Interior layout change

Lozzers84

Hello

Newbie here looking for some advice.

We are looking at buying a property with an interior layout that would need changing as it has an internal bedroom that you have to walk through to access the master. We don't mind losing the room as it's only really useful for storage. We think it would be possible to reconfigure this into a corridor with an ensuite and some storage and make the existing bathroom bigger at the same time. This would involve moving doors and knocking down some small portions of wall as well as adding some walls.

The ensuite would be nearly above the ground floor loo so we hope that would mean connections/drainage would not be too complex! Also the ensuite would have no windows so would probably need some sort of ventilation. I assume these are things that may cost more, rather than not be possible?

I have pics showing current and proposed layout but as a new user I'm not able to post links 😕

Probably a big ask but is anyone able to provide any advice on if this would be doable and anything else we need to consider. Do our proposals seem workable? Any very rough ballpark idea of costs? I am wondering what the worse case costs might be. We have a reasonable budget but my experience of these things is severely lacking and don't want to let myself in for significantly more than I bargained for.

Aware the best thing would be to get a builder to look but not sure I'll be able to arrange that....

Any thoughts gratefully received!!!

SmashedAvacado

You’re about to make the biggest purchase you’ve ever made. Find time to get a builder to take a look (or someone with experience)

What you’ve said will be possible (there’s always a way) but the cost would vary and depend on what you have in situ

da_rule

As has been said, it’s going to be pretty much impossible for anyone to advise you on here, even with seeing plans.

There are too many variables, such as, are the walls structural, do they contain pipes/cables that’ll need to be redirected, is the property listed, what are the layout of the waste and water pipes (are they going to be easy to connect into).

Also, if you are buying with a mortgage then you may need to consult your lender. You may find that making a 4 (for example) into a 3 bed with a bigger bathroom an en-suite makes the property worth less.

Owain_Moneysaver

A bedroom that you have to walk through to get to another bedroom might not be classed as a bedroom anyway.

However if you already have a downstairs loo and a bathroom, adding an en-suite might not add value (or convenience) and you might be better making the corridor and using the existing space as a smaller single bedroom or as a study.

Post a rightmove link (omitting the https://www.rightmove.co.uk part as a newbie) and people can see it - presumably there is a floorplan there.

Lozzers84

Thanks for your replies. Really do appreciate its difficult to know without seeing. But getting a builder to be interested when we don't own it yet is proving a bit of a challenge! I guess maybe I need to offer to pay for it as a service rather than get a quote.

Rightmove
/s6p/60566844

It's marketed as 3/4 bed at the moment but I really don't think it could be used as an actual bedroom. Our idea would be to run a corridor down the left hand side of the internal room and have ensuite and storage on the right hand side. We'd be looking to various other improvements too but this is the one I am most unsure about.

davidmcn

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-60566844.html

Mojisola

Why not turn bedroom 4 into a proper bedroom and convert bedroom 3 into a corridor and ensuite? All the plumbing would be on the right side of the house, next to the current bathroom.

Lozzers84

We didn't think that would work because bedroom 4 has no window... And it's on the connected side of the semi...

Owain_Moneysaver

A lot is going to depend on whether you can take the dividing wall between bedrooms 3 and 4 flush back to the walls on each side, or if you have to leave buttresses to support a lintel over the opening.

Presumably you're thinking of something like this



As an option I've put in a diagonal wall which I think will improve the middle bedroom.

As an alternate, if you put the ensuite door on the corridor wall like this



then you have a choice of putting the bedroom door where the red line is, or the blue line is, to have the room en-suite with the bedroom or separate. This gives the option of removing the en-suite and having it back as a study/boxroom.

Also, you might be able to take a skylight up to the roof, or at least a sun-pipe for natural light.

Lozzers84

Thanks Owain, yes your first option is pretty much spot on what we were thinking!

Also like the sun pipe idea too! I assume we could put in ventilation through the roof too.

Good point re taking the wall back, I would guess we may need lintels at the doorway to the master as I think that was the original external wall... Again based on no actual knowledge of how these things work.

Doozergirl

The ventilation can go out through the roof.

A sun-pipe is a bit of a waste of money. There's no need to have natural light in an ensuite, just spend the money making it lovely. Imagine a typical hotel bathroom - they don't have windows!