A Urinal

[Greg G.]

I always thought it would be cool to install a urinal in my house. Quite the status symbol, I know. I've also thought that a urinal would be a pretty cool signature piece to put in rentals or flips, (though likely targeting the wrong sex). It's the ladies that like the bathrooms and kitchen's, right?

Anyone ever installed one? About how much does it cost?

PS - What's the most unique feature you've seen in house? That you've wanted to put in a house or actually did put in a house?

Please share!

[Andy J.]

Don't do it. That's an extremely taste specific feature, you're going to offend 99% of your potential buyers/renters and the 1% that do like it won't have any money, credit, rental history, or job to support what you're offering.

If you're going to spend extra money make it appeal to everyone. Perhaps granite counters instead of formica, stainless appliances instead of white, upgraded carpet and pad, upgraded fixtures, patio/deck/awning, landscaping, the list goes on and on.

Do your absolute best to please the girlfriends and wives, they make the decisions. They also typically have a better eye for cleanliness, make it shine!

The most unique feature I've seen in a house was a bidet in one of the bathrooms, not even in the master bathroom if I remember correctly. Not a nice house, in fact it was a pretty bad neigborhood too.

[Mark B]

I dig 'em, but I am an architect and very open minded. I once had a high-end client that we designed a two toilet bathroom for... with a urinal too.

But for low or middle income, the urinal may be a turn-off. There can be a stigma attached. However they are much cleaner than toilets if being used by boys (and grown boys).

[Greg G.]

I should have added a smiley face to let you know I'm mostly joking about the idea of adding a urinal to a rental.

Andy, I'm sure it brought a smile to your face to be in the slums and walk in on a bidet. What were they thinking?!

Mark, you've actually put a urinal in for for someone! That's great. About how much would you guess it would cost for a DIY urinal?

[Vikram C.]

Not sure about putting one in a middle-class home, but if you have a home designed for entertaining with a nice bar and if you have frequent parties, a urinal is a great idea for the bar's bathroom.

[Mitch Kronowit]

They sell urinals at our local Lowes. I thought it would be a great addition for our LIVING ROOM!!! That way I wouldn't miss any TV while taking a break! ;-)

But the stone cold look on my wife's face scuttled that idea in a hurry. :-)

[Account Closed]

A urinal might be a real conversation starter especially when you had your wife's friends and family over. Not sure I would ant to be around for the conversation though.

[Justin S.]

I always thought it would be cool to install a urinal in my house.

It is good to know I'm not the only who thought about this idea.

Perhaps install in the garage next to the laser guided double compound mitre saw. I actually bought one of these for my buddy as a wedding gift. Then he moved to NY and he had me store it in my garage. That was five years ago. Best gift/re-gift ever!

[Greg G.]

Mitch, that one got me. Too funny!

wheelhouse - It's kind of reassuring for me as well. After years of using public restrooms with urinals, the lightbulb comes on, I've never seen one in a home before. No issues about the seat being left up, it's all good.

Vikram/Charles - I agree, it actually could work when selling into the right market and it definately would be memorable. Maybe not for all the right reasons.... For instance, 10+ yrs ago while my wife and I were shopping for our first home together, we visited a house that had 3 very memorable traits:

1) The attached garage had been converted to a gigantic living room/man cave with the biggest TV I'd seen at the time, several couches, a pool table, dart board, foosball table, and a huge wood burning fireplace. The owner was laying on one of the couches watching a football game during our showing! :)

2) On the walls going up the stair way to the 2nd floor they had taken broken glass and embedded them into a layer of mortar in the walls. Bizarre and dangerous!

3) The owner had left a big ole #2 in upstairs bathroom.

Like I said, it definately left an impression!

[Sam M.]

I'm not convinced they are any cleaner than a toilet. Have you been in a public bathroom lately......Yuk.....but then you are dealing with the general public who doesn't give a s......(pun intended)

[Account Closed]

Unique feature I'd like to put in a house: a nice fireplace in the master bath.

I've got a master bath big enough to add a wood stove to, but it has a walk in shower and no bath tub. No reason to have a fire in the fire place without a bathtub.

[Michael S.]

a guy i know has a urinal in his home, when he asked me to sell it for him i suggested to him to remove it....he was dead set against it. he is one of those guy that starts a project and never finishes...fifty percent of the studs in the house are showing, he's late on his mortg etc...at one time he had a hot tub in his living room, one of those type of guys

[Uwe K.]

Originally posted by Mitch Kronowit:
They sell urinals at our local Lowes. I thought it would be a great addition for our LIVING ROOM!!! That way I wouldn't miss any TV while taking a break! ;-)

But the stone cold look on my wife's face scuttled that idea in a hurry. :-)

Awesome idea :lol:
For the wife, just make sure you have plenty of those pinkish urinal stones n there, that should satisfy here. Maybe some colorful decals in the upper half or so...

[Don Hines]

About 25 years ago, I frequented a reasturant in Houston Tx that was already unique because it was one of the first Asian places that cooked at your table and made a show out of it. But, when the guys flushed the urinal in the reastroom, a video of a scantly clad young lady would pop up on a screen over it and tell you how nice it was that you would flush; along with some suggestions. I bet their water bill was sky high!!
Don

[Jimmy H.]

Installing a urinal in a lower / middle income home may result in what happened to that urinal in South Park.

Good luck plunging that!

[Dennis Treacy]

Great idea for the pool house, keeps the water in the pool from turning yellow.

[Bill Gulley]

Originally posted by Dennis Treacy:
Great idea for the pool house, keeps the water in the pool from turning yellow.

How long has your top been down?

It's a month old

[Account Closed]

Unique feature I'd like to put in a house:a nice fireplace in the master bath.

My parents have one, and they live in the desert where you definitely don't need it- but they use it all the time. awesome feature.

Doesn't work with my current investments but I always thought that if I were to rehab and flip a nice house, I'd put in a built-in cappucino machine. Maybe its just me, but that would definitely get my attention.

[Bill Gulley]

Originally posted by Misia Snyder:

Unique feature I'd like to put in a house:a nice fireplace in the master bath.

My parents have one, and they live in the desert where you definitely don't need it- but they use it all the time. awesome feature.

Doesn't work with my current investments but I always thought that if I were to rehab and flip a nice house, I'd put in a built-in cappucino machine. Maybe its just me, but that would definitely get my attention.

Hmmm? do your parents have a urinal and both of them use it, or did you switch to a fireplace that they both use and a built in cappucino machine, is that next to the urinal? What is cool is having a pool table in your master bathroom!

Anyway, going with all this, who is going to clean it and would you put an ash try next to it with a sign about your butts?

Getting later now, seems things are going down the drain now.