Whole families once timed individual needs, lined up, allotted the hot water. It mattered who followed whom -- especially if dad enjoyed cigars with his morning occupations. All personal stuff got transported, never left out on a countertop. Scrubbing the tub, after every use, was duty. His and Hers towels kept order.
Shared bedrooms were a thing back when too, and that concept fell first. The thin edge of the wedge, as privacy begat privacy. What if ...? Masterbaths emerged. Dual sinks, personal shelves, no kids allowed. But the kids had their own rooms by now, so why not their own bathrooms? And (come to think of it) why not separate masterbaths? His and Hers, revisited.
When multiple bathrooms became standard, gentrification of these facilities was the next step: the indoor spa experience. Showers offer steam, overhead rain effects, a variety of fixtures and nozzles. Deep tubs have jacuzzi settings. Fireplace? Why not? High-end bathrooms may cost more than your car (whatever your car).
But for the past few decades, it seems the average newly-built American house has featured approximately two and-a-half nicely finished, not overly extravagant bathrooms. A masterbath, a family bath, and a half-bath (meaning it does not have a bath) accessible to common areas.
Would, say, my family of two ever need so many? Well, that's not the point! Most of my life I've inhabited older, one-bathroom houses; my current house has 2.5 and this seems exactly the right number. (I've also lived in numerous abodes with NO bathrooms, and do not recommend this option.)
My first two-bathroom experience was a fluke. We leased a house that had, previously, been an upstairs/downstairs duplex. So, double bathrooms -- also two kitchens, two of everything. For just two people. At first, the downstairs spaces remained auxiliary, but gradually, they served purpose. Bathroom #2 became laundry room, mud room, dog washing room. Fridge #2 definitely proved useful, and when the upstairs dishwasher went on the fritz, I actually hauled loads down to its twin.
Turns out, if you build it, they will come.
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