to knock down a wall in this flat, thinking it won't devalue it

[ditziness]

Seen a flat I want to buy, it's very cheap in a nice area. Ex council, needs plenty modernising. Was an old lady's flat. All in good nick tho, three beds, central heating, double glazed. Only problem is it has a little kitchen, and we wanted a larger one . The large master bedroom is next door, and we are thinking that we could knock the wall down And create a large open kitchen/living room/ dining room. There's an old chimney breast in there too we could reinstate, have a wood burner, and make the room the main living space. The use the current living room as the master bedroom ( also has a fire in it) and then have two extra bedrooms.

Am i being unreasonable, thinking that wouldn't devalue the property? Friends have warned against it, saying that we'd be losing a bedroom and knocking money off the house.

I've put a floor plan on my profile, along with two floor plans for two bedrooms in the same area that are valued at the same amount as the one i'm considering.

hmmm... aibu?

thanks everyone. this is all very very interesting. Just thinking again, what about taking away about half the wall at the window end and making an archway thru to living space, where a table could be between the windows? Gets good morning light there. Would create a kitchen area, that opens up into a dining area by the window and then thru into the living room. Maybe leave the door then?

I can cope with small bedrooms, as all I do in the bedroom is sleep and watch tv, and a flat screen can be put on the wall.

I can not cope with small kitchens, I love to cook so that would be a major selling point to me

I dont like the current trend to have a kitchen in the main living space.

Open plan living might suit young professionals who never do more than make a sandwich in the kitchen part but with a young family it would be a royal pain.

i think for our use, we have two young kids (3 yr old ds and baby dd) who just now can share the second bedroom, and it'd also big enough to be their playroom, as it's a large double. the third bedroom would then be a multi purpose spare room with a sofa bed, so kind of another living room, but also a guest room and office/hobby room. then when the kids get too big to want to share we'd either partion their room, give one of them the spare room or think about moving to a bigger place if that's possible/appropriate. So we wouldn't want to make the house difficult to sell or less likely to grow in value

You need to check With building regulations. Also you need to line the whole chimney to put in a wood burning stove. Are you sure that the chimney is intact all the way to the roof?

How do I check with building regulations?

All the home report says about the chimneys is that "Consideration should be given to venting fireplaces where blocked.". The sellers told us that they were intact. How do i find out these things? I really am a novice!

As this is a flat, it will be a leasehold property.

Would agree with the previous posters who have advised you to CHECK THE PROVISIONS OF THE LEASE.

If you don't then this could cause you all manner of problems when you come to resell the property.

Loacl authority can advise on building regs.

You need to ask your surveyor to check on chimney. Do you know if the neighbours above or below use the chimney?

Even if they use it for a gas fire you will still need to line it for wood burning

I suspect you won't know for defined until you buy the property and open up the fireplace so it can be checked

thank you kristina!

and apparently because we're in scotland it's definitely freehold. but will check building regs and such like. thank you!

Remember in scotland you can't START any work until you have a building warrant.

If you've time you could ask a few estate agents their opinion on whether the changes you would like to make would add or subtract value - we've done the same for a possible extension to our place, and they've been quite happy to do so.

Have to say I utterly hate open plan living room/kitchens and the developers who carve up perfectly good flats to make them. I don't like having cooking smells and washing machine noise in my living space, and you can never get away from anyone

I am hoping the tide will turn soon on this trend.

OP, do it if the space will be livable for you, but bear in mind if you get a buyer who feels the way I do they will only ever see your flat as a two bed with a large kitchen diner, because they will want to have separate living space.

It does look small on that plan for a room you would be spending all your time in.

Sounds like you'd be best chatting with the surveyor about all this.

For starters is it a supporting wall ?

I would do it personally - but only to create a two-bed flat with a lovely big kitchen. No way would I be able to live with that size "living area". Are you sure two sofas and a TV would even fit in that room along with a dining table for 4?

Just a possible thought - is the current sitting room big enough to divide into two single bedrooms? I can see it's got two windows but I can't quite read the measurements. That way you could have the big kitchen diner as you've planned, the two rooms nearest the front door would become a living room and a master, and the current living room would become two DC rooms. They'd be small, and access for the farther room might need a bit of thought, but they'd be private.

Check the lease you can not just start knocking down walls just becauwe you have bought the flat as ou do not own the building. I can not even add air bricks into my walls I have to get permission it's a small private block it can come back on you should there be any problems

oops posted too late

Went to see it again today and I think I agree that it's too wee to be a living room too. Arses. What to do? It's a great price in a really great location! But I really wanted a table in the kitchen!!

I can't make out the sizes on the floor plan - how big is the existing kitchen? Could you live with smaller bedrooms - have the two bedrooms near the door as beds 1 and 2, turn the existing kitchen in to bed 3 and turn what I think is the current master in to your kitchen diner? And leave the existing living room as it is?

If you wanted to you could put glass or sliding doors between the rooms so it can be open plan if you want it?

I would use one bedroom as a dining room without knocking down the wall - then you can still sell it as a 3 bed.

It looks to me that this flat is really a 2-bed, with the dining room being claimed as bed 3. Its location is wrong for a bedroom,and the ratio between living and sleeping spaces is wrong. Is there any sign that thewre was previously a serving hatch between these rooms?

Anyway, I think you should make sure you are paying a price more in line with a 2bed flat in that area then a 3-bed, whatever you decide to do (and I do like your idea of knocking through the kitchen and the old dining room into a large kitchen / diner.

i lived in an open plan flat in London and the thing I found v annoying was that when the dishwasher or washing machine were on, you couldn't hear the TV. I think it's a good flat, but what I would do is put an arch between the kitchen and dining room and keep the living room as a living room, and just use it as a 2 bed. You have 2 very good sized bedrooms there.

Ooh I think Statistically has cracked it - as long as the water services can be piped across. One DC will have a small bedroom, but that's the only disadvantage.

How easy is it to move water and gas and drainage? I had considered that, but I thought it would likely be prohibit ably expensive and complicated

Not that bad really, and compared to knocking down walls probably easier.NEatest way is to go under floorboards but can be done surface mounted too then just box in. I would be surprised if it is cheaper to knock down wall.