AIBU to market this as a 4 bedroom house?

[MommaDuck]

Keeping this really simple, with an awful diagram…sorry!
I originally moved in to a 3 bed house, decent size living room and dining room. Very small kitchen.

I have now done some Reno work.

I have my 4 boys who are all upstairs- all bedrooms have had double beds, computers, wardrobes etc- good sizes. One room now has bunk beds instead of a double for little ones.

My room is now what was the old living room. Big room 3.5x3.5 fits my super king bed and fitted wardrobes etc. Has a double window that faces front garden (blinds and bushes for privacy).

Extension… old kitchen now utility area and downstairs shower and toilet (this is for me as boys have upstairs bathroom).

End of hallway is a large L shape kitchen/diner with living area (this is the old dining room).

So new kitchen diner is 6x6m has a large island 3x1.8m and a dining table that seats 8, plus room for a sofa down at bifold doors. So definitely big enough to be a kitchen/diner in its own right without being a squeeze.

The new living area- knocked the wall through so all open plan into kitchen/diner. A large sofa sits all 6 of us comfortably. Log burner, TV etc. a living room in its own right as well.

Now, I know how much mumsnetters have had to say when it comes to 3 bed houses marketed as a 4 bed when the fourth bedroom is tiny, or no window, or small skylight or is downstairs etc. Whilst the bedroom is downstairs, it is plenty big where it was the old living room, so surely size wouldn’t play a factor?

Husband says can absolutely market as 4 bed, as now has downstairs bathroom and the living area and new front room is all a completely separate space- I am unsure.

I know estate agent will market as 4 bed as they want to maximise their sale etc.

My floorplan drawing is shit… apologies. However, would you be pissed off if you came to view this marketed as a four bed- presumably you’d have seen the floor plan first? I don’t want to waste peoples time or drag it out.

You are not being unreasonable - Market as 4 bed.
You are being unreasonable- market as a 3 bed don’t waste people’s valuable time.

I actually think there’s a huge market for this type of house, people who need a 4th bed for frequent family visiting, an adult child off at uni, an elderly parent who lives with them and a bedroom on the ground floor suits them. It’s quite versatile. I think marketing it as a 3 bed will cut off a lot of those type of buyers who will discount it and not look at the floor plan. Marketing it as a 3/4 bed sorts this out. Most people know when they see 3/4 it usually means an extra room on the ground floor to be used as living space/ office/ another bedroom.

Whoops not sure all the photos went on

Hahaha I feel like we used the same company !!

There are loads of houses in London like this, which have been extended and what was the lounge is now a downstairs bedroom. Market it as a 4-bed, it's a very generous fourth bedroom and as you say, people will see the floorplan and realise one bedroom is downstairs.

Plus as pps have said, the downstairs room and shower will be a big plus point to some who have people visit who cannot manage stairs.

@MommaDuck can you add sliding doors so shut off the sofa bit as a Separate living room. Yes I know no windows but ,,,,,,,

It’s a lovely room, OP, and looks really comfortable. But I’d definitely want a separate space to work in, and for the kids to play loud games (not at the same time!). It looks like it works really well for your family and may well for others but it won’t be for everyone.

Then put

Massive kitchen diner living area all open planned but shuttered doors can give privacy to the living area where sofa is

Bedroom 4 / separate lounge

3 bedrooms upstairs

My childhood home was a three bed detached with an extra room downstairs which was originally meant to be a garage, but my parents,buying off plan had it made into a room and had a separate garage built. The room was used as a playroom, then a study/extra sitting room, then finally mum used it as a bedroom when she could no longer use the stairs. When the house eventually had to be sold it was marketed as 3/4 bedroom.

Actually I think adding doors would have resolved this issue. I’m still on its 4 bed.

Just putting a bed in a 2nd reception room doesn't make it a bedroom.

This can't be true - for instance, if you imagine this house has been split into flats, the ground floor would be a one-bed flat, and work well as that. Developers turn reception rooms into bedrooms all the time. However I agree that here the 3-4 bedroom solution makes sense, and if you have to pin it down, then 3-bed is the fairest option. The photos of the living space are very nice but it's still very much sofas in/off a big kitchen, which would not work for many families at all. We had an open plan living space when the kids were little but now put the walls back in and really, really glad of the separate spaces which make much more sense even for a family with 2 DC never mind more.

I agree it's a shame about the fitted wardrobes, they're the thing that put it in this grey area for people who might not see it as a 4-bed but then can't see it as a reception or don't want to do that work to remodel it. But it sounds like OP is in an area where she'll find a buyer relatively easily anyway so perhaps that's less of a concern than it might be elsewhere.

That is a 3 bed with an open plan kitchen/diner.

That sofa room isn't a separate living space.

The bedroom is the front room.

Well it’s defo a mixed bag.
But the general consensus is market as a 3 bed with an additional possible living space or fourth bedroom. This is what we will opt for. I think this is transparent and sensible!

I’m amazed about people who mentioned kids playing instruments and needing the separate space- we are very clearly from different demographics; neither my children nor any of my friends are wacking out a violin in the evenings or needing a music room for a piano 🤣 They might play three blind mice on a recorder at best for two weeks of the year as dictated by the year 2 curriculum, but after that the recorder would be binned due to my sensitive ears!!

Some of you hate open space… we’re very family-oriented and cooking whilst the kids are chilling and chatting to one another etc really works for us.

Take yesterday…. I was baking with my oldest, the little one was snuggled with Dad watching some TV, yet we all could still chat adhoc and it feels comforting. I am surprised at how many want a designated space for the kids to bugger off. That space for me is the kids bedrooms when they want computer time. When we’re downstairs we all want our family time. I completely get, each to their own though.

To those who think any room smaller than 3.5x3.5 should be a study, not a bedroom… so sorry we’re part of the peasant population over here. Once again, that does not fit the local demographic. To be able to fit a double bed in a bedroom here is certain to considered a good size room, not a study.

And to the poster who mentioned marketing it as a library room, thanks for the laughs you had me and DH howling. I actually love reading and have books on my nightstand, but that’s as fas as my “library” goes!

Thanks for the laughs Mumsnet! And the raw honesty as always! I appreciate the opinions and it’s really interesting to hear all sides.

Also sorry to those who would be “infuriated’ to open my listing as a 4 bed when it’s a 2 bed or 3 at best 🙈… fear not…. It’ll be marketed as a 3 bed!
I will defo come back an update and let you know what the consensus is from the viewings though, that’ll be interesting.

Entirely depends on who is buying at the end of the day. Your snug area would make a great ‘playroom’ as we could be in the kitchen and little ones playing and we can see them. So having the ‘empty space’ in the kitchen I would use for a dining table.

Families with young children often can’t/don’t want to have separate bedrooms on separate floors due to wanting to be near the children.

And funnily enough I read recently the ‘trend’ for closed off living rooms is coming back into fashion too. People liking a closed of area to retire to or not having kitchen noice and smells in the living room. And for me when the kids have their mates over I love them being grown level (so not all tucked in bedrooms) but also not ‘yelping’ whilst me and hubby are in the kitchen - or vice versa.

so again this will totally depend on who/what sort of family buys the house as to how they utilise the rooms.

for me I would be annoyed about the fitted wardrobes in the living room as I would have to rip them out,

For the kitchen?

Yes defiantly could. We were going to but I wanted to keep it open so we can all socialise when in the different parts. You could have glass doors and still there would be light from the skylight and bifolds.

No, it's not a 4 bedroom house. The only time I think it's just about okay to market a house as having an extra downstairs bedroom is if the garage has been converted to a bedroom and ensuite or a room built on the side of the house specifically to be a bedroom and ensuite. - the other side of the hallway.You don't have enough rooms downstairs. People like two reception rooms because they work from home or want a playroom - not to all live in one room. Even if the lounge can be separated, it has no window and still only leaves a kitchen diner.

I think this is a really fair point. The youngest is now 8, so we don’t have lots of toys as such and games tend to be weekend family games. But I think for a family with tiny children a separate space for toys etc might be better. Although it would be nice to be able to cook and prep stuff whilst being able to keep an eye on little ones playing. So maybe they could use our now bedroom as the family lounge and then our current front room as a play room.

for me I would be annoyed about the fitted wardrobes in the living room as I would have to rip them out,

Could they not be converted to open shelves?

I wonder if those saying 3 bed don't need 4 bedrooms. We have 4 kids as well and would definitely consider a house with a downstairs bedroom. Or people could use as a guest room/study.

Fwiw - this is why I wish houses were priced by square metres rather than number of bedrooms. People should pay for size and then choose themselves how they want to use that space.

My biggest pet peeves is when a bungalow is marketed as 4 bedrooms and the only other rooms in the property are a kitchen and bathroom.

Put it on the materials as 3/4 bed

I see it as a three bed.I don’t think it has anything to do with the amount of living space downstairs, it’s more about the extra room would usually be seen as a dining room, another sitting room, study etc because of where it is. Of course in actuality any room can be what you want it to be but I think people would see it as general living space rather than a potential bedroom. Although it does offer that flexibility which would no doubt be mentioned in the estate agents blurb.

People are hung up over these built in wardrobes. Relax. My husband built them and could easily remove them within a morning.
In fact he is such a nice person if a potential buyer really wanted the space as a living space he would probably even offer to rip them out for them before we moved.
He purposefully kept a void behind the wardrobes so the wall remains in tact and wouldn’t need plastering. Furthermore, they’re a lovely little surprise fireplace behind them too.

You plan is fine but I can't work it out personally if there is no window I would not call it a bedroom

Not sure if there is council requirements on this?

This is what I would do, - market it as 3/4 bedrooms, and label the downstairs room as dining room/bedroom 4 on the plan.

It is fine, imo, as long as you are honest.