If you’re searching for your dream home, you’ll want to find the perfect space to fit your needs. While people tend to focus on the overall square footage or the number of bedrooms in a home, it’s easy to forget about one of the more important rooms — the bathroom.
Both the number and type of bathrooms in a home are important, affecting how well a house will function for a family. And figuring out different bathroom configurations can be confusing. From half-baths to full, here is everything you need to know about bathrooms to help you understand what’s best for your next home:
What is a full bathroom?
A full bathroom consists of four parts: a sink, shower, bathtub and toilet. If it’s less than that, it’s not considered a proper full bath.
Most homes have only one full bathroom, most likely in the owner’s suite, due to space requirements. While a full bath can be built in 40-45 square feet, according to Redfin, the average size is closer to 60 square feet.
What is a three-quarter bathroom?
A three-quarter bathroom has one sink, one toilet and either a shower or tub.
This bathroom type saves space and is much more common than full baths. Three-quarter baths are often found in apartments and in smaller houses as spare bathrooms or as an ensuite.
A three-quarter bath is typically 35 square feet, though some can be as large as 40-50 square feet, according to Redfin. If you have a limited amount of available space, you may want to use compact fixtures to create the illusion of space while still meeting your needs.
What is a half-bath?
A half-bath, also known as a powder room or guest bathroom, is typically found on the main floor of a multistory home. These bathrooms are easily accessible and are intended for guests or those who are unable to use the bathroom upstairs.
There is only a toilet and sink in a half-bathroom, making it among the most efficient in terms of saving space. They are generally the most common in nearly all homes because they increase the number of bathrooms in the home without requiring too much extra space. As a result, be cautious when a home refers to having “multiple” baths, as many of these can be half-baths rather than three-quarter or full baths.
A half-bath is typically 3-4 feet wide and 6-8 feet long, according to Redfin. Smaller half-baths are more common in older homes where the owner converted a small space, such as the area under a stairwell, into a half-bath.
