Flat layout ideas

GaleSF63

It may be more upheaval having work done after you have moved in, but I second living there for a while first. It would be a shame to later decide it wasn't (all) necessary.

Don't put an extra passage in; it's dead space.

I think you should leave it as it is - and get some earplugs if necessary. Or, is the 2nd bedroom so much smaller? Potential lodgers who can't cope with the noise haven't made the investment you have - if they don't like it they can move.

Half the converted flats in London probably have bedrooms at the front so I don't think it will ever affect the value.

Bigbenning

I think if anything your going to distract value if you change the layout for a bedroom at the back. Straight anyway you will alienate people looking to buy it because it you will have to force them to live your life style/floor plan. It's money your spend you won't see back

Keep bedrooms where are, knock down wall between kitchen and living room, move bathroom right against bedroom wall and make it all open plan looking out into the garden with if you can large french doors. By doing this your making the flat so more attractive to a greater number of people which it is all about.

Don't worry about the bedroom at the, it's London and it's completely normal. I have worked in flats worth millions in London and they all have bedrooms at the front with the road noise coming through. It's no biggy.

TranceNRG

Thanks everyone for the replies.

Wit the new layout, I'll have the bed room at the back. There will be a door in the kitchen so you have access to the garden through there.

So the consensus is having the bed room at the back is not great? Even though it enables the living room to be at the front, which I thought was more desirable.

TranceNRG

So here there are:

Current layout:


New layout 1


New layout 2


You guys are saying new layout 2 is more desirable than the current layout and layout 1?

Edit - Layout 2 will require knocking down the wall between current living and bathroom which would have been the back wall before they built the extension (where the bathroom and kitchen are). Since this is a supporting wall, I might need planning permission and building regulations approval so might not be feasible to do it straight after purchase.

Doozergirl

Yes. Layout 2 is more desirable.

Lots of things are deisrable. It doesn't mean you have them all. Lots of people want houses - you can't turn it into a house.

So a bedroom at the back may be desirable, but putting the lounge and garden living spaces together is far more desirable than putting a bed at the back and completely disjointing your living space.

In terms of value, none of this is adding anything particularly. The layout will affect saleability to particular markets. You want to hit the widest one possible. You add value by adding space.

The money is probably in more side return extension, if square footage values hold up to it.

TranceNRG

Doozergirl wrote: »

Yes. Layout 2 is more desirable.

Lots of things are deisrable. It doesn't mean you have them all. Lots of people want houses - you can't turn it into a house.

So a bedroom at the back may be desirable, but putting the lounge and garden living spaces together is far more desirable than putting a bed at the back and completely disjointing your living space.

In terms of value, none of this is adding anything particularly. The layout will affect saleability to particular markets. You want to hit the widest one possible. You add value by adding space.

The money is probably in more side return extension, if square footage values hold up to it.

Sorry what's this? Extending to the side? There's only about a metre of space left and this would block the door/window of bed room 2, wouldn't it?

Also since there's already an extension at the back (kitchen and bathroom), will I be able to get planning permission for another extension?

GaleSF63

Yes, layout 2 is better, but is it sufficiently better to warrant the money it will cost to do? Removal of old outside wall; moving of outside doors and windows (if the plan is accurate), and new kitchen and bathroom.

Though if you are planning complete new kitchen and bathroom anyway, it's only the structural stuff that is extra, and it also means you can make the bathroom bigger or smaller if you wish.

TranceNRG

GaleSF63 wrote: »

Yes, layout 2 is better, but is it sufficiently better to warrant the money it will cost to do? Removal of old outside wall; moving of outside doors and windows (if the plan is accurate), and new kitchen and bathroom.

Though if you are planning complete new kitchen and bathroom anyway, it's only the structural stuff that is extra, and it also means you can make the bathroom bigger or smaller if you wish.

Exactly what I was thinking. It doesn't give me the living room at the front and bed room away from the road. I'll only be doing it because that layout is seen as more desirable. But will it really add that much to the value of the property? If not, I might be better off with the current layout.

I am planning on doing the kitchen anyway but wasn't going to do the bathroom as it's relatively new (but I hate the plain white tiles in it!)

TranceNRG

So I emailed one of the builders this morning with the layout options and asked him to give me some numbers and this is what he came back with:

Whichever layout you prefer best, we would be happy to do it. It just comes down to budget.

A couple of things you may need to consider when moving structural walls and punching new doors/windows into external walls. You will require building regulation approval that with plans and the approval process is likely to cost additional £800 before applying costs to starting works on site. You'll almost certainly require freeholder consent but not sure if you share the freehold or pay a ground rent to a third party but this may add time that you may not want to spend.

Costings wise, some points are very straight forward, others however are likely to show up with unforeseen challenges throughout the process so I have broken down the aspects into more easily understandable chunks:

- New Combi boiler system including safety certificate, hob connection & close/cap of old fireplace gas feed

Removal of megaflow and replace with new Viessmann boiler - in same position £1,800 or in new position £2,100

Re-run new pipework & change 5 rads - £1,200

- Fill door between bedrooms, decorate & paint both rooms - £1,200

- Fit your supplied kitchen - circa £1,750 dependent on number / awkwardness of units (Happy to give you our trade discounts on materials we get an additional 10% off Wickes prices)

- Fit your supplied bathroom - circa £1,750 (Happy to give you our trade discounts on materials we get an additional 10% off Wickes prices)

- Fit your supplied flooring & skirting - circa £1,550 (Happy to give you our trade discounts on materials we get an additional 10% off Wickes prices)

- Re wire new fuse board - £600

- New Front Door - £500

- Redecorate throughout in current layout - £1,850

So before moving walls and punching new doors and windows you're up to £12k without your kitchen, bathroom and flooring choices so I expect to get a good job done in its current layout to be circa £15k.

For an extra £3-4k I expect we could move the internals around if we are doing at the same time. Timeframe wise, 4weeks without you in the property will give us a good start so that you can at least move in after 4weeks and have a week or so of work still going on.

I know this is a little above your budget but, inevitably it always is, but I would suggest holding back on the double glazing and door changing until a later date as these can be done relatively unobtrusively while you are living there when you've saved up a little.

Does that sound reasonable? They are a build/design company in West London and seem to have good reviews on mybuilder website. I am awaiting quotes from couple of other builders as well.

TranceNRG

What do you think about the builder's quote? Reasonable?