Loft conversion - master suite or 2 rooms?

[JanuaryPinks]

We have a 3 bedroom Victorian terrace, layout basically identical to this one I found on Pinterest. We have a DS and a DD, 3 and 1. In future when they’re older will probably need a (live in) au pair.

At the moment we are in the master bedroom at the front, kids share middle bedroom, spare room at the back. We are planning a loft conversion.

I’d prefer to stay in the master bedroom. When they’re older one of them can move into the back room so they have their own room, and the loft can be 2 rooms: one office/spare room and one for guests/au pair, with separate bathroom up there. I think it’s nice to be on the same floor as them and for visitors to be separate. Also the master bedroom is a lot bigger than bedroom 2 so I think it would be unfair for one child to have it.

DH on the other hand thinks we should do a master suite in the loft. Kids can share for now and the master can become a big playroom now, room for one of them later. Guests/au pair can have the back bedroom which is still fairly separate from other rooms. They’d all have to share a bathroom though.

Which is better for (a) family life and (b) house value? No plans to move any time soon but wouldn’t rule it out in future.

NB photo is from Pinterest - we haven’t done loft yet so it’s just ground and first floor in our house.

Two rooms, all the way. So much more flexibility for WFH, visitors, space, etc. And for resale – we’re ruling out anywhere with a loft converted into one master, I’m like you and would rather have all family rooms on one floor, then maximise use of the loft floor with two rooms, which can be configured multiple ways as needs change, pandemics happen, etc etc

Stuntbubbles, assuming you’d only go with 2 rooms if they could each be a decent size.
If you end up with two box rooms, then that might not be good. Some people end up with a small bedroom and then a ‘study’ which isn’t big enough for a bedroom. Is that still better than one bigger room?

I fully understand why people do the split if they have more children snd want a bedroom each, or if there is a specific need for an extra room, but when there isn’t a specific need, I think you often end up with the room that’s needed being smaller and not so nice as you’d like, and then a small room that’s not be useful and which becomes a dumping ground. But why not have one bigger more usable room? Personally I’m of the view that unless you have a massive house with so many spare rooms to leave for guests etc that you don’t notice how many there are, space should be allocated so it can be used by the family who live there or them and their frequent guests. If a sizeable chunk remains unused and just there for the very occasional visitor or for a possible use which might arise in further, it is rather wasted.

Our loft room has the large double bed for guests when they come, which is rarely slept in, but my DH works in the lovely room every day and uses the en-suite. We already have a lovely bedroom on the middle floor, but if we didn’t we would move up there. If we had more children, we would certainly be in the loft or perhaps our oldest teen would be.

2 rooms is fine if at least one is a really good sized double. If it becomes a very tight double in order to have a 2nd room, unless it’s for kids, the oerhaos 1 good sized room is better.

Op can you tell us the overall room size for the loft and room sizes for 2 rooms if split? It makes a huge difference.

We converted our master loft bedroom into 2 bedrooms and I really regret it. Sharing the family bathroom is very annoying. I loved having my own space and it's actually considerably more peaceful being on a different floor. Do what dh says. I see a lot of houses with Master bedroom lofts and I'm always attracted to them, having enjoyed that luxury for a while.

Some people end up with a small bedroom and then a ‘study’ which isn’t big enough for a bedroom. Is that still better than one bigger room?
Yes! For me, anyway. But then, I dislike the idea of a “master suite” – even the name gives me hives – and don’t like en suites, can’t fathom a need for a big bedroom on a different floor to everyone else. Different people, different needs. But to me a normal-sized bedroom and a study/catch-all room – perhaps the place clothes horses draped in damp washing live in winter instead of littering up the rest of the house! – is the ideal layout.

@WombatChocolate

Op can you tell us the overall room size for the loft and room sizes for 2 rooms if split? It makes a huge difference.

Sorry I don’t have the precise measurements. I’ve seen on Rightmove that a neighbour’s house had 2 rooms up there of 5.3x3.6m and 3.5x2.9 but our house is 2m wider and 2m longer than the others (ours is on the end of the terrace and weirdly wider and longer) so we should be able to have bigger rooms. I think we would have 2 double bedrooms (one quite small) but one of them would be used as an office in any event.

Like a pp I’m not really fussed about an en suite - would rather have a toilet far from where I sleep!

I think the issue is that I’m pretty sure having the au pair up there will be nicer for everyone when the kids are young, but when the kids are older I can totally see the attraction of a separate space, so in a way having the flexibility to do both is ideal. Doesn’t really solve the dilemma for now!

Sounds like 2 good sized rooms.

@stuntbubbles

Some people end up with a small bedroom and then a ‘study’ which isn’t big enough for a bedroom. Is that still better than one bigger room? Yes! For me, anyway. But then, I dislike the idea of a “master suite” – even the name gives me hives – and don’t like en suites, can’t fathom a need for a big bedroom on a different floor to everyone else. Different people, different needs. But to me a normal-sized bedroom and a study/catch-all room – perhaps the place clothes horses draped in damp washing live in winter instead of littering up the rest of the house! – is the ideal layout.

I sort of agree in that I don't want a huge bedroom - I prefer the idea of a normal size bedroom and then an additional small room to keep other things in. But I really like being on a different floor, it feels a lot more private

@1winterblues

That's what we did - extend the side return. It's made it into such a great family space most of the rest of the house is redundant

Is that a good thing if most of the rest of the house is now redundant?

This was ours OP. Seemed to offer the most flexibility. Kids upstairs, we stayed in the main big bedroom at the front on the first floor.

FS. Try again....

We just did our second loft conversion. In both houses we opted for a master bedroom and separate shower room accessible from the landing. I don't like en-suite bathrooms and I wanted to keep the long wall that separates the bathroom from the bedroom free for a large wardrobe. In house 1 we also had space in the loft for a tiny study.
I love having my bedroom up there, you feel so tucked away from the rest of the house. It feels big and light and airy, you will lose that feel when you divide it into two rooms!

We had au pairs in the past when the kids were younger. Like another poster no way would I have given the au pair the master bedroom suite! The au pair got the biggest bedroom on the 1st floor (which was very nice) and would share the bathroom with the kids. Think about it, if the au pair is in the loft and your have the bedroom on the first floor you can never walk naked out of the bathroom into the bedroom, as the au pair may walk past on the way downstairs/ upstairs. So it would never feel as private as the loft.

Our loft is a decent size - 5.9 x 6.4. But I would definitely find two rooms a bit cramped.

@JanuaryPinks your space sounds massive- I think you’d end up with 2 decently sized rooms so I think 2 rooms.

Do think you should consider en suite though even if your personal preference is not to sleep near loo. You don’t want to end up in a 5 bed with only 1 proper bathroom.