Is there a way to enlarge a box room?

[stirling]

By knocking down the adjoining wall to the larger bedroom next door? My only concern is that the larger bedroom has a bay window that runs literally along the entire width of the back of the room.

Just can't afford a loft conversion (are they really 45k? Nw London?) and desperately need a separate room for my daughter.

Thanks

I don't know about redoing your upstairs layout - can you get someone in to have a look and tell you your options for that window?

How small is the box room and how old is your daughter?

And yes, my loft conversion (SW London) cost every penny of £45k once everything was included. It was a hip to gable conversion though.

So you have two bedrooms, and you want to redistribute the space between them to create two similar size rooms, rather than one small, one large, and there's a window in the way?

Where does she sleep now?

How many bedrooms do you currently have?

A full loft conversion is that kind of price, but if you aren't planning on selling for a while you could do a room of sorts for much cheaper in the loft. Add a window, insulate and board out yourselves, add carpet, add a decent loft ladder. Even if it isn't used for sleeping, it can then become a great playroom area for children, and storage for all toys and stuff. Can add electrics up there cheaply enough and can be used as extra kids to room or for computer etc

Lurking as was pondering exactly this this morning (twins sharing big bedroom and fighting all the time)

Artandco that's a really good suggestion. Never thought of that.
Thanks for the replies. Currently three bedrooms, standard 1930s semi. The third is a box room - it's hers but we've had to remove the bed because she had nowhere to take her friends during playdates. (she's 8, they love playing upstairs)

She sleeps in the same room as me or sometimes my DS (10) but I know that soon it'll have to change.

I'm separated so quite broke.

Thank you

We changed the door so that it opens out. It was dd's nursery and is now our office.

What about a high bed instead? And at 8 she might play up there but play date days won't last much longer.

45k is quite shocking! We are contemplating a loft conversion and I was imagining much less. Any ideas vague price for a side extension to make one bedroom and the kitchen wider?? SE London/Kent area.

High bed in box room would leave the floor clear for play. A she grows can be switched for desk or seating.

I'd definitely recommend a high or mid sleeper bed rather than any big work - DS1 has one and it's brilliant for giving lots of extra space, including a desk - and a fraction of the cost of any work (plus the potential hit on the value of the house).

High sleeper. If you can afford more than that I'd consider going into the loft and creating a mezzanine level "Ugly Houses" style (the one in Kingston) for sleeping on.

2 things I have seen:

Expensive option: knock out part of the ceiling to raise the height of the room and make a mezzanine sleeping platform. Obviously this incurs some of the costs, but not the full cost of a loft conversion.

Cheaper option: Steal part of the adjoining room to make a wardrobe space. Have seen this done so the middle section of the partion walll moves out creating something akin to a chimney breast in the other room. Then have the option for cupboards/shelving in the alcoves in that room.

I think the space only conversion is also a good idea - there are quite a few of these on my street as we all have massive lofts, but over the years as building regs on loft conversions get tighter, it has become more and more expensive and less worthwhile to do.

I would do the following:

For now:
Get a low cabin bed. One than has a few drawers under for storage. Not a high sleeper as most teens not a fan and harder for friends to sit on when around. Then all her clothes and toys can go in those drawers, freeing up floor space. Any clothes that need hanging go in your bedroom. Wall mount a small tv maybe so can watch a film in there with friends

Decent storage Cabin bed - £500 ( or cheaper secondhand)
Small Tv - £100

When money avaliable:

• add electrics in loft £200
• get window installed £2000

-board floor in loft and add insulation. Board roof £500 if you do yourself

• carpet £750
• loft decent ladder £500

So around £4-5000 to have a semi decent loft space. Could do gradually and maybe find things cheaper. Ie get window done this year, and the rest the next year or two

At 8 she might not be playing, as such, with her friends for much longer. When she is 10, a comfy bed to hang out on might be all she needs with her friends, or give it the wow factor as PP said with a tv, maybe a games console. Use lots of the wall space for storage - high wardrobes with shelves or pull-out baskets, wall mounted bookshelves over the bed.

Oh!!!! So many wonderful suggestions here and absolutely brilliant ideas I hadn't even heard of.

Artandco and Tremolo, just to say thank you for setting out the options like that for me. I do sometimes feel like a complete dipstick when it comes to looking after the property. Love the costing options for making loft usable - I could definitely put together that amount.

Thanks for the bed advice too because I've often Googled and remained none the wiser.
Thank you all again

Definitely just get a new bed. Flexa do normal single beds, which then can have 'stilts' added to the legs to raise them. Short stilts and ladder create a mid-sleeper, long stilts a loft bed with buckets of space to play underneath. Voila - she has the entire floor to play on and you get your room back.

If the box room is over the stairs you can always build over the empty space IYKWIM.

My DS (11) has a high sleeper in the box room (about 8 ft 9 x 8ft 9). My DH customised it so it fits the space perfectly. Lots of space available.

8ft9 x 8ft9 sounds huge for a box room! Ours is about 7ft9 x 7ft9 and I've been told that's "quite a good size" .

The problem with high or mid-sleepers in the box room is that they often block the window. We're "lucky" that our window is to one side so there's just enough width for a single bed. DD has an Ikea Kura bed with a chest of drawers underneath, and then just enough space for a couple of low bookshelves.

Google images of beds near the ceiling

This sounds drastic or dangerous even but it's not, they are custom made and free up the whole of the bedroom floor aside from the legs they rest on

I guessed you'd be in a 30s semi OP

I find although they've got quite a modest footprint, they're arranged really well- apart from the third bed which is always a poky hole I do enough mooching about on Rightmove to know that ALL of them are the same

I fantasise about moving the wall to get two ok sized rooms- short of drawing a line down the middle of the floor of my dds' (master) bedroom, I can't think of anything else

rrrrrrrrr

My DS1 is in a high sleeper in a box room. The bed frame is attached to the ceiling so that there is plenty of floor space for playing, and even a small comfy chair, without the legs of the bed getting in the way.

possible to devide room with a nook or diagonal wall?
adding a mezzanine to the boxroom for bed space?