Downstairs toilet

I had one put in under the stairs years ago, despite OH saying waste of money. I wouldn't be without it and he now says what a good idea of his it was! Enjoy!

That sounds very interesting - the wash basin is on the cistern? What a brilliant idea for a small space. In our last house the toilet was really small and the door was marked by splashes from the basin - so I painted a summer meadow on it so the splashes didn't show amongst eh flowers. (I did still wash it - but not daily!) I enjoyed doing it so much I continued on around the rest of the walls!

Enjoy your smallest room!

Nansypansy That is a good idea if the cupboard is high enough.
I would not want to be without a downstairs loo. My house was built with one. My sister has one cleverly fitted under the stairs but a lot depends on having enough height in the stairs.

When I occaisionally look at houses near my DD there are very few even modern houses that seem to have a downstairs loo.

Two loos are wonderful.

I have an ensuite loo and one in the bathroom. Essential when the grandkids come round. My first house only had one loo and it was tricky at times. Never forget the time when we all went down with sickness and diarrohea. For me having two toilets is a luxury having grown up, as most of us did, with only one toilet and that was often outside.

Yea, makes life just that little more comfortable.

When we moved house three years ago it was one of the things that was a must - it had to have a downstairs loo, so that when we came back from a long walk we wouldn't be beating each other up the stairs to get to the bathroom! We looked at the option of fitting one in our other house but we could only do it by converting the garage, and it would have been complicated. We now have three toilets, so no waiting! DD and co are on holiday at the moment in a lovely cottage but she was commenting before they went about the fact that it only had one toilet. "I suppose we'll manage" she said. How quickly things become priorities!

How I envy you Nansypansy. I've thought long and hard how I could put one in my terraced cottage, but without changing the dining room to a bathroom, it's impossible. I shall have to move one day

Congratulations nansy isn't it strange how something like that can make such a difference to our comfort. We have always had a downstairs loo but when we moved into this house luxury of luxuries a small ensuite. DH has made it his own but will share with me (and only me) when the family come to stay. I must say I love having the bathroom to myself most of the time and not having to wash my face in a basin where others clean their teeth is wonderful.

We have come to the conclusion that a toilet downstairs and a toilet on the same floor as the bedroom is a must. Our last house was built on the side of a Welsh mountain so we had four floors - we had a toilet on the lowest level - kitchen and dining room - originally in the 1800s this had been the floor with the only bathroom! Next floor was sitting room and study and then up again to bedrooms and bathroom (but we changed bath for a large shower tray) and up again to the guest bedroom with an ensuite containing a bath (for the grandchildren, loo and basin). The room was large so accommodated more than one bed and then there were never any issues with being on the their own when the children were small.

We only have one toilet (in the bathroom upstairs). I have always wanted a downstairs toilet as I consider it very 'posh'

I'm chuffed for you, nansypansy. Isn't it great that your determination won through in the end.

Both of our toilets are upstairs, which is a bit of a pain when an occasional workman wants to use the loo. I have resisted having a third installed however, because I blanche at the thought of having three lavs to clean! Perhaps one day it might be inevitable, but not yet please.

The saniflo option does sound interesting. I wonder how efficient they are.

My downstairs loo was part of the modern house and it has been a boon to me over the last few years following surgery and fractures. It is also a decent size which is unusual. In a friend's house I seem to have to ease my way in sideways. Nansypansy you will love it and it will be a boon. It may even mean that later you do not have to move.

When we were kids we were just about the only family with a downstairs loo because a loft conversion moved the bathroom upstairs and left a WC and basin downstairs - also used as a dark room. Such luxury in the 40s and 50s! Alas, having downsized, I have sacrificed a second loo, but did manage pretty well while I was on crutches for a while and I suppose going up and down stairs frequently is good exercise!

Jingle Sanilfow are very good and efficient. We used one in our top bathroom so we only needed to use small bore pipes and not put a new pipe into the main drainpipe. You can get several types - some just take the toilet and a basin and some take the bath water as well. You do need to make sure that visitors put nothing down there except the normal and toilet paper - we had a visitor who flushed down a Tampax and it seized up - OH (has plumbing skills too) took the tank out and opened it up in the garden - spotlessly clean inside but the string of the Tampax was round the macerator part - he removed it and all was well again.

We have a downstairs loo, which is in the downstairs shower room, which is the shower that DH uses rather than one of the upstairs ones. I always use the loo in the family bathroom and I have just realised how silly that is.

We would love a downstairs loo but as our 'understairs' is part of the open plan living room we have no where to put it. Its one of my worries about the future if one of us can't get upstairs easily.. ideally we'd move to a bungalow but bungalows in London's suburbs are way out of our price range... oh well it'll be the commode in the corner then

It came in particularly useful when DH had his hernia surgery last month. It took him painful ages to get up and down the stairs the first week or so, so if we had only had the upstairs toilet, he would have really struggled. As it was, it took him painful ages to get to the downstairs one but he didn't have as far to go!

Lucky to have 3 downstairs toilets (2 in Ye Olde parish room- as we bought an old vicarage- with disabled access, which might come handy). We have just installed a rather fancy italian style shower room for guests upstairs (we have our own bathroom with bath and shower over)- but I really would like to have a shower installed downstairs before I have my knee replacement next year.
Has anyone got any experience with a Saniflo shower? I'd be very grateful for any info and tips. Would like to put one at the end of the corridor- condemning an outside door facing East, next to the existing WC (which is raised up to allow outflow- so shower can't really go into there, wouldn't be enough height).

The Saniflo will pump upwards a bit - look on their website and if the info you need is not there contact them. They were very helpful when OH contacted them about a query he had. You can probably see on their site the size and type of the one you would need to take the volume of water generated by a shower - as you can get them to take loo. Basin and bath it should not be a problem.

We are a 3 loo family, with an upstairs bathroom, an ensuite, and a very small loo downstairs - we had to take the door off when I was on crutches and needed a toilet frame! It was a great incentive to get rid of the crutches so I could perform in private!

Gkad that things are now operative for you Nansypansy.

tanith rather than moving when the time comes it may make more sense to have a stairlift fitted. They can even be rented which I learnt quite recently.

I had to have one fitted after I had a # dislocation of my ankle and the ankle was pinned and plated. I have kept it and could not do without it now. For me it was money well spent. Like you, I could not afford a bungalow in London and I do not want to move outside London. It would have to be a fair distance before I could find an area that I could afford.

Sorry, but toilets in cupboards under the stairs make me think of Mrs. Brown's Boys