Good or bad idea - losing a bedroom to make a bigger master bedroom

[artyanklet]

At present I have a 4 bedroomed house. The 4th bedroom is approx 7'8 by 6'3 (I only use it as my dressing room as I can't fit my triple wardrobe in master bedroom). The master bedroom is currently 11'6 by 8'11.

I have several options ;

Option 1 - leave well alone and carry on using bedroom 4 as my dressing room.

Option 2 - Pull out the small en suite and turn that space into fitted wardrobes/cupboards

Option 3 - Knock the wall down between master bedroom and bedroom 4, have dual aspect windows (they are equally matched in size and distance and would look pleasing to the eye!), keep the en suite. take a little bit of the landing and incorporate the airing cupboard into the master bedroom making the master bedroom 15' by 11'6 approx.

Would I be losing value/gaining value, so confused. I know what I want to do but at the back of my mind don't want to compromise on losing money or putting future buyers off.

Or does anyone else have great ideas - suggestions greatly received

Is is a fairly new house? Lots of newish houses have small bedrooms. If you can take the wall down and replace it fairly easily, I would do it. Enjoy the extra space and put the wall back when you come to sell it

I would knock it through and actually enjoy living there now.... When and if you came to sell a stud wall put back up would be easy...

It is about 10 years old. Its a nice little house in a nice area. It was originally 3 beds but the previous owners converted the attic. Most of the surrounding houses are still 3 beds.

I can understand that LondonGirl however there are lots of families that would, as they can't afford "space". They may have 3 children, each of which they would like to have their own room. If that means the parents have a smaller master so be it. My master is 15' x 13" in a new build.

Okay, Londoners may be more willing yo lose a bedroom (it's fairly common) but I think most people value fewer adequately sized rooms over more ones that are basically unusable. Here are a few examples of the 2nd bedroom on the first floor being converted into a wardrobe / ensuite in Fulham. In certain London neighbourhoods, homes that convert the loft often then lose a first floor bedroom in this way:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-45901696.html#map

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-32305908.html

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-47926892.html

These are big homes but the point is more bedrooms are not universally the priority / what adds most value. What makes a house practical / better to live in matters too so figure out what right for where you live.

However those arguing that box room is suitable as a bedroom, by most housing standards it's absolutely not. 70 sqft is the minimum for a single bedroom. 50sqft is the minimum for one child under 10. The OPs room is 48sqft so putting even a child in there would be considered over crowding by minimum govt standards.

It's really shameful builders are creating such woefully inadequate spaces in new homes. The OPs 'master bedroom' does not even qualify as a double bedroom under the 1985 Housing Act.

No matter how many stud walls you put up that is a 3 bed house and the inadequate master will mean two adults will naturally overflow into the box room in my opinion.

15x 13 is a good sized master. The OPs master is 11.5 by 9 currently!

If you are going to live there for a good few years, OP, do what you want with the space and enjoy it.

What is everybody doing in these massive bedrooms... ?

we sleep, DTD - or get un/dressed..

Would it be possible to put double doors into the adjoining wall? If the wall is 11.5ft long then the double doors will open up almost all of the wall. You could then keep the doors open permanently (pinned against the wall) and use the space a dress area, but legitimately advertise as a 4 bed if the time came to sell (just shut the doors).

I'd go for making the room bigger. these rooms currently are not too different to my bedrooms.

My room is 11'3" x 8'5" - not really much smaller than yours and it's bloody cramped. I can't imagine the extra foot or so space you have makes much difference. Our bed is running along the window wall so DP has to climb over me to get into bed. We have a double wardrobe we share, and a chest of 4 drawers. There is just room for an electric floor standing fan (as it gets hot in summer). That's it. There's room for us both to stand in there getting dressed as long as we keep getting out of the way of the wardrobe/drawers. I don't think the OP is being all that extravagant in wanting a bigger room if that's possible. I'd like space for a simple bedside cabinet each, but we don't.

My second room is actually larger than the OPs, coming in at 56 square foot instead of 48. I can just barely imagine using it as a small child's bedroom/nursery. Mine is useful as storage for me - as there isn't room elsewhere for anything. If it's your only storage area, OP, (no loft, decent cupboards) that's the only reason I'd keep it as a separate room.

We once went to see a house qhich had been partitioned up to make "5 bedrooms", and it was a disaster. The "master" bedroom was too small for all but a double bed, yet that was the only one with an en-suite bath-cubby-hole, and that bathroom had been placed between the "master" and another small bedroom, so you couldn't enlarge either bedroom without ripping out tge bathroom completely.

At least your proposed reconfiguration sounds a sensible one!