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Occupied

CloudHidden | Posted in General Discussion on October 20, 2002 11:57am

Got two bedrooms that share a bathroom. Each bedroom has it’s own door to the bathroom–occupants don’t use a hallway to access it. That means the bathroom has two doors, and a way is needed to give both access and privacy. It works fine if each person using the bathroom remembers to lock the other door and then unlock it when they’re done, but sometimes they forget one or the other, and then it’s an awkward situation…either they’re walked in on, or they’ve locked the other people out of the bathroom.

Any clever solutions, like a motion sensor that turns on a “Occupied” sign, or security camera so you can look to make sure it’s empty before entering (wait, that won’t work), or…?

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  1. Theodora | Oct 21, 2002 12:01am | #1

    Aha, the young one has developed a sense of righteous privacy, has she?

    "Mr Robertson, your predecessor, an excellent librarian, savaged three people last week and had to be destroyed."--???

    1. User avater
      CloudHidden | Oct 21, 2002 01:10am | #4

      Actually, it's just me thinking about other designs. I like the direct door to the bathroom, because then guests feel like they are in a private suite. They don't need a bathrobe to make the trip down the hallway for a shower or in the middle of the night for a trip to the toilet. And I don't wanna design a bathroom for each bedroom, be/c that wastes space and money.

      The latest is a guest room I'd like to share toilet/sink facilities with a powder room on the main floor.

      So far we've avoided that conflict with Meili's room by having her in our room when we have a guest. (Of course, if there are multiple guests, they gotta work out a sharing plan themselves--the potential for some interesting match-making depending who stays overnight. <G>)

      1. User avater
        Luka | Oct 21, 2002 01:18am | #5

        Electric locks on the doors.

        Wired together, so that when you lock one, the other locks. When you unlock one, the other unlocks.

        Not too many people forget to lock the door they came through. And they can't get back out without unlocking it.

        Don't bogart the Ghost

        Quittin' Time

        1. HammerHarry | Oct 21, 2002 02:55am | #6

          The classic solution is the French hotel room solution.  A string that ties to both door knobs.  You can't open the door without untying it.

  2. Piffin | Oct 21, 2002 12:06am | #2

    I'm ready to start one where I designed a way to avoid that very thing. They rejected it to save money for more expensive wall paper. Go figure.

    Solution for you ? Take both doors off! LOL

    .

    Excellence is its own reward!

  3. User avater
    BillHartmann | Oct 21, 2002 12:36am | #3

    Probably the easiest thing to do would be to wire a two small pilot lights to the main light in the bath. Put one pilot light just outside of each door.

  4. kusterer | Oct 21, 2002 03:14am | #7

    If space is any more than absolute minimum, I like the "vestibule" solution -- both bedrooms open onto a small vestibule, which may also have a linen closet, and the single lockable bathroom door is between the vestibule and the bathroom. A 5' x 8' bath needs three more feet (to 5' x 11') for the vestibule. This way each bedroom still has access to the bath without going out into the "public" hall space, yet the insecurity of worrying about being bust in on by the dreaded sibling/grandma/guest from the other bedroom is gone.

    Funny how manners have changed -- I just read a couple of days ago the entry here about the old house with the three-holer "closet" for family togetherness.

  5. UncleDunc | Oct 21, 2002 05:23am | #8

    I grew up with six brothers and sisters. We didn't live in a house with more than one bathroom until after I graduated from high school. The rule at our house was if the door is closed, knock and ask, and the expectation was that persons of the same gender should get used to sharing the bathroom.

    1. roucru | Oct 21, 2002 05:43am | #9

      Grew up with three sisters and a brother. We had a bathroom upstairs that the five of us shared. When getting ready for school all of us girls would try to do makeup etc in the SMALL bathroom. It was awful! I am so glad that our little brother never wanted to wear makeup:-)Tamara

      1. Mooney | Oct 21, 2002 02:35pm | #10

        When females out numbered me , I learned what the back porch was really for on a rainy day . I feel sure he had to also.

        Tim Mooney

        1. rez | Oct 21, 2002 10:06pm | #11

          Grew up with aunt and uncle next door with no sewer so they had an outhouse. Great fun of the day was to wait for uncle to enter it then sneak up and lock him in. Roar till he did then run like a madman cause he sure was when he finally got out. Let the thunder crack and the waves roar.

           We're going on.

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