It's something that we come across all of the time...especially because we deal with a lot of vintage homes in the Denver Metro area: a buyer will LOVE absolutely everything about a house, but will hesitate to buy it if it only has one bathroom.
We get it, there are so many reasons to want that extra bathroom...for guests to use when they are over, if there is more than one person living in the house it can get dicey when there is only one toilet, etc. But, when it comes down to it, do you really need another bathtub or shower, or just another sink and toilet?
According to recent research (and in our experience), whether you are adding a powder room to a small home that only has one bathroom, or you are adding a SIXTH bathroom, the half bath usually does the trick...and it's quite a bit less expensive than adding a full bath!
"In fact, if a home has more than five bathrooms, putting in an extra half-bath can do more to raise the price of the property than adding a full bathroom, according to a survey of listings on realtor.com in late July.
The median listing price per square foot for homes with two full bathrooms was 15 percent more than for homes with only one full bath, while homes with 1.5 bathrooms commanded a 10 percent premium over those with just a single full bath, according to the data. But the median listing price for homes with 6.5 bathrooms was 10 percent higher per square foot than for homes with seven bathroomssuggesting that once a property has a certain number of tubs and showers, the added convenience of an extra toilet may make a bigger difference.
"You get to the point of diminishing returns with the full bath," says Stephen Melman, director of economic services for the National Association of Home Builders. A half-bath, also known as a powder room, on the first floor of a house may get more use than any of the home's other bathrooms, he notes.
And in high-end homes, extra half-baths are often included with luxury features such as pool houses, catering kitchens and home theaters that contribute to the price of the property." - Realtor.com
So, what does all of this mean for your average-size home?
We think that if you are willing and able to add a half bath to a home with just one bathroom before you sell, you will sell faster and for more money.Having a powder room in a small home also makes living more comfortable and accommodating. If you can't afford, or don't have time for installing a powder room before you list your home, it might be worth listing the home as a 2 bath and offering the buyer a credit so that they can install a powder room after they close...because our data clearly shows that homes listed as only having 1 bathroom are shown at a much slower pace, take longer to sell, and sell for less money than homes listed with 2 bathrooms.
And, even if you aren't thinking of selling, a powder room can be a great opportunity to experiment with color and design...check out these examples that we found on Pinterest:
Check out our Powder Room Inspiration board on Pinterest for original sources for these photos, as well as more inspiring powder room eye-candy like this!
Ready to take the plunge but can't figure out where you would fit a half bath into your home? Need a contractor recommendation?
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