bedroom upstairs and toilet only downstairs. is this an issue?

[Chris Morris]

I am considering building an ADU with a 150 square foot upstairs bedroom with a bathroom in the living room beneath, which means that, if one needs to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, one must go down the stairs to do so. My target demographic is mid term renters staying in a furnished 1 bed 1 bath (traveling nurses and other professionals, mainly).

How big of a turnoff is having to go down the stairs to use the bathroom?

Should I try to fit a 40 square foot bathroom upstairs, as well (making the bedroom 110 square feet)?

Or should I move the bathroom upstairs, thus adding 40 square feet to the living room and causing the bedroom to be 110 square feet?

[Kai Soremekun]

I'll just speak from when I visited a friend's cabin recently. The layout was similar to how you're thinking of laying out your ADU. Except two bedrooms upstairs.
Bathroom, kitchen, living room downstairs. The cabin is new construction finished in the last year so very modern and full of everything you could possibly need.

BUT I personally found it a bit frustrating to have to go downstairs in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.
I was only there for four nights and both me and my friend commented on it.

Now we are in our 50s, so if you think you're going to attract a younger crowd it may not be as big a deal. But traveling nurses are tired after work and little inconveniences become big ones when you're tired.

Even a powder room upstairs would be my ideal.

[Diya Wahi]

Quote from @Chris Morris:

I am considering building an ADU with a 150 square foot upstairs bedroom with a bathroom in the living room beneath, which means that, if one needs to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, one must go down the stairs to do so. My target demographic is mid term renters staying in a furnished 1 bed 1 bath (traveling nurses and other professionals, mainly).

How big of a turnoff is having to go down the stairs to use the bathroom?

Should I try to fit a 40 square foot bathroom upstairs, as well (making the bedroom 110 square feet)?

Or should I move the bathroom upstairs, thus adding 40 square feet to the living room and causing the bedroom to be 110 square feet?

 I believe a bathroom that is on a separate floor from the bedrooms, will be a turn off. I would focus on finding a way to get the bathroom on the same floor as the bedroom. Losing some square footage will be worth it.

[Scott E.]

Add a powder room upstairs, and keep the bathroom downstairs.

[Bruce Woodruff]

Yes, 1/2 bath upstairs. Going down those stairs would be a big turn-off.

[Chris Morris]

Thanks to everyone so far. Why do you suggest the full bath downstairs and the half bath upstairs? I would assume it should be the other way around: the tenant would want the shower to be close to their bedroom and closet. Thoughts?

[Bob Paxson]

I have two properties that were designed to have the bathroom downstairs and both bedrooms upstairs never had a problem

[Tom Fidrych]

I think people are a little more forgiving regarding the layout of an ADU. Perhaps a toilet upstairs but given the CA rental housing shortage, it should rent quickly. I've got a place with most bedrooms on the second floor and 2 bathrooms on the first floor. It always rents quickly and the existing tenants have been there 6 years- and yes, it's priced at market rate.

[Dylan D.]

First world problems… walking down stairs to go to the bathroom. 

[Bruce Woodruff]

Quote from @Chris Morris:

Thanks to everyone so far. Why do you suggest the full bath downstairs and the half bath upstairs? I would assume it should be the other way around: the tenant would want the shower to be close to their bedroom and closet. Thoughts?

 Because you don't have a lot of room upstairs. If you could spare more SF, then yes, the full bath would go upstairs.

[Bruce Woodruff]

Quote from @Dylan D.:

First world problems… walking down stairs to go to the bathroom. 

 Yep. We live in the most first world country in the world ;-)