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Double sink in master bath


DawnM
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Ok, just need your thoughts.

My kitchen will be finished by Friday! YEAH!!!!!!!

 

Then it is on to the master bathroom.

 

Right now there is a single sink.  We like our single sink as the vanity is only 48" and it leaves countertop space.

 

The realtor suggested we put in double sinks as that is what buyers want.

 

Is that really what you think most buyers want?  To have two small sinks crammed in to that 48" space leaving no countertop?

 

I don't mind putting them in as we are moving anyway, but what are your thoughts?

 

Dawn

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I have lived my whole life without double sinks in the bathroom. Just seems like more to clean. I suppose it is useful if you and your spouse like to brush your teeth at the same time.

When house hunting that is neither a deal maker nor deal breaker for me.

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Yeah, that is why I really wonder if we shouldn't just do it so we can sell this house and be done with it.

 

 

I have no desire for two sinks in the master bath but apparently I am in the minority-every HGTV show highlights how homeowners MUST HAVE two sinks in there. 

 

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We've had double sinks in all houses since we've been married.  In the boys' bathrooms, too.

 

But I think 48" is going to be tight.

 

It wouldn't be a deal breaker for us if there weren't double sinks, but I can understand why it might be for a couple who both work and need to leave about the same time in the morning.

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Yes, there is a small closet with shelves and the vanity has drawers and an under cabinet

 

Is there other space for storing bathroom items?

I wouldn't mind small space double sinks b/c I hate counter clutter, so that would be a plus for me. But I still need somewhere to put those things!

 

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Yeah, that is why I really wonder if we shouldn't just do it so we can sell this house and be done with it.

 

Since you're doing renovations in order to sell, yeah, I would do it.  I don't get the attraction, but it seems like everyone else likes them, and I think people really do start expecting what they see on HGTV.  

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Yes, we take into account how much it will cost to add a second sink when we think about the price we want to offer on a house. We love our double sink set up currently, and I will not go back, so if you are remodeling and want a remodeled price for your home, then I would put in two sinks. :)

 

FWIW, I do not have cable, so I have no idea what HGTV trends are, I just know what I like practically to keep things moving on busy days.

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I think double sinks only make sense if there is actually room for double PEOPLE to be using them at the same time, you know? If the people would be so crammed in that they couldn't effectively use the sinks simultaneously, then there's no point.  

I would rather have the counter space, but then I'm not a fan of granite or stainless appliances or dark cabinets or subway tiles either.

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yeah - I'd love two sinks and counter space.  but sometimes there just isn't the room.

 

if it comes down to two sinks and NO counter space (I saw that too many times - even in beautifully flipped houses.) vs counter space and one sink - I'll take one sink with counter space.

I also want a cabinet below for storage . . . .

 

for a tight space this is a double sink similar to what I saw in one house (oh, gorgeous flipped house, everything redone.  dd HATED it. and they didn't bother putting in cat cables 'cause everyone uses wireless'. techies don't, and techies are your market here - it did eventually sell, but if they'd had cat-wiring, it would have sold alot faster.)

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I agree that it seems to be a big draw on HGTV.

 

For myself, I would have no interest in double sinks. I can wait the five minutes while DH finishes getting ready before I go brush my teeth. It seems icky to share the bathroom, even with DH. 

 

But then again, I thought I'd never have need for an attached garage, en suite bathroom, or double ovens, and I couldn't live without any of them now that I have them.

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Double sinks make my life better. DH shaves and trims his beard over the sink and sucks at cleaning it up. His sink is his problem. We have a storage tower (built by the cabinet maker, not a wire shelving unit balanced on the counter!) in between the sinks, so my view is partially blocked. I wanted less counter space because we have a flat surface clutter problem. Everything lives in the tower or underneath! But our counter is around 60" long. I don't know how you'd fit two sinks in 12" less space unless you did a setup similar to what gardenmom posted. I'd put a shelf above the sink for a place to put stuff, and maybe a built-in shelf on the wall to the side if there is one. There are some great built-ins sunk between studs on Houzz, etc. if you want pictures.

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I agree that if the space is too small a single sink would be best. I personally like double sinks. And two walk in closets in the master bedroomI. :)

Bigger, more luxurious bathrooms have been popular in newer houses for a long time.

 

I agree.

 

I bought my first house in 1985 and it had double sinks in the master bath.  So it's not a new trend, nor is it something inspired by HGTV.

 

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Too small/not enough space to use two sinks simultaneously.  So, it doesn't make sense in that scenario.  In the tight spot you have, I vote for one sink.  Put your money into a nice countertop instead.

 

We have two sinks, but we have a big bathroom.  It's a nice perk, but by no means a deal-breaker for me, personally.  (I'm really picky when it comes to the kitchen LOL)

 

.

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Run a quick search on houses in your neighborhood around same size and look at photos.  If most have double sinks, put in double sinks and use staging to emphasize the other storage in the bathroom.  If it's hit or miss on double sinks in comparables, you could do an oversized single sink (maybe amp up style) and stage to emphasize other storage and countertop.

 

I would be inclined to put in the double sinks regardless of counter space if there are other storage solutions in the bathroom.

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I don't like double sinks. One of my mom's houses had them & we house sat for her a lot so I've lived with it & it was totally useless IMO, esp if there is more than one bathroom.
To me it feels & looks like a public washroom & I never want to share the bathroom with anyone anyway. I'd rather go use the other bathroom....

& in a 48" space I think it would definitely be better to have a single, nice sink.

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Yes, I believe it's what most buyers want.  We bought our house right after a major remodel. They ran out of money at the master bath. We have a very long countertop with one sink at the end.  While I quickly appreciated all of the extra space I have (because that empty stretch of counter is all MINE!), I still wish for a second sink.  I'd somehow manage to find space for the rest of my makeup and hair appliances if only I had my own sink.

 

And congrats on the kitchen, woohoo!!!!
 

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Love my double sinks, and it has nothing to do with HGTV. :-)

 

I don't store stuff on my counters, other than a liquid soap dispenser. That's what medicine cabinets and under-sink storage and over-the-toilet cabinets are for. :-)

 

Double sinks in an en suite bathroom make sense. I have a beautimous vanity in my master bath that has two sinks, although Mr. Ellie and I have almost never used the sinks at the same time, lol.

 

But 48" is just not much room. A new vanity with one awesome sink would be better than two teeny little sinks with a little bitty counter.

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Our main bathroom has a double sink, but the area is 85" long.  Even so, one of the sinks is close to the toilet so even when one person uses the bathroom, they don't use the sink closest to the toilet, but the other one closer to the door.  Our master bathroom is small so only one sink.  Before children one of us would use the master bathroom sink and the other would use the sink in the main bathroom.  When the kids were little, two sinks were sometimes used by them.  Now that they are older, and the fact that I have a boy and a girl, one of them will use the half bath in the laundry room.  I think if I had two girls, it would have worked out better.  Can't imagine two sinks in 48" though.  You'd have to be skinny people to use them side by side. 

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I wouldn't use something like that, but I don't ever have a need to get ready at the same time as my husband.  So it's hard for me to answer.  If we had to get ready at the same time everyday it might come in handy.  On the other hand having stupidly large things crammed into a bathroom is not good either.  We do have that situation with one of our bathrooms.  The previous owners put in a jetted tub.  The bathroom is just too small for the size tub they put in there.  So there is ZERO room for any sort of storage space.  I mean I can't keep even a bottle of shampoo and a couple of towels in there.  We plan to eventually fix that, but as you know, bathrooms are not cheap.

 

 

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Our house plans called for double sinks, but I opted for one large sink instead.  I wash my face over the sink, rinsing with my hands.  I MUCH prefer a large sink that catches all the water, with lots of empty space on both sides for my elbows.  I hate being crammed up against a wall with my elbows tucked in, dripping water all over the countertop and the floor.  Besides, we had two sinks in our last two houses, and I hated cleaning his sink.  I swish the sink every time I use it, so it never gets gunked up.  Dh would shave over his sink, and never swish it out, and it didn't bother him at all.  So, the job of cleaning it fell on me.  I'm so glad to have my one, large, solid-surface sink.  We rarely need it at the same time.

 

 If I were house shopping, two sinks in a tight space might just be a deal breaker for me.  Swapping it out for a large single sink would be high on my update list.

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I guess I wasn't really asking about the practicality of it, I much prefer one sink, I was asking more about what is selling right now.

 

I would assume many on this board are far more concerned with practicality than fluff, but "those" people seem to want fluff.  

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I don't think 2 sinks in 48 inches is reasonable. If you can make it 60 inches, you can do it. I am redoing our master bath, and we went from a 48inch single sink to a 78 inch vanity with 2 sinks. 

If you can't get 60 inches, I'd stick with one sink. 2 sinks in 48 inches is going to look ridiculous and will stick out like a sore ugly thumb to potential buyers, much worse than a spacious 48 inch sink. 

 

If you have to stick with 48 inches, just be sure to maximize your vanity storage with a nice medicine cabinet instead of a basic mirror, and as much drawer space in the vanity as possible. I crammed so much storage into our 78 inch double sink vanity that it is ridiculously great. (Going from a 48 inch old horrible one.) I even pushed an upper cabinet "tower" thingy back into the wall to make it 12 inches deep instead of 8 (because I did NOT want one of those big deep cabinets really sticking out between the sinks, as I think that makes them too cave like).

 

Anyway, if you shop carefully, you can squeeze a lot of storage into a 48 inch vanity. Look for drawers instead of cabinets. Much better use of storage. Get a nice medicine cabinet (or two! If you have room on a side wall for a small one, then a bigger one over the sink.)

 

I am putting a new 48 inch vanity into a new jack-n-jill bath for my 17 year old, and her basic in-stock vanity (400?) is really nice -- it has a center sink but two stacks of 12" wide drawers on either side, so you get a lot of "stuff" storage instead of all that stupid under-the-sink space that you don't like to put nice towels, etc, in because it is down where the drain is. I also have put only recessed mirrored medicine cabinets over the bathroom sinks, so you get a lovely mirror that shows, but behind it is AWESOME storage. (Kohler medicine cabinet, see Amazon or Home Depot . ..  About $120-150 depending on size, makes HUGE difference.)

 

 

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I agree with your realtor that with ensuite master baths two sinks are pretty much expected.  We have two sinks in our master bath and I believe that the vanity is 84" so there is adequate room on both sides of each sink.  We're in general anti counter clutter people so it is mostly empty space but I think that is probably what buyers want to see anyway.  We also have two sinks in most of the other full bathrooms in our main home. Vanity spans in those bathrooms are all at least five feet. If you really only have 48" inches to work with, I would be afraid that the sinks would seem to be almost on top of each other and that would be a buyer turnoff.  In that case, I would probably focus on doing a nice single sink with plenty of storage. 

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I guess I wasn't really asking about the practicality of it, I much prefer one sink, I was asking more about what is selling right now.

 

I would assume many on this board are far more concerned with practicality than fluff, but "those" people seem to want fluff.  

 

Although two sinks might be selling, I don't think two sinks on a 48" vanity would be what buyers are looking for.

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In my house in VA, we have 2 sinks...but each vanity is also 48".  Here in Italy, we have a 5 foot vanity and one LARGE single sink in the center.  It works well, too.  I honestly could not imagine my 4' vanity with 2 sinks!  It would not look right. Do take a look at other similar homes, and what they are doing.  It's not impossible.  You could add a long (glass) shelf above the sink (preferably under the mirror/s) to add storage, or a nice storage mirror (large), too.  But if you're not going to have any countertop for 2 sinks, there needs to be lots of space to store stuff.

 

I'm voting for the counter space -- maybe upgrade the sink to a larger one -- with a nice faucet.  But, just one sink.  

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I agree with up thread, check on houses that are up for sale.  See if you can take tours of other houses on the market that are comparable to yours.  Ask about which houses sold quickly and why?  Do you know multiple Realtors?  Ask them all.  You are right, what sells and what buyers actually end up being happy with having in their home can be two very different things.  Practically, no a second sink probably doesn't make sense.  But buyers aren't always looking at the practical when they examine your house for purchase.

 

If a lot of buyers in your area are expecting a double sink, and have included that as one of their criteria for their next home, after they leave your home and are discussing all the houses they viewed, they may consider yours less than ideal just because it didn't have something that another house had (including double sinks), whether that something makes total sense or not.  

 

 

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We have a very unique problem with our house.  It is an older house with acreage in an area that has many brand new housing developments (high end).  So, finding comps to my house is not easy.

 

Even the appraisers (we have refinanced twice) have a very hard time.  

 

Our house will sell to a buyer who wants land out here (horse country) and a larger house, and the excellent schools, BUT, it is also older, so a huge master bath and huge closet were not the popular thing back in 1990.  The house is quite large, but doesn't have vaulted ceilings, or a kitchen that opens to a great room.......it is just an older style.

 

We live in a neighborhood where everyone purchased their own land and had their own house built, no two are alike.  

 

All the new construction homes have double sinks, huge master bathrooms, etc....

 

 

I agree with up thread, check on houses that are up for sale.  See if you can take tours of other houses on the market that are comparable to yours.  Ask about which houses sold quickly and why?  Do you know multiple Realtors?  Ask them all.  You are right, what sells and what buyers actually end up being happy with having in their home can be two very different things.  Practically, no a second sink probably doesn't make sense.  But buyers aren't always looking at the practical when they examine your house for purchase.

 

If a lot of buyers in your area are expecting a double sink, and have included that as one of their criteria for their next home, after they leave your home and are discussing all the houses they viewed, they may consider yours less than ideal just because it didn't have something that another house had (including double sinks), whether that something makes total sense or not.  

 

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The funny thing is that we ripped out the old vanity yesterday and there is already plumbing for 2 sinks in there, so someone must have had the idea at one time.  

 

DH is good with that sort of thing and says it would not take long to get it working with him doing the work.

 

So, there won't be any savings there.

 

 

I'd definitely go with a single sink. Perhaps spend the savings on the second set of plumbing to get a nicer sink, maybe one that looks like a bowl. 

 

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