Need another bedroom, only option might be our ensuite, opinions please!

[cba]

ok, we are expecting baby number 4 in four weeks. We always thought that we would just convert the loft. But builders have been today and not as straight forward as we first thought, will probably end up costing alot more than we had intended due to supports etc...

We have several options

1. Our ensuite has been out of action for months now it is 11 feet long but only 5.5foot wide, would this do?

1. We have space on the side of the house which we have been thinking of extending on. This would give us an overall space of 31 feet by 15. Which could be split into two rooms, at the front a new bedroom for ds1 and the second a new playroom. This would then allow the current playroom to become dh office.

ds1 does have a large bedroomm 17 feet by 14 and have been tempted to put ds2 in with him but think it will cause more trouble than it is worth.

we have ds1 who is almost 9, ds2 7 and dd 4.

What would you do?

[Tortington]

bigger than most box rooms

[cba]

is it? that's encouraging. But would you get rid of your ensuite for it?

[Merrylegs]

Could you divided DS1s room up? A stud wall is really simple - (and easy to demolish if you wanted to change the layout later).

Depending on the room, you could either have an interconnecting door, or go for a kind of L shape divide with a little entrance lobby off which each room would have its own door.

[CarGirl]

won't the baby be in with you for a while? We always had to have dc sharing. The sharers get the biggest room. I'd put ds2 & dd together for now but in ds1 bedroom. Ds1 gets the smaller room, now he is older his "stuff" should be getting smaller?

[cece]

Why can't your DC share a bedroom? I think having access though your room is OK as a small child but not so private once the child is older

I would get a second opinion about the loft.

[Ponders]

11 x 5'5 is easily big enough for a single bedroom. (Your average 1930s semi has a 3rd "bedroom" barely 6' square.)

Or your big bedroom 17 x 14 would divide into 2 either 17 x 7 or 8'6 x 14 - again way bigger than most houses.

[cba]

car girl, yes baby will be in with us for a while. Will not be making hasty decsions.

ds1 stuff should be getting smaller but he is a fantastic drummer and has a huge kit!

[gemmiegoatlegs]

I would put ds 1 and 2 in the biggest room, and move the littlie into its own when the time comes. 7 and almost 9 aren't vastly different. as Merry says, you could always put up a stud wall.

what are the dc's temperaments like? are there two that get on particularly well?

[Ponders]

Or, as merrylegs says, with a tiny lobby (so one of the rooms is a couple of feet smaller in 1 dimension).

[CarGirl]

I made dd have an electric drum kit

[FiveGoMadInDorset]

I wouldn't get rid of ensuite with 4 kids, why can't your DS's share?

[cba]

cece, I am getting a second opinion on the loft on Monday evening. I just wondered if I was being a bit mad with the hormones worrying about such things

[cba]

the boys could share, but I think there will be times that they will be close to killing each other. They get on very well most of the time but they do differ greatly in there interests.

ds1 is very particular about his things and dosent like people messing.

[CarGirl]

ds1 loft bed in the smaller room, his essentials only in his bedroom, other 2 have the larger room?

With careful storage and ds1 input you may be surprised?

[cba]

think i will give it some real hard thought, see what other company says. Wait till baby here and see how we all go.

Could make the big bedroom into a big boy cool den??? Then look at it again in a few years time.

[noddyholder]

make the d/s playroom more of a den/homework zone with computer aswell as toys and maybe a small sofa bed for sleepovers so that the 2 sharing always have somewhere else to 'get away',

[CarGirl]

Ultimately dd could share with the baby?

I guess I just think it's very unfair that the oldest automatically gets the largest room. We very much allocate beds & rooms on works best for everyone regardless of age/birth position.

[cba]

i think i have lots to think about, and probably alot more options than I first thought.

Too much time on my hands waiting for new arrival, will prob be that sleep deprived when baby arrives I bet I wont even care!!

[GrendelsMum]

Could you put DS1 and DS2 in together, but with a room divider all the way down the middle so that DS1 feels that DS2 is not messing up his things?

My cousins had DS2 and DD sharing for years and years and years with a sort of homemade Japanese paper screen to turn the room into two.