Spacious and expensive house but bad layout, how can I rejig at minimal cost?

[JemimaDucki]

A house has come up in the area we are looking to move to. It is at the top top end of our budget and we cannot afford much more for renovation, maybe 15-20k max. Quick search reveals that the house is about 20 years old so shouldn't have any structural issue. This house ticked the boxes for what we want for house space, outdoor space, cul-de-sac location, schools, etc. But, it doesn't make me feel like I want to live there (admittedly I haven't viewed yet, maybe an actual viewing will change my mind). There are a few issues here:

1. the 1st floor has awkward layout, 2 rooms are long and narrow, 2 rooms are single. So out of the 6 rooms, only 2 are proper double. For a house in this price bracket I am expecting it to have more than 2 doubles. Also i particularly dislike narrow layout. I am also guessing it will be quite dark there as it all walls and doors. My question is is there any way to re configure the layout (cheaply) to have more double room, even if that means end up having only 5 rooms.
2. how can I let more light come into the 1st floor?
3. the kitchen diner living space is huge, 10+m x 5.5m. But looking at the photo, it doesn't give the feeling of spaciousness, in fact, it looks very crammed. This kitchen and the 3 ensuites upstairs are I assume recent upgrade, the kitchen has new gadget, quartz worktop, pop up extractor fan etc so it will be silly to rip it off. I am guessing the price tag include these renovation as its immediate neighbour sold for 750k early this year. So the question is, again, how can I partition this space to have comfortable kitchen, living and dining areas?
4. how to decorate this kitchen diner living space so it doesn't look so soulless, I can think of whitewashing the floor but nothing else comes to mind.

The price is at the top end of the market for this town, maybe slightly overpriced even, it has all the space but it is somehow lacking in character. (first world problem, I know but please don't shoot me)

I live about 2 hour from this house and am looking to move to this house to be nearer family. I will only view take the hassle to view if I have a plan of how to make it work.
Thanks for reading. Suggestions welcomed!
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/113751593?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

Correction:
am looking to move to this area to be nearer family

I think you need to view it as I imagine the rooms are bigger than you think- the photos shows 5 double beds (although 1 is pictured twice from different angles I think).

The kitchen floor could be replace- although the high gloss, modern grey kitchen would put me off as I prefer a more traditional style.

If it's at the top of your budget I'd want to hold back £50k for redecorating, new furniture etc.

With kindness OP, is this just a stealth boast about your house budget because I can’t see anything wrong with that house?

Even the long “awkward” rooms are easily big enough to fit a double bed (even if not set up traditionally with the bed centralised with bedside cabinets) and if they’re to be children’s rooms, even less of an issue.

The kitchen/diner looks huge and not at all cramped.

How big do you need it to be? Maybe you need to look at just living in an airport hangar, hopefully that would be big and wide enough?

I'm not sure that the bedrooms look that small to me , 4 are doubles of the other 2 one looks like you could fit a double in. The kitchen ceiling is low for a room this size so maybe that's it. None of the pictures are particularly good for a near million pound house.
I would go look.

@ZealAndArdour not a stealth boast post, different people have different problem so maybe mine is just more vain than others.
I know the kitchen diner is huge, at 10m x 5.5m, I said it in the post, but it doesn't give the sense of spaciousness that even smaller space can give. Hence looking for layout idea, that's all

The link must be broken because it doesn't seem to be showing the house you are describing. All the bedrooms are big - they have double beds in. The kitchen diner gives a great sense of space although I'd change the cupboard doors because it's all a bit dark.

I think you need to go visit.

I can see that bedrooms 5 and 6 aren't doubles, but the loft isn't counted and that's a big room so that gives you 5 doubles.

I agree the kitchen needs something. I think if you got rid of the huge TV and wall unit, replaced it with a fireplace and added an island unit then it would be much better. Landscaping the garden and changing the back windows for sliding doors would also be my preference but that maybe out of budget.

I am no expert, but I'm awake and putting off starting work! If this is the location and size you need, and there's not a lot else, I would go and look. The bedrooms look quite light. The decor, particularly on the ground floor is not good- the downstairs is like a posher uni halls common room. It is not very inviting but you could do better with that and make it lovely. The upstairs room layouts look odd. So all in all you need to view.

I have found that people with this kind of budget are either in that position because of very good luck or very bad luck (multiple inheritances for eg). I hope yours is the former

Based on the dimensions 3 a “good size” doubles.
You can get a double bed in all 3 of the others (although the narrowest may be tricky it’s a long room and doable). I wonder if you’re looking for an overall bigger property? From the photos it doesn’t look like renovation is needed.

Genuinely not being snippy op.

But I think uiu are looking for issues where there are non. Ultimately, reconfiguring the 1st floor will cost more than 15-20k. Especially at the moment.

I don't see a light issue in the bedrooms. I don't see how the kitchen/diner isn't spacious. The kitchen itself looks big enough to add an island.

It will look more homely once it has your stuff in. I don't think you can plan x or y will make it look better until you see it and live in it.

I have looked at a house at the top end of our budget and decided it's not worth it. Because it's not exactly what I want. So what's the point going to the top end, then paying even more out to change it.

I wouldn't really call this a problem to be honest, it's a house and it sounds like it's nowhere near your sort of house, to be worth going to the top of your budget for.

@ZealAndArdour

With kindness OP, is this just a stealth boast about your house budget because I can’t see anything wrong with that house?

Even the long “awkward” rooms are easily big enough to fit a double bed (even if not set up traditionally with the bed centralised with bedside cabinets) and if they’re to be children’s rooms, even less of an issue.

The kitchen/diner looks huge and not at all cramped.

How big do you need it to be? Maybe you need to look at just living in an airport hangar, hopefully that would be big and wide enough?

With kindness, you do grasp that people have different budget.

Ignore this poster op!!!

I'd change the cupboard doors to something your taste and that wouldn't be an expensive change. The high gloss is not cosy.
Keep the worktop as that's expensive. It would work well with a wood finish cupboard door too.

To be fair I would spend at least some of your budget repainting the red and orange rooms. I think they are the worst parts of it.

I don't think this is the house for you. The changes you suggest would be quite expensive and you would not get your money back on selling as it is already priced to reflect the vendors improvements which you do not like.

I agree it is pretty characterless but don't think it looks dark at all as it has a lot of large windows although I dislike the faux Georgian style.

I don't think there is a easy fix for the kitchen other than starting again. You could change the doors but would still be stuck with a poor layout.

I am basing the definition of double room on queen bed, roughly 1.7mx 1.9m? Even if the bed is pushed against the wall, the shortest side of the room needs to be 2.7m to allow 1m excess for walking..
@stilldumdedumming why would bad luck led people to have this budget 😂 , for us, just normal double income family who have been working and saving for 20+ years

But the kitchen dining and living space is beautifully partitioned in to 3 separate rooms?

Also, I should rephrase, when I mention that 1st floor is dark,i mean the corridor area..

@stilldumdedumming

I am no expert, but I'm awake and putting off starting work! If this is the location and size you need, and there's not a lot else, I would go and look. The bedrooms look quite light. The decor, particularly on the ground floor is not good- the downstairs is like a posher uni halls common room. It is not very inviting but you could do better with that and make it lovely. The upstairs room layouts look odd. So all in all you need to view.

I have found that people with this kind of budget are either in that position because of very good luck or very bad luck (multiple inheritances for eg). I hope yours is the former

You don’t live in the south east, do you?

Average salary is above £100k in my commuter town on outskirts of London. And lots of two salary families

OP: even when much about a property ticks the rightnboxes, sometimes you just know it's not right.

You know younshouod like thus he use, but for some reason you just don't.

Stop trying to persuade yourself in to it, and keep looking for something you actually like.

It's not my cup of tea at all but if you are looking for a huge, bland, charmless property it seems ideal!

Modern houses have quite low ceilings which might make the kitchen seem smaller than it is

@JemimaDucki

I am basing the definition of double room on queen bed, roughly 1.7mx 1.9m? Even if the bed is pushed against the wall, the shortest side of the room needs to be 2.7m to allow 1m excess for walking.. *@stilldumdedumming* why would bad luck led people to have this budget 😂 , for us, just normal double income family who have been working and saving for 20+ years

PP meant that sometimes people have money to invest in property due to inheritance, so the bad luck is the loss of a family member.

@Saladovercrispsanyday ha! This is not the thread for me! I am beginning to think I live in a parallel universe. I am in the midlands. Actually not far from Rugby. I have worked in the public sector for 30 years. I get paid ok. But left my LTR with nothing. So I now rent and will never be able to buy. So in my case, I would say bad life choices led to my situation. I would never have had this budget even in the normal double income situation! It is very interesting how insulated people get. If you managed to buy 30 years ago and had a stable kind of life you can do ok on the property market now.

Anyway, ironically I have been helping my ex look for a new house on the money he took from our relationship ie all of it. Whilst dealing with the fall out of him making our teenagers effectively homeless. So I spend a lot of time on right move. It's not helping my self esteem! I was hoping to even out the earlier barbed comment (because I'm thoughtful and nice) but it seems to have been taken the wrong way. Enjoy your house hunting- a nice position to be in.

My thoughts...
There is a Games Room, Living room, Dining room... plus a room that tries to be kitchen, dining room and living room. I'm guessing for the view. Thats why it appears cramped.

Bedrooms... space has been sacrificed for bathrooms. However, if they aren't small. Just awkward.

How many rooms do you need for immediate family?

The inside is fine, it’s not very attractive from outside