Downstairs Bedroom......

mummyroysof3

It's a hard situation but if it was me I wouldn't be using the downstairs room unless I could put in a false wall to make it separate. Realistically how much will son sleep? And also I don't see how it would work long term that he has to go through the girls room to his.

We are struggling for space and can't move and we are going to convert our loft. We are doing it properly as a bedroom which costs more but it can be done cheaply to use as extra living space.

anqet

nfollows1982 wrote: »

The eldest of the girls suggested that she did a room share with my son so she could have that room with her bedding and stuff during the week and then we could make the bed up for my son when he stays and put his stuff out for him, she would then share with her sisters at the weekends he was with us.

Your daughter's idea is a very good compromise and requires minimal changes to the house.

You are all sharing and your son needs to learn to share... I haven't read the previous posts but there is nothing to stop you from setting up the existing bedroom as a shared room for eldest daughter and your son.

If she's willing to share while he is - infrequently - there, great. Make sure he gets an area in the room where he keeps his stuff and that is permanently there. The bedding can be changed to accomodate him whenever he visits.

nfollows1982

Baby is a girl, she's only 8 weeks old so her moving into another room is a way off yet.

We had the house valued last week and it's valued at £10k less than the balance on the mortgage so it's just not an option.

Unfortunately, neither is major renovation work (i.e. the loft) so it's making the best of the space that we have available.

nfollows1982

Both of the doors in the front room are on the same side of the wall so it could be possible to put in a partition wall so that the front door opened into a 'hallway' with a seperate door leading into what could be a bedroom?

That would mean you could get in and out the house without the front door opening directly into this room

Brighton_belle

nfollows1982 wrote: »

Baby is a girl, she's only 8 weeks old so her moving into another room is a way off yet.

We had the house valued last week and it's valued at £10k less than the balance on the mortgage so it's just not an option.

Is it worth seeing an IFA to check out potential mortage options, just in case you are assuming negative equity rules out a move? IFA's have access to all the mtg variables out there and have the best chance to tailoring your nees to the right deal if it is out there.

nfollows1982 wrote: »

Both of the doors in the front room are on the same side of the wall so it could be possible to put in a partition wall so that the front door opened into a 'hallway' with a seperate door leading into what could be a bedroom?

That would mean you could get in and out the house without the front door opening directly into this room

Well a couple of us have suggested this as an option, but I am a little confused by the question mark - either it is possible to create a passage way or not? If a passage way can be made, then isn't this a solution, or am I getting confused:o

Rosemary7391

nfollows1982 wrote: »

Both of the doors in the front room are on the same side of the wall so it could be possible to put in a partition wall so that the front door opened into a 'hallway' with a seperate door leading into what could be a bedroom?

That would mean you could get in and out the house without the front door opening directly into this room

If that is something you can do, then that would exactly mirror the set up I have at the moment - the front door opens into a hallway, which runs all the way along one side of my bedroom. My bedroom door is off the hallway at the end furthest from the front door. Main issue with it is then noise from the street - you hear a bit more (although that might be due to my having a bay window at the front as well!). It's a perfectly workable solution - happens in many many student houses where I live!

nfollows1982

Yes we definitely could put in a false wall with an extra door to create another bedroom without the front door opening into this room. It would also keep the window in the newly created room so it would be nice and light..........

(runs to get tape measure)

Gigervamp

nfollows1982 wrote: »

Both of the doors in the front room are on the same side of the wall so it could be possible to put in a partition wall so that the front door opened into a 'hallway' with a seperate door leading into what could be a bedroom?

That would mean you could get in and out the house without the front door opening directly into this room

The layout of your house sounds like my last house. Before we moved into there, we'd seen other houses where just that had been done as it was a student area and the more students they can pack into the house, the more money the landlords made!

It did make the rooms small, but it's definitely do-able.

LEJC

the only way you can make a downstairs front bedroom that has front door work realistically is to partition to make a hallway...this does reduce the size of the room ...but do you really want people to be able in theory to open your letter box and look in on your bedroom......

Realistically if it were be I would look at rearranging what you have as your situation is only going to change as the baby gets older and in turn moves away from your room...and indeed your eldest daughter will at some point in the next few years start to feel the need to move away from her younger sisters.

I would put the olest girl in the box room,and the two younger ones in the bedroom off it...moving the baby in as time allows...and I would actually get a sofa bed or something similar for the downstairs "play area" that could be used on the weekends when your son comes to visit...that way he has a little inedpendance of his own room away from the girls but its easily converted back to a play area once he has finished using it...

Whilst its commendable to give your son the box room,hes not there all the time and it really is a small but useful space that your family need to be able to make use of

FBaby

nfollows1982 wrote: »

Both of the doors in the front room are on the same side of the wall so it could be possible to put in a partition wall so that the front door opened into a 'hallway' with a seperate door leading into what could be a bedroom?

That would mean you could get in and out the house without the front door opening directly into this room

That is indeed what I think would be best. Does your son actually use the room allocated to him at the moment at all (even if not sleeping there). Is the issue that he has to go through the girls room to get in?

The girls sounds lovely and accommodating, but I'm not sure that would work if indeed he would still need to go through the girls room.

Divide the living room to make it a bedroom for him downstairs, and the girls can have the two room upstairs.