Front hallway- I say save your money leave it up. Cost of removal is minor but you will likely have to move radiators and electrics and make good plasterwork and coving- I say protect another £1500 profit. Present the larger back reception as a living room and present the front reception as the dining room. Given that the bathroom is likely to go upstairs make the downstairs bathroom into a room to access the garden- I would present the kitchen as a kitchen/breakfast room with doors to see the garden as being able to see from the front door to the back garden should pay dividend.

Looks like a really lovely flat with loads of potential. I know there are plenty of neighbourhoods like Jesmond where spending that extra doing a loft conversion is probably worth it. I would check that out by getting some sketch plans drawn showing what it would be like with a loft conversion and then having a chat with some local estate agents to get an idea of what the likely uplift in value will be. Then you can either set your budget by the potential uplift, plus perhaps a little to cover your enjoyment of living there for the next 5 years or so. It is very hard to tell from the photo how much head room you have in the loft space. If there are other loft conversions on your street then it seems likely that it is possible, if not then that might be an indication that it is either not quite high enough, or that there hasn't been enough value to be gained from doing it (although if that is the case and the area is up and coming then this might change). If you climb into the loft (being careful not to put your foot through the ceiling) and measure the height from the top of the ceiling joists to the underside of the ridge, then you'll get some idea of the potential for a loft conversion. You can drop the ceilings for all the rooms at 1st floor to create more head height in the loft if you need to - this is a big job, but is doable and might be worth it. The current head height in the loft will be reduced by the insulation build-up that you will need to add to the roof and probably by new floor joists that you'll need to add (the ceiling joists alone are rarely enough to take the floor for a loft conversion). This is all work needing building control approval, though probably not planning - though it would be worth checking with your local authority planning department to check. You can do PD enquiry. You would need planning permission to add a soil vent pipe to the front of your house to change the study into a bathroom - might be possible to get approval, but not easy. It is usually easier to use the existing SVP or add one at the back. As a suggestion: Maybe you could add a kitchen to the back of the bedroom one / reception room and open that up to the landing, study and front bedroom to make a big open plan kitchen/diner/lounge to the front (if you're extending into the loft you'll probably need to have a fire protected stair so keep this in mind). Then add another bedroom, possibly with ensuite into the loft, and turn the dining room into a bedroom with ensuite and walk-through wardrobe where the current bathroom and kitchen are... You could make the bathroom a bit bigger by taking in some of the kitchen and you could make some of this into a utility room as well... I have a free checklist with support emails to help with getting your project off to a good start and making the right decisions for you. You can get a copy from my website: www.i-architect.co.uk

I think if it’s not your for- ever home then speak to an estate agent. It may be worth opting for the two rooms and a bathroom. One of the rooms could be made suitable for a home office - very popular as more and more people work from home. We recently finished a loft conversion and put 2 bedrooms each with an en-suite in the attic rather than a single master suite.

My son is also planning a loft conversion and is pondering the same question. For you I also think number 1 is the best. My son has decided to go with just the loo and vanity basin as he has 2 showers elsewhere in the house, so perhaps that’s another option for you.