Ask Jane: Should I add an ensuite to my home?

Shaun asks:

“Should I add an ensuite to my home? Is it worth the money?”

Jane says:

My opinion on this is based on whether this is a home you’re planning to live in for the medium to long term (more than five years) or for the short term (less than five years).

An ensuite is undoubtedly a “must have” for many people, depending on where you live and what the norm is for your suburb. There are plenty of suburbs in Australia where an ensuite is unheard of. On the other hand, there are locations around Australia (usually suburbs less than 20-30 years old) where an ensuite is the norm.

If you are planning to live in the house for the medium to long term and you can fit an ensuite in within the existing footprint of the house (ie: without extending), then for me, adding an ensuite is a no-brainer. If you need to extend your home to add the ensuite, then it may be important to do your numbers first to ensure you don’t over-capitalise.

If your plan is to renovate and then sell within the next year, then working out all your costs versus the return you’re going to make from adding the ensuite, is critical. If you spend $20,000 on your new bathroom, but it only means you can sell for $20,000 more than it’s worth now, then are you willing to put in all that effort for that financial return (of $0!)?

What the “ensuite” looked like before the extension. Photo: Supplied

If selling though, another thing to consider is the demand for your property that would be created by having the ensuite – especially if this wasn’t the norm for the suburb. If you only added (“on paper”/valuation) $20k worth of value by adding the ensuite, that’s not to say that the price couldn’t be pushed up by buyers willing to pay extra for the benefit of having an ensuite.

Perhaps you want to add an ensuite and may be considering selling in the next five years. In this case, you almost need to blend the two pieces of information above. Enjoying your home while you live there is extremely important, but so too is not over-spending and being left “short” once sale time comes. If the property market in your area is heading north then there won’t be a problem; but if it’s static or going backwards, you really need to watch what you spend.

When you get around to decorating your new ensuite, make sure it fits within the design of your house. The last thing you want is a bathroom that is the odd room out in the house. Whether you’re renovating the rest of the house or not, your colour and materials choices will need to be made wisely to ensure your new ensuite looks relatively seamless and flows in with the rest of the house.

Here’s an ensuite extension I helped a client with a while back. As you can see, we worked within the footprint of the house but it still was an extension. Be sure to have a look at my website for plenty more examples of home transformations.