Floorplan extensio help

[Davetrevorfinn]

We are considering buying the a property. It used to be 3 bedrooms but was reconfigured about 10 years ago into 2 bedrooms. We would need to create a third bedroom again and pontentially either a 4th or reconfigure to increase the size of the current second bedroom which is tiny. We can potenially put an extension on but due to layout the extension can only be added to the side where the conservatory is. Any ideas how best to do all this.

This is not the house for you. The upstairs space is crazy small for the footprint. It needs a first floor extension but you can't know if that is possible without digging to check the foundations of the original extension. It will cost loads to rebalance.

Was it a bungalow? Were does the current 1st floor bit sit in terms of the downstairs?

is there scope to extend upstairs above the utility and sitting room? that would be the ideal place for 2 new bedrooms.

but otherwise, keep looking for a better house.

The current first floor sit above the kitchen diner. It is in a village we love and houses in our price range don't normally come up for sale here. I am concerned a first floor extension will be cost too much.

That layout looks identical to mine (before we extended!) - the living room/utility are an extension so why can’t you build 2 bedrooms above those, coming straight off the upstairs landing

it will increase your value significantly though - as another poster said, the size of the upstairs doesn’t match the downstairs, I’m willing to bet it’s priced low because of this.

Honestly the best solution for this house is a first floor extension coming off right at the top of the stairs. It is what this house needs to balance it.

The second bedroom is tiny. It’s got a big utility room! Conservatories are very hard to heat and I expect this is a cheap one. The only solution is to extend on the first floor but, in a sought after location, it’s possibly worth it but you need to do the sums.

Have you been to see the house? All of the rooms are small. My initial thought was use the kitchen diner as the lounge to and split the lounge into 2 bedrooms, but I think this house is just too small.

You could swap the kitchen and utility

Draw a horizontal line across from current kitchen to conservatory

Have the conservatory and the part of the lounge coming off it with the kitchen and utility. Then the current two parts off the kitchen and lounge can become bedrooms.

However this leaves you with very little communal space and relies on the utility not being a bearing wall as you would need 2 openings there.

Hey you would need to extend - it’s the only way. I wouldn’t get attached to a conservatory- they are unusable most of the year, too hot in summer and too cold in the winter. My mum had one and it drained the heat from the rest of the house!

Before you commit, find out why it was reconfigured from 3 to 2 bedrooms. Sometimes the third bedroom didn't meet minimum size requirements for light or ventilation, and you may hit the same problem reinstating it. Also check whether the reconfiguration had building regulations approval — if not, that becomes your problem after purchase.
On the extension, replacing a conservatory with a proper built structure is one of the more straightforward projects. The footprint already exists, neighbours are less likely to object, and depending on size it may fall under permitted development.
The key question is whether extending or reconfiguring internally gives you better value. Internal work is significantly cheaper and faster, but only works if the floor area is there to redistribute. I'd get an architect to do a quick feasibility study before you exchange. A few hundred pounds now could save you from discovering the layout you need isn't achievable.