Has anyone given their bedroom to DC and had a permanent sofa bed downstairs instead?

[BattenbergtheHatches]

I have a very small 3 bed house, one double room and two tiny box rooms. 2 DC are growing and need room/desks for homework and friends round. I’m considering giving my double to one DC and the other having bed and wardrobe in one tiny room and homework/den room in the second smaller room.

I’m a single parent so would be fine on a sofa bed in the living room - but most I have looked at say for occasional use only and aren’t that comfy!

Anyone have any ideas how to make it work? I’d love a loft conversion but short of a lottery win this won’t happen!

I have just found the Ikea Hemnes day bed so am thinking that may be an option?

Could you take the tiny room and rotate the kids every year for the biggest room? Can be useful for keeping on top of clutter!

This was something me and DH were going to do and we brought a sofabed from DFS it was advertised for frequent use but was awful really hard and uncomfortable!! Luckily we managed to move before we gave up our room. I think a daybed would be a much better option they look really nice also.

If you’re going to need a proper bed then go to Loaf. Their sofa bed mattress is double the thickness of a normal sofa bed. Yes, they are expensive but we had a display one for our guest room and it’s some comfortable. Alternatively, John Lewis has a brilliant sofa bed which was low to the ground so not suitable for grandparents but was very comfortable.

Could your children have high-sleeper beds? The ones with space below them for (sometimes built in) cupboards or desks? This would free up floor space.
(Kirsty used one in a small bedroom in last week's Love It or List It.)

Would they consider sharing the bigger room and having 1 small room as the den for one of them?

I'd go for high sleepers and keeping the DC in the small rooms. If they have space for a desk under their beds then their rooms should be fine for the longer term- that type of bed makes a massive difference in a box room.

Means you have some privacy still and therefore also gives them scope to use the living room to host their friends for a Netflix night or whatever while you have a sensible space upstairs to retreat into.

Can you go up into the loft and do something with that? I know you don’t want to spend much though, it’s just a thought.

Thanks for different opinions, it’s really helpful. They can’t share unfortunately as one has ASD so it’s too problematic with sleep/personal space issues.

I have looked at loft beds but due to the smallest room being so small (and having boiler cupboard too!) only a shorty loft bed fits in - which means drawers are underneath but still no room for playing etc. Have already taken the door off to fit the bed in!

I’ll check out Loaf, thank you.

high sleepers definately. you need your privacy and space too!

DH grew up in a 2 bed flat with his parents and 3 siblings.
There were 2 kids in each bedroom And his parents slept in a wall bed in the living room.
It was kept behind a curtain during the day, but now you can get fancy cupboards for it. They take a normal mattress and you just strap the bedding to the bed before closing the bed.

www.wallbedking.co.uk/wallbeds

This is a random link I found - I have no idea if this company or their beds are any good.

Sorry, but no I wouldn't. There are 3 people and 3 bedrooms, each gets a bedroom. A small bedroom isn't the end of the world. Look into best use of space and ideal storage solutions.

You need space for yourself as well.

How old are the dc?

Could the boys share the double? You take the bigger of the remaining rooms and the smaller as a den? If you go with the sofa bed then get a good mattress topper.

Sorry. You've said they can't share. Mattress topper it is.

My sister did this, she just got a single mattress as was just on her own. She put it behind the sofa during the day then just pulled it out every night. You couldn't see it as her sofa was against a wall and she just put a throw over the back of the couch

I will check out the high sleepers and see if I can find any affordable ones to fit in very small spaces. It just seems silly I have a very large bedroom that I only sleep in - when they are desperate for more playing space (downstairs space not exactly roomy either!)
But I will make sure I have exhausted all storage options. I already feel like I have every Ikea hack going!

It’s good to know others have done it/would do it and it’s not a totally batshit idea!

Would you be able to partition the rooms so that you make one of the box rooms bigger? Obviously this would depend on layout. That way both dc would have a medium size room each and you could take the remaining box room. I totally understand why you would want to do it as literally only ever sleep in my room whilst my boys need space to play.

Can't you have a desk and play area in your front room?

We gave up our bedroom for the kids, were now 5yrs down the line on a sofa bed, an expensive futon company one, I wouldn’t recommend it, it’s not doing our backs etc any good and we often wake up with back or hip ache. A good option would be like one poster above has mentioned, a bed in a cupboard that pulls down, like they have on the children’s ward at our local hospital, you make the bed, pull the straps over the bedding to hold it in place and the whole thing just folds back into itself and just looks like a cabinet from the outside and you can have a proper mattress not a flimsy sofa bed or futon one.
You bones will thank you for it!

Food for thought!
The layout of the house is basically stairs up the middle - big bedroom on one side and two small bedrooms/bathroom on the other! So not really any way of reconfiguring. Plus I have no funds for more than the purchase of a sofa bed!

I've considered doing this, to try and downsize without the DCs having to share a room. The main thing that put me off was where to keep all my clothes etc, as my bedroom has more than just a bed in it. All the clever bed solutions will help there, but you'll still need a wardrobe somewhere (in the other small bedroom? in which case that won't feel like 'his' space as you'll have to go in there to get dressed etc. I think those saying 3 people and 3 beds works have it right. You don't need to give up your room entirely, even if you end up having one of the small ones. As kids grow up they don't need space to play, they just hang out on their beds with their phones and maybe play computer games in their room. They can do homework on the dining table.

Could you have big room with all clothes for every one in, and even larger toys. Kids have a higher sleeper with space underneath and just toys in their rooms? I’ve done this before.

Sympathies. It’s a tough one.

No, as a pp said, three bedrooms, three people. You could alternate the bigger room, or split it in two with a screen, but I'd not be moving into the living room if I had a bedroom available.