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AIBU?

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Original poster

Splitting a room

93 replies

bardos · 26/08/2023 08:16

Not really an AIBU but WWYD.

We are moving house soon, I will attach a picture. What I would like to do is split the bigger room into two so my children can have their own rooms.

The door would have to be inside the rooms to maximise on space and as there is no where in the hall to put another door.

Has anyone done similar and can advise on cost and whether you think it would give decent sized rooms? I've measured it out on the floor but I'm struggling to visualise the space as a room and whether they are going to feel really tiny.

Thanks in advance

OP posts:
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23
Newdoggo · 26/08/2023 08:57

I'd do this so you have 2 double rooms and a smaller room like a traditional 3 bed

Splitting a room
Maybethisisit · 26/08/2023 08:57

We had a similar room layout and two boys, we currently have a split with furniture where they have back to back wardrobes as a ‘wall’ with one walking through the first room to get to theirs. It worked fine when younger but no longer works and we are just measuring up for a different solution that gives each a completely separate room with entrance so if you can I would suggest just doing that straight away. As teens the one who has to walk through seems incapable of doing so without annoying the other. We are lucky enough to have a cupboard outside which we are going to use for the second access but only one window at the minute so need to sort that out first.

Counciltelly · 26/08/2023 08:56

You can pop a bit more of the landing into each room if you’ve the space for door frame etc. but you need to lay this out to see if feels like room enough before you decide

Splitting a room
Original poster
bardos · 26/08/2023 08:55

Thank you everyone for the advice. I think we'll go with creating a lobby so they have completely separate rooms. The suggestions for using bunk beds is good, but I know that they would just destroy each others rooms and cause arguments which is why I wanted to split in the first place as my 5 yo is starting to want space away from 2 yo. 5 yo also goes to bed a bit later so bedtimes can sometimes be difficult so separating completely will make family life easier on us all

OP posts:
DéjàMoo82 · 26/08/2023 08:52

@BarrelOfOtters I was about to suggest the same thing! Bunk bed room dividers are a good solution. It splits the room in two so they have their own space to personalise and get into bed on different sides, so it doesn't feel like traditional bunk beds. But if you don't fancy that, then I think splitting the room into two box rooms would be fine.

SD1978 · 26/08/2023 08:51

I'd do it as cheap as possible, given the ages, and then you have to work out, and save, for a more permanent solution where you don't have to have the door in one of the bedrooms, given they are so young, and this is the long term home, you've got time to save for a more long term,solituion when they need and ask for more privacy

MossGrowsFat · 26/08/2023 08:49

I'm too slow 😆

whoopwhoo · 26/08/2023 08:49

Not sure what tye cupboard off room two is. But could it become an entrance.

Splitting a room
TerrorAustralis · 26/08/2023 08:49

A temporary measure would be to put two wardrobes down the middle, with one facing each way. Cover the back side of each wardrobe with posters.

I did this when I shared a room with my sister and the fighting got too much. We each had our own space and meant that I wasn’t constantly pissed off with her slovenliness in my space.

MossGrowsFat · 26/08/2023 08:49

Excuse my amazing editing attempts.

I would have smaller rooms but complete privacy if you are staying there. Stud walls are easy to remove if you sell in the future. Look at ikea for space saving

Splitting a room
jeaux90 · 26/08/2023 08:48

And you get rid of the landing door to the lobby.

Original poster
bardos · 26/08/2023 08:47

I'm thinking something like this? I would rather not have to change the other room as we will be living there while doing the work

Splitting a room
OP posts:
jeaux90 · 26/08/2023 08:47

Like this

Splitting a room
Iwantmyoldnameback · 26/08/2023 08:47

Could you take a bit off the other bedroom to square it off?

OhNoForever · 26/08/2023 08:45

bardos · 26/08/2023 08:36

Would anyone be able to give me a rough idea on how much it would be to create either of the options? One stud wall with a door or a lobby with two doors. We would be able to do the work ourselves

I would wait til you can afford to split properly. They won't be bothered right now, or you could split with a kallix.

bettytaghetti · 26/08/2023 08:44

Take out existing door and do this?

Splitting a room
TheOldDays · 26/08/2023 08:43

bardos · 26/08/2023 08:30

This is where I am thinking to add a door so it would be internal to both rooms but means we don't have to make one room shorter. There is currently two windows and two radiators so that's something we wouldn't have to worry about. There is only one light so we would have to put new lights in

Rather than splitting with an adjoining door, I’d suggest making a small corridor just inside the existing door

Remove the existing door entirely
Put in another wall horizontally approx where your have marked the potential door.

They then both get private rooms.
This does mean the new corridor is dead space, but there would be similar dead space to allow entry to the joining door

BarrelOfOtters · 26/08/2023 08:42

how about this sort of arrangement? With no extra door. Seen it work really well…

Splitting a room
TerrorAustralis · 26/08/2023 08:41

AndIKnewYouMeantIt · 26/08/2023 08:37

You need a separate entrance if you stay there long term. My best friend's older brother had to walk through the younger brother's room to get to his and they constantly fell out over it from ages 10 and 13 onwards.

I think it depends on the relationship between the siblings. My older sisters had a similar set up during their teenage years and it worked fine for them. The one that tended to go to bed earlier had the end room.

Newmumatlast · 26/08/2023 08:40

If its just a stud wall it can be easily removed so I'd go for it as you plan and if it doesn't work when they are older you can amend. But they may actually not mind

jeaux90 · 26/08/2023 08:39

@bardos I did this recently materials were 700 gbp and I did it myself. If you are getting someone in to do it, it should take them no longer than a week up to plastering (although I didn't plaster mine fully you don't need to if you plan on wall papering the partitions)

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 26/08/2023 08:39

Would this not work better? Makes rm2 very small but doable for the 2yo. Other child then has left side new room and you and dh have right side new room.

Long term I'd look to put in combi boiler downstairs so the water tank could go and free up more landing g.

Splitting a room
AndIKnewYouMeantIt · 26/08/2023 08:37

You need a separate entrance if you stay there long term. My best friend's older brother had to walk through the younger brother's room to get to his and they constantly fell out over it from ages 10 and 13 onwards.

Feelinglow27 · 26/08/2023 08:37

You could look into getting your boiler replaced to a combi then you wouldn't need the tank. See if your gas company have any offers. I got mine upgraded for about 2k but could pay the cost off interest free for up to 5 years.

Aprilx · 26/08/2023 08:37

bardos · 26/08/2023 08:34

Just to add we are planning on staying here long term as everything else about the house is perfect, so being able to move in the future isn't an issue

You don’t know what curveball life will throw at you. It really isn’t wise to devalue your house like this, you need to do the lobby, you are cutting corners. And even if you stay there, it is not fair on one child, they will be subjected to intrusions by the other child plus all their visiting friends.

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