Help needed with bathroom/bedroom renovation and how it will effect property value

grinterl

Hello,
We are a family of 4 living in a two double bedroom flat in Bristol, UK. Currently we have 2x bathroom, family/master en-suit bathroom.
I want to turn the family bathroom into a single third bedroom for my son and have a cloak room toilet fitted in the hallway.
My Dad is a plumber and has said he will cap the plumbing in the bathroom and hide the pipes so that if when we sell and we need to it can be turned back to a bathroom.
This renovation would turn us into a 3 x bedroom (2 Double, 1 single), 1 x en-suite bathroom and 2 x toilets top floor flat in the city centre.
Is this likely to add value, or is the fact that people can only wash in the en-suite a big problem?
After all there will be a guest loo in the hallway...
I can't have a 2 year old and a 10 year old sharing a bedroom for much longer :rotfl:

Many thanks, Lois

kinger101

It won't add value. Nobody wants a house in which the only bathroom is an en-suite. It will reduce the value as (a) people will factor in the cost of converting the bathroom back and (b) you'll get fewer viewings.

But that's not a reason to not do it. If it works for your family, go ahead and change it back when you're ready to sell. Changing the house to suit you means you don't have to move now.

Doozergirl

kinger101 wrote: »

It won't add value. Nobody wants a house in which the only bathroom is an en-suite. It will reduce the value as (a) people will factor in the cost of converting the bathroom back and (b) you'll get fewer viewings.

But that's not a reason to not do it. If it works for your family, go ahead and change it back when you're ready to sell. Changing the house to suit you means you don't have to move now.

Couldn't put it any better

Owain_Moneysaver

The proposed work would not be allowed by Building Regulations. It is not permitted to pass through a bedroom to get to a bathroom, unless that bathroom is an en-suite only for the use of the associated bedroom.

Doozergirl

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

The proposed work would not be allowed by Building Regulations. It is not permitted to pass through a bedroom to get to a bathroom, unless that bathroom is an en-suite only for the use of the associated bedroom.

New one on me, although it's unorthodox and I've never wanted to try it. Who dictates what qualifies as a bedroom?

Could you provide the relevant link, please?

mangog

The proposed work would not be allowed by Building Regulations. It is not permitted to pass through a bedroom to get to a bathroom, unless that bathroom is an en-suite only for the use of the associated bedroom.

I've lived in several Victorian terraces where this is the case - it's pretty normal round here! But presumably this law only applies to new bathrooms?

JuzaMum

Could you take the en suite out and then split the large bedroom into two for the kids and you have bedroom 2?
Alternatively could the en suite be altered so it is accessible from the hallway?
Losing the family bathroom would make the property a lot harder to sell.
Before I bought my house the bathroom had been made into a bedroom (albeit a small bedroom) and another larger bedroom split into a smaller bedroom and small bathroom giving an extra bedroom.
It's hard to see the possibilities as I don't know the layout of your flat.

need_an_answer

If the flat is leasehold check that the lease permits alterations, many don't.

In my mind all you are doing is rejigging for your own convenience it wont necessarily add any value when you come to sell,and actually if you have broken lease terms you will almost certainly need to change the configuration back before attempting to sell

A top floor flat is never going to be particularly desirable to a family to move into both in terms of space and accessibility so you would be making changes that would really only benefit your particular situation at the moment.


Would it not be better in the long run to be looking to move rather than try to "improve" what you have?
Space will only get much tighter as your children grow and I cant imagine that the bathroom that is to become your sons bedroom will be very accommodating to a growing lad!

grinterl

We don’t reallt want to change walls because then it would mean loosing our big built in wardrobes. I think the idea that we change it for is to live here longer then put it back is best. My dad and brother are plumbers so they’ll do all the work!
Thanks

grinterl

Thanks ‘need an answer’
The flat is actually really big. It’s bigger than our two bedroom terrace we had before.
And it’s only 3 levels to the building.
I’m going to just alter it for my family, the bathroom is big (one of the reasons I was like who needs a bathroom this big and an ensuite?)
Save money on not putting in a WC and just let the kids/guests use ours.
Then in 5/6 years when we move ask my dad or brother both plumbers to put it back in.
Dads going to leave all the pipe work capped off he said.

Thanks all!

Owain_Moneysaver

Doozergirl wrote: »

New one on me, although it's unorthodox and I've never wanted to try it. Who dictates what qualifies as a bedroom?

Could you provide the relevant link, please?

3.12.4 Access to sanitary accommodation

Where an apartment is intended for use solely as a bedroom, it is considered a private space. To ensure that privacy can be maintained, the only accessible sanitary accommodation in a dwelling should not be en suite, reached through such an apartment.

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Building/Building-standards/techbooks/techhandbooks/th2017domcomp

Scottish Standards; English are similar.