Bedroom allocation - wwyd

[Grinchinlaws]

We are converting our loft and will have an office, shower room and small but cosy bedroom up there.

We have DS6, DD4 and have guests to stay every few months for 1-2 nights at a time (so regularly but not for long periods).

I can’t decide how to allocate the bedrooms. I’ve attached the 1st floor plan. Blue shaded is all bathroom so we have 3 bedrooms, all doubles on 1st floor, plus 1 in the loft. Bedroom 1 is absolutely massive (master atm).

I can’t decide whether to stay in bedroom 1, have DS in bedroom 2 and DD in bed 3 (so use the loft bedroom for guests)

OR we go in loft (nice to have separation, but are we too far from kids?)
and if we do that, how to allocate 1st floor rooms? Seems unfair to give one child bed 1 as it’s so much bigger, but also a waste to use that for guests? Maybe guest/playroom?

Bed 3 is quite separate from beds 1 and 2 and is the smallest so makes sense for guests too, but then it’s the issue that one child has much bigger room than the other (maybe not really a problem).

WWYD?

We had a very similar layout. Is it an option to give the kids the top floor, then have bed3 as the office? Bed 2 becomes the guest room.

How often you have guests and how long they stay? We realized our guest room was only used for about 20 nights of the year so really wasn’t worth allocating a big room.

I'd keep the loft for guests currently so that you are on the same floor as your youngish children and can get away when you need to use the office.

You in bed 1
kids in bed 2 & 3 (they really don’t look that different in size)
loft - office & guest room

Thank you @CBAMumma - for now office is definitely going on the top floor because we both wfh and need to be separated from the kids when they are at home after school (we have an after school nanny).

Maybe when they are teens they can both go up there but that’s a long way off!

So kids will be on 1st floor, just not sure which rooms and where we should go!

Thanks @MiddleagedBeachbum that does seem best.

Beds 2 and 3 are similar sized, bed 1 is probs about twice the size of them (plan isn’t properly to scale).

I’d stick with the office + guests on top floor, and everyone on the same floor at night.

Nice to have separation from your work space, good for guests to feel a bit private, and no real need to move anyone whilst kids are so young. Rethink in teen years.

I agree. Guests on top floor. They have some privacy then and it could be useful for somewhere to recouperate if you or your dh are ill and want a break from the kids?

Office and guest room in the loft.
You stay in bedroom 1 on the same floor as the children in bedrooms 2 and 3.
When the children are teens you can move up to the loft and covert bedroom 1 to a 2nd sitting room/ guest room so that the children have somewhere to hang out without you.

I think this is a good plan

We had the loft converted with 2 bedrooms and a bathroom put up there. It's the kids floor which they have to themselves. However, crucially, they were approaching teens when we did it. I wouldn't want to sleep on a different floor to children of the ages of yours, but I would want to work away from them, so short term, office and guest room on the top floor seems perfect.

However, when doing the build, I would prepare for a future where two teens have the top floor because, honestly it's a perfect set up for teens. So I'd suggest trying to make the office and the bedroom on the top floor similar sizes and ensure the bathroom is either stand alone or Jack and Jill not ensuite to just one room.

I wouldn't want to be a floor away from kids that young or have the kids having to come up a flight if they need us. So either you keep 1 and allocate 2 and 3 based on preference / who's where already etc then use upstairs for office and guests, or you have room 3 so you're further away from the kids and whoever gets the large room (it can always change later!) gets used as a general play space too

Thanks so much for all the replies - really helpful and has confirmed my thinking!

DH is quite keen to move up to the loft now but probs just because it will be new.

Totally agree re bathroom set up in the loft @kitchenplans - it is currently accessed from landing but I have really had to fight for that! It means we lose a bit of bedroom space so architect, DH and builder have all been pushing for en suite, but I definitely want the flexibility of stand alone bathroom (and so I can use it if I’m working in the office even if we have guests in the spare room).