Best way to improve house. Any views?

Catbells

savanajhones wrote: »

I feel the better ways of improving house is to see where the improvement is required. I mean after some period of time condition of house doesn't look so good and it needs an improvement for that.

I had done many things for this like plastering, painting and mainly the renovation.

Thanks - that makes a lot of sense to me.

Yes - I'm doing small improvements too. Had the tired looking maple floor sanded and waxed, having electrical work done as we speak - new power points, down lighting in reception and main bedroom, and wall lighting to replace pendant type and have got 2 new windows being done after Xmas to replace some pretty ugly ones there now. There are a lot of 'small things' that need doing and together will add up to quite a large amount of money.

Maybe I need to get these things done first before thinking about the big amount needed to do a major conversion. The cost of the house was well within our budget so we have 'change' left over and if we're careful should be able to do it all.

What renovation did you do?

CloudCuckooLand

8x7 isn't too tiny. Ideal study. Doable for child's single. Could be useful to a growing family, as the baby room...

If you put a second wc & shower in somewhere, doesn't have to be ensuite - a second loo is always useful - would that make the bathroom less used and maybe feel less small?

Don't personally see the point of buying a 4-bed and losing 1 straight away. You might just as well have bought a 3-bed that already had bigger rooms...give yourself a couple of years and if you never fully grow into the place, maybe it would make more sense.

Catbells

CloudCuckooLand wrote: »

8x7 isn't too tiny. Ideal study. Doable for child's single. Could be useful to a growing family, as the baby room...

If you put a second wc & shower in somewhere, doesn't have to be ensuite - a second loo is always useful - would that make the bathroom less used and maybe feel less small?

Don't personally see the point of buying a 4-bed and losing 1 straight away. You might just as well have bought a 3-bed that already had bigger rooms...give yourself a couple of years and if you never fully grow into the place, maybe it would make more sense.

Thanks . Our children are older now so the small room wouldn't be used for a child.

I personally wouldn't want 2 bathrooms unless one of them was ensuite. We have a downstairs loo too. If we had a second bathroom it would only get used when the kids or visitors come to stay or for bathing in as the ensuite would prob have a shower which we tend to use more.

There was very little on the market when we were looking a few months ago and we were renting a terrible house. We already knew this house through visiting a friend who lived here in the past and it has a lot of positives and a very warm and cosy feel to it. We were actually looking for 3 bed houses and this one had the extra loft space so we took it. We got it for a good price too.

poppysarah

Keep the smallest room as a guest room for your kids... let them know they can stay but not for long...
use the 3rd bedroom as a room for you

Doozergirl

You will devalue the house as a three bedroom. Don't do it!

Even if you don't devalue it (which you will), you will struggle to sell a house priced at the top end of three bedroom houses more than you will a similarly priced four bed with smaller rooms. Your smallest room is not that small, my smallest room is a foot larger and that is my youngest's bedroom. I use the third double for a guest room. When buying, most people have to compromise because of their budget. So if people need four bedrooms but don't have loads of cash to splash on a bigger four bedroom, they will looking at yours if it is priced cheaper than other, larger four beds. Anyone looking for a three bed will see yours as more expensive.

Unless the rooms are ridiculously tiny, the same square footage will always be worth more with more bedrooms. As soon as you market as a 3 bed, you knock out every person looking for a four bed! Dangerous move. I would alsways rather be at the bottom of a price range for a certain type of house than the top - more people to aim at.

4 bedrooms I think the ensuite is a plus point and in your price bracket it will add some value, especially as it is the top floor and people seem to have issues with going downstairs for a wee in the night, even in a three storey. 3 beds with an ensuite, mmm, a bedroom is worth more to most people than a generous ensuite.

I could honestly give you a hundred reasons why you shouldn't do it. Unless this is your forever home and that is the way you really want it, in which case it doesn't really matter.

dizziblonde

Bit of a factor to consider - the area. Trying not to stereotype too much, round here it's all 4-5 bed properties going up and I'm pretty sure that a lot of the demand is from Asian families needing the extra bedrooms for grandparents who live with the family.

Having said that - just moved out of a really 2 bed property that he'd made into a 3 bed by ripping out the bathroom and shoving it into the understairs cupboard, conversion was diabolically done and I reckon he's probably nicely destroyed the value of the house by fitting the world's most stupid bathroom - 3 bed or not! I certainly wouldn't buy it - judging from last time he had it on the market, no one else would either!

As for Doozergirl's issues going downstairs for a wee - after 2 years of the bathroom of doom and the moonlight streak through the house to have a widdle... yep - I wouldn't do it again (did wonders for yer thighs though!)

geoffky

Emmzi wrote: »

every 4 bed house I've seen has really been a 3 bed + study. If there's somewhere else to make a study nook, then go for it.

7

We have a 4 double bed room house and believe me they are very very rare this one was a one off build on a single plot and every other 4 bed we looked at the 4th bed was a 8x9 ft box ,,,we burst out laugthing at some of the hovels...

Owain_Moneysaver

Catbells wrote: »

The smallest is 8'4" x 7'. The other is bigger and has a built in hot water tank, airing cupboard and a single wardrobe as one unit.

If you do your loft conversion properly you may be able to put a mains pressure hot water cylinder up into the loft conversion, leaving more space in the bedroom.

Often better to do the loft conversion as a master + ensuite shower as you can tuck the end of the ensuite under the reduced headroom bit, and it's nice for the adults to have their private space at the top of the house (or it would suit a teenager). Then have 3 beds of mixed sizes and bath on the first floor.

You might also want to think about ground floor layout as 4 bedrooms often work better if there is a second reception room on the ground floor, or even a really nice kitchen-diner as well as a spacious lounge-diner.

Catbells

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

You might also want to think about ground floor layout as 4 bedrooms often work better if there is a second reception room on the ground floor, or even a really nice kitchen-diner as well as a spacious lounge-diner.

Thanks. We have a lovely kitchen with a dining room joined on to it plus a very separate reception room. There's also a conservatory but its really a utility room/storage with sink, fridge washing machine etc. I didn't like it at first and wanted to knock the kitchen through into it to make a very large kitchen but its actually very handy having storage away from the main living space. Thanks to all.

savanajhones

Catbells wrote: »

Thanks - that makes a lot of sense to me.

Yes - I'm doing small improvements too. Had the tired looking maple floor sanded and waxed, having electrical work done as we speak - new power points, down lighting in reception and main bedroom, and wall lighting to replace pendant type and have got 2 new windows being done after Xmas to replace some pretty ugly ones there now. There are a lot of 'small things' that need doing and together will add up to quite a large amount of money.

Maybe I need to get these things done first before thinking about the big amount needed to do a major conversion. The cost of the house was well within our budget so we have 'change' left over and if we're careful should be able to do it all.

What renovation did you do?

Well, I mainly done with my kitchen, bedroom and porch area because some parts of wall are cracked and I renovated my bedroom and kitchen with modern furniture. I made my porch area little broad in size with wooden furniture. Now my house is looking very different and unique like never before. More buyers are addressing and even ready for the required amount. But, I am waiting for my husband to return...