Double Sinks--Nice-to-have, or Need-to-have?

[catherine]

I'm watching Tiny Houses on TV and a couple is building a tiny house on a trailer. Not sure how big the house is, but I'm thinking 180-200 square feet maximum. They bought the house framed out but that's it--they are doing all the rest. And they are spending 100k to finish it.

One of the things they are putting in this little house is double sinks in the bathroom.

I often see HGTV shows where the couple walks into an otherwise lovely home and then they see there's only one sink in the master bath and that's the deal breaker.

I'm feeling like an old pioneer woman right now, because I truly don't know why it's so important to have double sinks. I have one full bathroom in my house in which I raised 4 kids. That bathroom has a single pedestal sink. We survived!

I know I sound like an old fogey, but could someone explain to me why two sinks is essential? Especially in an extremely small home.

Just curious. As for me, if it were my tiny house, I'd take a few extra square feet of hanging out space with family over two sinks in the bathroom.

[jp1]

We've never had double sinks in any bathroom. For 4 years in NJ we had a master bathroom and a hall bath just outside the master so we used separate bathrooms. Currently we just have one sink in one bathroom and it works fine for us. Maybe if one, or both, people have lots of product it might be an issue, or if either person takes a long amount of time to get ready every day, but otherwise I don't really see the need.

But I often don't understand the people on HGTV and what they want. Yesterday we watched an episode of Househunters where the woman was ecstatic over a kitchen island that appeared to be about 8 feet by 10 feet. The entire center of it was likely to be wasted space because it was just absurdly huge.

[goldensmom]

I grew up in a family of 7 with one sink in one bathroom and we all survived. We now have one sink in one bathroom for the two of us and we do just fine. One of us uses the sink then the other one uses the sink. I do not want to share my sink time with anyone. I want room to move around unimpeded and privacy. One does it for us.

[pinkytoe]

Like so many other design trends, these things are hoisted on us I guess so we'll feel dissatisfaction with what we have. We had double sinks in one house and honestly it wasn't having two sinks that was nice, but having a large counter. In this house, we are back to a one bowl 31" sink base and that will do just fine. Now that I think about it, two toilets makes more sense when there's a man in the house.

[herbgeek]

I could see two sinks if both partners needed to get ready at the same time, for efficiency. I only have one sink per bathroom. If we really need to get ready at the same time, we have a 1/2 bath downstairs.

[rosarugosa]

In my current family/life configuration, one sink in one bath is fine.
When I was growing up, we had a 2-sink bathroom. Three females and 2 males living in the house (Dad away at sea much of the time and Grandfather mostly in bed with a
myriad of medical issues). The two sinks made it possible for us girls to multitask in the bathroom, often together, and probably made it possible for the guys to get in there every once in awhile. :)

[Gardnr]

Would I require 2 sinks? No. Do I love that this home purchased in 1991 has 2 sinks? Yes. We get ready for work at the same time and we have the counter space to do so hence, no dancing around in the mornings.

I grew up 1 of 6 kids in a 3bed/1bath house till age 10. No one got more sink time than handwashing or brushing teeth. So I totally know we could be fine w/1.

[SteveinMN]

I could see two sinks if both partners needed to get ready at the same time, for efficiency. I only have one sink per bathroom. If we really need to get ready at the same time, we have a 1/2 bath downstairs.
That is the "efficiency fix": two bathrooms. :) That way two people can get ready with no waiting.

In our main bath (which is also the master bath) we have a vanity large enough for two sinks but which has only one. It's just the two of us and it's never been a bone of contention. And it is nice having the countertop space on which to spread out. Of all the changes we've discussed for that bathroom, there has been no discussion of adding a second sink.

The whole HGTV esthetic just escapes me. I have less than zero interest in granite or marble for a kitchen countertop yet HGTV seems to have pounded it into every homebuyer's head that they have to have it at any price point. If I never see another huge "prosumer" range (Wolf, Viking, etc.) and an exhaust hood that looks like it could evacuate the kitchen at the local diner -- all for people whose idea of scratch cooking is Hello Fresh, I'd be fine. I had to talk my mom out of putting shiplap siding on some of the walls of the bedrooms in her house (it's not appropriate to the house, we don't have the money for it, and it's been done; no offense to those who have it and like it). I just don't consider important what HGTV considers important. And I'm thinking most of the people watching HGTV didn't know they needed what they need until HGTV told them everyone needed it.

[bae]

We have two sinks in 0ur master bath. One gets used for bathroom stuff - tooth brushing/shaving/whatnot. The other gets used now-and-then for hand-washing delicate things. In 20 years the two sinks have been used for morning-efficiency perhaps 3-4 times.

The double sinks in my daughter’s bedroom are similarly silly - one she uses for her bathroom stuff, the other gets used to fill up the cat’s water bowl, which sits on the counter next to it. Seems an unnecessary sink as well.

[rosarugosa]

We don't have cable, so I am completely oblivious to what HGTV thinks I must have, and it sounds like that's a good thing!

[jp1]

We've lived in apartments that had granite counters and they were fine. But I wasn't in love with it. Currently we have some sort of solid surface counters, Corian maybe? They look good. Are easy to keep clean, and have been impervious to any damage. A bigger issue to me, in both bathroom and kitchen is that I want undermount sinks. So much easier to keep the counter clean that way since there's no edge to catch crumbs as I wipe into the sink.

[iris lilies]

I thought this thread was about double sinks in the kitchen and for me, that is practically a necessesity. Our weekend house has double sinks even tho the kitchen is tiny and old.

but a big hell NO to two sinks in one bathroom. We do have them in our big bathroom and only because we thought we had to have them. Never been used two at the same time.

I have said this before, but apparently I am weak in the girl gene because I do not understand what females do with a sink for hours on end in a bathroom. How long does it take to brush teeth and wash your face?

I think that they are “primping” ( such a silly word) for all that time which really just requires a mirror. Plumbing not necessary to put on makeup and style hair and etc. Or so I think.

This weekend I discovered that I bought a house without a bathtub. I really had not paid attention to the bathroom other than the fact that it was quite small. Well, it has only a shower, a kind of long one. And I love that, no problem for me.

[jp1]

I assume the desire people have for two sinks in the kitchen is for doing dishes? I've never lived anywhere with a double sink in the kitchen and have never thought I needed one. I like having one bigger sink. But when I actually wash dishes by hand I use a brush that dispenses soap and only need a sink to hold the dirty dishes and give me a place to rinse them once clean. But dish washing style is highly personalized so I suppose this is just a matter of personal preference.

Bathtubs are another personal preference. If SO and I ever build a house for ourselves it will not have one. Neither of us sees the point. Personally I always found it kind of gross when, as a kid, I had to sit in the dirty water that I was cleaning myself in. (Once I got old enough to have a little agency I insisted on washing my hair before we filled the tub so that at least all the shampoo yuck would go down the drain first.) Currently our second bathroom has one but the faucet in it has never been turned on. The cats' litterbox is in it which is great for containing litter when they do the covering their business thing but if we build a house I'm sure we can come up with a better, more efficient alternative for the litterbox.

[iris lilies]

Oh we put in a big ass jacuzzi type tub 30 years ago because that was the thing to do then. But I jave never used it. Ours also contains cat litter boxes.

[pinkytoe]

We are putting a large single bowl sink in our kitchen. I have never had one before so the jury is still out but looking forward to trying it out. Seems to be love or hate with these kind of things.

[ToomuchStuff]

Actually, if you have two sinks in the bathroom, make sure you run water in the other one on occasion. You don't want the trap to dry out/evaporate and allow sewer gas to get back into the house.
I see it basically as a marketing thing, rather then a need thing. I could think it might make sense in NY or some rat race place where space is expensive, when your sharing a bathroom and work the same schedule.

[lmerullo]

I've never had dual bathroom sinks, so don't see the need. I've sent somone to a kitchen sink if the bathroom was in use. In this situation, dual sinks is not the answer .

We remodeled our NC home and only put in a shower. We liked it so much we did the same here. A tub is only missed when bathing babies, or soaking away a fever / illness. I've only missed having a tub two or three times in about six years. When you consider the daily normal use, that's very marginal.

Personal dishwashing style wants for two bowls in a kitchen sink. What I can say is get the better quality one. We got the Good One in NC, and forgot to ask here...the insulation makes for good warm water retention of temp and less noise from banging around. Worth it!

[Tybee]

The only time I ever had double sinks in the bathroom was when I had twins, so it was great for about 5 years, for teethbrushing. I cannot imagine why the tiny house people are doing that, although a tiny house kind of changes your ideas about privacy, I imagine. It seems so foolish to spend a hundred thousand dollars on building a 200 square foot space.

Absolutely love double sink in kitchen and would not want to go back to single!

[Float On]

Never had one in the bathroom. Last thing I want is shared bathroom time with my husband. I've trained him to wipe the sink area because he splashed water every where. He's also good at cleaning up beard trimmings.

[Gardnr]

Kitchen: I've had 2 sinks my entire life. Wash and rinse. Dirty and clean. Wouldn't occur to me to have the current farm sink craze item installed.

Bathroom: DH spends far more time at the sink than I do. I can be out the door 20" after starting the shower. He needs 45-60 min. He just doesn't move fast and he grooms a beard, mustache and has to shave the rest daily-he grows hair fast fast fast. So it's convenient to not have to bump him out of the way. And yes, we've had 2 bathrooms in both homes we've owned. The cabin has 1 and yes, we just wait for one another to be done. But there we are not getting ready to leave for work either.

It's a moot point for us as we are in our forever homes. 1 for 27y already and the other 14.5y already. We're 56 and staying put:cool:

[jp1]

Regarding farmhouse sinks, are there actually farms that have them? I had several relatives who lived on farms when I was growing up, and a friend post-college whose family lived on a farm. None of these people had 'farmhouse' sinks. They had regular cityhouse sinks.

[iris lilies]

Regarding farmhouse sinks, are there actually farms that have them? I had several relatives who lived on farms when I was growing up, and a friend post-college whose family lived on a farm. None of these people had 'farmhouse' sinks. They had regular cityhouse sinks.
Having been in real farmhouses I can attest no, they dont have farmhouse sinks. Nor do they have “bArn doors” the fashionable kind in the barn, another stupid trend.

[Tammy]

The old farmhouse my grandparents lived in had one. But it’s not for the kitchen. It’s for the laundry area to soak large amounts of laundry, wash dirty boots, rinse the dirt off the garden buckets, etc.

[SteveinMN]

In the last house we built, I insisted on a "large single" kitchen sink. I find the standard 33"-wide double sink a tremendous waste for me. Most dishes go in the dishwasher immediately (none of the pre-rinsing or pre-washing so many people still do); the ones that can't (or take up too much space in the DW to justify washing them that way) go in the sink. But that half-sink is too small to manage half-sheet pans and larger pots conveniently. So give me a single sink.

The house we're in now came with a mid-70s harvest gold enamel double sink. When that was replaced it was with a standard single sink. 22" wide rather than 14" and I gained countertop space in the bargain. Much happier with that. The sink needs to be replaced, but it will be replaced with another single. Whichever future owner this house has can reverse that if they want.

We have a tub/shower in the master bath that DW has used much more than I have (as a tub) and even her use can be counted on the fingers of two hands. But it remains because a prime target demographic for this house whenever we sell will be the ability to bathe kids in a tub. Changing out the kitchen sink is fairly cheap; changing a tub for a shower is not so much.

[ToomuchStuff]

In the last house we built, I insisted on a "large single" kitchen sink. I find the standard 33"-wide double sink a tremendous waste for me. Most dishes go in the dishwasher immediately (none of the pre-rinsing or pre-washing so many people still do); the ones that can't (or take up too much space in the DW to justify washing them that way) go in the sink. But that half-sink is too small to manage half-sheet pans and larger pots conveniently. So give me a single sink.


Grew up with the large single sink with drainboard to the side. For smaller standard stuff (soaking, no dishwasher), just used a rubbermaid dishpan and dish rack. Those "farm sinks", are larger still, and probably will be the next sink when I do the kitchen, as they are actually cheaper then ones with a built in drainboard.

[Float On]

Regarding farmhouse sinks, are there actually farms that have them? I had several relatives who lived on farms when I was growing up, and a friend post-college whose family lived on a farm. None of these people had 'farmhouse' sinks. They had regular cityhouse sinks.

Our original farmhouse did have a farmhouse style sink. Apron front with side drainboard. All one big piece. Dad sold it to a work acquaintance who promised money within the week....you know how that went...dad never saw the $30! And mom has been mad ever since that they didn't store it in the barn until it became popular again. In fact, just a few weeks ago while I was up there that same discussion was rehashed as we had breakfast! :laff:

[Gardenarian]

Double sink in bathroom - I don't see the point.
Double sink in kitchen - I have one for the first time and I love it. Absolutely necessary if you hand wash dishes. I like it because dishes can sit/soak on one side and I can use the other side as needed for food prep, etc.

[JaneV2.0]

I'd like a double sink in the bathroom for hand washables, but I doubt I'll get one...

[Tenngal]

We do not have double sinks in the bathrooms, seems like a waste.
The kitchen has a double sink and one side houses the dish drainer.
The dishwasher is rarely used here.
My grandmother had one of those cast iron sinks with a drain board off to the side, handy.

[Packratona!]

A waste of money, floor and counter space. How many times are you in the bathroom at same time , washing your hands after using the toilet?

[Teacher Terry]

I hate double sinks in the bathroom because it takes away counter space.

[catherine]

I hate double sinks in the bathroom because it takes away counter space.

You raise a good point. How much counter space do you all need? I have a small shelf on the wall next to a pedestal sink in the bathroom. Pedestal sinks have no counter space. But I do have a tall glass cabinet (IKEA BILLY) with all my bathroom stuff and towels in it. I have a wicker basket in that cabinet with my daily stuff, like toothpaste, make-up, etc., and I pull that out in the morning, put it on the toilet seat and just pull it out as I need it and then put it away when I'm done.

On the small shelf I keep my toothbrush holder, cleanser, a vinegar carafe with mouthwash in it, and tiny Dixie cups for rinsing. I don't let DH put his shaving cream on that shelf--Only what's pretty is allowed. I keep his shaving stuff in another one of those wicker baskets in the cabinet.

The only thing on the pedestal sink is hand soap. Because of the cabinet, and the small shelf, I don't need counter space.

[Gardnr]

I hate double sinks in the bathroom because it takes away counter space.

We have a lot of empty counter between the 2 sinks. I think the total surface is about 8 feet. We bought it-we didn't build it. The bathroom had nothing to do with why we loved this house......