What You Need to Know about Jack and Jill Bathrooms

Jack and Jill bathrooms allow occupants of two separate bedrooms to comfortably access the same bathroom. But how do you know if this is the right type of bathroom to include in your home? Freshome asked several experts to weigh up the pros and cons, resale value, and other factors to consider.

Advantage

Two sinks and two mirrors can help with the flow of traffic. Image: Krooogle / Getty Images

Buy these products now: Wall mirror – Vanity CabinetNathan Outlaw, President of Onvico, a general contracting and design and build company in Thomasville, GA, says several home builders have requested Jack and Jill bathrooms in their new construction. “They are a really good compromise to have a private bathroom for children in the home,” explains Outlaw. “It keeps everything about them confined to its own space so it doesn’t spill into the hallway or guest bathrooms.” John Linden, interior and furniture designer of MirrorCoop in Los Angeles, it recommends that bathrooms have two separate sinks if possible. And sometimes the bathrooms have two mirrors too. “This makes your bathroom much more functional, as it can be used by two people instead of just one, which makes preparing for bedtime (brushing your teeth, hair, etc.) so much more easy if you have kids who need to get ready for bed quickly and efficiently. “

A toilet helps maintain privacy. Image: pics721 / Shutterstock

Buy these products now: Modern faucet – Towel rail“The Jack and Jill bathroom is great for taking advantage of the wet area of ​​a conventional bathroom, toilet, tub and / or shower, for multiple users, while providing privacy,” according to Jay Kallos, senior vice president of architecture, Ashton woods. “The configuration can include private lavatory areas for each room that then connect to the common bath and tub area, or two rooms can enter a shared lavatory area that then accesses the wet area.” “Another great use I’ve seen for Jack and Jill is for an elderly parent or disabled person who lives in the home and the bathroom is set up to comply with the ADA,” says Outlaw. “It can lead to the hallway and to your bedroom acting as a private bathroom to the bedroom when needed or a guest bathroom if needed.”She H-Millard, CKD, CLIPP, Industrial Relations Manager, National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), and NKBA Insider, believe that the Jack and Jill baths are ideal for large families. “It’s convenient if you have to accommodate two bedrooms and create a shared space.” According to Kallos, “Depending on the modesty of the user, the lavatory areas can be shared at the same time, or common, while the wet area remains private. This makes getting ready for school a little less arduous as both “Jack” and “Jill” can use a bathroom function at the same time instead of banging on the door waiting for one or the other to finish. ”

Get instant home decor deals!

Connect to the home improvement coupons and promo codes you’ve been waiting for.

See offers

Potential problems

Forgetting to lock and open doors can cause problems. Image: Astronaut Images / Getty Images

Buy these products now: Modern bathtub – Towel“I think the big problem with a Jack and Jill bathroom is when you have unrelated guests in each of the connecting rooms,” Outlaw explains. “There can be some discomfort when people try to share bathrooms or if someone forgets to close one of the doors.” H-Millard points to one privacy concern in particular. “With the Airbnb movement and people dividing up part of their home, Jack and Jill makes it a challenge when it comes to privacy,” he says. According to Linden, the classic problem in these bathrooms is closure. “Since both doors need to be closed from both sides, eventually someone will forget to open the door opposite the exit door after using the bathroom, leaving the bathroom inaccessible from that side.” However, Linden says the solution to this problem is to use locks that can be unlocked from either side of the doors. “Definitely make sure everyone who uses the bathroom understands this, but all the lock has to do is alert whoever wants to use the bathroom that it’s busy,” says Linden. “Beyond that, put up a sign at floor level. the eyes that remind whoever is trying to come in to knock hard before doing so. ”Another problem with two people sharing a bathroom is extra toiletries. Linden says that sometimes results in massive expansion.” One way to eliminate the amount of ‘stuff’ associated with two people using a bathroom is having one place for all of the toothpaste etc, rather than having each sink lined with the contact box, toothpaste, etc. of that person. “Linden explains.

Other considerations

You will need more square footage for a Jack and Jill bathroom. Image: hikesterson / Getty Images

Buy these products now: Bath plants – Bathroom soap dispensersAccording to Kallos, “The big hurdle in determining when to use a Jack and Jill bathroom is creating space and making sure it’s on budget.” He recommends planning this type of bath early. “As with many things, it is much easier to incorporate a Jack and Jill bathroom into a new construction than a remodel,” says Kallos. “A Jack and Jill requires additional square footage and plumbing compared to a conventional bathroom, so it is essential to know this in the initial stages of planning a new construction.” “The best use of a Jack and Jill setup is to have direct access to the sink area from each bedroom,” says Kallos. “Often due to the floor plan setup or having three bedrooms that share a bathroom, too there must be a corridor access, but there must still be private access from at least one bedroom ”

Effect on resale value

How well do Jack and Jill’s baths work for adults? Image: Westend61 / Getty Images

Buy these products now: Floating vanity – TapHow do homebuyers feel about buying a home with a Jack and Jill bathroom?Steve Gottlieb Warburg Realty believes buyers will like the idea. “In general, if there is still a separate vanity or an additional full bathroom for guests, and creating a Jack and Jill bathroom makes everyday use easy, it can be a great option.”Steve Silva, also from Warburg Realty, thinks this is a good idea when you have young children, but cautions that homeowners without young children may want to use rooms differently. “I’ve actually seen a situation where the master bedroom was off the living room, so the master bathroom was also the bathroom that guests would use,” he explains. Obviously, that’s not a good scenario.Howard Margolis Douglas Elliman is against them. “A Jack and Jill bathroom is not always appreciated and your privacy can be compromised,” he explains. “But if there is a need for an en-suite bathroom in the bedrooms and space is limited, then a Jack and Jill bathroom is always a viable option.” What do you think of the Jack and Jill bathrooms? Do you have one in your house? Let us know in the comments.