How Much Does A Bathroom Add To Home Value (What To Spend)

When you’re looking at which home improvements add the most value to your house, it’s worth looking at upgrading your bathroom or adding another one. As the saying goes; kitchens and bathrooms sell houses.

A new bathroom can be added to your home either as replacement or as an addition. Whichever you do, a new bathroom will freshen your home’s interior and increase its overall value.

So how much does a bathroom add to home value? Research seems to suggest that by adding an extra bathroom to your house will add between 5-7% to the value of your home. Whereas, other research has shown that an extra ensuite bathroom can add around 5.1% too. Of course the amount added will depend on the design of the bathroom and the standard of work.

Is adding a bathroom worth it and how much will it cost?

How much does a bathroom add to a home’s value in the UK depends on whether you’re talking about a completely new bathroom or an upgrade of an existing one.

Most of the research about how much a bathroom adds to home’s value is based around putting in an additional bathroom, rather than upgrading an existing one. But there’s some research done by Direct Line Insurance that puts some numbers on this.

“No matter where it is located homeowners should remember that the quality of their bathroom is vital when trying to sell a property and attract potential buyers. The overwhelming majority (91 per cent) of estate agents report bathroom quality is important to a sale.”

Direct Line Insurance

Research among estate agents shows that 70% of them agree that a property should have two bathrooms for every three bedrooms. By doing so, this maximises its value and desirability.

From an article on Sansome & George, estate agents across the UK estimate that an extra bathroom would add 6.8% to the value of a standard three bed property.

In the same article, an extra bathroom in a four-bed property could increase the value by up to 6.2%. Depending on where you live and the value of your home, let’s take a look at some value added.

I was surprised at reading these percentages, as these show that by adding an extra bathroom adds more value than upgrading your kitchen.

More Reading: Does upgrading your kitchen add value to your home UK? (What to spend)

The home values below are before the added bathroom and are based on a standard three bed property increase of 6.8%:

• Home value £150,000 – Added value = £10,200; Suggested maximum bathroom upgrade cost £5,500.
• Home value £200,000 – Added value = £13,600; Suggested maximum bathroom upgrade cost £7,500.
• Home value £250,000 – Added value = £17,000; Suggested maximum bathroom upgrade cost £9,000.
• Home value £300,000 – Added value = £20,400; Suggested maximum bathroom upgrade cost £11,000.
• Home value £350,000 – Added value = £23,800; Suggested maximum bathroom upgrade cost £12,500.
• Home value £400,000 – Added value = £27,200; Suggested maximum bathroom upgrade cost £14,500.
• Home value £500,000 – Added value = £34,000; Suggested maximum bathroom upgrade cost £18,500.

The above are only estimated numbers and there’s no guarantee of the 6.8% uplift. Do your research and speak with your friendly local estate agent before you spend the money.

They will be able to tell you what a new bathroom is likely to add to the value of your home in your area.

Does moving a bathroom upstairs add value?

Quite often in old-style Victorian terraced houses the bathroom is downstairs. According to Real Homes, by moving the bathroom upstairs, you’ll not only make a huge difference to the desirability of your property, but you’ll also leave more room downstairs for extending the kitchen.

But also, according to Direct Line Insurance, downstairs bathrooms “wash property value down the drain!”. This reduced value can be as much a 6% of your property’s value.

In the same article by Direct Line:

• Estate agents estimate that a downstairs family bathroom wipes £13,500 (six per cent) off the value of the average property.
• 23 million people would not consider buying a property if the main bathroom was downstairs.
• Londoners are most likely to be deterred by a downstairs bathroom, while those in Scotland are least likely to have an issue with it.

How much does an ensuite add to the value of a house?

An ensuite bathroom can add on average 5.1% to the value of your property across the UK, which is also according to Direct Line Home Insurance.

An en-suite bathroom can cost anywhere from £2,500 to £6,000 depending on the finish you end up with. But there is also the cost of the building works to create the room in the first place to take account of.

For example if you need to add an extension or convert your loft or an extension, the price of installing an ensuite could be anywhere in the region of £25,000 to £50,000 instead. However, if you convert your loft, this won’t be for just an en-suite and this will add much more value to your house than the percentage relating to an extra en-suite bathroom.

Also, if you’re looking at an extension, you are unlikely to simply add extra space to your house just for an extra bathroom. So you should recoup the additional cost associated with the extension work, depending on what the extra room becomes. But when you’re extending, always be mindful of the price ceiling for your road.

But on the basis you home could be worth £250,000, this could potentially add £12,500 to its value. Therefore, if your new ensuite bathroom costs less than the potential added value, it’s worth doing for resale purposes.

You might be wise to speak with a local estate agent before you do the works. This is because there appears to be a big difference in the amount a new ensuite adds to the value of a home across the UK.

For example, in research carried out by Direct Line Insurance, an extra bathroom is estimated to add the most value to three-bed properties in Nottingham (9.4%). Whereas in Edinburgh the comparable value added is 5.3%.

How many bathrooms should a house have?

Let’s take a look at the following scenarios of number of bedrooms in a house vs the ideal number of bathrooms. These numbers are based upon the what 70% of estate agents think across the UK.

The result of the survey in which 70% of estate agents agreed, was that each home should have two bathrooms for every three bedrooms:

How many bathrooms for a 2 bedroom house?

All homes need to at least have the one bathroom. Doing the maths on a two bed home, and based on the research showing that there should be two bathrooms for every three bedrooms, this equates to 1.33.

As you can’t get 0.33 of a bathroom, I suggest the best way to add value if you have the space in your two bed home is to add a downstairs toilet. However, if you are able to add an ensuite to one of your two bedrooms in addition to the family bathroom, this may well add value and make your house more desirable.

How many bathrooms should a 3 bedroom house have?

Based upon the 70% of estate agents, a 3 bedroom house should have at least two bathrooms. This could be a main bathroom and an ensuite to the master bedroom.

How many bathrooms should a 4 bedroom house have

Also based on the view of 70% of estate agents in the UK, a 4 bedroom house should have 2.67 bathrooms to be precise. But you can’t have 0.67 of a bathroom. Going on the basis of rounding up, I’d call this three bathrooms for an ideal world.

That means a 4 bedroom home should ideally have three bathrooms. This will include the family bathroom, together with two ensuites attached to the larger of the 4 bedrooms.

How many bathrooms for a 5 bedroom house

Moving on to a 5 bedroom house and doing the maths on the 70% view, this means that a 5-bed house should have 3.33 bathrooms. I would argue that this really equates to three bathrooms.

However, if you have the room for that extra ensuite, this could in itself add more value to your 5-bed home.

Does a master bedroom have to have a bathroom?

In the UK, usually the biggest bedroom in the house is labelled the “Master Bedroom“. If you’re going to install a new en-suite bathroom because you don’t already have one, you are probably best to install it next to the master bedroom.

For desirability, anyone buying a house will love the fact that a house has a family bathroom together with at least one en-suite.

However, if this en-suite bathroom isn’t linked to the biggest bedroom in the house, this may not have the desired affect of desirability. If you’re looking for the best price for your house when you sell and if you want to sell it quickly, you want to give yourself the best chance to do so.

By installing a new “master en-suite bathroom“, this will help to add value and desirability at the same time.

More reading: What sells a house fast in the UK? (How fast is fast?)

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