Converting 3 bed to a 2 bed with an upstairs bathroom

helping_hubby

Just viewed a house with a downstairs bathroom. My gut instinct would be to convert the 3rd bedroom (8 x 9 foot) into a bathroom and then extend the currently tiny kitchen into the tiny downstairs bathroom to make a more reasonable sized kitchen/breakfast room. What would this do to the value of the house? I would say it might make it more saleable, I'd imagine downstairs bathrooms put people off a little, as around where I'm looking they aren't too common here. Or at least this is the first one I've seen with a downstairs bathroom.

Mish_Mash

I'm based in London and have just purchased a Victorian 2 bed with the bathroom upstairs where the 3rd bedroom used to be. I have paid £350k for the house. There are similar 3 bed properties on the street where the bathroom has been retained downstairs and they are on the market for £385 - 390k - whether they will achieve this or not is to be debated. Based on my research (and I've spent a lot of time reviewing the local market), in London you will get more for a 3rd bedroom even if the bathroom is downstairs - realistially you'll be looking at losing 10 - 20k if you remove the 3rd bedroom.

Best option (if you want to move the bathroom upstairs and retain the third bedroom) is to split one the exisiting bedrooms in 2. It's not ideal and does reduce the space but, from I've seen, these properties are being marketing for £390k - as they have the added benefit of a large kitchen.

Personally, I'd rather have the bathroom upstairs and have a large kitchen/conservatory downstairs. If I want a 3rd bedroom I'll convert the loft!

real1314

8 x 9 foot is generous for a bathroom in a 2 bed house.

What sizes are the other bedrooms?

is there any way to pinch a bit off 2 rooms to get a 6 x 6 bathroom and keep 3 beds?

Whether you'd lose money depends on the local area.
If it was an area with mainly 2 bed terraces and all the 3 beds are semis, then if this was also a terraced, you might not lose much. If there were a decent number of 3 bed terraces about you'd probably lose money.

golfnutt

It would make it more saleable for someone looking for a two bed property.
A three bed would be of more value though,

garethhr

Have a look at this - advice on adding value to your house, with figures:

http://property.scotsman.com/news.cfm?id=846762007

BATHROOMS

With new homes being built with two or three bathrooms as standard, people's expectations have risen. Bathrooms, shower rooms and toilets have come a long way since the 1990s, when just one bathroom was acceptable. Many buyers people are looking for a minimum of two well-designed rooms with wall-hung sinks, freestanding baths, power showers and good contemporary storage. An en-suite off the master bedroom adds a touch of luxury and frees up the family bathroom. The extra bathroom will not only add about 10 per cent to the value, but will also make the property easier to sell. If you can't afford to lose a room to develop as a bathroom, with some careful planning you could take space from a couple of rooms to create a well-designed en-suite shower room.

Doozergirl

They're talking about second bathrooms there

I'm really not sure. I think they would go for roughly the same price, the three bed possibly pipping the two bed. If you need a three bed for your family and you're at the bottom end of the market, it wouldn't pose a problem at all.

Sapphire

garethhr wrote: »

BATHROOMS

With new homes being built with two or three bathrooms as standard, people's expectations have risen. Bathrooms, shower rooms and toilets have come a long way since the 1990s, when just one bathroom was acceptable. Many buyers people are looking for a minimum of two well-designed rooms with wall-hung sinks, freestanding baths, power showers and good contemporary storage.

Ridiculous - one among many such 'expectations' of what is 'essential' these days!

For myself, I'd find it offputting to have 'two or three bathrooms as standard' - much rather the space be used for other types of room. A good-sized bathroom plus a loo with sink on another floor would be all I'd need unless the property was substantial (like a large Georgian house in Bath that a friend of mine owns that is on five floors). . .

helping_hubby

Thank you everyone.

I think maybe if this was my forever home, or a home I intend to stay in for at least 10 years, then I wouldn't be so worried about a potential price drop. But this would be our first home and hopefully in 5 years we'd be able to afford to move on.

I think the upstairs could have the potential to be shifted around. The bathroom could even come off the biggest room. The biggest room is nearly 15 foot by 10.

My other concern was rear access to this house. The garden was surrounded by fences, and there was access to the garden from the front on the right hand side. On the left hand side of the garden fence there was a panel completely removed. I ask the lady why this was and it's because the neighbours need access to her garden to take their wheely bins out the front!

Sorry if I'm being completely naive here, but I've never ever heard of this before. Everywhere I've lived, the wheely bins are kept at the front of the house if you don't have a gate to the garden. It also strikes me that whenever they want to get things into their garden that they'll come through 'my' (I say my because it's easier to explain) garden.

The lady said we could put a gate there, but I don't know....it just feels wierd. And the more and more I think about it the more I don't like it.

thesaint

Ask an estate agent in your area.

Poppy9

I bought a 4 bed terrace house with a downstairs bathroom. I had to have the bathroom upstairs and the only way to do it was to lose the 4th bedroom. It didn't affect the price as we still had 3 double bedrooms. However I think turning a 3 bed into a 2 bed will affect the price. Ask the EA you are buying through for ideas in getting the bathroom in upstairs.

When we moved our bathroom upstairs we retained the loo downstairs. The kitchen was big enough so we divided the bathroom into a utilty room and downstairs loo.

Re neighbours access - you need to find out if they have a right of way over your property. If not then you can deny access.

Doozergirl

Right of way for bins is very common in terraced houses. If you think about it, it does make the street far neater when bins live around the back! I've had two such houses and it's so not an issue though some feedback was concerned with that when selling. If you did offer, then I would ask for her to put a gate in place perhaps or negotiate the price a bit.

Thinking about the bathroom, I think the best solution would be to fit a small ensuite to the master bedroom and let the other two share the downstairs bathroom. That way you keep 3 beds and the main buyers are happy with what they have. You can easily get an ensuite with shower, loo and sink into a space of 1m x 2m and it doesn't feel cramped as there are special space saving sanitary ranges.