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Bungalow purchase Space/modifications advise required

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

This bungalow is kitted out with wheelchair access. My wife and myself would like ideas on how to use the space, as currently it is not good for a young family with a baby on its way.

As an example, Would you convert the wet room to another bedroom and loose the on-suit?
Would you combine the utility room and the kitchen together?
Would you keep the space saving stairs, if not where would you put in some spiral/normal stairs?
Would you fit mini on-suit in loft conversion and use as office/spare room?
Any easy way to add good value to the place?

Thanks

Jimbo

Featured Answer

PRO

Mark Bischak, Architect

10 years ago

I apologize for not reading all the previous comments, but I did look at the images and floor plans. It appears a lot of the suggestions may be difficult to preform due to the existing bearing walls, which translates into "expensive".

I suggest jimbojim2179 get advice from a local architect. Many time I have clients that come to me with preconceived solutions that are not an economical way of meeting their needs.

Comments (79)

PRO
OnePlan
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
£30k as in UK pounds sterling will go a little further ! New electrics would probably be around £5k and budget bathrooms could possibly be done for £3k to £5k probably - and and as it's your forever home it's worth thinking about the bigger picture !
my first step would be get a builder over to see what they feel can and can't be achieved ! you can work out what order you want things done - and what you are prepared to live with for a little while etc !!
getting things so they are safe for when the baby starts getting mobile is pretty important !! so I'd consider that as your first priority !!
Also think about the overall bigger picture that you can achieve over the next 10/15 years even !
Victoria
10 years ago
Average property prices in the UK far exceed the vast majority of the US in $/sq ft so many people have to buy and add value with on budget improvements, isn't that so Jim?
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Hi Shane, Really interesting property you are about to buy. Lots of possibilities to create a nice place where to live. About your question, an open plan living space is completely compatible with having a two-storey home. Open style stairs are the best solution for this, but where to place them will be even more imporant I guess. Do not think about stairs as an element that blocks or interrumpts the space, but as a piece of your open plan ground floor which can even be its main feature. I leave you a couple of pictures that can help you visualise it. Please let me know if you need any more advice or precise drawings. Happy to help. Ana
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Hi Rebecca We are looking at doing 3 bedrooms as we have quite a few grandchildren. I think that room should be big enough for doubles, bedroom 2 would work out to be 2.9m x 2.4m and bedroom 3 2.75m x 2.3m so I think that they would be big enough, will probably place a double in Bedroom 2 and bunk beds in Bedroom 3, so don't think that we are compromised on size. My issue with the removal of the wall you marked is that I think that this was the original external wall of the bungalow, so would need a structural survey and involve quite a lot of work removing it. Am looking for an ex-display kitchen which will reduce the cost of moving the kitchen, am also looking for some reclaimed solid oak flooring for the Living Room, kitchen and hall ways (if anyone comes across any then please message me, we have considered keeping the kitchen where it is but we think that placing it where the current bedroom 2 is would give us a nicer kitchen and dining area. Thanks for your input guys it makes me feel a little more confident with our plans, we have noticed that there was a window at the end of the bedroom that must have been blocked up when they built the conservatory so my look a closing off the current door and opening this up and installing some double doors maybe bi-fold to open up the front room Cheers Steve
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First off, please be aware that to turn a garage into a living space, you have to get planning approval for a change of use of the structure. Also to connect the house to the garage requires planning consent. Which means you need to submit architectural drawings in line with their spec to how they want to see documents. Also, that style house was originally built based on the availability of off-road parking. If you build into your driveway, you may violate the original consent that dictates how much off-road parking needs to be accounted for in your drive. As your land boundaries are very tight, it looks like you would be extending to edge of the boundary, pretty much like your garage is now. However, that may not always be permitted to the side of the house in a residential area of detached homes. Often they would look for a 1m or more of space between the land boundary and the wall. Which means your extension becomes quite narrow. Best to check with planning to see what you can and can't do before you start making your design plans, otherwise you will waste lots of time and money on potentially doing something you can't.
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Victoria
10 years ago
Yes, that was why I asked about the slope, I'd level the floor there.
PRO
OnePlan
10 years ago
typos as on my phone !! soz ! you can see what I mean though !!
jimbojim2179
Original Author
10 years ago
Levelling the floor if possible is a great idea, god knows why there is a step there in the first place, very odd design. I'll look onto why once I've moved in. Completely with you on the buy / mod theory. You rarely loose money doing mods in uk property.
jimbojim2179
Original Author
10 years ago
Ill do that one plan, get a builder in and see what they say. Would only need the major work doing. The rest I can do myself
shelleyuk
10 years ago
You can easily get a really nice kitchen in the expanded kitchen/utility space for £10k
shelleyuk
10 years ago
And that would be with all flooring, lighting etc
PRO
OnePlan
10 years ago
I must admit I did like Carolina's one with the utility and a back door where the original kitchen was too !! I think it's nice if you can keep the laundry separate - as it's nice to be able to shut the door on it all !!!
PRO
OnePlan
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
I wonder If this is doable - leaving a couple of support pillars in ?! You could even keep the conservatory as a closed room if you wanted ?!
jimbojim2179
Original Author
10 years ago
That's a nice one oneplan. I would be very happy with that layout.
PRO
OnePlan
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Let's hope your contractor says it's achievable !! It's simple enough I hope - my only worry is why that hadn't done that already - so might be a drain cover or something in that gap ?! Hope not !! If it's a flat roof on that back extension - you might be able to put a roof light type thing in the roof - to match the conservatory ?! Would give fab natural daylight into the new kitchen ! And a glass back door in the laundry would give some natural light in there too !
Victoria
10 years ago
That's good, I'd still do the wet room like you showed earlier, using part if it as a closet.
I think this is a good option for you. Make one wall a storage wall with push close doors to hide the child's clutter :-)
I'll try to find a pic
PRO
OnePlan
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Re the bathroom / en suite - I guess there's two choices - either you keep the bath in the ensuite and use it as a family bathroom - ie toys everywhere etc - then keep the other 'real family bathroom' as a very neat chic bathroom that guests would use etc ?!?! Or have it spit into half shower room half closet .
Or - just thought of a choice three, you could use the ensuite with the shower I put in and instead of the walk in closet - have a 'downstairs loo' for day guests to use in that space !?!?!?!
Victoria
10 years ago
Failing to find a pic at the mo. What I mean is a whole wall of floor to ceiling cupboards on push latches (no visible hardware) with loads of shelving and racking to hold plastic boxes (which I find very useful).
PRO
OnePlan
10 years ago
...
Victoria
10 years ago
If you do that if still nick it the bit you show for cloaks for master bedroom storage as it's not a generous space.
Victoria
10 years ago
Ignore the first if!
Victoria
10 years ago
In fact the only if and the it :-)
Fat fingers on phone
jimbojim2179
Original Author
10 years ago
Victoria, do you mean something like these, but not under the stairs of course?
Where would you put these?
Victoria
10 years ago
Along the wall of the conservatory to live up with the wall in LR with FP on
PRO
OnePlan
10 years ago
AND under the stairs !!! You wouldn't believe how useful storage is !! Somewhere to store the buggy and the spare car seat and all the clobber that you will be given by everyone who's had their children and wants to get rid of some of the junk !!
jimbojim2179
Original Author
10 years ago
Where would the stairs fit into all this. I would be happy with a spiral staircase somewhere if I had to. I would rather the stairs be separated from the main living area to avoid loosing too much heat up them. I rented a house where all the heat went straight up the stairs. Was very annoying.
jimbojim2179
Original Author
10 years ago
else just try and make the existing stairs stretch further so normal stairs become possible. Im wondering if a front porch area would allow normal stairs to be included. Again seems like a bite out of the front of the place has also been taken at the moment.
Victoria
10 years ago
Can you post a picture of the current stairs?
PRO
OnePlan
10 years ago
Just thought of something for hallway too - and to allow a big family corner sofa ...
jimbojim2179
Original Author
10 years ago
photo of front
PRO
OnePlan
10 years ago
Get the toddler years out of the way before you get a spiral staircase in !
Victoria
10 years ago
Just saw that your conservatory is south facing, it will get boiling in the summer so if you are keeping it as a conservatory invest in blinds or you won't be able to use it. IMHO you are probably better off making it a proper room if you do the push out the back we are suggesting.
jimbojim2179
Original Author
10 years ago
stairs.
Victoria
10 years ago
It's a good sized plot :-)
Shane you don't have a bigger budget because the best option, and the way to make more money would be to turn it into a house by putting on a proper first floor. You'd make an enormous profit in most areas of the UK! There's a house next door so you would very likely get planning.
Victoria
10 years ago
A link to a website re stairs and building regs. Unless you meet these and other building refs you can't call it a room, just a space. Does affect resale. Need 2m headroom everywhere, is that doable?
http://www.tkstairs.com/staircase-information/staircase-building-regulations-uk.html
PRO
OnePlan
10 years ago
Maybe that could be your 15 year goal ?!
jimbojim2179
Original Author
10 years ago
Not much surround the property, your right it is a fair sized plot. 2x semi detached houses on one side and another bungalow on the other, but the other bungalow faces away from this one, so would not really cause any issues with extending. Would just depend if the council want to keep all properties as mainly bungalows.
User
10 years ago
That camera you are using that does fisheye and curves everything makes me crosseyed.

I can understand that the costs per square foot are higher there, and it may be feasible to remodel instead of buy something that fits better... I think other posters here have given you some good advice. I sure am not up to snuff with UK building code. Do make sure you have the permits on board, the zoning council on your side, and all before you start.
shelleyuk
10 years ago
I would be careful with spiral staircases, people either love them or hate them. I didn't even look at a number of houses with spiral staircases I hate them that much.
User
10 years ago
I totally agree with Mark. You need to know all your loadbearing walls before you plan ANYTHING. (fortunately here when I started my whole house, my rafters are 'clearspan' so only bearing issues I had were with the perimeter walls and I didn't alter them much-just what I needed to do to fit new windows). An architect consult might be the cheapest thing you do; to find out the cans and can'ts before you start ripping into things.

Spiral staircases and toddlers; friends of parents had one in the early 70s, looked so chic, one day she heard something go thunk, seen something fall from the corner of her eye, and thought one of the kids playing upstairs had tossed a doll down... but it got waaaaay too quiet so she went to look and the toddler had fallen, broken a leg, and was out cold. The two slightly older kids hadn't done anything, the littlest one had wandered to the stairs and went through. in a week they had put in a standard stairs. Moral: make sure all railings are able to confine kids and not let them slip through and fall.
PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
10 years ago
The "Loft Room/Bedroom 3" would not be a good place to be if the were a fire on the first floor. It may be very difficult to climb out one of the skylights if the stairs was not an option.
Victoria
10 years ago
You can get fire ladders for that purpose.
Victoria
10 years ago
And you could put in fire doors downstairs, although above and beyond building regs, only needed for 3 storey homes.
jimbojim2179
Original Author
10 years ago
Ok, this is what it would look like as it is now, as it would be if I just knocked one wall down between the breakfast room and dining room, and the full monty with the extension filling the gap and knocking walls down between the util room and kitchen.
jimbojim2179
Original Author
10 years ago
Actually, not quite the full monty without knocking down the conservatory walls.
User
10 years ago
Yes it'll be quite bare then!!! ;)
jimbojim2179
Original Author
10 years ago
Okdokegal, that's a very good point, one i will make sure I don't overlook. Thanks.
User
10 years ago
Let me know if this muli-article link works

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/query/Removing-load-bearing-walls
jimbojim2179
Original Author
10 years ago
Same layouts but from different angle.
Victoria
10 years ago
Any more ideas?
Victoria
10 years ago
Any space planners out there?
jimbojim2179
Original Author
10 years ago
Been playing with the app a little, can't quite decide what's best at the moment, chatting with the misses, I don't think we will be doing any major mods to structure for some time, so need to try and make the most of the space we have for the mean time

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