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Renovating Design Dilemma

Layout/Reno help needed please

2 years ago

Having struggled to start a family for several years, we embarked on our second and much larger house project by the sea to fill our lives with joy instead. Our plan was to do it up over time and have plenty space for friends and family come to stay regularly instead of hiring other holiday lets which we used to do. It's a 1900 Victorian holiday home and for decades has run as part of a hostel. Whilst in general working order, it's in dire need of a major overhaul to become a homely holiday let or home for us if we decide to stay.

Queue a little miracle pregnancy... whilst everything we had been dreaming of, we now find ourselves with a short deadline and limited budget (40-60k) to turn this place around!!!! We need to press 'go' with the builders in reconfiguring the kitchens, bathrooms and upstairs and baby brain has left me going in circles. Any help/advice/thoughts from you amazing houzzers would be gratefully welcomed! Thank you!

Notes - North West facing garden (SE facing front of house) with no direct sunshine hitting the house beyond the morning until the very back and side patio get evening light. Plumbing currently runs along the western length of the house and round to the patio/ex-conservatory area. Conservatory has been removed and concrete remains in place. Views of the sea from top floor. Ground floor hallways and kitchens are original victorian tiles on ground (currently covered in commercial rubber flooring) so no plumbing underneath possible.

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Comments (4)

Jonathan
2 years ago
Personally I think that given the sun situation all the principal bedrooms need to be at the front.
PRO
Hinton House Interiors
2 years ago
Hi enembee,

Firstly, congratulations! Exciting times ahead :)

Given your budget, time restraints and your queries over it being a potential holiday let, I think you should focus on the downstairs layout.

It would be beneficial to re-locate the kitchen to the current reception/dining room area to create an open plan kitchen and family space - not only would this be a great social space for potential holiday guests, it would also benefit your lifestyle with a new baby. This would also lead in nicely to the conservatory area for additional seating or space.

You could then consider creating a downstairs toilet and utility room/ boot room or luggage storage room (useful for a holiday let) with the previous kitchen space.

With the remaining bedrooms; there is a very big difference in renovating this property for you and your family vs a holiday let. So it may be better to avoid any big spends on this area until you are sure what you want to do.

Either way this property has so much potential!

I specialise in renovations and offer a floor plan service - if you're interested then please do get in touch.

Kerry
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rinked
2 years ago
Kerry has a good point there, first decide whether you will move in there or use it as holiday home. If you have a place to live for the time being, even if small, i'd stay there until the baby arrives. Mid-project stress and delivery and deadlines and alike don't mix well with enjoying that precious pregnancy.

Personally i wouldn't like blending nesting instincts with dusty demolishing, electricians and plasterers. Though i admit i was grouting my kitchen backsplash while leaning my massive bump on the countertop, lol.

Babies just require tlc and a crib near yours in the first months of their life. If the house is somewhat ok, waterproof and safe, perhaps consider a delay of a couple years? Because once you push start, it's a quite likely massive project, no?
rinked
2 years ago
Have you considered turning the rear part of the house into an annex?

This could possibly be done within your "time limit" (if builder is available) and within budget. I don't know if and how you had planned to cover the cost of the rest of the renovation, but at least this would allow you to live on site. Perhaps rent out the other rooms as they are, as B&B? Are they simply dated or also worn out?

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