Diy new bathroom, worthwhile?

ben_m_g

Sorry about the read there's a lot of background but quite a simply question, thanks for the interest.


I'm planning to ride out this market slump then sell my property on the other side, I reckon getting my house to stand out by the end of it will really help me out.
(nothing pricey, redecorate where needed, a tidy and reorganise with some nice bit in places)

Background:

My 3 bed property only has a medium sized family bathroom, not only does this slightly annoy us but i think may reduce the chances of me eventually selling the property.

The only place i can put a wc would be by the front door using a small room currently houseing the washer + dryer.
(This room would be pretty much perfect for this, hot and cold supply and waste pipe right nearby, all it would need would be a door blocking off and another put on the other side.)
But this would mean the washer + dryer would have to be put in another cupboard down the hall. (which could be awkward as it would only just fit and might feel stuffed in there / and would be right up against the door so to speak.)

Finally onto my question;

As a unbiased observer what would you prefer if you were interested in the house?


The modern, good sized, additional WC.

Or

The extra seperate space to hide all the washing and cleaning equipment.
(Handy as it's ajoining the kitchen.)


Any opinions would be a great help, any thoughts or comments would also be really be very helpfull.
I personally would like to do this, but I have seen so many people put what they want into a property that they are trying to sell it really annoys me.
After all when selling a property should be your own but not so to your own tastes that it puts other people off.

david29dpo

Would you have enough room in the kitchen for a washer/dryer? If so i would go ahead with the WC idea.

andrew-b

Just do it! Forget about resale as this change would without doubt add value (assuming a decent standard and nothing too far out of the ordinary!). Downstairs toilet facilities in a house will nearly always add value.

I had a similar discussion only yesterday with my father (retired RICS building surveyor with many years experience valuing properties) over whether improvements i made to our bathroom would improve resale value. His advice was along the lines of whatever you do and no matter what others will tell you any improvements you make will add value so don't get hung up on what potential buyers might want and just improve it the way you see fit.

A buyer won't necessarily like the property the way you have renovated it though and might just rip out all that brand new bathroom or kitchen you spent months renovating to replace with one of their preference!

Tumble driers can go pretty much anywhere where you can get an electricity supply to. Bedrooms are a very common place to put them as well as obvious places like kitchens, garages, sheds etc.

Andy

ameliarate

I too would go with the downstairs loo. My tumble dryer is in the garage - not ideal but no room in the kitchen plus, sometimes, it makes me think twice about using it and putting clothes on an airer instead (money saving).

steve-o_3

You will almost undoubtably get more value from your house with a downstairs w/c than with extra storage room. That is a given. Do the mod and add the loo.

As for riding out the market slump. Depending on how long you intend to stay where you are before you sell, I think you might be surprised and somewhat dissappointed by how long this slump could go on for.

The general opinion from many experts is that this turn in the market is exactly that "the turning point" and there are much much greater losses in property value to come. We've been reeping the rewards of an overpriced housing market for several years, its now time for that to be put back to something normal and that could mean (according to many reviews) losing as much as 25% or more off the value of your property over the next 5 years!!!

Your downstairs w/c will add desirability as well as value, but in a few years, may only add a smaller proportion to the value.

Steve.

Doozergirl

I'd see how practical the proposed new space for the washing machine and tumble drier is.

A downstairs loo is nice to have, but if the washing machine and tumble drier were sticking out like a sore thumb, I'd have trouble justifying it. It's important for me that you don't start creating compromises in order to shoehorn in desirable things.

I've just scrapped the utility room in our latest project to ensure that the master bedroom is a really good size and have then opted to turn what would have been the guest loo into a little laundry room; so the opposite of what you're doing! It's all on one level though so all the loos are downstairs. I wanted to keep the noise of the washing machine and tumble drier out of the open plan kitchen diner.

You'll never keep everyone happy; do what works for you. I certainly don't believe that everything you do adds value - you have to think very carefully about the expense compared to what you will recoup.

ben_m_g

thanks for the replies all.

you have given me a lot to mull over.
I would like to fit the WC if only for ourselves, but didnt take into consideration the how valued the existing space is...

I will think some more

missile

I think you have answered your own question>

I would like to fit the WC if only for ourselves,