New House - Renovation

Ed_Zep · 28 July 2017 at 1:58PM

Hi MSEs,

I've bought this house with a view to renovating it. I was going to spend £18-20K.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-58943743.html

My initial idea was to turn the dining room into a third bedroom. I suppose the alternative would be to knock the wall down and have a large kitchen diner but then it's only a 2-bed.
The other thing would be to extend. I'm glad I bought the house as it's a decent area but not sure which way to go with it.

What do you think? Any constructive ideas would be really welcomed.

Thanks very much,
Ed.

Doozergirl · 28 July 2017 at 2:00PM

Maintain flexibilty. Make it so it can be either a dining room or third bedroom.

ST1991 · 28 July 2017 at 2:09PM

Walls/doors would need to be reworked to make it a bedroom, as otherwise you have to walk through the bedroom to get to the other rooms. I guess you could 'extend' the hallway so it comes out into the dining room and you exit from the lounge directly into the hall instead of the dining room.
It also looks a little small to be a bedroom so you don't really want to make it any smaller.

As above though, it would be good to see a solution that is flexible.
To me it would be more important to have a dining room than a very small 3rd bedroom.

Side note:
You've got quite a bit driveway there.
Could you perhaps extend the house across to the garage (in picture 10)?
You could move the actual garage part to the very front, and make the back old/existing garage part into another bedroom, or create a much larger kitchen/diner.
Make the front conservatory into the main entrance, and knock all the little hallway sections together so you've got a larger entrance space.

LEJC · 28 July 2017 at 2:13PM

What other things are you planning on spending the renovation budget on...

Have you got a plan....and are you doing this for yourself or are you planning to renovate and sell.

do you need the 3 bedrooms or is it being considered for a different target market

LEJC · 28 July 2017 at 3:03PM

I think I actually want to swap the kitchen with the living room to open up a whole kitchen diner across the middle of the bungalow with doors leading out....that leaves you with the existing kitchen as the 3rd bedroom.

you do lose the living room but for a more modern feel then people do tend to use the kitchen and extending bit as a family space...

change the windows...sorry I dont like the boxy look

For me I'm still trying to decide if the consevatory needs to go too....

But with only 20k I need to reign my thoughts in!

Ed_Zep · 28 July 2017 at 3:06PM

Thanks all.

I'm actually do this for myself AND with a view to selling eventually. I don't need 3 bedrooms but I'm expecting that it would have wider appeal if it did have a third. I was also hoping that the large-ish living room would

Initially, it'll be decorating, new bathroom, wardrobe doors and kitchen units to at least one of the walls (in case I do extend).

Thanks,
Ed.

ST1991 · 28 July 2017 at 3:18PM

Personally if i had the money i would extend across the driveway. You can create another large bedroom, perhaps even an ensuite and still have larger living spaces.
There looks to be quite alot of outdoor space, so you're not really eating up much garden by doing this. If you make it look uniform across the front, it won't particularly look out of place either.

LEJC I actually like the little conservatory on the front...

I think it would make a nice porch area if you extended across to the right, over the side door.
I also like the 'dining room'. It's like a little bit of bonus space that isn't a 'room' and you can do with as you wish (office, reading/hobby area?).

I really like the bungalow. Seems like it will make a lovely home and a fun project for you

Ed_Zep · 28 July 2017 at 3:42PM

ST1991 wrote: »

Personally if i had the money i would extend across the driveway. You can create another large bedroom, perhaps even an ensuite and still have larger living spaces.
There looks to be quite alot of outdoor space, so you're not really eating up much garden by doing this. If you make it look uniform across the front, it won't particularly look out of place either.

LEJC I actually like the little conservatory on the front... I think it would make a nice porch area if you extended across to the right, over the side door.
I also like the 'dining room'. It's like a little bit of bonus space that isn't a 'room' and you can do with as you wish (office, reading/hobby area?).

I really like the bungalow. Seems like it will make a lovely home and a fun project for you

Thanks ST1991

LEJC · 28 July 2017 at 3:49PM

ST1991 wrote: »

LEJC I actually like the little conservatory on the front... I think it would make a nice porch area if you extended across to the right, over the side door.
I also like the 'dining room'. It's like a little bit of bonus space that isn't a 'room' and you can do with as you wish (office, reading/hobby area?).

Thats the problem for me the conservatory is too little....I assume thats where the sun is but I'd like to run something right down the back of the house
The kitchen to the front would get loads of light...

This dining room that isn't a room a hobby area..yeah right we all know that just becomes a dumping ground over time....

If you have a poke round on rightmove though at some of the near neighbours that have sold...are any of their layouts what you are trying to achieve?

surely number 3 has caught your eye!

OP...is it a family area or mainly olders around there....I do tend to associate bungalows with large plot's and people who have more time to tend the garden?
possibly a misconception but....

Ed_Zep · 28 July 2017 at 3:58PM

LEJC wrote: »

If you have a poke round on rightmove though at some of the near neighbours that have sold...are any of their layouts what you are trying to achieve?

surely number 3 hasn't caught your eye!

The estate agent mentioned that that house was built in the same way to the one I bought. Unfortunately, Rightmove doesn't show the floorplan for it.

ST1991 · 28 July 2017 at 4:02PM

You could always pop over to your neighbor and politely ask to have a quick look? Depends what they are like i suppose.
You could say you've bought number XYZ but seen their house on rightmove and loved the pictures, would like to get some ideas?

When i moved in, we were talking to our new next door neighbor about some of the things we'd like to do to the house, and they invited us around theirs to have a look what they had done

Not sure everyone is like that, but perhaps an idea to introduce yourself to the neighborhood when you move in.

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New House - Renovation

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