2-bed apartment, no built in storage, removing en-suite

moroc

Hi All

I was hoping I could pick the brains of someone with more knowledge and experience of such things.

Essentially I have recently bought a 2-bedroom top floor apartment, which has no built-in storage and very little room to add it. Due it being top floor, the angled ceilings in the bedrooms remove some of the height, and there is not room to add wardrobes, either free-standing or built in, to the master bedroom due to the a combination of the position of the window, door and angled ceilings.

We have however two bathrooms - a large main one, and a smaller en-suite in the master bedroom which contains a shower, basin and toilet. I've suggested to my OH that we rip out the en-suite and make it into a walk-in closet; it's the perfect size, and the main bathroom is opposite the bedroom so does not create any problems of access etc.

She's having none of it at present though, as in her opinion it will lower the value of the property. I personally think it will not affect it due to the likely buyers of such a property - couples with no children / single people, who will not need two bathrooms. I've suggested that if a couple come to view the property they are likely to be more concerned with a lack of storage than lack of an en-suite, especially from a female's point of view - I think that having a dressing / makeup room would be a more desirable feature than a 2nd bathroom. I've also said that it would be incredibly easy to leave the bathroom service pipes available so it could be converted back into an ensuite by a subsequent buyer if needed.

The boiler is not sufficiently powerful to produce a hot shower in both bathrooms simultaneously so in my opinion it makes having two pretty much redundant.

Her preference is to have built in wardrobes in the (small - 9ft by 9ft) second bedroom however I don't see that as attractive to either myself or a potential buyer, as keeping all your clothes in a second room is pretty much a waste of that room.

P.S. we're based in the north east so won't "benefit" from property boom in the same way as a resident of Oxfordshire, London, Berkshire etc. That said our area is a very desirable location and property does not stay on the market long here.

What do you guys think, would I stand to lose money long term?

Cisco001

i won't remove the ensuite.
If I am a single person, there is always an option to get a lodger. Having an ensuite is a bonus.

How big is the room? Why build in wardrobe not an option?

i will go with your OH option, put a wardrobe in the second bedroom. It is always easier & cheaper to remove a wardrobe than re-do the en-suite

Forgot to ask, how big is your living room/ dinning room?
You can build in a wall of wardrobe with sliding door for storage if you want.

moroc

i won't remove the ensuite.
If I am a single person, there is always an option to get a lodger. Having an ensuite is a bonus.

How big is the room? Why build in wardrobe not an option?

Not a great market for lodgers in the north east, I can't see it being a major concern. Anyway, if the owner was to take in a lodger, then wouldn't that make it awkward if the owners' clothes were all stored in the second bedroom, which the lodger was expected to pay to rent, and probably expecting to have as private space? I'd run a mile if the owner indicated they'd be in and out of my room in various states of undress... (maybe)

The room has angled ceilings and a window on one side, there is just not enough space to install a fitted wardrobe, if it were possible then this would be the obvious choice. Due to the combination of the en-suite door, bedroom door, window and ceiling angles, and the necessity of leaving space for the bed, there is not a place to add a wardrobe.

Forgot to ask, how big is your living room/ dinning room?
You can build in a wall of wardrobe with sliding door for storage if you want.

Living room is huge and definitely big enough for installing storage and we plan to do so, however this will be shelving for books, movies, ornaments etc rather than clothing (not sure wardrobes in the living room is a good idea)

benjus

Tricky one... I hate not having enough storage, but at the same time I wouldn't get rid of my en-suite. There's only 2 of us in our flat, but having the en-suite essentially means that we each have our own bathroom and don't get in each other's way. And when we have visitors we can give them their own bathroom and use the en-suite ourselves.

moroc

benjus wrote: »

Tricky one... I hate not having enough storage, but at the same time I wouldn't get rid of my en-suite. There's only 2 of us in our flat, but having the en-suite essentially means that we each have our own bathroom and don't get in each other's way. And when we have visitors we can give them their own bathroom and use the en-suite ourselves.

It's not an ideal situation but we got the place for a good bit less than the average in the area, and had always planned to make improvements on it, but SWMBO has changed her mind on the en-suite...

I doubt we'll have enough visitors staying over to make two bathrooms a necessity TBH. We'd still need to take turns for showers even with two bathrooms due to the boiler.

I'm more concerned with the possibility of losing value than occasional logistical difficulties. I know that most modern houses are built with two bathrooms now so it does slightly concern me that ours could be seen as old fashioned when we come to sell, but I also think a walk-in wardrobe would be a unique feature, certainly in the development I live in. We're also planning to open the kitchen out into the lounge to make a fully open-plan living area which will also be a totally unique feature for the development, so I reckon that could make up for not having an en-suite... maybe...

Doozergirl

I don't think you would lose value. Value is ultimately based on square footage. Items can make things more saleable to a group but you'll never please everyone.

People are obsessed with storage and will reject properties perceived not to have enough, just like maybe some people are tripping over themselves to have two bathrooms to two bedrooms, but it isn't the 'norm' to expect one bathroom to every bedroom. I think that building in wardrobes to a just about double room will detract from value far more as it will affect perceived square footage of a valuable bedroom.

En-suites are saleable in family homes but one usually shares an en-suite with one's partner leaving the bathroom for the kids etc.

In the ideal world you can have everything. If living with a partner, given the choice between my very own individual bathroom and somewhere sensible to hang clothes, I would choose clothes. People love walk in wardrobes as well!

If you plan to knock out a wall to create open plan living you must be very careful in a flat that it would meet building regulations for fire escape still, also you will need freeholder permission to change the layout.

moroc

Doozergirl wrote: »

I don't think you would lose value. Value is ultimately based on square footage. Items can make things more saleable to a group but you'll never please everyone.

People are obsessed with storage and will reject properties perceived not to have enough, just like maybe some people are tripping over themselves to have two bathrooms to two bedrooms, but it isn't the 'norm' to expect one bathroom to every bedroom. I think that building in wardrobes to a just about double room will detract from value far more as it will affect perceived square footage of a valuable bedroom.

En-suites are saleable in family homes but one usually shares an en-suite with one's partner leaving the bathroom for the kids etc.

In the ideal world you can have everything. If living with a partner, given the choice between my very own individual bathroom and somewhere sensible to hang clothes, I would choose clothes. People love walk in wardrobes as well!

If you plan to knock out a wall to create open plan living you must be very careful in a flat that it would meet building regulations for fire escape still, also you will need freeholder permission to change the layout.

Thanks for the reasoned and informative response, much appreciated. I definitely agree with not reducing the available floorspace in the second bedroom, it also has angled ceilings so fitting wardrobes wouldn't leave much head height. It's more suited to an office / games room / man cave / occasional guest room than a full-time second bedroom.

I intended to speak to the freeholder regarding the "improvements" I plan to make - I've been advised that since they are improvements, they should not reject my proposal without due cause, provided I pay for deed of variance etc.

For fire escape, I was planning to relocate the fire door from the current opening of the living room to slightly further back down the hallway, so it opens into the kitchen/living room. (I wish I could find the floor plans to illustrate this, it'd make more sense). It should still comply with regs as there will still be exactly the same number of fire doors between the kitchen and the rest of the property (one...). The exit is at the opposite end of the property, and has a further two fire doors; a small porch area and one into the communal area.

Thanks again

bobsmum

SPAM reported

burnoutbabe

Could you just remove the shower part of the ensuite to make a wardrobe? but leave loo and sink. Just having a loo would be fine with me for an ensuite, to save waiting when desperate.

You bought the place without spotting it had no storage so someone else would as well. Or just have hanging shelves for shirts at low level? like in the slope. DOes it need to be full length hanging?

rexmedorum

It's a tricky one removing the ensuite may lower the value but so would having nowhere to put your stuff. Would it be possible to add some racks/ drawer units to either the en-suite or main bathroom without removing the units?

If you do decide to rip out the en-suite I would suggest to leave the plumbing (with stop caps) rather than having it removed entirely.

Ashcameron

Hi. Just wondering if you did this and how it worked out. Planning on doing the same for my apartment. Thanks, Ash