would it be sensible to erect a wall?

mi-key

Emily_Joy said:

mi-key said:

The only problem I can see there is that the new 'room' between the bedroom and office is going to be very dark as it has no windows. Would also be quite small ( about 3x2m main space?  ) and as you would need access to the office you can't really use it for much as you could only put things up against the edges

Perhaps I am not being clear, let me try again.  The new "room" you are referring to would be a hallway, not a room.  The idea was to separate a part of the current sitting area from the staircase so that staircase leads to the hallway and to create a bedroom this way. There are three bedrooms on the second floor. Then the office wouldn't be used in the morning so that bathroom can be used by habitants of the two bedrooms upstairs that do not have a bathroom.

At the same time, if an elderly relative comes to stay for a week or so, s/he can have entire first floor to herself - that would be a bedroom, a day room, and a bathroom.

Is it a modern 'town house' ? I have a few friends who live in them and  they often seem to have quite strange layouts 

Emily_Joy

mi-key said:

Is it a modern 'town house' ? I have a few friends who live in them and  they often seem to have quite strange layouts 

Yep. Built in 2020 to fit the style of Georgian houses on the street which are about three or two times more expensive But there seem to be a shortage of interior designers/engineers in the area. This is used to be a little house from 1830s:

mi-key

Emily_Joy said:

mi-key said:

Is it a modern 'town house' ? I have a few friends who live in them and  they often seem to have quite strange layouts 

Yep. Built in 2020 to fit the style of Georgian houses on the street which are about three or two times more expensive But there seem to be a shortage of interior designers/engineers in the area. This is used to be a little house from 1830s:

Wow now that is a terrible layout !!! What were they thinking. I hope they have plenty of strong lighting in it 

Emily_Joy

mi-key said: Wow now that is a terrible layout !!! What were they thinking. I hope they have plenty of strong lighting in it 

Well, in principle one can kick the kitchen out from the first floor and put a bathroom there. Get rid of the existing shower room on the first floor and extend the bedroom. Get rid of the maze in the extension of the ground floor and put a new kitchen there. Remove the wall between the kitchen and the lounge, and get a lovely sitting area with a log burner. Oh, yes, and also move the wall with the little sink on the ground floor to make space for a wardrobe in the hall!

Any ideas about the quote?

mi-key

Emily_Joy said:

mi-key said: Wow now that is a terrible layout !!! What were they thinking. I hope they have plenty of strong lighting in it 

Well, in principle one can kick the kitchen out from the first floor and put a bathroom there. Get rid of the existing shower room on the first floor and extend the bedroom. Get rid of the maze in the extension of the ground floor and put a new kitchen there. Remove the wall between the kitchen and the lounge, and get a lovely sitting area with a log burner. Oh, yes, and also move the wall with the little sink on the ground floor to make space for a wardrobe in the hall!

Any ideas about the quote?

The quote would be big for that ! Probaby more than is worth doing if you could find a house that is already a better layout that doesn't need the work doing ( unless the house was VERY cheap ). Looking at the pics it is basically a standard 3 bed / 2 reception 1900s ish terrace that has been messed around with a lot.

Normally the downstairs study and bedroom would be the bathroom and small kitchen, then one large master bedroom upstairs and two smaller ones. It's a pretty standard layout for lots of 3 bed terraces that were built around that time. The original back wall would be where the front wall of the lobby is now ( often a lean to sort of extension on the back )

mi-key

I am wondering if at some point in the past they had split the house to be used as two dwellings? Maybe two relatives sharing it or similar Would make sense why it has two bathrooms, which is unusual on a property that size and also the upstairs kitchen.

Emily_Joy

mi-key said:

I am wondering if at some point in the past they had split the house to be used as two dwellings? Maybe two relatives sharing it or similar Would make sense why it has two bathrooms, which is unusual on a property that size and also the upstairs kitchen.

Nope. It was rented to 3 international PhD students (a couple and a girl).

Emily_Joy

The floor plan is below. The house has the smallest radiators I have ever seen in my life. The entire lounge/kitchen area has only one radiator - under the window in the lounge. The sitting area has two radiators - one under the window and another one on the right wall. The window opposite the balcony is also in fact a balcony. The reception room also has one radiator. Each of the bedrooms has a radiator which are for some reason about 40cm by 40cm only. I don't know how they got EPC C for this house, honestly. There is "smart system" controlling the heating, but I am not sure it makes it EPC C.

casper_gutman

The only way I can make sense of that is to swap the areas over on the first floor so the bathroom leads off the sitting area. I suppose the balcony (if that's what it is) makes more sense if it leads off the sitting area, but otherwise this seems to make more sense to me. If the space - and budget - allows, the new bedroom could be subdivided to give a study or small bed/box room with a door at the top of the stairs, or perhaps an en suite (so the users of the new bedroom aren't forced to use the bathroom if the upstairs reception room is in use).

The new wall can be positioned to subdivide the space as required. The main thing is for the stairs and bathroom to be accessed from the same "public" half of the first floor so that the other half becomes suitable for "private" use.

sugar-walsh

The layout isn't great, and I would only buy of planning on staying a while because I'd want to do something generally considered a bad move... 
If this was mine i would turn bedrooms 2 and 3 into an ensuite (make bed 3 a bathroom). I would then turn the reception/bed into bed 3 and use the sitting room as an office/lounge/spare room (whatever you would usually use a spare room for). I'd avoid putting the dark corridor in that you have planned. 
Frankly though, I'd keep looking, it seems a dysfunctional layout.