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Original poster

Would this put you off buying a house?

104 replies

littlevet1 · 22/12/2016 15:36

Hello

We currently have two bedrooms and are are considering a loft conversion. We can create a reasonably sized (approx 3.5m2) third bedroom without creating a dormer window but only if we use an alternate tread staircase, like this:

www.stairplan.com/spacesaver.htm

The building control adviser has said that this staircase is acceptable. However both him and a couple of builders say that this staircase could put off potential purchasers, when we come to sell our property.

So my question is, would this be enough to put you off buying a house, if there was an alternate tread staircase going up into an extra bedroom in the loft? Obviously we have a normal staircase going from the ground floor to the first floor where the two original bedrooms and bathroom are.

Thanks for reading :)

OP posts:

YelloDraw · 24/12/2016 10:47

'Loft room" - that staircase would be ok

If you are wanting this to be a bedroom I would not buy with that staircase.

Put a dormer in and do a proper job with a real staircase.

SukeyTakeItOffAgain · 24/12/2016 12:44

wacky hipsters with no children

Sometimes perfectly normal people have no children.

jimijack · 24/12/2016 12:52

It would put me off.
Imagine they are difficult to take the Hoover, washing up and down, furniture up and down.
Also if you are selling as a 3 bedroom I would need a proper staircase with fire doors, can you still have fire door at the top or is this through a hatch?

lljkk · 24/12/2016 13:24

it wouldn't put me off if I was looking for a house at edge of my budget but more room than other homes for same price.

SpotTheDuck · 24/12/2016 13:52

SukeyTakeItOffAgain

wacky hipsters with no children

Sometimes perfectly normal people have no children.

Yes that's true, and I didn't say (or suggest) otherwise. To me, those stairs would be totally unsuitable for a family with young children. They're also weird and unusual, so more likely to appeal to somebody with a wacky sense of interior design.

Not sure why you're being snarky.

Joinourclub · 24/12/2016 16:11

If I was viewing it I'd consider it to be a 2 bedroom property with bonus loft room. So if it was priced as such, great. If it was marketed and priced as a 3 bed place then it would put me off.
But I assume you are converting to give YOURSELVES more room, not to develop the property and sell it on. What do you think? How much longer will you live there? Will you at least recoup the added investment when you sell?
We are going in to our loft because we need the room and can't afford to buy bigger. It's going to improve our family home. I'm sure it will add some value to the house, but that's not my main concern. We are going to be here for a long while and the house has already gone up 20% in the 2years we have had it so we aren't going to end up In negative equity . I am sooooo, looking forward to the extra room!

DollyPlastic · 24/12/2016 16:13

Yes it would.

orangeblosssom · 26/12/2016 19:49

Would not consider the room to be a bedroom, just a storage space. The stairs are unappealing and look dangerous

YelloDraw · 26/12/2016 23:18

Will you at least recoup the added investment when you sell?

Unlikely. Much more likely if spend the bit extra on a dormer and proper staircase to make it a bedroom.

Most people won't pay much extra for an unusual space like that.

keekaw · 26/12/2016 23:31

Yes, I hate climbing ladders. Would not buy a house with one of these

caroldecker · 26/12/2016 23:52

People will pay 2 bed + pricing, not three bed.

SingaSong12 · 26/12/2016 23:59

Due to disability I wouldn't be able to use them so not not for me.

Artisana · 27/12/2016 00:26

Yes, I'm afraid it would. Sorry.

HeartsTrumpDiamonds · 27/12/2016 00:33

If there's no dormer window where is your alternate exit from the loft room in case of fire?

Kel1234 · 27/12/2016 00:40

I think it largely depends on what the loft would be used as after the conversion. Where my mum used to live had a staircase like that to the loft, but it was only used for storage.
Where we live now (dh, ds and myself) has a proper loft conversion with proper staircase. But the room is used as storage round the far side, and there is a double bed in there, so it's also the spare room. So a proper staircase is necessary.

Smitff · 27/12/2016 00:58

Is it just me thinking that 3.5m2 and no window doesn't sound anything like a bedroom?!

May09Bump · 27/12/2016 01:53

I viewed a house with one of those steps - they are lethal and I would cost in replacing them, knocking it off the asking price. I'd hate to be in that room if there was a fire because you would have no chance of exiting quickly - god knows how they are signed off by building control.

SoupDragon · 27/12/2016 05:24

Is it just me thinking that 3.5m2 and no window doesn't sound anything like a bedroom?!

The OP doesn't say there is no window. It's the specifically a dormer that they're not planning to add. I assume there will be a velux window. Which also answers the fire escape question.

A dormer is just one of those extra chunks you see built onto the roof to increase useable floor space.

Fartleks · 27/12/2016 05:35

I like them and looked into getting some. However ours is our forever home. If we were thinking of moving on and wanted to get full value, we'd have traditional stairs

YelloDraw · 27/12/2016 08:58

Is it just me thinking that 3.5m2

Gosh 3.5m2 is TINY! That is like 2x1.7 - can you even get a double bed into that? I don't think a loft conversion stacks up financially if you don't get a double bedroom out of it.

pinkmagic1 · 27/12/2016 09:04

It wouldn't put me off if I was looking for a 2 bed property. In fact the extra roof space would be a plus point. However you could not market the house as a 3 bed without a window in there and with them stairs.

JeffreySadsacIsUnwell · 28/12/2016 22:48

I'd think of the loft room as "accessible loft storage", but definitely not a bedroom, so if I was looking for a 3-bed it would put me off. If I was looking for a 2-bed, then the insulation/fixed access/storage possibilities of the loft room would be a bonus.

As access to a permanent bedroom, the staircase would worry me big time; fire would be a big concern (but we have had faulty electrics cause a fire, so that's always a priority for me), but so too would the thought of anyone in that room needing to negotiate the stairs in the dark at night-time - to use the bathroom, or because they're little children who've woken up and want their parents, say. I wouldn't feel happy being separated from either my 4yo or my 7yo by stairs like that; I'd be fine with my 7yo using those stairs to access a playroom in the daytime, but the 4yo couldn't be trusted, especially if with a friend and over-excited. I wouldn't want to carry a baby/toddler up or down that staircase, so again I think it would be offputting to a young couple planning a family who might otherwise be very much in the market for 2-bed plus loft room that could be used as third bed or home office.

A dormer makes a huge difference to the usability of a room. We did a loft conversion in our last house and added another two bedrooms and a bathroom. Thanks to the dormer, the whole of the bathroom was full-height ceiling and we had French doors/Juliet balcony on the bigger bedroom. The second loft bedroom had a larger floor area than the bathroom but because most of the ceiling was sloping, probably about 60cm deep flat full-height ceiling, it felt smaller. If there's any way you can go for proper stairs and a dormer, the money won't be wasted.

Sorry!

Sleepybeanbump · 28/12/2016 22:52

It wouldn't put me off per se, but it would if it was priced and marketed as a 3 bed house. I would expect price to be similar to normal 2 bed and to allow room in my budget to do a 'proper' loft and staircase.

MaryPoppinsPenguins · 28/12/2016 23:05

If it was the right area and everything else was perfect, I'd let it go.

MiladyThesaurus · 29/12/2016 09:17

Tbh, wacky hipsters can also have children (and probably want proper stairs on that basis). I think the point was that you'd need to be both a wacky hipster and not have children to desire a glorified ladder in place of actual stairs.

All the non-wacky, non-hipster people who don't have children presumably like easy access to bedrooms just as much as the non-wacky, non-hipster people who do have children.

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