When would you sacrifice a bedroom

7 years ago

I'm house hunting, and currently looking at an 8 bed Victorian property... But of course the bathroom is soso and in an awful spot. It made me wonder when one should break the golden rule of removing a bedroom without sacrificing on house value.

who needs 8 bedrooms anyways!

Featured Answer

shelleyuk

7 years ago

Upstairs in the main house we have six bedrooms and four bathrooms (three en suites and one family bathroom). We also have a separate building in the grounds with two more rooms which could be used for guests. We are sacrificing the smallest bedroom to create a dressing room for the master suite. Its a much more effective use of the space.

I think once you get beyond five bedrooms the rest are just spaces which will rarely be used. You will simply never go into the rooms in my experience). Far better (in terms of use and value) to have fewer bedrooms, a better distribution of bathrooms and a stunning master suite.

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Comments (34)

LTS
7 years ago
We recently had the house valued by 2 estate agents. We are intending on making bedroom 5 into an ensuite & asked them if it was affect the sale price. Both said that it wouldn't as the square footage would remain the same.
PRO
P & P Maintenance Services
7 years ago
The value difference between a 2 bed and a 3 bed house is quite significant. so loosing a bed is not good in value terms is not ideal at this end of the market. But is there such a significant difference between a 7 bed and an 8 bed house? I would imagine not. With 8 beds you should be looking at 3 bathrooms at least, which will add value.
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I drew up to scale both rooms and actually like the larger room. I don't know how to show you the lay out. Thanks for the dimensions. (I had to convert to feet since I'm an Amazonian). Anyway First, draw it out on graphic paper instead of hauling the furniture around, it is so much easier. Normally putting the bed at an angle takes up so much more room that I often can't do it but in this case it works, in my opinion and looks great! So, as you enter room in area to your left there appears to be just enough room for your wardrobe. Then as you stand at the bottom of your bed put the right hand top corner just in about the middle of the window angling it towards the door. It won't be a ful on 45 degree angle, just enough to position your dressing table against the left wall. I put it about 21 inchs or 2 feet away from the wardrobe. Whatever works for your doors. This still gives you a little room to manuever , for making your bed, to the left of the bed when needed.. I would place the dresser across from the table a couple feet away from door opening. This is all tight, granted but looks interesting and spacy to me, at least on paper. The bed corner in the middle of the window gives a sense of planning and simetry. You actually could do the whole wall in a sheer but also could just dress the window maybe in an up down interesting shade, bamboo or something textural and if you want a soft swag at the top in a great fabric to pull some color up to draw your eye. You could place a tree, (ficus, maybe), or something architectural or sculptural, tall behind the headboard. Use your vertical spaces, anything to draw your eye up. Put a tall mirror at your dressing table. You really even have room with this arrangement to have a pretty good sized round table on the right side of your bed and even a tall, 12 inch deep by 2 or 3 feet wide bookcase a foot or so away from the window wall on the right side of your room. If you do things to draw your eye up, the room will feel more spacious instead of focusing on the furniture area. I'm loving it. wish I could fly across the pond and help you! good luck!
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Sorry but I think at least half your budget will easily be eaten up by rewiring / new heating + bathroom & kitchen refitting & that’s with lower-end fittings. I can’t see where extra bedrooms could go upstairs without making the bedrooms too small & adding a loft extension would then take it beyond budget. I think the ideas to convert the garage & kitchen are workable & maybe doable without going too much beyond your budget. Good luck.
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Hi, Completely understand why you want to keep the views for you to enjoy in your living space! Just to add another option into the mix... how about knocking the wall down between the living room and the dining room to create an open-plan kitchen/living space with a dining table? Depending on how big the two adjoining rooms are, could this give you a bigger kitchen? This would also open up your entrance area and feel a lot brighter. You could then keep the bedroom and use the kitchen for another purpose i.e study or ensuite bathroom. Just an idea, hope it helps :) Jessica - E Casa Interior Design - Online Interior Design
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Amy Brook
Original Author
7 years ago
P&P there is 1 loo 1/2 way between floors via servants stairs then there is 1 bathroom which is accessed via the nursery? And maybe a servants bathroom upstairs. I am to have a full bathroom on levels 2 and 3 with a downstairs loo

Let's not forget the outdoor Gardeners for all those times you want to freeze your arse off
Tribbletrouble44152k7 Trek
7 years ago
Turn a bedroom into a bathroom.
Jonathan
7 years ago
I think as long as your house has 5 bedrooms the way you add more value is by having more bathrooms and dressing rooms and bed 6 or 7 is unlikely to add as much to the saleability.
Laura Thomas
7 years ago
I agree that in a house with 5+ bedrooms it would probably make it more attractive to buyers to lose a bedroom, but have a nice walk in/ dressing room and extra bathroom.

(We had the opposite dilemma - 2 beds, one with en suite and big family bathroom, as well as the downstairs cloakroom. Moved door to ensuite, added bath in addition to the shower and made it the main bathroom, and made family bath into 3rd bedroom.)
Tess Wijy
7 years ago
I have 3 beds but only use 2 and used the 3rd as a entrance room, when time to sell if people not happy I'll put a partition in and boom a room.
shelleyuk
7 years ago
I asked my friend who is an estate agent about this and she said they find houses with too many bedrooms very hard to shift. People live differently nowadays. In her opinion you are better off having a lovely master suite and potentially also guest suite where you use two or three rooms together to make a bedroom, dressing room and en suite.
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
7 years ago
Hello Amy,

Well how exciting! Sounds like a fabulous space.. The thing is how many of you in the family will be living there? I would agree with what everyone is saying here that you have room to make bedrooms with closets and en suite bathrooms. You could also potentially do something different with the rooms.. For example a reading room or a study. These might usually be on the ground level but that depends on rooms and their functions.. Would you consider a laundry room upstairs to be useful?

Think about how you intend to live in the house and what possibilities each room could hold.. Also whether you intend on making any structural changes which might reconfigure the space.. It may not need it of course but you see how change here might affect the room structures there..

Another point of course is this.. Would you see a need to rent out part of the house? Could you potentially make a separate home and make money from your home. I have seen a fair few homes that have portioned off a section which is rented to staff or just rented to generate income. They look from the outside as 1 but all things to consider or discard and lead you closer to deciding how to approach the renovation.. :))
Amy Brook thanked Amber Jeavons Ltd
Amy Brook
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks for everyone's comments. I'm not 100% sure on the house simply because I'm viewing one on Tuesday which I think has amazing potential and is close to my favourite cafe, once I see it I think I'll be in a better position to evaulate!

AJ you bring up a great point about reconfiguring. How difficult is it to move/remove a spine wall in a 3 floor house with basement?

We are 2 adults + a baby and MAYBE one more at most - we don't need 8 rooms for sleeping so some would become library/study etc.
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Hello Amy,

Firstly enjoy your viewings.. It's always a good idea to see more than 1 property so hopefully all will be fabulous and then you have choice! In terms of reconfiguring on a large scale.. Structural changes and major renovations are entirely possible.. You'd need all of the following.. Planning consent, structural engineers and architect.. Fantastic builder (architect may have their own) you can also if you wanted to work with an interior designer to look at scheme for the house, bathrooms and kitchens etc.. Decor and furniture for the house... consider time and budget! First discuss with your other half what your needs are... Look at a few options too.. There may be other things you could do, such as roof extension or if you have a sizeable plot to build on. Consider going to a single story extension, conservatory etc etc.. You see what I'm saying.. There may be more options open to you that may be better suited to you..

Also look at what might be permitted without consent and speak to the agent/vendor to find out any info here.. If freehold things are easier, if lease, it can mean going through a list of restrictions and you'd need consent from freeholder too as well as council for major works.. See what you can find out early on and speak to the planning office as early as possible.. If any of the properties are listed then you may need to get a conservationist, but I'm just trying to cover some of the bases you may find you need to look at.. :))
Amy Brook thanked Amber Jeavons Ltd
ianthy
7 years ago
I think you need to look at the balance of bedrooms to bathrooms. That's what really counts. if that means sacrificing 1 bedroom down to 7 to do it then fine as you will be adding value.
Amy Brook
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks for so much information! I'm an Aussie and am much more used to our style of house. its difficult as well cause I don't know how much money I'll need for renovation but it seems trades are cheaper here.

Lets ta say renovating a 5 bed Victorian in decent condition with 2 new bathrooms and 1 kitchen - would need 1 wall knocked down, other rooms need painting. Is 60,000£ ok approx? I'd have that much available immediately with more further down the line.
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Hello Amy,

I think you could definitely work with that if that's the only "movement" ie wall and there aren't unforeseen structural concerns. Plus if you choose someone who's savy with taste that can guide you re the design.. Let's just say I could work with that..

Not every trades person is cheaper here but builders usually work to £200 a day in my experience and that isn't including materials etc.. For longer renovations you could be looking at anything up to 100k for extensions and so forth. I always give my clients more.. So you're welcome re the info.. If you need me, drop me a line.. :))
Amy Brook
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks again AJ, once I nail down a house I might need to be in touch =D
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Most Welcome Amy,

Splendid.. So enjoy your viewings and see what else the agent might have coming on books... :))
Amy Brook thanked Amber Jeavons Ltd
Amy Brook
Original Author
7 years ago
It's so odd, I tell them to let me know but they mostly send crappy listings and things that are not suitable, even when I've been clear. I was even told I couldn't view a property as they'd done a few already and hoped they would get a sale, which of course they didn't.
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
7 years ago
Hello Amy,

Ah yes the lovely agent! I could definitely recommend some over others.. They should not be preventing you seeing viewings at all, even if they have interest. They may try to shift property that's become stale.. Have you tried talking to several agents in a radius of interest, you may be able to find out more what is about to come onto the market but a good agent like a good designer should be honing in on exactly what you want to see..

It may be worth looking slightly outside of your budget as you may find this helps as something listed slightly out of reach may well sell at your "right" price.. If your chosen branch isn't working try their nearest office.. I bet they will soon be showing you what you need! :))
Amy Brook
Original Author
7 years ago
Duds! All duds. *vents*
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Hello Amy,

Properties or agents? For agents and properties try Savills and Knight Frank :))
Amy Brook
Original Author
7 years ago
Knight Frank doesn't seem to be here (north west), savills are all too far away as well. I'm in Lancaster and the man (with the money) likes to cycle to work so I don't want to go too far out of the city... But I like biiiigggg houses in quiet areas.
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
7 years ago
Rightmove might be good for looking online.. You can choose your locations and see a gr8 many properties online before making any arrangements.. That way you can see from all the agents books for a designated area of your choosing. :))
Amy Brook
Original Author
7 years ago
That's what I use. I have recently viewed 80 pages - I think im the issue
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
7 years ago
It may be a stodgy market.. Period property UK :))
Amy Brook
Original Author
7 years ago
I think the issue is I have a little too much money for one price bracket but not quite enough for the next... And my exhaustive list
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
7 years ago
Money aside then but don't forget a bracket is a guide and if you're a cash buyer for example you could be in a better postion than others.. It's all negotiation and they might try it on so I would still not let that worry you unless it's way off. So until you get an offer accepted or are in sealed bids situation all that's important is try to narrow down the parameters. Perhaps give your list to a somewhat impartial eye who can perhaps be objective about your needs.. Re list if it's list of properties that will be easier than finding a house that fills a list of requirements. Generally no house is absolutely perfect and sometimes compromise is necessary and perhaps some work. This might help you or not :))
Amy Brook
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
We do have cash

I had a house lined up that ticked our boxes, the vendor stuffed us around for a few months and pulled out the day before we signed contracts. I think he wanted us to offer more money but he can pound sand.
shelleyuk
7 years ago
It took us two years to find the right house. We ended up selling ours and moving into rented.
Amy Brook thanked shelleyuk
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Hello Amy,

Not at all! Wherever actually.. It would be a far better investment to buy something you don't love, sell it on for a profit whatever that might be as opposed to giving a sum away to furnish someone else's mortgage. Just my opinion though.. :))
Amy Brook thanked Amber Jeavons Ltd
Amy Brook
Original Author
7 years ago
Oddly enough I don't see houses as investments, they perform poorly compared to how they used to be from a money making aspect - there are better things. Plus, I'm the spender and my SO is a saver, he'd think I'd gone mad if I suddenly wanted to make a sound investment vs oak beams
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
7 years ago
I meant from a shorter term perspective rather than rent that's all.. Interest rates are far from what they were and so using any interest to offset renting on a short/longer term whilst retaining capital is not an option anymore really.. So I meant in that regard.. I'm with you on the oak beams! : ))
Amy Brook
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
After your comment I inspected a property a good deal out of our budget but ticked ALL boxes. They wanted a quick sale so accepted 20k less than asking, pretty pleased! No oak beams but it is a lovely Victorian, little modern but hopefully my decor will throw it lovingly back in time
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Hello Amy,

Fabulous!! Well done you! I call my interactions suggestions.. I think that sounds better. I have no doubt a house can be transformed. : ))

When would you sacrifice a bedroom

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