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Need help making my home work better

32 replies

Boxhedgeflaterpillar · 13/05/2022 15:10

Our home is 55sqm. Small, but we are happy here and like the area. I don't want to move mainly due to the expense. The problem then is a lack of space. It is a 2 bed house, one of which is really a single. We are 2 adults and 2 DC. DD7, DS4. There is room at the back for an extension, but I don't want to take on an extra mortgage with the worry over the cost of living looming. Do we (CAN we!) do something clever with the layout and keep our sanity and find some peace in a house with growing DC? Do the adults sleep downstairs? Will that drive us crazy? Should I spilt the main bedroom into 2 with a stud wall? Both rooms would have a window. Could DH and I sleep in the single room? There is just space for a double bed if we take off the door and replace it with a folding door. Can I buy a cheap caravan and stick it in the garden as an escape room? Maybe the last idea is a step too far. Maybe.

Would appreciate hearing your ideas and if anyone has had a similar dilemma. We have 26sqm approx upstairs to play with. I'll try and upload a floor plan..

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User7493268965 · 18/05/2022 08:23

As PPs said I would get your loft properly boarded and get some good storage sorted up up there, put a decent loft ladder on it and you could store loads up there, after you have done this reassess with the bedrooms as you will know how much needs to fit in them

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ellerman · 17/05/2022 23:58

I've come to say about the George Clarke programme that did the opening up of the loft from the small bedroom to create a sleeping space, accessed by a ladder, then the bedroom floor space was for toys or another bed. It's worth watching that episode.

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Boxhedgeflaterpillar · 17/05/2022 23:45

Thank you so much for your suggestions. Replacing internal doors with folding or sliding ones makes good sense. It will give us more easily accessible storage nooks and space.

I now think that very small houses should be built with folding internal doors and extra large windows AS STANDARD! Light and storage space is so important.

The loft and shed storage ideas are great and we can get working on those now. A calmer, decluttered home should give us a little breathing space for a year or two while we save and plan.

Also, I saw some room divider panels at B and Q, which I might be able to install myself in the main bedroom. I'm loathe to move DD out of her bedroom, she is SO proud of her space. DS might think it cool to have them up between his and our area and he can cover them with dinosaur pictures.

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parietal · 17/05/2022 20:38

I saw a TV-renovation program where a family with 5 kids and a tiny house opened up the attic & had loft-beds for the kids above one of the other rooms. The kids loved it & it gave them a lot more space. Like having a mezzanine. If that is possible, it might work.

but 55sqm is tiny for 4 people, so you might do better to save as much as possible for 3 years and then aim to move.

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Thissucksmonkeynuts · 17/05/2022 20:16

How attached to all your 'stuff' are you? Could you have the loft boarded and have a good pull down ladder, massively de clutter and use the loft for less frequently needed items? Then divide the 2 windowed room into 2 for your dc?
My house was a 2 bed with a 2 windowed bedroom, I'd imagined dividing the room into w for my dc and opening both rooms into the loft to create mezzanine. Bit of a fantasy, I'd been watching too many George Clarke programmes. In the end we have extended, the cost has been eye watering, but we love where we are and can't afford to move.

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Calmdown14 · 17/05/2022 18:39

I wouldn't do anything too drastic.

Is your bathroom fairly new or in need of an upgrade? If the latter, I'd consider whether you could switch it to a shower room and steal a bit to give the smaller room a run of fairly shallow wardrobes on that side (if it's a load bearing wall though then not possible).

Otherwise consider whether switching the way doors open would help to get more furniture into the smaller bedroom to use as yours. It could open outwards or get a folding one. IKEA do narrow pax wardrobes so you might get these along the wall next to the main bedroom. Buy some huge plastic storage boxes for the loft and once a year swap summer and winter clothes, coats, shoes etc to minimise room storage.

I'd split the big room with a room divider that doubles as storage. Something like IKEA kallax securely attached so it can't fall. Loads of images on Google.
Decorate each side a little differently to divide the space further. Give each child a wardrobe each from the built in cupboards and put drawers or wire baskets inside them.
Choose their beds carefully to maximize what you can get under them etc. You may want the size above toddler but not a full size single

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VerveClique · 17/05/2022 17:44

Honestly, I think that spending a couple of grand getting your storage really sorted (and I'm not talking about a few plastic containers here - I mean really good loft space although not a conversion, good shed space but not an outdoor room as such) will get you a long way without having to make massive decisions about the structure of the house.

Your DC will be fine sharing for a while. Ours shared until DD was 9 and DS was 6. They loved it.

Decide then what to do - you might be in a different position altogether.

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Boxhedgeflaterpillar · 15/05/2022 13:46

Some great ideas there to ponder, thanks!

In answer to an earlier question, DS is in the main bedroom with us still. We use an extendable washing line (l know!) to hang some colourful net curtain panels on to give a bit of visual separation between his bed and little play area and our bed. It's worked ok as, thankfully, he is a good sleeper. Plus I've liked having him close by. He is starting to want playdates now and I'm not keen on him having his friends playing in what is still my bedroom. Need to change things.

I can start to declutter the loft NOW and work on getting that up to a much more useable space. Will look at getting it boarded and will see the cost of a skylight. Brilliant idea! Thank you. I'd like a big skip to chuck everything up there in it, apart from the Xmas decs, but I won't be allowed and it's not the greenest way of decluttering!

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GrimDamnFanjo · 15/05/2022 12:40

We are in a Victorian terrace.
Upstairs was 2 beds and a large bathroom.
We changed the bathroom to a bedroom and divided the 2nd bed into an internal bathroom and a bedroom - which is now my office.

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CellophaneFlower · 15/05/2022 12:36

If I were in your situation, OP, I think I'd sit tight for a bit. I can understand your reluctance to increase your mortgage right now, but I don't thinking spending quite a bit of money to move your bathroom etc is going to give you much usable space.

You have a few years till separate bedrooms will really be needed. I'd look into clever bunkbeds to make best use of space now, perhaps the L shaped kind might work? Meanwhile you can save your money and see what the future holds and whether a double storey extension will be feasible in time.

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CellophaneFlower · 15/05/2022 12:11

HairyBum · 15/05/2022 09:42

move toilet slightly, change it into a small wet room with shower and loo.

I'm not sure this would work. The wet room would be the size of a bath and would the rest of the bathroom be big enough to fit a bed in? It's hard to tell without measurements, but doubtful.

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HairyBum · 15/05/2022 09:44

If you move 3rd bedroom can be considered a study

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HairyBum · 15/05/2022 09:42

move toilet slightly, change it into a small wet room with shower and loo.

Need help making my home work better
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housemadd · 15/05/2022 09:30

In a house of this size, a loft conversion may not work well because of the space taken for the stairs. But I would get some quotes, since some companies will do
a design for you as part of the quote and then you can see.

I definitely wouldn’t be put off loft conversions in general. I LOVED mine - the extra climb of stairs was no bother and light poured into the room through the veluxes and we had amazing views from the windows. We had so much more space than in the old bedroom.

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VerveClique · 14/05/2022 22:52

I think the bathroom between the bedrooms May still be viable. Is the house a terrace or a semi? If it’s a semi then it’s not a big job to move the plumbing really. You could just have a shower room even. We did made a separate bathroom/toilet into a really decent Single bedroom and made the really small bedroom into a shower room.

Then rather than a loft conversion, just make sure your loft is really good for rapidly accessible storage… so skylight, lights, boarding, shelving, lots of big, clear, well-labelled tubs, easy to use loft ladder. It will massively ease the pressure on the other rooms in the house and be more affordable. We did this in our last house when we were bursting at the seams.

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Nishkin · 14/05/2022 19:09

I know someone who made a 2 bed into a 3 bed by building a bathroom over the stairs- couldn’t see how it would work when they told me but it was brilliant

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TizerorFizz · 14/05/2022 19:06

There isn’t much choice is there? Baby stays with you or shares with sibling. What other choice is there? A garden room?

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Paddingtons · 14/05/2022 13:40

Out of interest OP, did you live in this house with a toddler and a newborn? If so, can I ask what arrangements you made for sleeping, once baby moved out of your room? (We're in a tight squeeze too so I'm interested!)

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EducatingArti · 13/05/2022 22:16

Use bunk beds in the bigger room as a divider so the children can each have their own space
Like this:
craftedpine.co.uk/blogs/crafted-pine-blog/dividing-a-bedroom-with-bunkbeds

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Boxhedgeflaterpillar · 13/05/2022 22:04

Lots of food for thought there, thank you. The point that got to me particulary was the idea of 4 adults sharing the space eventually. I hadn't considered that.

Temporarily, a folding bed downstairs and a garden office would ease the pressure, but longer term a single storey rear extension that gave us a separate room to be used as a bedroom may be the best plan. Hopefully the house would then still appeal to a wide range of buyers? Not that we're planning on moving! I like the discipline and consideration that goes into living in a small space, so we'll be here for as long as we possibly can be.

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pantjog · 13/05/2022 19:39

Fold-down bed? “Garden room” for a playroom/study? What do you need the most?

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senua · 13/05/2022 19:36

Another thought. What have neighbours done - can you see plans on RightmoveSold or the Council's planning portal? Steal their clever solutions.

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senua · 13/05/2022 19:34

Have you spoken to an estate agent to get their view? I have heard people moaning that everything has been extended these days so there are only 4-bed properties on the market. You may find that your 2-bed has rarity value!

An alternative thought. Quite often people sacrifice a bedroom to move a downstairs-bathroom to upstairs. Could you do the opposite: move your upstairs-bathroom to the downstairs to give another bedroom?

But, really, I think you would be better off finding a new house.

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TizerorFizz · 13/05/2022 19:23

Removing trussed rafters snd substituting a steel will be expensive. It can be done. Your house is small and you will need to use a lot of first floor space for the stairs. A habitable loft must have stairs that meet Building Regs and fire regs. Where could the stairs go? Yet more space would be lost.

I had a small 2 bed house and the bathroom was in between the two bedrooms. They both ran full width of the house. That was a sensibly layout and gave two decent bedrooms. Tiny tiny house though.

I would move. I don’t see how you can realistically get better space without spending a lot. Moving a bathroom is expensive. Your plumbing snd drainage won’t be in the right place. So more expense. It’s a small house for what will be 4 adults eventually. Failing that, I would extend but that’s still a lot of money for not much gain. You would need a full height extension. Surely for any possibility of an increase in value, as opposed to overspending on a tiny house, you should move?

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Boxhedgeflaterpillar · 13/05/2022 19:23

Thank you all! I hadn't thought of moving the bathroom. That might work. Just need to think where the new waste pipe might go. I guess it would need to go straight down through the room below and be boxed in to disguise it? The current bathroom window is slightly smaller too (shorter, but as wide as the other windows) so that would need work, but not on the same scale as an extension.

We don't have a garage, or that would be an option. I will think about the loft conversion too. I'm a little put off loft conversions as I tend to think they're a bit drafty and remote. If you forget something up there it's a long way to trek back up to retrieve it! But maybe I should investigate it a little more? The thought of star gazing from a window in the roof is appealing, once the streetlights turn off for the night!

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