Changing upstairs layout

[Ozzie9523]

Hi our house is 4 bedroom as shown in the diagram. Our teenage son is in bedroom 2 which is a large room so he’s happy. However our 8 year old daughter is in bedroom 3, the measurements shown on this are slightly out, her room is about 9x8 so just big enough for a single bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers and small dressing table. No space for toys so she has bedroom 4 as a playroom. If 3 and 4 were next to each other I’d had knocked them into one. At the moment this works ok but I’d love for her to have a bigger room for when she’s older with a double bed and am trying to figure out if there is a way. We could knock her room and the bathroom into one and move the bathroom to bedroom 4, however this side is attached (semi). I’m not worried about making it 3 bed, I’d rather have 3 large bedrooms. Or we could make the bathroom smaller and take some of that for her room but it might be a slight L shape. What do you think? The two main bedrooms are very large and I think they could have been made smaller and would still have been a good size, leaving the two singles slightly bigger.

I don't think the idea to merge bs3 and bathroom and make b4 a bathroom would work - I can't see a way to run a sewage pipe from b4.

however you have way more landing than you need, and could replace that airing cupboard with a nook in the corner of a bedroom. then b4 could be expanded by a couple of feet taking a slice of landing and a similar slice of the master bedroom to make it much more roomy.

Your teen may go to uni at 18 and not return...

You could get a small double in one of DDs rooms if she still
Has the other to use.

I'd make bed 3 bigger, take the space where the bath is now, and the landing to the left of the bath. The bathroom would be smaller but could you incorporate the cupboard into the bathroom eg put the shower there.

I agree with Talaxu. You’ve nowhere to run the bathroom pipes if B4 is attached. Only option is to move DD into bedroom 4 and give up some space from the master bed. You’ll still retain a single guest room / study and a four bed which would be better for property value.

I'd steal space from the neighbouring bedroom. It's massive and, even losing space up as far as the bay window, would still be a big room (our master is 11'6 by 12 and bigger than many we viewed!)

OK, your son would grumble for a bit but he wouldn't be short changed that badly.

Actually adding some space from the bathroom into the small room next to it and then taking space from the master to extend the bathroom that way would work. Keep the toilet where it is just shift the rest.

The current bed #2 then may be better as the master?

With the bay windows taking space the other way may make the rooms look very wrong.

If your DS is likely to live out for uni/further study at 18, I'd hold on and have them swap then (DH's brother had the smallest room - 7x8ft - whilst DH had a double room, they swapped when DH went to uni).
Otherwise, is a loft conversion (which could add value to your home, and potentially give you a master 'suite' with ensuite bathroom and dressing room) feasible?

Thanks all, yes I’m feeling that to take off the two large bedrooms would look odd as the bay windows wouldn’t be central. The landing is quite large and a bit of a waste of space. The bathroom could be made smaller. The other problem is extending bedroom 3’s inner wall will cause a problem with the large bedroom door as it’s on an angle so you couldn’t have a wall going directly alongside it as you wouldn’t be able to get in it! I’m thinking of making the large airing cupboard part of the bathroom and extending that way. Yes if we were detached bed 4 could have been the bathroom but not how it is. It is an odd layout! As a PP has said another option is to just have a double bed in her room and she could use bed 4 as a dressing room but would that be a pain walking across the landing?!

Well personally I wake up, go to the toilet, then have a shower and a cuppa before I get dressed so not an issue at all!

She may need a "floordrobe" chair in the sleeping room though for nighttime.

I had the box room at my parents. When my sister moved out l stayed in my room and turned her's into my own lounge with sofa and TV etc.

Have you asked your teen if he’d like to switch?

Being older, having two whole rooms to himself may be appealing...one functional with his bed, wardrobe, drawers in and a second like his own living room with a sofa, tv on the wall etc.

My eldest is 12 and I’m pretty sure he’d jump at that idea if he had the chance!