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Property/DIY

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Ideas to improve layout and add a second loo before selling

7 replies

Happytostayhome · Today 16:04

Our house is currently for sale, but not selling. All feedback has been positive about the house but it has a narrow shared driveway which is a put off. (We've lived here for 13 years and its never been a problem, but) as we can't change it, the only thing we can try to do is adapt the house without spending TOO much money (as we'll never get it back).
Wants:
More balanced bedroom sizes (bed 3 is too small)
A second toilet
A living room we can close off to use as a spare bed when needed
Open plan kitchen diner

I have attatched current floorplan and also an idea i have come up with (conservatory would have to be knocked down and re-built as an extension). But can't figure out how to get 2nd loo in without having to walk through it to get from utility to kitchen 🤔 ANY ideas (similar to mine or completely different) welcome.
TIA

Ideas to improve layout and add a second loo before selling
Ideas to improve layout and add a second loo before selling
OP posts:
housemoveheadache · Today 16:13

Is the plan for you to remodel the house and stay there? Or are you thinking of doing this work and then trying to sell again?

if it’s the latter, don’t even consider it. Just drop the price and it will sell - no house is perfect and buyers will compromise at the right price. It will cost you many many times more to do this work than you’ll recoup selling.

Happytostayhome · Today 16:45

@housemoveheadache well if we were to get what we wanted from it, we would consider just staying put.
To move, we'd have to extend our mortgage by at least £100,000 plus then fees involved.
I know we'd never get this money back if we spent this much on the house, but may be the cheaper option? Also, not sure how long to wait it out before biting the bullet.

OP posts:
Buscobel · Today 17:00

If you really want to sell, then lower the price.

Only remodel it you want to get the benefit from it yourselves.

Tortephant · Today 17:01

Happytostayhome · Today 16:45

@housemoveheadache well if we were to get what we wanted from it, we would consider just staying put.
To move, we'd have to extend our mortgage by at least £100,000 plus then fees involved.
I know we'd never get this money back if we spent this much on the house, but may be the cheaper option? Also, not sure how long to wait it out before biting the bullet.

Your proposal is going to cost around that OP. Ok, no stamp duty or moving fees, but to do what you propose is going to cost around this.

Cannedlaughter · Today 17:07

The soil pipe is an issue with a new toilet. For a cheaper fix I’d turn the utility into a second loo utility. Block off the door to the garden and have the loo behind the one in the bathroom.

Smallorveryfaraway · Today 17:15

How about:

  • Leave the front door exactly where it is currently.
  • Knock down the conservatory and build a new extension the full depth of the house. This will be a new kitchen diner accessed via the lounge.
  • Create your second loo off the hallway in part of the current kitchen. I'd actually make this a loo + utility and knock down the existing utility, only because it looks like you have an internal window in your main bathroom and I'd prefer an external window.
  • The remaining space of the existing kitchen and a bit of the lounge becomes a fourth bedroom. Then you've added value.
Happytostayhome · Today 17:32

Thanks for the suggestions @Smallorveryfaraway . The problem with that is:
1.) The garden is to the side of the house (feeding from conservatory) so wouldnt be able to go any wider than the 2.5m it currently is or we'd have no garden, so even at full depth of 5.9m the extension would only be 14.75m² so not ideal to fit a kitchen + diner in it
2.) The 3rd bed would still be the same size for DS

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