What do you consider a "half bath"? (1 Viewer)

[FLIPPY]

I was always told a half bath was a bathroom with just a shower, cammode and sink, no bathtub. I've heard people call powder rooms, cammode and sink, half baths. So what exactly is a "half bath"?

 

[jrdbrn]

Half bath is like you said. Shower, toilet, sink.

 

[T.P.]

I always thought it was just a toilet and a sink.

 

[ArmyDave]

Toilet and sink.

 

[boutrous]

Half-bath generally refers to a bathroom with no tub/shower. It has a toilet and a sink. You can do half the stuff you can do in a normal bathroom (i.e. not bathe). A bathroom is still full if it has a shower but no tub because you can still bathe. Not sure if there is a general term for that type of bathroom or not, but my master bath is like this. Tubs are nasty.

 

[Devildog]

Toilet and sink.

 

[iron error]

No shower or tub (does not matter) makes it a half-bath. Think powder room.

 

[PayOrPlay]

The real estate folks prefer to call a bathroom with shower a "3/4 bath". And when there's more than one fractional bathroom in the house, they'll usually count the extras as 1 (so that a house with one full bathroom, two with showers, and an extra toilet/sink would probably be called "3-1/2 baths" rather than 3).

And isn't it good to know that Wikipedia has an article called "Bathroom"?

Terminology in the United States

In the United States, bathrooms are generally categorized as master bathroom, containing a shower and a tub that is adjoining to a master bedroom, a "full bathroom" (or "full bath"), containing four plumbing fixtures: bathtub, shower, toilet, and sink; "half (1/2) bath" (or "powder room") containing just a toilet and sink; and "3/4 bath" containing toilet, sink, and shower, although the terms vary from market to market. In some U.S. markets, a toilet, sink, and shower are considered a "full bath". This lack of a single, universal definition commonly results in discrepancies between advertised and actual number of baths in real estate listings. An additional complication is that there are currently two ways of notating the number of bathrooms in a dwelling. One method is to count a half bathroom as ".5" and then add this to the number of full bathrooms (e.g., "2.5" baths would mean 2 full baths and 1 half bath). The other, newer method is to put the number of full bathrooms to the left side of the decimal point and to put the number of half bathrooms to the right of the decimal point (e.g., "2.1" would mean 2 full baths and 1 half bath; "3.2" would mean 3 full baths and 2 half baths).

Bathroom - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[SharonT]

I was going to comment on the Brees/San Diego house thread, but this is a better place.

This is the way I understand it, and I've lived in all four corners of the US:

Bath/Full Bath: has bath tub
3/4 Bath: shower/no tub
1/2 Bath: no shower or tub

As far as I know, this is only an issue when you go to sell your house, or are assessed for property taxes.

Edit: And to comment on PayorPlay's post, I remember seeing the advertised number of baths as the total number, and then the written description would break it down into actual features.

 

[superchuck500]

Half bath is like you said. Shower, toilet, sink.

I think if there's a shower (but no tub) it's called a 3/4.

 

[FLIPPY]

I've never heard of a 3/4 bathroom, that's funny. We just purchased a new house last year and all the listings we looked at didn't mention anything about 3/4 bathrooms....

 

[efil4stnias]

I think if there's a shower (but no tub) it's called a man's place.

fify

 

[FLIPPY]

I was going to comment on the Brees/San Diego house thread, but this is a better place.

This is the way I understand it, and I've lived in all four corners of the US:

Bath/Full Bath: has bath tub
3/4 Bath: shower/no tub
1/2 Bath: no shower or tub

As far as I know, this is only an issue when you go to sell your house, or are assessed for property taxes.

Edit: And to comment on PayorPlay's post, I remember seeing the advertised number of baths as the total number, and then the written description would break it down into actual features.

That's basically where I got this thread idea from.... It's great to see everyone's take on it....

 

[SaintsnOhio]

I was always told a half bath was a bathroom with just a shower, cammode and sink, no bathtub. I've heard people call powder rooms, cammode and sink, half baths. So what exactly is a "half bath"?

New Orleans Half-Bath - Toilet, sink, mirror.

Atlanta Half Bath - Washing only your hair, arm-pits and crotch.

 

[superchuck500]

fify

Agreed.

Dudes don't take baths unless there's a naked chick and maybe some candles - or he's got some kind of injury or disability.