John David and Abbie 10: Selling Clothes on Poshmark to Make Ends Meet

[JermajestyDuggar]

Since we live in a neighborhood of old homes, it’s not unheard of to have a half bath near the kitchen. Because it was added later on because there was no other bathroom in the first floor. That’s what happened to our house growing up. The only bathroom was upstairs. So my dad added a bathroom to the breakfast nook off the kitchen. It was a much better use of space. But it’s not my favorite place for a bathroom. I much prefer a bathroom a little bit further from the kitchen. But with old homes, you just have to deal with the space you’ve got. 

[Sullie06]

On 12/12/2023 at 10:41 AM, JermajestyDuggar said:

Since we live in a neighborhood of old homes, it’s not unheard of to have a half bath near the kitchen. Because it was added later on because there was no other bathroom in the first floor. That’s what happened to our house growing up. The only bathroom was upstairs. So my dad added a bathroom to the breakfast nook off the kitchen. It was a much better use of space. But it’s not my favorite place for a bathroom. I much prefer a bathroom a little bit further from the kitchen. But with old homes, you just have to deal with the space you’ve got. 

Bathroom kitchens are very common in our area.. Many of the homes were built around the same time (early 1900s) and most only had a bathroom on the second floor. The home I grew up in had a bathroom/laundry room added to the enclosed back porch off the kitchen sometime before my parents bought the house in the early 1980s. The house I currently own we added a bathroom off the breakfast nook about 5 years ago. It was literally the only place we could put it. My best friends home also has a kitchen bathroom. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

10 minutes ago, Sullie06 said:

Bathroom kitchens are very common in our area.. Many of the homes were built around the same time (early 1900s) and most only had a bathroom on the second floor. The home I grew up in had a bathroom/laundry room added to the enclosed back porch off the kitchen sometime before my parents bought the house in the early 1980s. The house I currently own we added a bathroom off the breakfast nook about 5 years ago. It was literally the only place we could put it. My best friends home also has a kitchen bathroom. 

Where I live, additions are so very common. My house has never had an addition, but many of my neighbors have. There are no new builds where I live unless a house burnt down and a new one was built on the lot. Probably every addition has a bathroom in it. Because people need more space in these smaller older homes. So if it’s added on the first floor in the back of the house, it’s often a large sitting room and bathroom addition. If it’s an addition with a second floor add on as well, it’s usually a master bedroom, closet and bathroom addition. Most of our old houses don’t have large master bedrooms with a bathroom attached. 

Edited December 20, 2023 by JermajestyDuggar

[Sullie06]

4 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Where I live, additions are so very common. My house has never had an addition, but many of my neighbors have. There are no new builds where I live unless a house burnt down and a new one was built on the lot. Probably every addition has a bathroom in it. Because people need more space in these smaller older homes. So if it’s added on the first floor in the back of the house, it’s often a large sitting room and bathroom addition. If it’s an addition with a second floor add on as well, it’s usually a master bedroom, closet and bathroom addition. Most of our old houses don’t have large master bedrooms with a bathroom attached. 

I would kill for a master bedroom with an ensuite. Not only are all 3 of our bedrooms the same size, but they are right on top of each other. It's the same here. Were currently throwing around the idea of an addition because my husband needs an office now too, but we would have to give up some of our backyard and yard space is at a premium here. 

The only place there are new builds here are in very rural areas. The city is landlocked so you only get a new build if you take down the standing property and there are a lot of regulations to be able to do so. 

[OHFL2009]

My grandparents' house had a kitchen bathroom. It was a farmhouse built in the 1860s, and even though there was an addition put on some time in the early 1900s, the only bathrooms were still upstairs. So my grandparents added one the only place they could, in the hallway from the dining room to the kitchen, tucked under the stairs. It was so small it made airplane toilets look roomy, and my grandfather had to scour salvage yards to find a tiny sink that would fit. But it was better than everyone having to go up the steep, narrow, spiral staircase to use the upstairs bathrooms all the time. 

[Zebedee]

The house I shared when I was an undergraduate had a kitchen bathroom. It was probably from about 1900, and was a terraced house that was built for workers. Typical student accommodation. There was/is some regulation about it, there had to be two doors between the kitchen and the bathroom, so there was a little hallway with the bins between the two rooms, so it felt Ok. What did not feel ok was sharing a bathroom with 4 guys, because one of them was absolutely revolting, and also the guys hogged the bathroom, lol. Luckily now, students can have university accommodation all three or four years, unless they really want to live out.

I hated that house so much, even if it had been maintained properly I wouldn’t like it much. Having said that, some friends have just bought a similar house (much better laid out though) with help from the university, and being half a mile from the city centre, with a back garden and a driveway, being able to walk into work, and actually good building quality, with great sound insulation, unlike my mum and brother’s modern builds, has a lot to recommend it. Even if the bathroom is built on behind the kitchen.
 

Since they are a couple with a cat, it’s doable. If they had a couple of kids permanently wandering through the kitchen tonuse the bathroom that would probably be annoying. It’s just how the majority of “affordable” houses close to the centre are. If you move out a couple of miles, the houses are a bit newer, with pre planned bathrooms, but my friends are like me-they hate buses, and hate cycling even more, so they are willing to make the bathroom trade off!

[Cam]

Imo, using the word kitchen in front of bathroom as an adjective is hideous and unappetizing.  I can only refer to it as a bathroom off of the kitchen. 

I have been fascinated by floor plans for many years and will find any excuse to explore them.  I live in one of those very old houses that only had one bathroom which was upstairs, and after 20 years living here, was very fortunate to be able to install a first floor bathroom far away from the kitchen. There’s plenty of old houses in my city that I’ve toured and seen on realtor.com with a bathroom or powder room off of the kitchen due to reasons discussed in other posts.

However, I’ve also toured many newer homes, including very expensive ones, and viewed floor plans of newer homes online and on innumerable home improvement shows and House Hunter episodes, and there are still quite a few of them that locate the bathroom off of the kitchen. Imo, if you’re building new, select a better floor plan! 

Edited December 21, 2023 by Cam

[Bassett Lady]

Our home has a half bathroom on the first floor, it opens to a small hallway that has access to the kitchen, so it is very kitchen adjacent, but not directly off the kitchen. The bathroom has a door, as does the hall into the kitchen, so there are two doors between the commode and the kitchen. 
 

We have a very large laundry room that I am considering turning into a laundry/shower room. We have a first floor room that can be a bedroom, but since there is no shower/tub downstairs it makes using that room as a bedroom difficult if the person using it has mobility issues. 
 

If we convert the laundry room into having a roll in shower it will make aging in place much easier. Plus, it would be nice to have a shower off of the garage and backyard so muddy dogs (or a filthy husband or grandkid) can get a shower before they come into the clean house. 

Edited December 21, 2023 by Bassett Lady

[Jackie3]

On 12/12/2023 at 7:41 AM, JermajestyDuggar said:

Since we live in a neighborhood of old homes, it’s not unheard of to have a half bath near the kitchen. Because it was added later on because there was no other bathroom in the first floor. That’s what happened to our house growing up. The only bathroom was upstairs. So my dad added a bathroom to the breakfast nook off the kitchen. It was a much better use of space. But it’s not my favorite place for a bathroom. I much prefer a bathroom a little bit further from the kitchen. But with old homes, you just have to deal with the space you’ve got. 

I have lived in older neighborhoods where additions were unknown.

It's mostly in wealthier neighborhoods where this takes place. 

My neighbors were grateful just to get by!  An addition was an impossible luxury.

[kittykay]

5 hours ago, Bassett Lady said:

If we convert the laundry room into having a roll in shower it will make aging in place much easier.

Yes, absolutely to this.  If you are able to do this, just go ahead.  I don't think you will ever regret it.  I wish we had made better plans.

[Queeen Victoria]

Part of the consideration for placing a bathroom near the kitchen is the cost of plumbing in new construction or the location of the existing plumbing if doing a remodel.

[Cam]

20 hours ago, Bassett Lady said:

We have a very large laundry room that I am considering turning into a laundry/shower room. We have a first floor room that can be a bedroom, but since there is no shower/tub downstairs it makes using that room as a bedroom difficult if the person using it has mobility issues. 
 

We found space to add a shower and washer and dryer in our first floor bathroom installation and agree with kittykay, it was one of the best things we ever did. After two decades of many other home improvements, when the first floor bathroom/laundry was finally done, Mr. Cam joked, “why wasn’t this our first improvement!?” (For many reasons, the whole house had to evolve first). 
 

12 hours ago, Queeen Victoria said:

Part of the consideration for placing a bathroom near the kitchen is the cost of plumbing in new construction or the location of the existing plumbing if doing a remodel.

I can understand the limitations in an older home having to consider both plumbing and space, but I wouldn’t buy a new house if the bathroom was off the kitchen. 

Easy access to plumbing without additional cost was also the reason washer and dryer hookups used to almost always be put in the basement. Since back in the day it was mostly men who were the architects and designers of homes and guys did not do laundry, they placed no importance on convenience or aesthetics surrounding this chore. It was only when women started breaking into the male dominated field of house design that things began to change. Same thing with kitchen design. For the most part, men did not cook so the kitchens they designed were un-user friendly lacking counterspace and being holed off from the rest of the house. Women designers finally stepped in with different visions. 

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Cam

[Coconut Flan]

The Duggar house has always bugged me with a bathroom opening directly into that long to me too narrow dining room.  I guess that came from having so many young children and saved steps since they use that long table for so many things, but even so I wouldn't want it there.

[Jana814]

As a dog walker/pet sitter I have been in some homes with interesting layouts. I had a client who had a bathroom right by their living room (they took space from the room in order to get the bathroom). My clients weren’t the ones who did it a previous owner did. The previous owners had a live in nanny & they needed an extra bathroom & it was the only place they could but a bathroom. 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Jana814

[GreenBeans]

On 12/21/2023 at 5:59 PM, Bassett Lady said:

If we convert the laundry room into having a roll in shower it will make aging in place much easier

Definitely a good idea (at least if you plan on staying in your house and don’t want to move to a more convenient apartment or similar).

When we bought our apartment, a lot of people were like “didn’t you want a house?”. But we live in a big city where real estate is so expensive and did not want to move into the suburbs, so an apartment it was.

We’re actually so happy with it! No garden work, less rooms to clean, no need for baby proofing stairs, no hauling laundry up and down the stairs. Also, elevator from the parking garage to our floor, and a walk in shower! It isn’t huge, but that also means it will be really manageable once we get older, and unlike people with a big house, we will (hopefully) not need to move because we can’t make the stairs anymore or pay a gardener or look at our house and garden becoming a mess because we are not able to keep up with the work.

[Cam]

21 hours ago, Coconut Flan said:

The Duggar house has always bugged me with a bathroom opening directly into that long to me too narrow dining room.  I guess that came from having so many young children and saved steps since they use that long table for so many things, but even so I wouldn't want it there.

Oh, I forgot about that! I agree, it is a terrible placement for the powder room. I’m sure the older kids would use a different bathroom if they had to do more than pee, but when the family sat down for meals, the younger ones probably ran in there indiscriminately if they needed to. I’m making a face and shaking my head as I type this. And even when the table was used for school or crafts or whatever, just no. I mean, these kids had no privacy.

But yeah, what a poorly designed floor plan. For such a large house built not that long ago, there’s no excuse for it. 

 

18 hours ago, GreenBeans said:

When we bought our apartment, a lot of people were like “didn’t you want a house?”. But we live in a big city where real estate is so expensive and did not want to move into the suburbs, so an apartment it was.

It makes total sense to me. Your spare time isn’t tied up with chores and maintenance. You have more time to pursue hobbies, interests or just relax. You’ll be able to live out your years there as you age. I have numerous acquaintances who choose to live in apartments and they are very happy with this arrangement.

Edited December 23, 2023 by Cam

[QuiverFullofBooks]

I really don’t see why it’s an issue to have a bathroom next to the dining room. It has a door.

[Father Son Holy Goat]

3 hours ago, QuiverFullofBooks said:

I really don’t see why it’s an issue to have a bathroom next to the dining room. It has a door.

The sounds and smells may not be very appetizing. 
 

I have digestive issues that my doctor and I are working to diagnose; I could easily ruin a meal by getting sick in a bathroom right off the dining room. 

[Kiki03910]

On 12/22/2023 at 6:29 AM, Cam said:

We found space to add a shower and washer and dryer in our first floor bathroom installation and agree with kittykay, it was one of the best things we ever did. After two decades of many other home improvements, when the first floor bathroom/laundry was finally done, Mr. Cam joked, “why wasn’t this our first improvement!?” (For many reasons, the whole house had to evolve first). 
 

I can understand the limitations in an older home having to consider both plumbing and space, but I wouldn’t buy a new house if the bathroom was off the kitchen. 

Easy access to plumbing without additional cost was also the reason washer and dryer hookups used to almost always be put in the basement. Since back in the day it was mostly men who were the architects and designers of homes and guys did not do laundry, they placed no importance on convenience or aesthetics surrounding this chore. It was only when women started breaking into the male dominated field of house design that things began to change. Same thing with kitchen design. For the most part, men did not cook so the kitchens they designed were un-user friendly lacking counterspace and being holed off from the rest of the house. Women designers finally stepped in with different visions. 

 

I visited a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Manchester, NH, a few years ago. It was really gorgeous ... except the kitchen, a tiny galley area with no windows. I bet that fuckface never spent any time in a kitchen in his life.

[Father Son Holy Goat]

2 hours ago, Kiki03910 said:

I visited a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Manchester, NH, a few years ago. It was really gorgeous ... except the kitchen, a tiny galley area with no windows. I bet that fuckface never spent any time in a kitchen in his life.

Probably not. Maybe that’s why the dinner party in 1914 ended so badly. 

[Kiki03910]

19 minutes ago, Father Son Holy Goat said:

Probably not. Maybe that’s why the dinner party in 1914 ended so badly. 

OH MY GOD. Is it wrong that I laughed hysterically?

[JermajestyDuggar]

My house is so small that even though our first floor bathroom is in a small hallway, it’s still only a few steps away from the living room and kitchen. That’s why I often want my husband to go upstairs to poop. We have a fan but it can only do so much…

[Cam]

11 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

My house is so small that even though our first floor bathroom is in a small hallway, it’s still only a few steps away from the living room and kitchen. That’s why I often want my husband to go upstairs to poop. 

I don’t blame you. 

The house I grew up in along with the rest of my large Catholic family was a mere 900 square feet and the bathroom was not off of the kitchen but down a hallway near the bedrooms. My parents had the house built shortly after WWII. 

Edited December 24, 2023 by Cam

[Hazelbunny]

Friends of my family converted the bottom floor of an out of use train station into a flat. The bathroom was quite far away from the kitchen.(ginormous kitchen with dining area in it). They had their first five kids in 5,5 years, so there was usually somebody who had to go pee during mealtimes and usually didn't make it. (They started keeping a potty chair in the kitchen to prevent things like that and I remember finding that extremely gross even as a child. But I guess it is better than loads of wet pants and puddles).  

[LancetteShing99]

I spent my whole live in small apartment. The only bathroom/the toilet was always next to the kitchen and the bedrooms. I don't know it any different.

But I have never seen a bathroom of the kitchen.