Terraced house development in Stoke: 3 beds vs 2 beds

Joined
1 Sep 2013
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Location
Staffordshire
Country
United Kingdom
Hi all,

New to the forum and have just put an offer in on my first development project, a typical mid-terraced house in Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent which has previously been let to students. (The house is slightly wider than usual, with a hallway, rather than the step-in-off-the street type.) Survey should come in next week and then we will be good to go.

Just a couple of quandaries to ask opinions about:

1) The house was previously a 2 bed, in which the large front bedroom has had a window and stud wall added to divide it into 2 rooms (making 3 upstairs including the back bedroom plus a large bathroom above the kitchen.) The dimensions of the two front rooms are 12'4" x 8'6" and 9'5" x 5'6". (Back bedroom is 14'2" x 8'4".)

Given that none of the rooms will accommodate a double bed comfortably with walking space around it, do people think that buyers would prefer to sacrifice the smallest bedroom in favour of a large room? The market suggest that the house would appeal to both young professionals and small families looking to take advantage of the good school nearby, so I'm undecided about who to appeal to.

The stud wall between the split rooms could easily be moved, making the smallest room even narrower, down to baby's room/study/walk-in wardrobe dimensions, but is this worth the bother???

2) There is currently no downstairs loo, but there is a brick-built outhouse attached to the back of the house which could be knocked through from the kitchen and converted. We really want to do this, but is it worth the extra expense of converting it into a lobby & hallway with the door going out the very back, or leave the back door where it currently is (off the side of the kitchen) and have the toilet just as an enclosed extra room off the back of the kitchen? Basically, is there an extra premium on the potential profit to be had by moving the back door and thus making the kitchen a little bigger?

Thanks for any advice!
 
Sponsored Links
Without going into over detail...

More bedrooms always equals more interest. A lot of new builds would try to squeeze four bedrooms into that floor space. A smaller 'baby' room would be more attractive to potential renters because of the utility offered.

The downstairs plan is always going to work. Bigger kitchens rule the house market and an indoor toilet extension will always get attention.

Do note I am talking about interest, not necessarily profit. If its a rubbish area people won't pay even if it looks like the ritz inside!
 
Many thanks. Your instincts are similar to mine, so good to know that I'm on the right track.

The area is about the best traditional terraced part of Stoke, so I don't envisage any problems making a profit. Just want to make sure I don't miss out on possible gains by making expensive or unnecessary mistakes!
 
Sponsored Links

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Back
Top