Adding an extra bathroom always possible?

[Bienes Raices]

I am thinking about making an offer on a 3/1 house. Some people on this forum have said that anything with only 1 bathroom is functionally obsolete.

In terms of eventual resale (it would be a rental at first, if I buy it), is adding an extra bathroom or half bath necessary? And is it always possible? The house is not tiny (it's 1350 square feet). But does adding the bath have more to do with where the existing plumbing is located, than the size of the house? thanks

[Steve Babiak]

OK, let's break this up a bit.

First, a 1 bathroom unit might be just fine, and not functionally obsolete. Certainly in a 1 or 2 bedroom unit, 1 bath should be considered enough. In a 3 bedroom, some will say that at least a half bath is recommended in addition to a full bath, some will say a second full bath is needed, and some will say that the single bath is good enough. Depends on who is looking at it.

For resale value, the added full or half bath usually adds some dollars to the resale price; whether you will re-coup all of the money paid to install added bathrooms is a different matter.

Certainly it is more convenient to locate added baths closer to existing plumbing, but that isn't something mandatory. You have to consider where the pipes will go for both water supply and drain, where the shut-off valves will be located, whether a window or skylight is present or whether exhaust fan is needed, where the vent for the waste will go through the roof, whether you have electric wiring that can accept a GFCI (old house might only have two conductors on many circuits, lacking ground wire). Building codes stipulate 30 inches or so for a toilet. Doing things on a first floor can be easier, if there is a basement or crawlspace with good clearance. And there may be far more building code issues than what I've mentioned.

Lastly, to install a bath within the structure of an existing building, some part of the building will "lose" some space that will be taken by the bathroom. Be sure that doesn't make the part losing space non-functional for its purpose.