6 beds 2 baths, or 5 beds 3 baths - would you convert one ?

bolwin1

Not really sure which forum to put this on - this seems the most appropriate.

We moved into an Edwardian 3 story semi-detached house earlier in the year. It has 6 beds (all decent sized), 2 bathrooms & a downstairs loo. My grown up daughter & her partner have the top floor. Mother-in-law lives with us & uses the en-suite.

I'm considering converting one of the bedrooms on the top floor into a bathroom. I've got various quotes & it will cost in the region of £10 - £12K. 

I think we'll be here for around 10 years, before moving to another part of the country to retire. The houses in the area / road are a real mix from 3 bed to 7 bed. Ours is middling in terms of space / value. 

I've highlighted the room we'd convert (partly as it's above other bathrooms, so the plumbing is less complicated). Due to the sloping roof, it's not possible to convert the storage areas on the top floor.

I'd be interested in peoples views at to whether a 5 bed 3 bathroom house is worth significantly less than a 6 bed, 2 bathroom house ? I'm happy to spend on the bathroom, but am a bit nervous in case it hits the value of the house too much. There's not enough local data on house sales for me to judge. Thanks in advance. 

Awakeatlast

Have you considered using the storage room?

GDB2222

Awakeatlast said:

Have you considered using the storage room?

He said that the sloping roofline makes that impossible. 

Doozergirl

There will be no price difference between 5 and 6 bedrooms.  It certainly won't detract from the value and after 10 years you will have had your valuable use of it.  

You're living there already, so you know what suits you.  

If someone wnated to take it out in the future, it's a darn sight cheaper than adding a bathroom in.    In our family, a third bathroom would be more valuable than a 6th bedroom.  

bolwin1

Doozergirl said:

There will be no price difference between 5 and 6 bedrooms.  It certainly won't detract from the value and after 10 years you will have had your valuable use of it.  

You're living there already, so you know what suits you.  

If someone wnated to take it out in the future, it's a darn sight cheaper than adding a bathroom in.    In our family, a third bathroom would be more valuable than a 6th bedroom.  

Thanks for the input - with 3 generations living in our house, the extra bathroom will certainly get a lot of use & that 6th bedroom is currently empty. 

GDB2222

It’s not at all obvious to me that a 5 bed will be as valuable as a 6 bed. It depends on the neighbourhood. In areas where there are very large families, or extended families, the extra bedroom might command a premium price. 

However, as Doozer says, it’s cheap to convert it back to a bedroom. So, if it does turn out that you have reduced the value significantly, you can just convert it back, and in the meantime you have had the obvious benefit of the extra bathroom. 

sew_what

Have you considered creating some kind of laundry provision on the top floor? That bedroom would create a relatively large bathroom & getting the washing machine out of the kitchen (or installing another) might be useful.

Ganga

How long will the daughter/partner and your mother in law be living with you ? you might not need the extra bathroom if they move out.

HHarry

Can you carve off some of the front bedroom along with the storage space to create a small bathroom and small bedroom / study?

Toilet could go under the slope, shower in a full height portion.

pmartin86

Stop worrying about what "Might or might not" affect the value in "maybe 10 years time" and think about what you want and need from the property. For me, staying there 10 years is a sizable chunk of your life and you should do what you need to be comfortable and happy, having 2 bathrooms (one shared) for 3 generations living in the same house seems utter madness - Convert the room that's "empty" into the bathroom and live your life. You mention 10-12k which over 10 years is 1k a year. or just under 20 quid a week. 20 quid a week to avoid the "oh, I need to queue for the toilet" or "I have to trudge down a flight of stairs at 3am just to wee" - Absolute no brainer.

rach_k

I'd change it to a bathroom.  I feel like the number of bathrooms in a house is a bigger determiner of how many people can live there permanently (and comfortably) than the number of bedrooms, as long as you're talking about sensible numbers of either.  There's a reason bunk beds are more common than doubling up on toilets in a bathroom!  

If you're worried about resale value, take some good photos of the room you'll convert with it set up as a bedroom, so if you come to sell and people would prefer it as a bedroom, you can show them what it'll look like.