While there’s nothing wrong with a typical half bath, sharing a single full bath amongst an entire family can be problematic. Scheduling conflicts, wait times, lack of privacy, all this and more speaks in favor of converting your half bath to a full bath.
What’s The Difference Between A Half Bath And A Full Bath?
When spending time reviewing bathroom remodel ideas and searching through general contractors in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, you’re bound to come across the terms “Half Bath” and “Full Bath”.
If you’re as confused as I was when first stumbling upon these different types of bathroom designs, don’t worry, because lucky for you, I did the research so you don’t have to.
What’s A Half Bath?
In general, a half bath is equipped with a single sink vanity, toilet, and some sort of storage solution; normally a bathroom closet, shelving, or cabinetry. A couple of key bathroom components—such as installing a tub, shower, or both—are not included when renovating or remodeling a half bath.
A half bath may be referred to as a guest bath or a powder room, but all three names share the same functional limitations; plenty of space for a toilet and sink but not enough to accommodate a bathtub or shower.
Usually, while buyers prefer purchasing a home with at least two full bathrooms, the lure of a half bath cannot be underestimated. Convenient and easy to clean, a half bath is perfect for homeowners with children who always seem to leave a trail of mud up the stairs to your second-floor master bath.
Instead, keeping a half bath in the basement or on the first floor provides a convenient location for the neighborhood kids to make a pitt stop without leaving tire marks and burnt rubber across your hardwood floors.
What’s A Full Bath?
A full bath is made up of four main bathroom components: a bathtub, shower, sink, and toilet. Occasionally, you may still label a bathroom with only a tub or a shower as a full bath, but typically you’d have both.
Instead of a bathroom with separate tubs/showers, a common solution is to install a tub-shower combo, giving you the best of both worlds.
In most cases, a converted half bath to full requires you to expand your bathroom space to accommodate all the additional fixtures and amenities.
A shower or tub area needs a waterproof enclosure to prevent mold and water damage. This involves installing a Wedi board system rather than traditional ½” drywall. The Wedi boards weigh about 75% less than ½” drywall, therefore, Wedi systems are much simpler to handle and install, remaining pliable without warping.
Other features you can include inside a full bath are vertical spray bidets, much larger closet spaces, heated towel racks, double-sink vanities—the possibilities are endless.
What Are The Downsides Of A Half Bath
While there are benefits and drawbacks to both half and full baths, I would argue full baths can bring greater enrichment to your everyday life.
If your second floor full bath gets lots of foot traffic—particularly during busy weekday mornings—then, maybe expanding the downstairs half bath, into a full bath, isn’t such a bad idea.
I mean, with a half bath, you’re missing out on the opportunity to install a second tub/shower area, which, besides increasing the value of your home, also lets you skip the line.
Gone are the days of fighting over the master bath bidet, a new crack of dawn has sprung across the horizon; the wait is over.
A half bath has its purpose—a place for guests to wash up when they visit—but when we’re talking about family matters, the choice is almost always to turn your first floor half bath into a full bath.
Benefits Of Turning Your Half Bath Into A Full Bath
Every single morning before school, your children argue over who gets to use the bathroom first, and the result is often chaos. After using the shower and blow-drying her hair for over thirty minutes your son has had enough.
He’s been more focused screaming and banging on that bathroom door than he’s ever been with his schoolwork. Your daughter’s blasting Cardi B on her Airpods, so she doesn’t care.
Avoiding conflicts like these is one of the biggest benefits of a converted half bath to full. Sure, you could tell your daughter she needs to hurry up and explain to your son why anger doesn’t pay, but that’ll never work.
Besides, you deserve an extra private space where you can dim the lights, queue up some tunes, fill up the tub, and sink deeply into a zen-like state. There’s no better form of self-love than installing a luxury standing bathtub; you’ll never regret it.
Bathrooms with both tubs and showers bring the spa to your home, giving full baths a big edge over their half bath competition. Bathing yourself isn’t only about washing away yesterday’s filth—this is your special time to relax.
Due to the larger floor space, a full bath lets you freely design your dream bathroom without sacrificing on any fixtures or accessories. And don’t worry, covering your remodeling costs is almost guaranteed if you decide to sell your home in the future: so don’t wait any longer.
Convert Your Half Bath Into A Full Bath With Perry Brothers Construction
If you’ve ever had the misery of sharing a bathroom with someone else, you already knew the benefits of converting a half bath to a full bath, but I hope now you’re finally ready to consider a change.
For masterclass bathroom remodeling services there’s really no better choice than Newbury’s Perry Brothers Construction, the most trusted residential construction company in north shore Massachusetts.
Check out how we totally transformed this Beverly, MA bathroom and left the homeowner more than satisfied with the quality of workmanship.
If you’d like a similar experience to Kellie’s, please, don’t hesitate to call our office at (781)-233-7511, we’d love to speak to you about all the latest bathroom remodeling trends you might want to consider before you commit to a full bath expansion.
