Turning your dinning room into a bedroom

PopTheKettleOnx · 2025-05-02T21:52:07+00:00

Ok, so has anyone done this? The layout of our house is large hall with stairs, living room comes off that, kitchen straight on and a separate good side dinning room off the kitchen. Expecting DC3 and we currently have a 3 bedroom house, our children are already older being teen and pre teen and wouldn't even consider sharing a bedroom, other option is creating a downstairs bedroom and hopefully moving our child with the smallest room of the house into that one as it means double the space. In my head this was a great idea, both children have said imagine inviting your friends.. come to my room, it's through the kitchen. Apparently the thought of this is embarrassing. Id like to gather your own experiences and thoughts so I can either pass these on or use them for consideration myself. Many thanks!

CarpetKnees · 02/05/2025 22:54

My reply would be "and ?"

Followed by "well you two can share if your prefer"

TheNightingalesStarling · 02/05/2025 22:56

How does the size of the living room compare to the dining room?

nahthatsnotforme · 02/05/2025 23:02

Come to my room… it’s right next to drinks, snacks and well away from the adults would have been my first thoughts

Ponderingwindow · 02/05/2025 23:08

It’s a room, right? Not a nook or just an open plan section of the kitchen? I don’t see a problem.

SabbatWheel · 02/05/2025 23:29

Gosh the entitlement of youth! Tell them it's happening and that's the end of it.
On the 1901 census there were 14 people living in my mum's 3 bed terrace (was 4 bed then with no bathroom). Some were lodgers working at the local mill. I've tried to imagine where they would all have slept! Probably some in the main room (dining room now).

imnotwhoyouthinkiam · 02/05/2025 23:35

I live in a traditional '2 up 2 down' terraced house. We turned the front reception room into a third bedroom in lock down. DC were 15 and 13 at the time, and sharing just wasn't working any more.

Never had any issues, although i might worry more if DS2, who has the downstairs room, was the kind of child who might sneak out/sneak someone in at night.

GandTtwice · 02/05/2025 23:35

Dds student room was the room off the kitchen which I guess should really have been the dining room. It was no issue at all

RareGoalsVerge · 02/05/2025 23:45

If that's what works, go ahead! Just please, when you decide to sell, do not market your 3 bedroom home (with a bed in the dining room) as "4 bedroom" - it isn't, and househunting for 4 bedroom homes is incredibly frustrating when you can't trust the basic description and keep turning up to viewings to find it's a 3 bedroom house ("sorry the floor plan's not online yet" when the EA books you in)

GreenSkyes · 03/05/2025 00:08

Friend at school had this, but parents slept downstairs. Not sure if this was would work for you?

rickyrickygrimes · 03/05/2025 02:56

We just did this, but it’s DH and I that have moved into it. Would that be an option?

BlondiePortz · 03/05/2025 03:11

Is it a normal room with 4 walls, a door and windows once the dining furniture is removed?

I am saying this in general but although it is good if people in luding children can be accommodating the idea that someone chooses to have another child and the current children have to do as they are told and put up with it i find rude

So children are only there to meet the needs of the parents it sems?

Zanatdy · 03/05/2025 04:02

Can parents sleep downstairs? I’d rather that than a child, as always worry if there was a burglary, rather adults sleeping downstairs. I guess it’s a big change for teen & pre teens for another baby to join the family, but does sound like they have a lot of say in this, if same sex i’d tell them it’s this, or they share (like many children have to).

Original poster

PopTheKettleOnx · 03/05/2025 06:49

Thanks all, all kind responses to what is a trivial issue in the grand scheme of things. They will have to put up with the arrangements, yes. But I did worry what friends would think, id hate to embarrass them.

If I was a teenager being offered that I'd think great!! Snacks, away from my little sibling who's constantly going between mine and her bedroom, and not far to go when dinners ready 😁 and also a much bigger bedroom which I've complained about since moving here!

As for parents sleeping downstairs, I did consider this - but the room just isn't big enough for a double bed and whatever else but would be perfect for a single, desk and wardrobe etc.

I really appreciate everyone's patience on this thread!

OP posts:

NOTANUM · 03/05/2025 06:52

I would let time play out here. Your baby will be in your bedroom for 6+ months anyhow and with the noise, I suspect your older teen might feel differently then and think this is the ultimate grown up option!
Congrats by the way!

Seeyousoonboo · 03/05/2025 07:02

My folks converted their garage and had that as a bedroom when we were kids. My last house I had the front unused reception room as my bedroom which worked a treat for us all. It really is no big deal especially for an older teen, I wouldn't want to put a small child on another floor from me.

rickyrickygrimes · 03/05/2025 07:18

We don’t even have a door as it’s more a dining alcove we’ve moved into 🤷‍♀️ we’ve built a wall using a Bamboo screen and will put a beaded curtain in the door gap. Our kids are older teens (14 and 17) so they really needed their own rooms, and we can’t move until DS2 starts high school as we can’t afford to move in the same catchment… needs must. DH calls it our gang hut 😂

sunshineandrain82 · 03/05/2025 07:22

We did this. It was never an issue. Though 17 and 11 year old girls sleep in there.

only reason we are not in there is the 2 children upstairs need own rooms due to needs. But we also need to be able to hear and quickly respond to our son during the night.

theres never been a issue and they understand they are downstairs because of safety purposes and because they are the ones that can be trusted.

Girasoli · 03/05/2025 09:16

RareGoalsVerge the house we are buying was marketed like that...I found it helpful as we couldn't afford a proper 4 bedroom and were actively looking for 3 beds with a seperate dining room.

I think it's fine having a downstairs bedroom. We are planning to give DS1 the dining room off the kitchen when he is older (and move DS2 out of the box room).

Girasoli · 03/05/2025 09:16

Also - if we ever get mobility issues when we are older. It will mean we don't have to move house.

8misskitty8 · 03/05/2025 10:57

Do you have a downstairs toilet or a shower room ? Having to traipse through the downstairs rooms then up the stairs to go to the toilet during the night would put me off.
Can you create a new entrance to the room
so you don’t have to go via the kitchen ?
Is there any scope to extend slightly to give the room an en-suite ?

Can you post a floor plan of the house as some people on here are good at suggesting how to alter layouts to make better use of the space you have.

ByNaiceLimeCritic · 03/05/2025 11:10

"come to my room, it's through the kitchen. Apparently the thought of this is embarrassing"

Can they still hear the echoes of you laughter through the halls? Surely the only suitable response!

Children are ridiculous. You don't choose your home setup based on how cool it looks to your children's friends. I had a very similar set up as a teen and I loved it. In fact, I lost it because I was a slob and my mother said I was too messy and the overspill was affecting the other living areas. I was relegated to a small back bedroom!

@rickyrickygrimes wouldn't it make more sense for the 14 year old to have that room rather than a married couple? How do you have a sex life with a bamboo/bead curtain setup and teens in the house?!?

TheNightingalesStarling · 03/05/2025 11:13

I remember my friend having a downstairs bedroom at Secondary. We thought she was lucky to be away from her parents and siblings!

ByNaiceLimeCritic · 03/05/2025 11:16

8misskitty8 · 03/05/2025 10:57

Do you have a downstairs toilet or a shower room ? Having to traipse through the downstairs rooms then up the stairs to go to the toilet during the night would put me off.
Can you create a new entrance to the room
so you don’t have to go via the kitchen ?
Is there any scope to extend slightly to give the room an en-suite ?

Can you post a floor plan of the house as some people on here are good at suggesting how to alter layouts to make better use of the space you have.

You do know that many (most?) people don't have a toilet on every floor. Spending thousands to save a teenager a minute walking to the loo st night would be crazy. How many teens actually get up for a wees at night? I certainly never had to do that before I had children.

rickyrickygrimes · 03/05/2025 11:48

ByNaiceLimeCritic · 03/05/2025 11:10

"come to my room, it's through the kitchen. Apparently the thought of this is embarrassing"

Can they still hear the echoes of you laughter through the halls? Surely the only suitable response!

Children are ridiculous. You don't choose your home setup based on how cool it looks to your children's friends. I had a very similar set up as a teen and I loved it. In fact, I lost it because I was a slob and my mother said I was too messy and the overspill was affecting the other living areas. I was relegated to a small back bedroom!

@rickyrickygrimes wouldn't it make more sense for the 14 year old to have that room rather than a married couple? How do you have a sex life with a bamboo/bead curtain setup and teens in the house?!?

😁For various personal reasons, that's not a priority at the moment, TBH the boys are out a lot, and we are often home alone during the day, should the fancy take us.

We did think about putting the 14 yr old in there, but it doesn't give him any privacy. And this way, DH and I have free run of both the bedroom and adjoining living room as they are in their rooms most of the time now.

8misskitty8 · 03/05/2025 13:51

ByNaiceLimeCritic · 03/05/2025 11:16

You do know that many (most?) people don't have a toilet on every floor. Spending thousands to save a teenager a minute walking to the loo st night would be crazy. How many teens actually get up for a wees at night? I certainly never had to do that before I had children.

Show quote history

The OP asked for experiences and thoughts on the bedroom situation Which Is what I gave.

I asked about the toilet situation as that does put some people off having a downstairs bedroom. The same as if the bathroom is downstairs and no toilet upstairs where the bedrooms are.
The op said that the room is too small for a double bed and other furniture so not suitable for her to use, hence the suggestion if funds allowed to make the area bigger.
So not sure why you decided to have a go at me.