enjoying a nice hot shower or bath after a long day, a bathroom has become one of the essential areas in any home today. So how many bathrooms should a house have?

The average house has two to three bathrooms. On average, houses usually have two bathrooms for every three bedrooms.

Now you’re probably wondering about all the houses you know about that have many more or even less. There are many factors to consider when it comes to the number of bathrooms, and luckily, we’ve got them all covered in his article.

Number Of Bathrooms In A House

When deciding the number of bathrooms your home should have if you plan to build one, you should consider your living situation, your family, your plans, how long you plan to stay in that home, and possibly the resale value of your home.

Although we’ve covered the answer on the average number of bathrooms per bedroom (2 bathrooms for every three bedrooms), it’s worthwhile considering these factors.

• Do you entertain a lot? Then you probably would need more bathrooms.
• How big is your family, and are you planning on having more children? Children grow up and would require more space and typically more bathrooms in the home.
• Do you have elderly family members visiting often, sometimes staying overnight or possibly for long periods? Then you would need to consider their needs when it comes to easy access to a bathroom.
• Are you planning on selling your home in the near future? Think about the resale value of your home and how additional bathrooms might impact that.

These are just a few things to keep in mind when thinking about how many bathrooms a house should have. It entirely depends on your circumstances and how those circumstances will change in the future.

How Many Bathrooms Are Typically In a House?

To answer this question in the most accurate way possible, we need to look at some data available to determine how many bathrooms the average house has, or simply how many bathrooms houses, in general, have on average.

However, the most significant variable to keep in mind that would directly impact these results is the size of the average home.

According to the US Census Survey of Construction, 43% of all new homes started in 2015 in the US had three bedrooms, and 36% had four bedrooms.

Now let’s look at the data on the average number of bathrooms per home in the US for all new single-family homes started in 2016.

However, it is interesting to note that the ratio of bathrooms to bedrooms has increased over the years, and in the past, it was not uncommon to have one bathroom in 4 bedroom homes.

In other parts of the world, the ratio might differ depending on economic, historical, and cultural factors.

Should Every Bedroom Have a Bathroom?

As mentioned, the most common scenario for any single-family living in a 2 or 3 bedroom home would be a master bathroom, typically either close to or inside the master bedroom, and a shared family bathroom for the rest of the family members.

Therefore, it’s not needed for every bedroom to have a bathroom, and not that common.

As we’ve already discussed, the average bathroom to bedroom ratio is two for every three bedrooms. There are, however, several factors to consider that could influence the number of bathrooms needed for a particular home.

• The number of families. If you have a situation of more than 1 family sharing a home, the number of bathrooms needed for that home would be above that above ratio.
• Elderly family members. If you have an elderly family member, or more than 1, living in a home, they would typically benefit from having their own bathroom close to or in their room.
• Kids. If you have a big single-family, mostly made up of small children, the number of bathrooms needed would be below the average ratio. But then again, kids grow into teenagers, so better be prepared and make sure you have enough bathrooms for when they do.

Why Do Houses Have More Bathrooms Than Bedrooms?

This would not be the norm, but let’s look at a few scenarios where this would be the case.

Some townhouses or duplexes have more than 1 story, even if they only have 2 or 3 bedrooms. In this situation, the bedrooms are typically on the top stories, with a master en-suite bathroom and perhaps another for the rest of the family, and then have another 1 or 2 bathrooms on the ground floor where the living areas and kitchen typically are.

Some homeowners who like to entertain often or regularly have guests over at their home, sometimes even staying over, would typically have more bathrooms to better accommodate their guests.

Wealthy people who own big homes typically have many bathrooms and often more bathrooms than bedrooms.

The bedrooms might be located in the top sections of the house, each with its own bathroom, and then the rest of the home where the living areas are would have more bathrooms. This would be more practical due to the size of the house.

Can You Add A Bathroom To Your House?

There are many considerations, but yes, you can add a bathroom to your house in most situations. However, adding a bathroom would require a lot of electrical and plumbing work that needs to be handled by trained professionals.

The easiest way to add a bathroom is to connect to the existing plumbing, which would be the cheapest and cause the least disruption, but you have to choose a location close to another area with plumbing to connect to.

Areas with plumbing typically include other bathrooms and the kitchen.

Another essential consideration is ventilation, which would be required for the bathroom being added, and needs to be accounted for in the chosen location.

Does Adding A Bathroom Add Value To A House?

Adding a bathroom to your home is a good way of making you and your family’s living conditions more comfortable but can also increase the value of your home.

Adding a half bathroom can typically increase your home’s value by 3% while adding a full bathroom can increase it by 6%. These numbers are just estimated averages and depend on many factors, but they give you an idea.

According to data, a fascinating fact worth mentioning here is that adding a bathroom increases the house’s value by more than double that of adding a bedroom to the same house. Once again, dependent on many factors, but on average, that seems to hold.

So if you’re considering remodeling and not sure whether to add a bedroom or bathroom, go for a bathroom if you want a bigger increase in your home’s value. Or even better, add a bedroom with an en-suite bathroom to get the best of both worlds.

Conclusion

Hopefully, we’ve answered all of your questions about the number of bathrooms a house should have and addressed some related queries you might have.

Feel free to check out the rest of our articles for more helpful resources on everything kitchen, bed, bath, and more.

We’ve compiled a complete list of frequently asked bathroom questions for new and experienced homeowners.

Our team of experts answers these questions to help assist you through DIY projects and home repairs.

Robin Hatch

For over a decade, Robin has been a real estate agent, interior design specialist, and mother. Through her trials and tribulations, she wanted to create the perfect website to help you save money and make your home look beautiful.