Jack and Jill bathroom - yes or no?

Love this site

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 10:50 pm

I have exactly option 1 and we love it. There’s no issue of noise and no issue of locks. We have all the details worked out I guess. Everything fell into place with the kids figuring out a system between themselves how and when to lock the doors etc.

happy7

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 10:58 pm

amother Coffee wrote:

I grew up with a Jack and Jill bathroom and always hated it. Whoever is sleeping in that attached bedroom gets to hear a bit too much. And if you plan on putting up couples there in the future, it's a complete lack of privacy for them as you hear what's going on in bedroom...

Agree! And if you have male guests in one room, and your girls in the other, it’s awful.
Better a bathroom with access from the hallway.
Yes, the couples have to exit the room, but at the end, it is more comfortable for everyone.

essie14

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 2:55 am

I hate jack and Jill bathrooms. You always have to remember to lock 2 doors and then unlock the 2nd door when you're done or else the person in the next room is locked out.
I'd do a double sink situation so they can get ready at the same time, and the shower behind a second door so one person can shower while another blow dries her hair.

amother

Rainbow

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 3:23 am

My preference would be for two bathrooms accessible from the hallway. I like the idea of a jack and Jill to one of the bedrooms so that it is more comfortable for a couple, but if you do that, keep in mind that if a couple is staying there, it must be exclusive to them. (My parents have this and I think it's great.)

When we designed our apartment we added an extra sink with a vanity and mirror in a nook in the bedroom hallway which is used for teeth brushing, netilas yedayim, hair brushing, etc, so there is no one who is stuck in the morning because someone else is in the bathroom. It's unusual, but works great for us.

amother

Tomato

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 3:47 am

Adding another voice to the hating Jack & Jill bathrooms. Our apartment used to have one that opened into THREE rooms. Awful! They had "privacy" handles that can be opened with a nickel or a screwdriver. We had to get very good at opening them with a fingernail because the chances that someone would forget to unlock one or more of the doors was very high. I never felt "safe" in the bathroom because I was always nervous someone would forget to knock and unlock the door by habit.

I like option 2 much better.

amother

Olive

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 5:55 am

I think it depends on who is using the bedrooms and bathrooms. If your kids are older, or you have a lot of guests staying, I would probably just go for 2 ensuites. This would allow both bedrooms the privacy to go to the bathroom. The worst part of staying by someone is the bathroom visit in the middle of the night where you have to get dressed to go to the bathroom.
No need to worry about which door to lock or not lock, or sharing issues.

amother

Mintgreen

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 7:58 am

Coming back on here to say that I thought the Jack and Jill was for kids, not for a couple in 1 room & kids in other.

The way mine is set up you can't get to the actual bathroom part except from that little sink area which is the part that connects the two rooms. No worry of being walked in on in actual br.

I have other guest areas in my home, so I don't plan to have this used for guests unless we reach a point where a couple is in one room and their own kids are in the other room which is fine to share. At that point I would probably switch the lock for sink area to the other side of the door that you could lock both locks from inside.

If I was putting in a room that was meant for either kids or couples I would make sure that the bathroom cannot be accessed from both rooms because that's not any more private than having to go down a hallway. I might do it someone suggested which is make sure there is one room with a bathroom in it that opens to the hallway, so it's usually accessible to everyone and when guests come they could lock that side and hv privacy.

amother

Sunflower

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 8:15 am

We have jack and Jill. It’s good and it’s not good.
Many mistakes of people forgetting to lock or unlock BOTH doors. But it’s good for the kids who feel like they have a bathroom in their room. It’s not ideal for guests although at first I thought it would be helpful. There’s a real lack of privacy. If I use one room for guests I tell my kids in the other room that they can’t that bathroom but my kids could hear guests in the bathroom and that’s not nice. I have one guest who never uses that bathroom even though my kids are locked out. A few times I used both rooms for guests and explained how the bathroom locks work but it’s really too close for comfort. It’s good for kids but definitely problematic for adults.
Btw there is a way to lock the door from both sides. Took us a few years to figure that out- with the help of a locksmith.
I probably wouldn’t do this set up again.