Help with potential reconfiguring of flat

Darren2607

Hi,
This is my first post, so apologies if it is in the wrong place. But I would welcome some opinions.

I have a reasonably large '3' bedroom flat in zone 2 London. It's 1200ft, but not particularly well configured so I am wondering if I could improve this and add value.

2 of the bedrooms are big doubles, but the 3rd is an internal room with no window. It's still a decent size, and works well for us as a nursery. It could also be used as a single room or office.

The main bedroom has a walk through wardrobe area to an ensuite. It takes up a alege proportion of the overall floorspace What we are wondering is whether we can reconfigure the walk through wardrobe into another room. I believe it is big enough to be good as another single room, nursery or office. The main room is also big enough that I don't think it would feel small after the change. This would give us 4 rooms.

Trouble is 2 of those rooms would then be internal rooms with no windows. It would also mean we lose the en suite, but we move the door and it becomes a communal bathroom.

I am not sure whether this would end up adding value? What do people think?

davidmcn

We could do with a floorplan to make sense of this. But from a building regs point of view, there's little you can do with "rooms" which have no window or mechanical ventilation - and I doubt buyers etc will ascribe much value to what are effectively walk-in cupboards.

babyblade41

Yes a floorpan would be easier to see, but for me I'd prefer the original layout .

By making it a 4 bed, 2 with no windows I'd struggle to see why anyone would want them. Hobby rooms need natural light and wouldn't want a child with no natural light either

novelty-socks

Have I got this right? You're intending to create a house that has 4 'bedrooms', but only two of those bedrooms will actually have windows?

Don't take this the wrong way, but it sounds to me like the kind of desperate strategy dodgy landlords resort to in order to cram more people in to house.

If you can find a way to make more windows then maybe this is doable. Otherwise, forget it.

Darren2607

Ok, thanks for your replies. I would prefer a study for work rather than a large walk through wardrobe, but I can see why it wouldn't necessarily be desirable for buyers hence my question. Good to get a sense check

Fire_Fox

Welcome to MSE.

Are there similar size/ type flats in your area or a similar area? What layout changes have been made? What are those flats worth?

See the Planning Portal for current Building Regulations. Proper ventilation and fire safety are particularly important. Internal windowless rooms are not habitable spaces (may be hallway/ bathroom/ laundry or utility cupboard/ walk-in wardrobe).

Read your long lease carefully to see which alterations require the written consent of your freeholder or their managing agent (usually anything structural or affecting the fabric of the building).

Failing to do any of this could make your flat unsaleable until you reverse the changes. :eek:

Consider creative/ bespoke vertical storage systems alongside modest layout changes to free up space.

snilloct1957

Before you undertake any building work, you need to get the leaseholder's permission to reconfigure the layout of the flat, particularly if you want to take down a structural wall. Talk to him/her first, and your neighbours to see if they have had work done in their flat. Do you have access to the roof space? You may be able to extend upwards and build a dormer bedroom with an ensuite.

Wanderingpomm

You need a 2nd bathroom/loo for 3 bedrooms: and you can’t count large cupboards as bedrooms! Any chance of adding a skylight or light tunnel?

cattie

Most ea's or surveyors wouldn't describe such spaces without windows as bedrooms. At best they would be considered hobby/study rooms so your flat would be considered 2 beds with 2 hobby/study rooms & wouldn't add much to price compared to adding actual bedrooms with some source of natural light.

SmashedAvacado

OP - do you own the loft space? If so, and this is two low to convert then one option is to take out the entire loft so you have a vaulted ceiling in the rooms and then you can put skylights in the rooms that dont otherwise have a window. Obviously if you don't own the loft or if you have a loft with enough ceiling height to convert then there's probably a better option.