Looking for some advice re fitting in a temporary 3rd bedroom

[EsmeWeatherwax]

I live in a 2 bedroom semi, having dc3 next year, who is of the male persuasion, and I already have 2 girls. I can't afford to move at the moment, and indeed, I don't want to, my street is lovely, and I have great neighbours. Eventually I will convert my loft, but as I am being mrs sahm for the next few years, its a bit out of bounds at the moment.

My front bedroom is 15 ft x 10'8, with two windows, do you think it would be possible to put up a stud partition wall to divide up the room into two, one slightly bigger for the dd's and one small nursery for forthcoming ds. If you were to do it, what proportions would you make the rooms? I think someone else in the street has done it, but not particularly pally with them, so can't really ask to nosey!

Advice/opinions appreciated!

I'm not sure if you are wanting to separate off DS because he's a boy, or because he's a baby? I wouldn't have thought you needed to create a separate room just because DS is a boy - he'll only be a baby so no real privacy issues. However I can understand if your DDs don't want to share with a baby!

Anyway, yes I would definitely think it would be possible to divide off a section for DS with stud walls. I think there are two ways to do it - (1) cut a strip off the end of the room. I'd make the strip about 6' wide. This means you end up with one square-ish room of 10'8 by 9', and then one rectangular room (for DS) of about 10' by 6'. (2) Use 2 stud walls to cut a square out of one corner the room. You would then end up with a small room of, say, 7' by 7', and then an L shape of what is left over from the larger room.

Hard to say what's best for you, given that I don't know where your windows and the door into the room are...

If it's not a noise issue, you could also consider using sliding panels. For example Ikea do fabric panels on a sliding track which do well as room dividers. Or lots of shutter companies also sell shutters which can be used as fold back room dividers. This would mean that you could have them open during the day so the DCs have a bigger space?

You might be able to find out what other people in similar houses have done by looking at your council's planning permission applications (some councils put these on the web) or floorplans of any properties for sale/rent on Rightmove?

I would just ask to be nosey! ,when would it be convenient ( time to tidy up. ) Did this with a new neighbour who had work done and ended up being pals with her and using her contractor.

minipie it's a noise issue, dd2 is a chronic sleeper, and dd1 is just well, noisy! I ended up keeping dd2 in our bedroom until she was nearly two, as I just didn't feel they were ready to share until then, and I really don't want to do the same with ds, basically, nobody slept that well! Six months to a year yes, but no longer!

The room is basically a rectangular box, with a window at each end of the longer wall, so would probably be perfect to make a straight divide about 6-odd ft in. The girls will have bunks and a couple of chests of drawers, ds a cot and one set of drawers. Toy storage might be a problem, but then we need to get rid of some anyway!

Gotcha. Well then the 6 foot strip would make a lot of sense, each bit could then have a window. You could put some cupboards high up on the walls perhaps for storing toys that are less often used? Or hang toy bags from the walls?