4 bed with no bathroom on first floor, or three bed? plans attached

[hatheris]

Last year we moved into a three bed victorian terrace cottage. It is small but a little wider than some terrace cottages you see (there is a hallway).

We have a dormer attic conversion with en-suite booked in for next year, and were planning on then putting a bathroom in bedroom three. However, I think we see this as a 3-5 year house, and now I'm worried about getting our money back if we resold as still being a 3 bed house.

We have three young boys, 2 are my step children with us half the time, and it would also be nice for the boys to have their own rooms.

I can stand the bathroom situation but that would be fixed for us with the ensuite in the attic.

What would you do?

(NB: This is not an especially posh area - the posh areas in this town are the bigger semi detached on the outskirts - so we were told there was a ceiling on prices here. Its a brilliantly convenient location though, as station, town centre, decent schools are within walking distances which is why we liked it as I don't drive! It is around 1hr15 train north of London.)

Could you put a separate bathroom in the attic instead of an en suite? So that would be the family bathroom then you still have 4 bedrooms? Think that would be my preferred option as a potential buyer 😊

Thanks @Nikki305 that is a good point! Not sure if there is enough space but I will ask about that

That's a tricky 1.

Obviously you'll lose money by not being able to market it as a 4 bed... but saleability wise I think the 3 bed with upstairs bathroom would be greatly increased.

If I were looking for a 4 bed, I wouldn't consider yours, as I just wouldn't like going through all those rooms to get to the bathroom.

Could you perhaps get some local agents perspective? With regards to your current situation, if I were your step children, I'd probably be happy sharing if it meant getting the dormer with ensuite! Always wanted a loft room and having my own bathroom (albeit shared, but no adults!) would have been the dream 😂

Could you steal some space off bedroom 1/2 to put a small bathroom in between?

What’s for sale/sold locally? It may well be that 4 beds with the gf bathroom intact is the norm and sells well in your local area (or the opposite). I’d start by looking at floorplans of similar period local houses on Rightmove sold pages/currently in the market to see what local buyers expect.

The way I leak at the moment that ground floor is a nightmare for bathroom get a family bathroom upstairs.

I would be tempted to shave some space off bedroom 2 and put a toilet and sink in there. I think it would make a huge difference to the use of the house, and also the saleability.

I would turn bedroom 3 into a bathroom and maybe have an en-suite in the attic. Then turn the current bathroom into a utility.

And knock the family room and kitchen into one and use the Dining room as another reception.

I'd stick with your plan, turn bedroom 3 into bathroom and turn the existing bathroom into a study or den. Maybe keeping just a toilet wash hand basic
Lots of people in the market for a 4 will really be looking at the 4th bedroom as a study.

First choice would be to chop off a bit of bed 1 and put a bathroom in there. Plumbing prob an issue though assuming the existing soil pipe is at the back. So option 2 would be make bed 3 into bathroom as you suggest, and make bed 1 into 2 smaller bedrooms - you'd need to add a new window but not complicated.

Round here, 3+ beds have the bathroom upstairs, so yours would likely be the anomaly that was harder to sell. So I agree with the PP who said look at what has been on the market round you, and what has sold quickly/what hangs round.

@Toddlerteaplease

That was the original plan for downstairs, but that middle room wasn't working out too well as a second reception. So we are now making the 'family room' a second reception/ book/ study area, and putting a round dining table in the dining room. If it did turn out we were staying here long term, we would do a small side return to the kitchen to make a big kitchen diner in the middle of the house.

If we were to put a bathroom on first floor, would make the downstairs bathroom a shower/ utility yes!

@BalladOfBarryAndFreda

There are quite a few terrace properties with 2 or 3 beds on first floor, with ground floor bathroom. There are lots of 3 beds on market with huge price range from 170 - 350 for detached.

@YellowHpok

Have thought about that, but there is a chimney breast in that room and we use the woodburner downstairs sometimes in winter

I suspect you couldn't put a bathroom in bed 1, the services are all at the back of the house.

I think a 3 bed with a bathroom upstairs would be the most valuable. And as others say, a utility/shower room downstairs.

How big is bedroom 3? Is it possible to split that to create a small box room/study and a small bathroom? That is norm for similar style houses around here. Most houses in similar style in my local area have then got the master bedroom plus small ensuite in the attic. I would then turn downstairs bathroom into a utility with a downstairs toilet/basin

I would convert bedroom 3 to a bathroom and go ahead with bedroom/ensuite plans for the loft. It would still be 3 bed but you're moving up the ladder of pricing by doing that.

I'd still have a downstairs loo but would make most of that very end room a home office with lots of power points, good lighting and good wifi. This is the future and you've got the space to do it.

Ask estate agents but having looked extensively over the last few years for my own plans there's a ceiling between 3 and 4 bed (as well as the ceiling for your area), but you could aim for top end three bed, as this won't be that much different in price to bottom end four bed. And I think that if you try to make yours four bed it'll be bottom end because it's clear from the actual floor space and position of the current bathroom that it's not great.

A lot of people will be looking for a three bedroom with a study, rather than four actual bedrooms, so if you can provide that I think it will be more successful than just converting the loft.

I wouldn't bother with a shower in the existing bathroom.
If you have a bathroom upstairs (bed 3) and an ensuit in the loft.

Would bedroom 3 be big enough to split into Bathroom and office? If you want yo make the existing bathroom a utility room

I definitely think having an office space is going to become a big selling point in the future.

@Dinoteeth @stormelf

Bed 3 def isn't big enough to split, its the smallest bedroom

Lots of houses around here split bedroom 2 into a small single and a narrow bathroom. Like on this floor plan. Do you know the measurements of each room?

@3WildOnes

Might consider that, but guess it would mean losing the use of the woodburner

Bedroom One

14' 8" x 11' 8" ( 4.47m x 3.56m )

Bedroom Two

12' x8'1"(3.66mx2.46m)

Bedroom Three

9' 5" x 8' 3" ( 2.87m x 2.51m )

Could you move the wood burner to the front living room instead?

Split bed 1 into 2. They'd each be 11.5 ft x 7 which would give you a decent master, average double and two decent singles. And a very nice family bathroom.

Given the price range you're looking at and the price of building work nowadays I'd aim to minimise the work you have done and think purely about what will work for you instead of resale value.

Personally I'd keep the existing rooms as they are for now but split the loft conversion bathroom off so people don't have to traipse through your room to use it if the downstairs bathroom's out of use.