Would splitting a bedroom in two add value?

[lovelyupnorth]

We moved into a 3 bedroom house last year.

We need to replace one of the bathrooms and are thinking at same time creating a 4th bedroom.

We could use some of the bathroom and some of Bedroom 2 to create a 4th bedroom.

This would give us

Bedroom 2 - 16ft by 8ft
Bathroom - 6ft by 6ft - room for toilet sink and bath. But as it stands no window

Bedroom 4 (new bedroom) 14ft by 10ft

We don't need a 4th bedroom but we do need to replace the bathroom - very old and has a leak - also has 2 sinks and a bidet we don't need.

Daughters room is massive at the minute.

Thoughts.

One of my rooms is 7ftx8.5ft, it has a double bed, side tables and a wardrobe and is used for guests. It’s got enough room to walk either side of the double bed and open the wardrobe. Just depends what you want to use it for.

Before we lived here it was a child’s bedroom and had a single bed and all their toys and, although small it wasn’t noticeably boxy if that makes sense.

To give you some info a house near us knocked through bedroom two and three and they had to rebuild the wall to get the asking price above what they paid for it when they sold it. This put me off knocking through in our house so we made do and I’m glad we did as we have a guest room and an office in the two rooms.

@FakeFruitShoot

I wouldn't do it to add value but would do it to improve my own lifestyle eg give a teenager their own room or create and office. 14 x 8 is in no way an odd sized room or "too narrow", always makes me laugh on here the dimensions people say they wouldn't entertain, in the real world even a 7 x 7 room is perfectly fine.

Could you make a bathroom that's a teeny bit bigger perhaps?

There is a legal requirement for a room size though and it’s 70 square foot so your example of 7x7 falls well below that.

The Housing Act 1985 states that bedrooms must not fall below 70 square foot for a single occupant.

I live in traditional 3 bed semi land in a very expensive area.

4 beds and one bath is the norm. Most houses don’t even make it on to the open market. Those that do are subject to bidding wars and sealed bids. They often go for 50k over the asking price.

Plenty of people will buy a 4 bed with one bathroom round here.

I’d do it too but I might do the smaller room option and keep the bathroom the same size.

And I think either option would add value

I think that's a very small bathroom for 4 beds. Stick to 3 better size rooms and a bigger bathroom.

@cowprintsocks

Someone will be able to sort this out. could you keep existing footprint of bathroom (with window) and lose the cupboards so you could split the rooms and have a door into the new bedroom?

Don’t know if you’re trying to get bath and shower in bathroom??

This seems the obvious idea. Lose the cupboards and split the bedroom, keeping the original bathroom footprint.

I reconfigured a flat to add a bedroom and it increased the value by £40k in the south east.

Is a bedroom downstairs classed as a bedroom? I would say you currently have a 2 bed with 2 reception rooms and are looking to increase it to a 3 bed.

@cowprintsocks

Someone will be able to sort this out. could you keep existing footprint of bathroom (with window) and lose the cupboards so you could split the rooms and have a door into the new bedroom?

Don’t know if you’re trying to get bath and shower in bathroom??

This is what I would do as well, yes the third bedroom would be smaller but you would have three bedrooms all on one floor and keep the bathroom window.

Given that the third bedroom is on another floor, I would definitely try to get the extra bedroom. As people say, it will open the house up to families with two young children as potential buyers.

What's the head height like? Those plans look like the upstairs is more of a loft conversion style. Are the ceilings sloped?

If you do decide to do it I’d definitely pay the extra for a window. Bathrooms without windows are fucking grim, I’ve lived with a few and they’ve always been oppressive and no matter what you do, damp!

Yes, the info that the third bedroom is on the ground floor means I would definitely do this. We wouldn’t treat any downstairs room as a bedroom so this would then make your house a three bed with decent working from home space downstairs.

I wouldn't shrink the bathroom. Just remove the cupboard as PP suggested that way you can keep the window

Having seen the layout, I'd try and turn it into a jack and Jill bathroom with a bedroom each side.

I've had a bathroom with no window, and it was absolutely fine. The two things you need are good lighting (so a decent number of gu10 spots, not some inch thick glass thing with a teeny capsule bulb inside) and a good extractor, linked to the light switch. You can get ones that are almost silent now.
All that said tiny bathrooms are a right pain with small kids, when you have to have multiple people in there so that might put off young families.
I'd either leave it as is or just split the bedroom to make one room and one home office. As people have said, home office is going to be a bigger draw going forward. Unless you actually plan to sell in the nearish future though do what makes the house work for you. Building works will never give a guaranteed return at point of sale.

To have natural light in bathroom (obv a window would be ideal), sun tunnels are really good. They are like a skylight, but with a reflective tunnel up through the loft.
Yes, I would definitely add the extra bedroom, given the space you have, and it will add value.

I would remove the cupboards to make the doorway rather than lose the bathroom window. One option for more space is to borrow the space opposite the toilet for a built in wardrobe which opens into the new bedroom.

There is a legal requirement for a room size though and it’s 70 square foot so your example of 7x7 falls well below that

The Housing Act 1985 states that bedrooms must not fall below 70 square foot for a single occupant

That is (I think) only relevant to social housing / rentals - there is no minimum size for a privately owned property as far as I'm aware. Certainly the vast majority of 30s housing stock where there are 2 double bedrooms and a small 3rd bedroom have rooms smaller than that - and are all sold as 3 bedroomed properties.

I've lived in 3 houses which have bathrooms with no windows (including currently) and they are all absolutely fine as long as a proper vent is installed and they are modern and well-lit.
If I was house hunting I'd discount any bedrooms on the ground floor as reception rooms, so a decent-sized third bedroom upstairs would add value for me. Appreciate this isn't everyone's view though!

@OneRingToRuleThemAll

I reconfigured a flat to add a bedroom and it increased the value by £40k in the south east.

Is a bedroom downstairs classed as a bedroom? I would say you currently have a 2 bed with 2 reception rooms and are looking to increase it to a 3 bed.

Down stairs we have a massive lounge/ dining room, kitchen/diner, living room and the ensuite bedroom.

@LizzieMacQueen

What's the head height like? Those plans look like the upstairs is more of a loft conversion style. Are the ceilings sloped?

No sloped ceilings have a loft above. It's a barn conversion.

I would 100% create a new bedroom it will add value if done correctly.
Consider whether you are doing it for yourselves or to sell if the latter keep it good standard but cost efficient (big tiles vs small) and mass appeal.

I'd definitely do it OP.

I would do what @cowprintsocks suggests, keep the bathroom as it is and remove the cupboards to create a doorway into the top left corner room 10x8 is a fine size for a study or nursery room.