A secondary bathroom in the house: an ever-increasing need
One may think that this is a problem related to large families only, but this is not true. An extra bathroom is necessary for small families too and sometimes it becomes essential also for young couples. The steadily increasing pace of life requires more than one bathroom: everyone is in a hurry and needs to do as much as possible in the shortest amount of time, with the aim of getting to work on time, for example. On the other hand, a secondary bathroom can be particularly useful even in the embarrassing situation when nature calls more than one household member at a time: a circumstance that cannot be ignored. Obviously, the problem was and remains important even for large families living in flats, because not only more than one toilet is advisable but also a larger number of vanity sets and wall units in which all toiletries and other products for personal hygiene can be stored for all family members. The need of having an additional bathroom in the house, however, is rarely an impossible mission to accomplish. It is often thought that the supplementary bathroom is the long-cherished dream of many people, but its construction is not as difficult as it may seem. Below you can find some tips and the legislative procedure to use to obtain an extra bathroom in your flat.
Legislative procedure to follow when building a secondary bathroom
From the legislative point of view, the policy to be followed is the Ministerial Decree dated 5th July 1975. It is relatively short and easy-to-follow and offers indications on the size and characteristics of domestic environments, including bathrooms. In this guideline, for example, it is clearly stated that the master bathroom must be well furnished, while the second must not. This means that if you want to make an additional bathroom out of the available space, you can build it by installing only the toilet and the bidet, or other combinations of sanitary ware depending on the needs of the family. Moreover, it is required that the additional bathroom must have an opening towards the outside (a window) or an adequate ventilation system, with the aim of facilitating the exchange of air. Differently from the other rooms of the house, the extra bathroom can be 240 cm high (instead of 270 cm) whereas no limits are imposed on the required square footage. However, attention must be paid to municipal rules because if no limits are imposed by national regulations, there could be some restrictions imposed by the local council. The plan of the new bathroom must be sent to the corresponding Municipality with the signature of a qualified professional (an architect who is enrolled in the official register). As appropriate, the Communication of Asserted Start of Construction or Renovation Work or the Certified Report of the beginning of Activities could be required. Finally, when the work is finished, the cadastral variation of the flat must be transmitted to the territorial section of the Revenue Agency.
Where to make an extra bathroom out of the available space.
The answer to this question is quite simple. Since municipal regulations are usually not particularly restrictive, it can be said, with absolute accuracy, that any unused corner is the right place to build the extra bathroom. For example, you can reduce the area of your bedroom by a few meters (without going outside the limits set by law) to obtain a private bathroom or you can use any free room or storage space in the house. Of course, the ideas must be supported by the help of an architect or a surveyor, whose opinion is essential before going ahead with the implementation of the project. As applicable, it is also necessary to extend the plumbing system to the new bathroom area or set up a new one which may include floor or wall demolition. In conclusion, the steps in the building of an additional bathroom are quite numerous and do not always encourage owners to continue down this path, but if you get the desired result, the whole family will benefit.