Q. We have just bought an old terraced cottage with just one toilet in the upstairs bathroom. We would really like a second toilet downstairs but there is not really any space. Have you any ideas?
A. The Saniflo small bore macerator pumping system is ideal for installing toilets away from the main sewerage system and takes up very little space. The system itself costs around £300 and then you would need to pay for installation unless you have a plumber in the family. You do not say if you have a basement – but possibly even if you had you wouldn’t anymore want to dash down steep stairs to the toilet anymore than you want to dash upstairs. I have known several people fit a small bore toilet under the stairs, which is really convenient. I have also seen a larder converted into a toilet where the existing wall to the kitchen was walled up (so giving more wall space for units) and a door made in the other wall which in that case was into a hallway. I have also seen use made of a utility room and the washer and dryer moved to the back of the garage. Given the versatility of the small bore systems there are many ingenious ways they can be used. You might want to get advice from a surveyor or builder if you can’t see any space – they might have some ideas for adapting your ground floor space in some way.