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Original poster

What would you do with the layout of my house?

27 replies

crumblybiscuits · 22/07/2015 12:14

Hi, just bought first house, set to move in mid August. The man we have bought the house off had a stroke two years ago so many pristine improvements to house including a newly refurbished wet room. I hate this wet room. It's tiny and I don't think it's where the original bathroom was. There is no room for a bath as he has moved the toilet from one side to another. There is a small wc downstairs which I think is where the old bathroom was. So my question is WWYD? I am considering converting downstairs into a bigger bathroom but it would then take away where we store our fridge and washing machine. Floor plan attached and probably a really bad description.

What would you do with the layout of my house?
OP posts:
Original poster
crumblybiscuits · 22/07/2015 12:16

m.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/36167300
Online listing of house to possibly make it clearer.

OP posts:
Original poster
crumblybiscuits · 22/07/2015 12:17

Also, I am hyper aware of how small the two other bedrooms are and removing the wetroom would open one up even if it is into an 'L' shape.

OP posts:
AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore · 22/07/2015 12:19

No idea for suggestions, but just wanted to say Congrats on the new house! Smile

ThinkIveBeenHacked · 22/07/2015 12:20

Do you need three beds? Can you go into the attic?

Id put the loo in the understairs cupboard. Open up the kitchen all the way. Upstairs Id put the bathroom in the back bedroom and go into the loft if a third bedroom was necessary.

Original poster
crumblybiscuits · 22/07/2015 12:26

The attic is too small to go up into, but next door have put an extra floor on to create two new bedrooms so that is an option long term. Third bed is not necessary at this moment but will be in 1-2 years as the single rooms are too small to be shared with my daughter really. There's no cupboard under the stairs, those are steps to very small cellar, not very clear on floor plan sorry. I think we might have to just deal with it but I really don't want to.

Thank you Alice!

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LMGTFY · 22/07/2015 12:27

Honestly, I wouldn't change the layout at all. No upstairs bathroom is a bad idea. Do you have the dimensions of the wet room?

Original poster
crumblybiscuits · 22/07/2015 12:32

Annoyingly they aren't listed online and I keep forgetting to get them when I view it. It's about half the size of the smallest bedroom which is 8'x8'10". I like the upstairs bathroom too, so don't really want to have to traipse all through the house after a shower. We could just try and fit a small tub in but I'm reluctant to have to rearrange the entire bathroom when it was only done 18 or so months ago with new tiles and things.

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ThinkIveBeenHacked · 22/07/2015 12:39

How big is the cellar?

WickedWax · 22/07/2015 12:40

I know you don't want to but I'd bite the bullet and rearrange the wet room. When we were buying our latest house I discounted two houses, didn't even go and look at them, because the bathroom was downstairs.

SoupDragon · 22/07/2015 12:44

I cant help thinking that the only way you'll get a bath in is to lose the back bedroom.

Without dimensions it's hard to tell but the wet room looks too small and if you try to fit one in downstairs, you'll lose rear access to the garden won't you?

SoupDragon · 22/07/2015 12:45

(I've now spotted a door to the garden in the lounge diner)

LMGTFY · 22/07/2015 12:46

With some careful rearranging you may be able to get a bath on there. How have the neighbours put another floor on?

tortoisesarefab · 22/07/2015 12:50

Put the bathroom in the back bedroom and make the wet room a walk in wardrobe/ storage for the middle room to give more space in there?

minipie · 22/07/2015 12:51

Keep the bathroom upstairs definitely, even if you have to cut into another bedroom to squeeze in a bath. Is the house victorian? If so then that probably is the original bathroom position

SoupDragon · 22/07/2015 12:52

I would perhaps start saving for a side return extension at a later date. I'm not sure of you'd get planning (or have the budget!) for a double height one but that would help the small upstairs rooms. A single storey one would perhaps give you space for an additional bathroom with full bath downstairs.

wowfudge · 22/07/2015 12:54

What are the dimensions of the wet room OP - they're not on the Zoopla listing and details might help work out if you can use the current wet room as a proper bathroom.

I'm thinking the easiest thing would be to put a corner bath in with a shower over.

Original poster
crumblybiscuits · 22/07/2015 13:02

LMGTFY I'm not entirely sure as it's just what the seller has told us. There should be enough room to extend the attic in time ae it is very disproportionate to the size of the house as is the cellar. My Dad had a look (builder/contractor) and said that a bath would have to go where the sink is on the opposite side. The plumbing has been left from where everything used to be which I assume would make it easier?

Think, the cellar is pretty much a walkway type deal, I have been down there but OH says no room for anything but storage really.

Soup, yes there is a door in the dining room but the rear hall or whatever it is listed as opposite the small WC is where the fridge and washing machine goes so I would lose that if I moved the bathroom. If anything I would be more tempted to take that WC out and extend into utility room/tiny office type thing. Back bedroom going looks inevitable if we are going to stay for the next ten years.

Wicked, that is the other thing, we got a really good deal as the wetroom is undesirable and I would like to be able to sell it on with a functional bathroom and obviously I really would like to make a profit. I don't want to disturb the new wetroom but I also can't imagine my 2 year old in there so a decision has to be made somewhere.

Tortoises I think that will be our only option if we want a 'large' bathroom but I'm not sure how long we could keep out two year old and hypothetical new baby in a room that small for. Obviously we don't want to move out for a few years.

Thank you for your quick replies and I'm sorry for the seemingly impossible question! Grin

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Original poster
crumblybiscuits · 22/07/2015 13:06

Minipie, yes it is Victorian I think. I'm just used to downstairs bathrooms in my previous houses so I thought they were the norm in terraced houses

SoupDragon, I think that will be what we will do if we decide to stay, my Dad is a large builder/contractor so it is definitely possible with savings. Would you extend the side where the kitchen dips in if you know what I mean? Like make the back of the house wider?

Wowfudge I do not have them sorry, I did guess at them a post or two up but that's the best I can do at the mo. It would definitely have to be a corner bath but we would have to swap the toilet and sink to the other side which we didn't want to do but I think we will have to to have a bath for toddler.

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FenellaFellorick · 22/07/2015 13:15

can you build over the side a bit?
enlarge the kitchen, extend the bathroom

sort of like this

What would you do with the layout of my house?
FenellaFellorick · 22/07/2015 13:16

obviously the bathroom will need a door Grin

SoupDragon · 22/07/2015 13:16

Would you extend the side where the kitchen dips in if you know what I mean? Like make the back of the house wider?

Yes, that little narrow bit is the side return (I have no idea why it's called that!) and it's very common to extend into it.

Original poster
crumblybiscuits · 22/07/2015 13:22

Fenella, I like the look of that. I'm not sure what kind of expense that would be but definitely something that would add value to the house too.

SoupDragon, thank you for clarifying, so much to learn about my own property! Garden is large enough as well that it wouldn't suffer as that side return bit gets no sun and is more of just a storage area than anything.

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HollyMaingate · 22/07/2015 14:48

Looks like a very standard Victorian layout so there's thousands of examples, just look at Sold Prices on Rightmove in somewhere like Chiswick / Wandsworth to find some top end extensions to see what's possible. Then narrow it down to terraced / freehold to get rid of the flats. Example of what's possible:

www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=32987421&sale=1444297&country=england

PrimalLass · 22/07/2015 15:04

I'd just play with the layout in the wetroom to get a bath in.

And put the wall back in between the lounge and dining room.

PrimalLass · 22/07/2015 15:07

Look, this has the utility space in the middle. That means your kitchen opens into the garden.

www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=50840900&sale=1444270&country=england