Looking for advice / suggestions on the best use of 2 (extra) rooms in a house we are about to sell.
The house, from the front at least, looks like a typical 3 bed mid terrace in a row of ten with similar layout. Lots of period features. Two decent reception rooms and a 15' x 9' kitchen / diner / breakfast room accessed from the rear reception room. On the 1st floor - Two good size double bedrooms, a newly fitted bathroom with quality fittings and a rear bedroom 9' x 8'.
Every visitor to the house always seems very surprised that leading down from the kitchen are stone steps leading to a Lower Ground Floor made up of:
corridor with external door (with glazed window over) to the end side with doors off leading to: - room 12' x 9' approx. with plumbing for Washing Machine and Shower (we removed the tired looking previous one) - room 14' x 14' approx. - large under stairs cupboard area - WC room with new combi boiler over (a litle strange perhaps but kept the boiler out of the larger rooms) There are radiators in the hallway and 2 larger rooms which both have full height external walls and good size external windows but due to the location of the rear elevation they are South-East facing rather than South-West. It's definitely not a normal basement. Due to the slope of the land the house is at least 3 storeys high at the back but only the more usual 2 at the front.
There is an enclosed walled, south facing town garden with a small lawn. Not huge but definitely better / larger then the usual small yard.
On street parking.
This is a northern provincial town close to, but not actually in, the Lake District National Park. The house is currently arguably worth a litte under £200,000 but at least one other house on our street, different but not hugely larger, has just completed a sale for over 50% more than this figure! It is one of the more desirable streets locally and seems to generally appeal to professionals and families with older children.
I'm sure in London at least this Lower Ground Floor (LGF) area would probably be converted into a very nice open plan Kitchen Diner opening out onto the garden. Unfortunately here its fairly unlikely that the cost of doing this would add the same to the value and it would still remain a 3 bed. The previous owner said they had rented out the LGF but apart from an Estate Agent (for a neighbouring property for sale) suggesting this potential use it doesn't appear that anyone else has done this - although it could have seperate access from the rear, no through lane.
When other houses on the terrace have been advertised for sale the larger room tends to be described as either an extra reception room or Bedroom 4 (ideal for teenager) and the smaller room but still 12' x 9' generally as a Utility room (a bit of a wasted opportunity ?) or sometimes an office. Some of the houses have added a shower within the LGF.
If you had this space available how do you think it would be best used - especially to add value ! All suggestions very welcome
For me, split the 12 x 9 room into a utility room and shower. That would be a big bonus for any families - keep the mucky/noisy stuff downstairs and can shower kids straight from the garden. The other room could be a den/playroom, or an office. Maybe get a broadband point put in? It could also work as a guest space, particularly with the shower room and toilet on the same floor.
It sounds ideal for me - could you please move it to Edinburgh and I'll buy it!!!
Have been considering similar type idea to your suggestion for a while. The only problem with splitting the room is it makes more work to undo if a purchaser had their own ideas. Having previously moved from a 2 bed terrace the understairs area (which could be opened out) and large attic seemed IMHO to offer plenty of storage space for utility type stuff then the 12' x 9' room could be say a really good size second bath / wet room especially if the other larger LGF room were to be a (guest) bedroom 4.
But would be sensible to spend this sort of money on a house we would like to sell ?
I'd leave it for the new owner. A room like that to me has only one use - a nice workshop - and it would be worth at least £15K to me. If it were a shower I'd have to pull it out.
I agree with lee - leave it for the new owner. If it was Mr S and I buying the house then I'm sure we would be arguing about how to split it up as a workshop for him and a craft room for me. I would win, of course .
Unless local estate agents can tell you that undertaking a particular project on the property will add value, then I would just leave it as it is and let the buyers decide how they want to use it.
gooseberry, the answers you're getting suggest that everyone has a different version of how they'd use your space, and that is hugely to your advantage - your house lends itself to that adaptability. People move house just to acquire that! As long as viewings are accompanied by a suggestion of the many and varied ways your space could be utilised then you don't have a problem. Incidentally, where on the borders of the National Park are you? My mum is in Cockermouth (and if you live in or near there you'll be prepared for the innuendo...) fabulous part of the world, and I do mean the world as opposed to simply the UK. Hope you're staying local.
I tend to agree with the general flow so far that the smaller room at least should be left as a blank canvas. Just a bit worried, as we are unlikely to be able to do many of the viewings, that the EA is really able to capture the imagination of the viewer with the endless possibilities.
The other room, at least on paper, probably needs to be regarded as bedroom 4 otherwise I think we will struggle to get a sensible price for what at a glance, could easily be mistaken for a much smaller and far less interesting 3 bed terrace.
When I bought the house I hadn't actually even looked at the previous ones that had been for sale on the terrace as they appeared to be overpriced 3 bedders the way they had been marketed.
Yes, but the North West is experiencing a somewhat belated renaissance lucky for you My family hail from your part of the world, and most of them still live there - who can blame them, it's lovely - so have no fear gooseberry (not that you do) your home will be snapped up. Post a link if you can!
we turned our garage into a studio, but tried to make it usable as an office for the future. We did also incorporate a small showerroom / loo in there - though ironically I use it as a greenhouse. We'd describe it as office / studio if we needed to sell - it's nicely painted and looks smart, plus telephone and internet connections. If we did sell, we'd probably take all the pottery stuff out and put in a desk, as I can't imagine too many people want to buy a pottery studio. I don't want to sound like Andrew W, but could you stage your room a little to give it a sense of purpose?
Some sort of staging obviously makes sense as I do feel most people lack imagaination when faced with a blank canvas. After all the "experts" always advise putting a bed (and a double if possible) into an upstairs bedroom to be sure that the viewer is able to visualise the room as a bedroom !
My other problem with the smaller LGF room is that it has bare brick walls that if nothing else imply basement (garage even) rather than quality additional living space. It's well above ground level and isn't damp so as a minimum I think it really needs to be either lime plastered or dry lined to give it a more lived in feel.
The general advice around does seem to be, keep things close to a blank canvas....but at the same time you are supposed to dress a room to suggest how it could be used. Although many do like to do their own thing, many cannot see past what is there and many just want to move in and do nothing to a place!
However, this is what I think I would do if it were my own place. I don't know if you have the plumbing for washing machine etc upstairs in the main kitchen, but if you do I would be inclined to turn the washing machine area into another cupboard (leave in the plumbing and mention that its there if anybody wants it), keep a place for a dishwasher of course. Then downstairs split the small room, to make a reasonable utility room, with plumbing for washing machine and tumble dryer and then use the other part of the room as a really good storage cupboard (there is usually never enough storage in house). Keep the WC, very useful, especially if you've got toddlers on potty training. And then make up the other room as a really great office space. Advertise it however as a study office/bedroom 4. I think that the desire to have an office/study these days is growing in popularity, as the internet and e-mail become so much a part of our everyday life. Perhaps you could dress it with a futon or something to show that it could still be used as a guest room. Put in a decent sized desk, one that you can actually work on as well as have the computer on (invest in a TFT monitor for extra space saving, for £200 it will make the work area look great!), but not soo big that it takes up all the space....its not for true practicality, just for show.
Oh yes, put a sink and small cupboard in the utility room, and a kettle and then it can be used as a small office kitchen area for making cups of coffee and tea, save going upstair to the kitchen to make one while your working in the office.
Originally posted by gooseberry: Some sort of staging obviously makes sense as I do feel most people lack imagaination when faced with a blank canvas. After all the "experts" always advise putting a bed (and a double if possible) into an upstairs bedroom to be sure that the viewer is able to visualise the room as a bedroom !
My other problem with the smaller LGF room is that it has bare brick walls that if nothing else imply basement (garage even) rather than quality additional living space. It's well above ground level and isn't damp so as a minimum I think it really needs to be either lime plastered or dry lined to give it a more lived in feel.
Would most people agree
Ah, fantastic...this would make a absolutely stunning feature for an office, as a back drop for shelving...i's say keep it brick!
Sorry - I disagree on this. I think that they would be better off lining the walls to make it look like a proper room. Brick walls say 'damp garage' to me!
Completely agree with you. Bare brick walls look great in a loft / warehouse conversion but in a period "family" townhouse I very much doubt it is the look most people would go for - of choice
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