Bungalow Extension

[Ferdinand]

1 hour ago, Anitha said:

Thanks for your reply Prodave. Do you suggest to move kitchen to the front extension?

 

Thanks

Anitha

 

I suggested keeping the kitchen at the back because that us adjacent to the current kitchen services, so you are taking things through a wall rather than either right through the house or round the outside. Moving several services a distance can easily add 3-5k and is sometimes not thought about until the plumber says "got to run all these pipes through those 3 rooms, Guvnor".

 

Ferdinand

[Anitha]

Thanks @Ferdinand. Just need an opinion from you all. Zoopla says the value of this property as £380k. This is very close to train station(5 mins walk) which my husband and son uses everyday for their office/school . 

 

I have seen another  2 properties a bit further away (20 min walk to station ).

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-62459070.html

 

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-60463251.html

 

 

Could you please tell me which is wise decision , buying this one at £380k and spend $60k+ for alteration( just initial alteration suggested by @Ferdinand, or get one of other 2 properties at £425k. Considering plot size, this one being a bungalow and bit outdated(but at heart of village, very convenient)?

 

If I do suggested alteration, which one will fetch higher value in 5 or 10years time?

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

[Simplysimon]

@Anitha have you looked at sold prices in the area to give you an idea as to what they're going for

[Anitha]

Hi Simplysimon,

Thanks. Sold price is around 300k for  another bungalow nearby. But it doesn't have this much big garden and older than this.

 

I know our landlord paid £330k for this house 4 years before ( This is his sister's house and he had to complete legal formalities after sister passed away).

 

I just want to know, difference in demand and price appreciation between a bungalow and 2 storey house.

 

I have to pay £425k for 4 bedroom house. I don't need to spend anything extra. Just move in.

 

This bungalow,  I have to pay around £440k(380 + 60) for 3 bedroom bungalow. Does it worth? 

 

If I want to sell at a later point, which is easier to sell, 3 bedroom bungalow or 4 bedroom house?

 

Please let me know your opinion , as you have more experience in this regard.

 

Thanks 

[Ferdinand]

No one on BH can give a clear answer to that, as the values are so close that it is hard to separate and the true deciding factors need to be what will make you all happy, rather than a few 10s of k in 10 years time, when external events could have changed it all anyway.

 

If one of the houses is tired, then you may spend 40-50k in the first 5 years bringing it to be what you want. What value do you place on hubby and child getting an extra 15-20 minutes a day at home rather than walking to work / school?

 

OTOH, what value do you place on avoiding the disruption of a project?

 

And do you prefer houses or bungalows? Will you actually get 3 good doubles to fit a desk in too from your bungalow? Both houses compromise on bedroom size for bed 3 and bed 4.

 

So - your decision, I am afraid !

 

Things you can do

 

- Get Estate Agents in to value your current bungalow as if you were selling. Is it worth 400k?

- Work out the costs to the LL of you leaving. Refresh + find new tenants will cost him 5-6k after a few years of a single tenant. Refresh + selling it will cost him the same. Plus hassle. Should be worth 10k off the price. Plus the "we have been good tenants for x years; give us some consideration" line. 

- Make up a big list of pros and cons for each option, and split them into "Showstoppers, major and minor" to help get a feel for your decision.

 

But to my eye House 2 with added John Lewis is better than House 1, because 1 looks more basic. Could you work in that house 1 kitchen with that cheap tap, gas hob not induction, and that top built in oven at head height? Or would you need a new kitchen? But what way does house 2 garden face?

 

In a  good area good houses should always be in demand.

Ferdinand

 

Edited July 1, 2019 by Ferdinand

[Anitha]

Thanks for your opinion @Ferdinand. 

 

I have asked a real estate agent to value the bungalow this week. Let me see.  Once it is done, we have to decide our offer. I am sure our LL would consider the things you said.

 

House 1 , kitchen is very small for me, definitely wont fit.  Thinking about oven height , only after you said. Definitely not an option.

 

I like the kitchen in house 2. It's same as the bungalow , north facing house with garden at south side. But when visited during day time, all rooms were bright and sunny. But as you told, except master bedroom , other rooms are not big, and wont accomodate a desk.

 

In bungalow , all bedrooms are spacious, even the proposed bedroom 3 would be bigger than bedrooms in house 1 & 2.

 

I am just leaning towards bungalow.  Anyhow I would come back for your opinion , after the real estate valuation.

 

Thanks for your time @Ferdinand. Means a lot to me.

 

Thanks

 

 

 

[caliwag]

Hello, You could consider additional accommodation as a pavilion extension...stand alone with a part-glazed link. This could be a new kitchen/diner/dayroom releasing existing space as new bedrooms etc. The Advantages are limited messing with existing and carry out as funds become available. Most of  the work can take place independently of existing, without dirt and dust...and freedom to design the kitchen as you want!

 

Budget is tight, bur if you'redoing this as self-build, you might get up to 50m2, depending on kitchen fit-out and quality of detail. Do you have family or mates in the trade?

 

Potential benefits are the spaces in between, glazed or sheltered courtyard and so on, and total control

Get the corrugated card out for model-making

[Anitha]

Thanks @Caliwag.

 

Don't have any family or friends in trade. Could you please tell me what would be the approximate cost? 

 

Thanks

 

[caliwag]

Well others on here might venture an opinion...unless you're doing self build and dependent on specification, I guess allow £1500/m2. Must be cheaper and less disruptive than mucking about with semi-extensions and internal works...not to mention the dust and mess. 

[the_r_sole]

.

Edited September 26, 2019 by the_r_sole

[Ferdinand]

On 27/06/2019 at 15:18, Anitha said:

 

 

@Anitha

 

TBH I think this is now back to you. The project looks doable, but I actually question whether you need to extend at all - depending on what real size things are on an accurate plan. Certainly, if budget is that tight, I would do it without an extension initially as a risk-control measure, and probably leaving nearly all walls in place.

 

The immediate thing you need is kids in separate bedrooms. I think you may find it beneficial to look at the BBC prog "Your Home Made Perfect", where they focused on gains from reconfiguring spaces as much as they did on extending, and on limited budgets. BBC site here (lots of clips):

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00048xh

 

Copies of Ep 1 and 2 here on dailymotion. Good for giving you knowledge of possibilities.

 

 

In accordance with the law of sod, the best one about bungalows is Ep 3, which is not online. 

 

They are also looking for participants, and make their series quickly. That might work for you, as they seem to be a more genuine programme than most of the others.

 

But the way I would do this low risk version to get the bed and a better space at far less than your budget is

 

0 - You will need to consider Electrics, Underfloor insulation, wall fabric etc before you start. And be ready to have these things done as and when needed. Also get an informed opinion on whether there may be asbestos in the building before you get mentally committed to buying it; for me that would likely be a showstopper. If it is less than say 30 years old you are very likely not to have it. This low risk version would be OK, but the bigger version could be tricky and need expensive professionals.

1 - Move your existing kitchen into the dining. Make the new arrangement such that it will not prejudice anything you *might* want to do.

2 - Make old kitchen into suitable bedroom, but you will use it as your temp. lounge. Keep kids in current bedroom.

3 - Turn Loo and laundry into family bathroom. 

4 - Do whatever you will do to lounge, if necessary sealing off archway whilst doing it.

5 - Unblock archway and reoccupy  lounge. Move kids into separate bedrooms.

6 - Have a garden party.

 

That gives you your basic requirements and then you can do all the rest over time. Could be 15-20k and only 2-3 months. As you add on bits eg extension or knocking lounge into hall or removing ceiling each will add more cost and time. Or you could do this and take a breather for a year and then have a new push.

 

The other way to approach this would be to do the "building" work first in a similar order eg extend at front whilst you are in the temp. lounge, and do finishes and interiors later. Avoids another lot of major disruption later, but is higher risk. Do you feel lucky?

 

Or the above could be modified to do bits now, depending on scope, vision and budget materialising etc. Project Management is critical for tight control. Execution needs to be quick whilst your house is a minor building site.

 

Over to you.

 

Ferdinand

 

 

Edited July 2, 2019 by Ferdinand

[Anitha]

15 hours ago, the_r_sole said:

seems to be getting somewhere now, ferdinands suggestion looks pretty interesting. It definitely looks like the front is the prime space for light/sun... If it was me I'd either look at a similar arrangement to ferdinand and create a big open plan kitchen/living/dining space at that end, I would maybe go a bit futher in terms of opening it up but depends on how bold you want to be! In a bungalow like that you might be able to open up the ceiling in the main space too (but that's a bit of a luxury on a tight budget) it could allow you to get some natural daylight into the rear of the house which would be nice... If you wanted to be really bold you could bring all the public spaces to the front of the house and open it up a bit more, looks like you are quite well set back from the road so privacy isn't too bad

The issue you have on a fairly small footprint is trying to minimise the corridors - at the moment you have a space equivalent to a big bedroom to get to the bedrooms, either you should try and get rid of that, or make it bigger so that it becomes useful space, long dark corridors are never good!

Thanks @the_r_sole. Yes we are on tight budget. As you said, our hallway itself is big as double bedroom. Not sure how to utilise that space.

 

[Anitha]

6 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

 

@Anitha

 

TBH I think this is now back to you. The project looks doable, but I actually question whether you need to extend at all - depending on what real size things are on an accurate plan. Certainly, if budget is that tight, I would do it without an extension initially as a risk-control measure, and probably leaving nearly all walls in place.

 

The immediate thing you need is kids in separate bedrooms. I think you may find it beneficial to look at the BBC prog "Your Home Made Perfect", where they focused on gains from reconfiguring spaces as much as they did on extending, and on limited budgets. BBC site here (lots of clips):

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00048xh

 

Copies of Ep 1 and 2 here on dailymotion. Good for giving you knowledge of possibilities.

 

 

In accordance with the law of sod, the best one about bungalows is Ep 3, which is not online. 

 

They are also looking for participants, and make their series quickly. That might work for you, as they seem to be a more genuine programme than most of the others.

 

But the way I would do this low risk version to get the bed and a better space at far less than your budget is

 

0 - You will need to consider Electrics, Underfloor insulation, wall fabric etc before you start. And be ready to have these things done as and when needed. Also get an informed opinion on whether there may be asbestos in the building before you get mentally committed to buying it; for me that would likely be a showstopper. If it is less than say 30 years old you are very likely not to have it. This low risk version would be OK, but the bigger version could be tricky and need expensive professionals.

1 - Move your existing kitchen into the dining. Make the new arrangement such that it will not prejudice anything you *might* want to do.

2 - Make old kitchen into suitable bedroom, but you will use it as your temp. lounge. Keep kids in current bedroom.

3 - Turn Loo and laundry into family bathroom. 

4 - Do whatever you will do to lounge, if necessary sealing off archway whilst doing it.

5 - Unblock archway and reoccupy  lounge. Move kids into separate bedrooms.

6 - Have a garden party.

 

That gives you your basic requirements and then you can do all the rest over time. Could be 15-20k and only 2-3 months. As you add on bits eg extension or knocking lounge into hall or removing ceiling each will add more cost and time. Or you could do this and take a breather for a year and then have a new push.

 

The other way to approach this would be to do the "building" work first in a similar order eg extend at front whilst you are in the temp. lounge, and do finishes and interiors later. Avoids another lot of major disruption later, but is higher risk. Do you feel lucky?

 

Or the above could be modified to do bits now, depending on scope, vision and budget materialising etc. Project Management is critical for tight control. Execution needs to be quick whilst your house is a minor building site.

 

Over to you.

 

Ferdinand

 

 

@Ferdinand, Thanks for this idea. Actually we are quite tight on budget.  And if we could get another bedroom with 20k, I couldn't ask more. I didn't really think about asbestos. Thanks for reminding me.

To be honest, I really dont want to extend  now,  as I feel we could not bear the expenses. So I really like your idea of leaving the walls.  Just a doubt. If I leave the external walls as it is and convert dining into kitchen and kitchen into bedroom3, how could I incorporate dining in the house? 

 

Can we anyhow utilise the space in front hallway? it is quite big and as big as bedroom2.

 

Thank you.

[Ferdinand]

2 hours ago, Anitha said:

If I leave the external walls as it is and convert dining into kitchen and kitchen into bedroom3, how could I incorporate dining in the house? 

 

 

You need to be on Houzz or Pinterest for that one, I think.

 

Or for the kitchen, this is OK - but she is a bit keen on brands.

https://www.madaboutthehouse.com/how-to-plan-the-perfect-kitchen/

[Anitha]

Thanks @Ferdinand. I'll try houzz and pinterest.

[Anitha]

Hi All,

Coming back after a while. 

 

Can I add another storey(not loft conversion) to the bungalow? What would be the approximate cost?

 

Can I get planning permission from council, considering all the 5 houses in our street are bungalows?

 

Thanks In Advance.

 

Anitha

[Redoctober]

29 minutes ago, Anitha said:

Can I add another storey(not loft conversion) to the bungalow? What would be the approximate cost?

Can I get planning permission from council, considering all the 5 houses in our street are bungalows?

 

The answer I believe lies in Q2 - If the street is full of bungalows as you say, then it might be unlikely to get PP for another complete storey - you may have to compromise with a bedroom in the roof - dormer /chalet style perhaps. But as always, if you don't ask you don't get, so make some inquiries with the local Planning Office.

As for the cost, it depends on what it is you are after and what it is you are wanting to create. Perhaps more details in this regard would help.

[Anitha]

Thanks Redoctober for the reply.