Own room for child going secondary?

[Tobaiass22]

Currently in 2 bed leasehold flat. Considering splitting main room into 2 for my 2 children of same gender

Kids are similar age, soon to be yr 5 and yr 7 currently share a bedroom

Is it a good idea to pay the nearly 7k cost of splitting the room especially if I may need to return the room back to its original state if we sell in order to move

No immediate plans of moving but partner has mentioned wanting to move house to a 3 bed in near future but not sure our finances etc will allow that to happen in the nearest future

Do any of your kids share a room particularly if one in secondary, or is a bunk bed, separate wardrobes etc sufficient to save costs

I assume homework will be done in kitchen and they don't currently spend so much time in their rooms, mainly in garden/ living room at the moment

So is it worth the cost, will probably need to borrow against mortgage or personal loan for this and other home improvements I wish to make.

I wouldn't split the room for 2 kids of the same sex. Might be better to save it for the cost of a new place instead

No immediate plans of moving but partner has mentioned wanting to move house to a 3 bed in near future but not sure our finances etc will allow that to happen in the nearest future

your finances will even less likely allow
it of you spend 7k on something you might need to spend money on to revert.

I don't think it's necessary- save it towards a move.

Not at their age , no.

I wouldn't split the room if finances were tricky, or might be tricky.
But doing homework in the kitchen isn't ideal either. I would be encouraging the child to use homework club after school, or the local library.
Or can you give up your bedroom and get a bed settee to put in the living room - some natty storage ideas to be had on the internet...

You don't need to spend 1000's splitting a room. A simple curtain divide or a kallax unit down the middle could give them their own space.

But for same sex siblings I wouldn't worry that it's necessary.

My eldest is going up to secondary this year and shares a room with his brother who is 9. Tbh they both need their own space so I am sacrificing the playroom and rejigging where computers go etc. In your situation I don’t know that I’d spend 7k there are loads of good ideas on Pinterest on ways to subdivide a room I even looked at building a wall/ vestibule from everblock which is like giant Lego which could look cool and come down easily. It would of been around 2k all in including 2 doors.

@FlibbertyGiblets

What are you on about? Plenty of children have grown up doing their homework at the kitchen table.

I wouldn’t spend 7k on making changes to a property you don’t own. How much would it cost to revert it back?

That’s a good chunk towards a deposit for a larger place. Confused how you can afford £7k+ but not a larger place?

@Tobaiass22 no, I wouldn't spend £7k to divide a room in your situation. No way.

In your case I might give them the master bedroom if it is big enough so you could split it with a kallax unit with solid boxes to create a wall. Depending on how tall your Yr 7 is I might buy both the ikea High sleeper with wardrobe and desk included to give them more personal space. DD is 12 and 5 ft 8 and manages in her high sleeper, there's plenty of length it's just the low ceiling heights that are an issue, she just has to be careful when she sits up but she says it makes her feel cosy.

We have a mortgage on the place, for various reasons we are struggling to get into the next step of the property ladder due to affordability...I am equally confused about this

Also all of Dds homework in year 7 has been online, she just done it on the sofa on a lap desk with her laptop and hasn't even used her desk. Although she doesn't have any siblings to disturb her unless you count the cats trying to sit on top of the keyboard.

Why would you need to return it back if you own the place? Is there a clause in your lease?

leasehold usually just means you don’t own the land the building is on and must pay ground rent. The actual flat is your property.

i didn’t have to return a leashold flat into it’s original state. Sold it for more in fact as the change added value

I would personally, but why on earth would it cost 7 grand for a stud wall?

Oh sorry, ATadConfused I see that my ideal spot for study isn't the same as yours. Do feel free to ignore, OP.

Think I'd just divide the room up with units as suggested by PP rather than spend the money on building work that you think would need ripping out again in order for you to sell the property.

I did most of my homework before about 6th form on the dining table and I went on to uni and then did a PhD. I'm not sure why it's a bad thing.

We were quoted 6.5k based on lighting changes needing to be done, so each space has its own lighting, cost of materials and labour in London

Wow!

You dont need to spend that sort of money, use a massive wall to floor bookshelving unit, attached to the walls, floor and ceiling and fill it with cheap books from the charity shop, leave a space in it to walk through like a door, big thick curtain for the 'door' and put the curtain rail from the ceiling. That should block out noise and provide privacy

For same sex 9 and 11 put a big curtain up or a massive kallax. Save the 7k and add it to the house move fund!!

Put a lamp in each section

B & Q have very cheap room divider kits. It doesn't solve the problem of shared lighting though, I suppose.

It sounds like it’s a financial stretch so no I wouldn’t. Just make sure there is a quiet space for homework - he really needs a desk with a draw to keep things in his room, with the right to kick his bro out for homework hour if he doesn’t want to do it at the kitchen table. If that means buying bunk beds and a desk then do that as a priority.

obviously when you can move so the older one cAn have his own room then great.

Put a lamp in each section
And there we go, it was simple after all 😁