Need a a few more square feet for tall teenagers

[statisticianintraining]

We live in an end terrace 2 bed plus small box room (8ft x 8ft so not that small compared to some we’ve seen).

Over the years we’ve considered moving but there is nothing in our price range in the same location that has been fixed up. Over the last 15 years this house has been a nightmare with endless very expensive works - damp etc. If we sell now we would just about recoup our money (no fancy finishes just structural, damp, windows, roof etc) but mainly we are scared to do it again and our house is in a great area.

Problem is we now have 2 very tall teenage boys who don’t want to share a bedroom. We have some ideas about building out over the stairs to make a cupboard or something to make floor space in 3rd bedroom. Do we just need a carpenter or should we ask an architect in case there is a better option? Would a architect be the right profession to think about how near to make use of space/ do they do small jobs? Maybe
I’ve watched too much George Clark’s Amazing Spaces

This might be a stupid idea but could you and DH sleep in the attic - might need re-boarding and roof installation & your DS have your bedroom?

You can make sure your fire alarms are on point, and use the box room as a study - maybe get a loft hatch put in there too so you have 2 exits and can leave the ladder down permanently?

90 cm is really quite a wide door. If you put in an 80 cm door, you’d have more room for the double bed.

I would definitely change the way it opens. Put in a lock if privacy is a concern.

90cm is the whole doorway with surround and everything

@bookgirl1982 the window is a real feature of the main bedroom. I think moving the wall would always looks wrong and his room is set back a bit from our (hence we can move his door forward into the landing) so it would be a peculiar little big of extra space. I think I’ll have to draw a diagram of the whole of the upstairs next.

@reefedsail your either have to enter the room and walk under the bed or the mezzanine would have to be over the window on the front of the house and would make the room very dark

@CatherinedeBourgh I didn’t have any privacy growing up in a tiny house with a shared room and I really think it is important to teenagers but a lock could work I hadn’t thought of that.

@titchy the bed could go under the window lengthways along the front wall of the house

[quote statisticianintraining]@titchy the bed could go under the window lengthways along the front wall of the house[/quote]
More usable space with your plan to have it over the bulkhead though.

can you raise the ceiling height and put a maisonette bed in? like this?

dc would need to make their own bed. no way am I climbing up there to change sheets

I know what you mean about privacy OP, I'm one of 7 and didn't have a room to myself until I moved out.

However, my DSs have a room of their own with a door that shuts and parents that respect a closed door and knock.

I really don't think they need anything more, I think a lock just encourages them to use it and what if something happened and you needed in in an emergency? You'd need one of the locks like you have in a bathroom where you can open it with a coin or whatever from the outside.

I think you are overthinking it. I've not yet walked in on my DSs in an embarrassing moment. One Ds (19) regularly has his girlfriend over to stay now and still no lock necessary.

@WaxOnFeckOff I always knock. Yes I was thinking of a bathroom door lock we have one of throes on the bathroom And it is handy to know I could get in.

@pinkbalconyrailing the brief I am going to give the carpenter is campervan! He is very talented so he might think of something else just didn’t want to build a cupboard and the. kick myself.

Would a small double work? Just got one for my gangly 6footer. He's very comfy and it's just 130cm wide.

Change the door so it opens out the way

We had a 3 bed house with a tiny boxroom and the door was hung to open outwards. The main bedroom was slap bang next to it so when the boxroom door was open, it opened right up against the main bedroom doorframe and would block anyone coming out. It really wasn't an issue. It quickly becomes second nature to just keep it shut, and it made all the difference to the usability of the room.

Thanks everybody at least no one said it wasn’t doable. I wasn’t sure it was doable. I was afraid the carpenter would laugh at me. A few more square feet will make such a difference? Any ideas how much it might cost? We’re in Wales. I know that’s a difficult question but just a sense of orders of magnitude would be. £5k, £10k?

Job is underway £2300 for the carpenter and 300 for the plasterer then carpenter coming back to build a bed and some shelves and a desk to make the most of the space. Room is such a weird shape that we can’t buy anything anywhere. It’s going to be brilliant and make such a difference to us. Thanks for all your help/. I’ll add photos once it’s finished. It’s only a few square feet but it means the difference between a single and a double bed.

This looks great! How are they getting on?

When we did our kitchen we had a few architects come round and quote and discuss ideas, you might hear some good ideas.

Personally I’d pull the whole wall back down the landing so it’s level with the next door (you may even be able to move that door to get even more space) then have a raised bed over the new bulkhead caused from the headroom over the stairs.

Also if the youngest gets it confirm from the outset that if the oldest is off to uni the youngest can claim the big room if they are staying at home.

Our under bed storage is lift up with a hinge by the headboard, this maybe easier than the drawers proposed earlier.

Jumping on board to see the result!

Still not totally finished. Waiting for the carpet fitter to come in and then carpenter will come back to do a few build in shelves in the bee wall next to the desk. We didn’t put the bed in the new space in the end. You can see the bulkhead in one of the pics and it will be the based for a wardrobe/cupboard not quite sure yet. He is living in it and loves it so once we get a sense of how he uses the space we will make final decisions.