When a 3 bed has been extended to make a 4th bedroom downstairs, will that property be worth the same or less than an extension that puts the 4th bedroom upstairs?

[pernickety]

I am interested in looking at a detached house that has a single storey extension to make a 4th bedroom and showeroom. It appears to be priced the same as detached houses that have 4 bedrooms upstairs.

Does a 4th bedroom command a certain price, regardless of whether it is upstairs or downstairs or ought this house price reflect that its 4th bedroom is downstairs?

That should say shower room

I don't know about the price thing, but I'd think that an extra room downstairs is potentially more useful - it doesn't have to be used as a bedroom (assuming hte shower room isn't en-suite), and is potentially attractive to people with mobility problems too. If that helps at all...

I read that as showroom, was thinking of a row of gleaming 2nd hand cars for sale
I think a bedroom upstairs is infinitely preferable however I agree a downstairs one doesn't have to be used as a bedroom, it has an option to be a study or extra sitting room or play room. Not sure about pricing, sorry.

If a house has 4 bedrooms upstairs I would assume that the downstairs (non-bedroom) area is larger than a house with 3 bed upstairs and 1 bed downstairs.

So overall floorspace is more in the "real" 4-bed, so it should be worth more.

Ahhhh, now that is smart thinking Trillian! V impressive powers of deduction.

I would say it's the overall square footage that largely determines price, assuming both properties are in the same condition.

Some people would prefer an extra bedroom downstairs that can be used as a study or playroom. Others would prefer the 4th bedroom to be upstairs.

My preference would be for an upstairs spare room as thsi would give the possibility of extending downstairs. Although a single storey extension could always be replaced with a two story one...

Trillian - that is the way I think too. I wish houses were priced by square footage (or metreage!) in this country rather than amount of bedrooms.

They took away the garage to add the bedroom and showeroom. Not such a bad thing if the foundations can support an upper floor. They have extended out the back too though, so there is plenty of other downstairs space. I worry about resale value. Even though we are looking for a home to live in for the next 15 years, you never know if your circumstances could change.

A bit off the point, but did you know that bedrooms which have a door into the kitchen (so some downstairs bedrooms, depending on layout) don't count as bedrooms for mortgage valuation purposes.

Estate Agents valuations are completely different.

Pernickety - get plans drawn up and permission to build above the extension - should help re-sale inthe future!

So did it have one of those garages that are a part of thehouse - and that has now been turned into a bedroom?

I hate those garages. Why would someone build a house with more upstairs space than downstairs space? Madness!

No - the garage was on the side of the house. It's a 1930s house. We have looked at all sorts of houses in the past few months and did look at a 1980s house that had an integrated garage, so there was plenty of space upstairs but not enough downstairs.

That's interesting CPJ Good to know.

I always think that unless a property is a bungalow then all the bedrooms are upstairs.

Therefore (like a property selling near to me) if they have converted a garage and they use it as a 4th bedroom it does NOT make it a 4 bed property. It makes it a 3 bed with an extra reception room.

It should cost more than the equivalent 3 bed as apparently a property is worth more if the garage has been converted providing there is parking space available.

But IMO it should not cost the same amount as a 4 bed because of what TrillianAstra said

Yay!

Good point Fizzy lemonade. I think it is overpriced and they have even reduced it already. I will try to see what 3 bed detached sell for on that road - it's a long, main road, so there ought to be recent enough sales - and then think of it priced with an additional reception room and bathroom rather than as a 4th bedroom.

Does it command a certain price? In terms of re sale value, there is a market for adaptable homes. Think of families with a disabled relative/granny flat sort of thing, but intergrated into the house. Depending on the area and local services it could be a good prospect. A plus for some people. Especially if it does not detract from the rest of ground floor.

I agree with 'Chatelaine'. In fact we were talking with DH the other day about building a downstairs bedroom in the future as we are sure we will look after at least one set of parents. Most of our friends have done it. If the area has some ethnic groups it could be a plus when you sell.

I'd look at how much houses with garages are worth round there compared to houses without garages. If there is v. little parking on street or on their land, garage could be more valuable than extra room. Or if it's the kind of area where buyers are likely to have expensive cars that need to be put away at night.