Will moving my tiny kitchen into the dining room add value?

[Mercurial123]

I'm moving back into my house after renting it out for the last five years. I need to replace the kitchen and flooring in the dining room and kitchen . I was chatting to a friend who suggested I turn my very small kitchen into a utility room and turn my dining room into a kitchen.

Something like this

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-73104272.html

Would it be expensive to move the sink? Also, more importantly would it add value to the property? I only plan to live here for 2-3 years. Currently there is very little workspace area just too small areas next to the sink. The cabinets in the opposite side are very narrow and are used for storage.

TIA

Depends where you move the sink to - in the example you have shown they have put the sink on the outside wall - which is cheapest way to do it.

You need to do some online research - who are the target market in your area? FTB? Families with children? Consider their needs and then look at lots houses like your layout needing refurb in your area to see what they have the SOLD for (look on rightmove) - then the same process for same houses remodelled and/or extended - you might find that a cheap extension across the back is a better return on investment - then need to do the sums for building work etc.....to see if it is worth the bother.

Do you also have a downstairs bathroom?

I don't think you need or expect a utility room in a small terraced house so it's possibly not a good use of space. Maybe consider knocking out the wall between the rear reception and the kitchen and reconfiguring it all as a kitchen-diner with a small settee/chairs? So, units along one long wall and French windows from current kitchen?

Link

How small is the kitchen? And how big will the other reception be?
If it becomes a kitchen diner it sounds sensible to me

It often works well as you then have a more sociable eat in kitchen and gives you options to make the bathroom bigger/desperate the loo. Have somewhere to dry washing indoors etc.

Thanks for the responses. The sink would go on the outside wall as shown in the link above it would be the same layout. My kitchen is an extension off the dining room probably around 9' X 7' I can't extend the property further there is a man hole cover which water authority need access to. So would not be possible to have a kitchen diner. My options are keep as is or move kitchen into dining room which is approx 15'X 12'

Houses in my area are selling well. One sold within 48 hours and others generally sell within a couple of months. I might ask an estate agent to come round when I move back to give me a valuation and ask if it's worthwhile for the work to be carried out. It's mostly families in my area and some student houses as we are quite close to the university.

My bathroom is upstairs.

I'm not convinced. You lose a reception room (or potentially another bedroom to let out to a student) and gain a utility room. I personally would just open up between the kitchen and dining room as much as you can to appeal to families. Or leave it as it is for the landlord market.

But agree you're best to speak to a local agent

This is my kitchen so keep layout as is and just replace?

I think your kitchen looks alright as it is. But if you want to change it, this is what I had in mind about extending kitchen into rear reception room. I remember seeing one on here so have just searched for it.

m.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/46673209?search_identifier=74eebc473c57ad91e431a89db5fe1d8e

If you're selling you want to do as little as possible - any new person may well rip out what you put in. So I'd leave it as it is and put it ont he market. I'd only change anything if you get a lot of people saying the kitchen is too small. Easiest, cheapest and most sensible to do nothing IMO.

The link posted by Swedish is exactly what I meant too. I really dislike the original house you linked to OP but possibly more because it has so obviously been cheaply developed

The example in the link by Swedish is lovely, something I'd do I'd I was staying. As you're only planning to be there for 2 or 3 years I would do what's best for your target market. I don't think what you have is really small, it's just not well designed. George Clark did a great small kitchen upgrade which was full of space saving ideas.

Yes I would do it exactly as Swedish suggests - put sink where oven is .....then run a long run of units on the inside wall from kitchen right through to end of dining room - remove units where sink is currently.

If you need/want to replace units and both floors in kitchen and dining rooms anyway then this would open it all up without too much cost.

SwedishEdith and arewehomeyet thank you sorry I didn't even consider that idea. That's something to think about. The house I linked to has had been cheaply refurbished mine has a lot more character but does need work doing to it.

I'll be living there for a few years so would like it to look decent. The tenant managed to misplace three kitchen cupboard doors.

My first house was very similar except instead of a small kitchen in the rear extension, it was a utility room with washing machine and dryer and storage. The rear reception was a well-planned kitchen diner. The houses on the street were a mixture of some like yours and some like mine.

I would always prefer a bigger kitchen. Our last house had a tiny one and it was a pain. Do what makes it work for you living there - I don't think that putting the kitchen into the dining room will necessarily add any value, but it could make living there better.

I think it also depends on the number of bedrooms, 2 and probably fine as is, 3 I'd want a larger kitchen (but also the second reception).

I also prefer the layout Swedish posted. Or similar but wrap around the back wall depending on stairs/doors. You don't have to move plumbing or gas that way either, and easy for the buyer to decide if it's part of the kitchen or not.

The kitchen on Swedish's link is already much wider though, it looks like your kitchen isn't even big enough to have full size units both sizes. I think to do anything well with your configuration would require spending more money than you'd like if you want to sell

I agree the kitchen is wider than mine so probably won't work with the space I have. I may just replace the kitchen and put any money saved into the garden which has been neglected and could do with returfing.

Thanks for everyone's input.

It would work with your dimensions - just have units running on one wall - ie the inside wall - not the wall where the sink is currently.

I saw something similar to what you're proposing on a recent edition of George Clarke's Old House,New Home (current series).
If you did it I would suggest trying to fit in a downstairs loo off the utility room if you don't currently have one elsewhere on the ground floor.

another20 thank you. The cost for adding extra units on the inside wall wouldn't be that much of an additional cost. Thanks for the help.

I would move the kitchen to the bigger room but get quotes first and maybe take EA advice. EAs normally say do nothing though as they want properties - have a look on Rightmove and see what you are up against. Personally I wouldn't want a kitchen so small with a family and I may or may not want the hassle of moving it myself depending on circumstances at the time.

If it more likely to sell as a student let I would keep as is. A family will also want somewhere to put a dining table. Light (white/cream) units help in small kitchens but I find the space in yours too small inbetween. It does cost about 10k very roughly to do a new kitchen though with installation and appliances even being reasonably careful with money for a medium sized kitchen. It's also a lot of disruption - ours took 2 months when ours was moved though in theory could be quick as a week.