Full Bathrooms, three-quarter, half-bath, or primary baths. There are many ways of naming bathroom types in a home and knowing what’s the difference is a great asset if you’re in the market to buy, sell, or remodel a home. After all, bathrooms play a key in determining how valuable a home is for many buyers in terms of market value and how functional it is for a family. Knowing how many types of bathrooms there are in a house, for example, lets you know if a house can accommodate a big family and/or guests adequately.
What Makes a Bathroom a Bathroom?
To be considered a bathroom, a space should contain all or some of these parts: sink, bathtub, toilet, and shower. Each item adds up into quarter slices and a bathroom is named after how many of these amenities a space has. For example, a full bathroom has all 4 amenities present, a three-quarter bathroom has 3, a half-bath has 2, and a quarter bath has 1. You can find that bathrooms on house listings are usually described as fractions (1 bath, 2.5 bath, etc).
Full Bathroom
A bathroom is considered a full bathroom if it contains a toilet, sink, a separate shower and tub, OR a shower/tub combo. Most houses at the minimum contain at least 1 full bath, housing all 4 amenities within a small space. Larger homes, however, can house large bathrooms with more than the required 4. For example, a large master ensuite can have all 4 required components with an added extra sink (double vanity).
Three-Quarter Bathroom
A three-quarter bathroom, or 0.75 bathroom has a toilet, sink, and a separate shower or bathtub, however, modern renovations today tend to favour having a shower as the third component of the bathroom. Three-quarter bathrooms are usually the additional room in the basement or placed nearby guest bedrooms to accommodate for overnight stayovers.
Half-Bathroom
Half bathrooms contain a sink and a toilet as amenities. Half-bathrooms are also called powder rooms, water closets, or guest bathrooms. They’re usually situated on the first floor for guests to freshen up without entering more private areas of the house. Renovating for a powder room? We have vanity sizes that are powder room perfect.
Quarter Bathrooms
Although very rare or found in old homes without the luxury of space, quarter bathrooms are outfitted with only one amenity. Usually found as a room with a sink and mirror or as a room with a toilet or shower, these rooms serve only one purpose and don’t require much space to function.
What Happens if There are Two Half-Baths?
First, look to see if there are additional details that can break down the different rooms of the house. However, some listings separate the types of bathrooms into different lines to make it easier to read. For example: “2 Full Bathrooms and 2 half-baths”. When in doubt, you can also ask your realtor to see if they can break it down for you.