Do I need an interior designer?

[RoomLayoutHelp]

So we are starting to think about having a second baby and just not sure what to do about bedrooms. We have several options but they all involve some sort of upheaval, either splitting rooms or moving around rooms to just make things fit.

Does anyone have recommendations for an interior designer or planner that would be interested in such a job? What am I even looking for? I’m in Cambridgeshire but I could work with someone remotely if they are good.

Are you thinking of taking walls down? In which case, you need an architect.

How old is child 1? Most kids can share after the initial baby stage, where the baby stays in parents room?

I’d say a decent builder could advise on reconfiguring rooms and you can call in a structural engineer if you get into load bearing walls etc.

you could always post plans here. People can be really helpful. Especially if there’s a diagram….

Structural engineer surely if you're moving walls and rooms around?! Ours had great ideas for space as well as making sure legal and safety requirements were met eg for head height and load bearing walls.

An interior designer will just make sure your walls match your curtains!

Android or Apple have Apps that you can see what your home would look like if you remodelled it.

I guess I was not really talking about the doing bit more the planning bit? I know that I’ll have to get qualified people on to wield power tools and build walls but what am I looking for in a person to advise on how to layout our home so that we can use it best.

Im loathed to put our house plan up as I don’t have one to actual scale so I’m not sure it would be useful to discuss.

I guess this is my point I would not trust a structural engineer to think about the needs of my home and how to change to fit our family. That’s not their skill set surely?

Wouldnt an interior designer be better to talk to me about how to maximise space based on use and traffic flow. Where to put storage and if a Murphy’s bed would help save space. Or have I got that wrong?

However, if you have a structural engineer who can do that kind planning and discussion please let me know!

A structural surveyor will not design anything
A builder needs guidance - I wouldn't have them make any decisions.
An architect seems a bit of overkill if just resigning a layout, but could help and will have a structural engineer and maybe even a builder to recommend, but will not design the finishes etc.
A interior designer could do this for sure, and coordinate the trades etc. No recommendations for your area but look at a professional body website.

Good interior designers absolutely do get involved with planning spaces from the word go. You might not need a fully qualified architect for minor works but a good builder could certainly advise on reconfiguring spaces. Or you might have a friend who you trust to bounce ideas off?

For what it's worth, depending on how extensive the work is, thinking carefully about wiring plans and finished floor levels is really important. At the very least, think hard about who will be using every space and what for. As much forward planning as possible in terms of furniture placement will massively help with wiring plans as well - nothing more annoying than sockets and switches in pointless places. I have a lot of experience in renovating, building etc so have learned what's important to focus on :)

Then draw a basic scale on and put it on here - I’ve seen some great ideas - different perspective etc

@Greytulips mumsnet is mean so I don’t want to.

The interior designers from your home made perfect do remote planning work for a fee. You can find them on insta. They will have a call with you, then come up with ideas and then you can find professionals to help you bring the ideas to fruition.

Think they are about £500, well worth it if you want to make major changes

You need these people: https://peekhome.co.uk

If you send them your floor plan and what you’re hoping to achieve they will work it all out for you. My friend used them recently and recommended them to us.

It really depends how much you're planning to reconfigure the space. Whether it's more cosmetic changes (eg decor and furniture changes) or moving walls around or more. We were doing a big house reno of a house that had already been extended but we needed to use the space very differently.

A combination of builder (who brought in an electrician subcontractor) and structural engineer meant we made the most of the space but it was practical as there were some head height issues with a staircase and structural issues with a load bearing wall. And the placement of sockets as someone says above!

I know what you mean but you can be really vague. I doubt people will recognise your house but you may find that ppl can be realy helpful

Eg I don't think Murphy beds are practical for someone who lives in the property: fine for guests or even at a stretch regular family visitors but I don't think it's a good idea for a permanent solution

For layout/moving wall etc it would be helpful to even say eg we have an open plan living area which works well because I can keep an eye on dc1 while cooking
Or DP wfh for 2 days a week so needs a workspace
Whatever.
Mumsnet has been a massive help to me over a long time with so many topics over more user names than I care to remember from ensuring I make good decisions about planning my low maintenance to clean kitchen (which I am still mostly happy about 12 years later) and which high chair to buy but it only works if you give the MNers the info they need to help you

Good luck with whatever you do btw

How can they be mean about a floorplan? There have been many great threads where people put up their floorplan for suggestions.

I'd never put up photos of my home but a floorplan is fine.

Most interior designers worth their salt can do more than advise on paint colours and wallpaper! Mine a couple of years ago suggested a reconfiguration to optimise space that we did and made so much sense. Meet a couple and get a sense of where their capabilities are and if they're keen on the job.

People are confusing Interior designers and interior decorators. Qualified interior designers have a degree of technical training - they’re not just pillow plumpers.