floorplan change to accommodate dorma

[DWBungalow]

Hi,

 

i'm looking for some advice on how we might accommodate going in to the loft of our bungalow please. we're not looking to make wholesale changes to the property but we would like to go in to the attic so just trying to figure out the best place for stairs

 

any help/thoughts appreciated

 

thanks

[-rick-]

My thought: split Bedroom 3 horizontally, u-shaped/half turn stairs in lower part. Upper part turned into dresser/walk in wardrobe for bedroom 1 and/or extra space in lounge. Replace bedroom 3 upstairs.

[DWBungalow]

ok interesting, had not even considered that, was looking more at bedroom 2 to replace that and make hallway wider..

[-rick-]

22 minutes ago, DWBungalow said:

ok interesting, had not even considered that, was looking more at bedroom 2 to replace that and make hallway wider..

 

Bedroom 3 seemed like the more awkward space as is so would benefit more from a change. Having said that making the hallway wider is a good idea. You are somewhat limited by the window in bedroom 2. Depending on your appetite to make changes you could potentially do as I propose and also do the hall way.

 

First, rearranging the entrance and built in units for bedroom 2 would create a much better space IMO and should be relatively trivial/easy.

 

 

Depending on the construction (load bearing walls/foundations) it may be possible to move the wall in at the same time creating that wider hallway while stlil having a more spacious feeling bedroom:

 

I should note I've not considered any regulations when proposing any of this. Others here are more familiar, there may be something that that trips this up.

[DWBungalow]

great thank you. had not even considered moving that door way for bedroom 2! another great idea to think about. thanks!

[ETC]

[Mike]

Something more radical?

 

 

 

[DWBungalow]

2 hours ago, ETC said:

Thanks for this, but I think the bedroom 2 has the potential to feel small then because where you have the stairs are currently built in wardrobes

[DWBungalow]

2 minutes ago, Mike said:

Something more radical?

 

 

 

This is great and the ideal but also pretty costly I imagine

[Mike]

2 hours ago, DWBungalow said:

This is great and the ideal but also pretty costly I imagine

Not cheap, but the cost will depend on factors such as the roof structure & how much you want to get involved in the work.

 

But if you want to achieve something like it later, then it's worth developing an overall plan now, rather than making things up as you go.

[DWBungalow]

8 hours ago, Mike said:

Not cheap, but the cost will depend on factors such as the roof structure & how much you want to get involved in the work.

 

But if you want to achieve something like it later, then it's worth developing an overall plan now, rather than making things up as you go.

Yeah I know the for where you have the living room/dining/kitchen are definitely load bearing. 
 

i would try and phase it ideally so i can potentially get the loft and stairs done as a phase 2…. But I need 3 bedrooms…so thats the dilemma

[torre]

What shape is your roof? Hip or gable and are any gables front/back or at the sides? 

 

Winding anticlockwise from the door into your store and back over the bathroom toilet might work and lose only a limited amount from corners of bed 2 and garage. 

 

You already have some quite long but relatively narrow bedrooms, I'd try and avoid anything that narrows them further. 

 

What use do you hope for from the loft? Extra bedroom and ensuite?

[ETC]

13 hours ago, DWBungalow said:

Thanks for this, but I think the bedroom 2 has the potential to feel small then because where you have the stairs are currently built in wardrobes

By putting the stairs where I have shown may minimise the amount of demolition you will need to do plus it should get you to the highest point of the roof for headroom upstairs - just a thought.

[Mike]

10 hours ago, DWBungalow said:

Yeah I know the for where you have the living room/dining/kitchen are definitely load bearing. 
 

i would try and phase it ideally so i can potentially get the loft and stairs done as a phase 2…. But I need 3 bedrooms…so thats the dilemma

 

So skip the staircase for now and make this phase 1:

 

[DevilDamo]

[DWBungalow]

thanks all for the advice.  If we skipped doing anything with the stairs and then looked to build a porch at the front of the house, how potentially would i be able to reconfigure the garage, bedroom 2, kitchen/dining - is that an option - in order to make use of the garage?

 

the bungalow is gable end (front and back)

[-rick-]

It would help to know a bit more about what your goals and situation is. Why do you want to do this? If thinking about doing in phases, what are the priorities early vs end goal. etc.

[DWBungalow]

17 minutes ago, -rick- said:

It would help to know a bit more about what your goals and situation is. Why do you want to do this? If thinking about doing in phases, what are the priorities early vs end goal. etc.

longer term, we are wanting a wider hallway/entrance without walking straight in to the kitchen. and we would want 3 double bedrooms. there is a potential we go in to the attic in the future but is not a necessity right now but that consideration should be taken in to account. and we need to maintain 2 bathrooms.
the kitchen diner is to be a social area, but living space separately we think so it doesnt become too "open"

[-rick-]

Coming back to this after taking a while to think. I'm not really coming up with much that hasn't already been suggested.

 

Reconfiguring bedroom two as posted would allow you to widen the hall and potentially allow space at the end for stairs. I like Mikes suggestion best if you want to preserve bedroom 3 as it keeps the top of the stairs fairly central and the rooms fairly square.

 

I would look at reconfiguring the built-in's in bedroom 3 to create a square space for the bed around the window. Simpliest is just deleting the builtin nearest the window. Alternatively it looks like there might be room to slot the wardrobe in next to the door (would mean a narrow corridor) and then putting another at a right angle to that facing the bed/window:

 

 

If the room was wider I'd have a desk by the window and the bed headboard on the left hand wall but I don't think there's enough room to comfortably pass by the end of the bed.

 

Not really coming up with a good use for the garage without a much more significant remodel.

 

If you widen the hall then putting a wall up with door to separate the hall from the dining room wouldn't be a big issue. Probably lots of layout options within that space depending on your preferences. With a more involved project you might be able to look at stealing a bit of room from the living room but that doesn't seem overly worth it to me.

[Iceverge]

Google satellite pic of the roof please. 

[Mike]

On 08/09/2025 at 09:21, DWBungalow said:

how potentially would i be able to reconfigure the garage, bedroom 2, kitchen/dining

Remove the wall between garage, which becomes the kitchen (adjacent to the bathroom for ease of services), and bedroom 2, which becomes the dining room. I probable wouldn't do it though.