Am I devaluing the house?

[SofiaGracee]

My partner and I just bought a five bedroom house. It was cheap and an absolute state and we’re renovating the entire property.

Upstairs (attic) has two bedrooms, one a good size and the other not so much. I want to turn that room into a bathroom with a feature bath (and have the bathroom downstairs with just a shower). Partner thinks losing a bedroom is crazy.

what’s not appealing.
5 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and ensuite
4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and an ensuite

(Ensuite is in the master bedroom on the first floor)

Second option 100%

Unless you have a large family, most people would prefer more bathrooms as four bedrooms is usually enough.

I suspect your partner is right, if you already have a bathroom and an en-suite (and a downstairs toilet??) I think a bedroom is likely more valuable than an additional bathroom, there is more versatility in it; bigger family, office, hobby room, etc etc. I would ask an estate agent for your area.

Of course it depends what the renovation is for, if it's for yourself and relatively long term, I would do what you want.

I hate cleaning bathrooms and would prefer an extra bedroom for office/hobby space.

You already have 2 bathrooms which is more than enough. I agree with your husband that you're devaluing.

I’d quite like to put in a garden office - but that’s a long way off as I definitely couldn’t afford it now.

Bathroom and ensuite ought to be plenty. Are you planning to stay there long term. What\s the size / ages of your dc?
(We have a bathroom and 2 shower rooms for our 5 bed. - 2 teenagers plus guests potentially)

Just adding the floor plan for reference.

We’re going to change the fifth bedroom to a large bathroom. It makes most sense for us as a family. Are you planning on staying in the house or selling it?

I’ve noticed there’s a lack of large houses with big rooms unless you have 5/6 bedrooms which not everyone wants. Some people have the money to buy a large house and want large, nice rooms but don’t necessarily need lots of bedrooms.

That being said, extra bedrooms do of course increase the value in most cases.

It would depend for me how long I was planning to stay there. A short period as a stepping stone - keep the 'value' of the extra bedroom. Longer term - I'd configure the space in the best way for my family to live there.

How long are you staying for. It can be put back to a bedroom. If you’re only staying a few years don’t do it. If you’re staying for the foreseeable do it. Make it the home you want, not just about value/

What are the dimensions of that room? If it was possible, I think I would half it and have a shower room and a home office.
I'd definitely add some form of toilet facility up there to save traipsing downstairs in the middle of the night

What’s the floor plans of the the other 2 floors? Often 3 story houses don’t have much extra room on the bottom floor so extra rooms upstairs are good for studies/teen hangouts etc

No dimensions on the plan so can’t judge scale, but can you add an en-suite to bedroom 4 or reconfigure the layout to include a bathroom for both bedrooms?
I do agree it’s good to have a bathroom (or at least a toilet) on the same floor as the bedroom. I would think twice about removing a bedroom completely,

Surely it depends on your family.

If you will have an au pair or an elderly relative to live with you, or a lodger, then turn it into a bathroom. That extra floor could earn you £750 a month tax free.

If you plan a lot of children or if you have a lot of house guests, then leave it as a bedroom.

The current bathroom is quite small. The plan is to knock it into one room and turn the WC room into a large shower. I just think it will look cramped with a bath in there too?

So hard to say whether it’s a long term home. I do want it to be, but I wouldn’t rule out moving if I got a better job.

If you're renovating to live in does it really matter about what future owners want? What do you want?

We bought a 5-bed that had been converted to a 4-bed. Doesn't seem to have made any difference to the price compared to other non-converted houses in the road.

I’d much prefer to make bedroom five into a cosy den/chill out space. Potentially with an office corner. It offers future buyers so much more potential.

We currently don’t have children. I am pregnant with my first but it’s very early days. We’d like 3 but I say that as someone who’s not experienced parenthood yet - so we could easily change our minds.

What was the fifth bedroom turned into?

We bought a 5 bedroom house to get the downstairs space so would have loved your idea. You could always market it as a 4/5bedroom 5th bedroom currently used as a bathroom if you come to sell.

5 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and ensuite
4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and an ensuite

I have family of five - we often have guest so 7 in house and have never wanted two bathrooms and an ensuite. We currently have a bathroom and downstairs shower room - toilets in both - works really well.

It probably does depend on bedroom proportions but office rather bathroom would IMO be more desirable. However it's your house and it needs to fit your lifestyle. I think 4 bed here add about 35K to house price as they are much rarer than 3 beds - 5 bed option and it's mostly a completely different type of house.

Next door extended for 4 like us and then put office in dormer loft conversation - they aren't selling it done up for them for their retirement but I don't think it would get much more than ours (4 bed) as their garden left is a small yard - so not a family friendly house IMO. 4 good sized bedrooms will probably be enough to sell house in future - though depends on the area's housing stock.

I don't think 4/5 are useful as bedrooms while they dont have a toilet on the same floor.

I'd view them as hobby office space only. From the floorplan it looks like it's crying out for an ensuite and could be a lovely guest suite for future grand parents to use.