Studio flat renovation help needed (UK)
Hi all, wonder if you can give any suggestions or advice on this rental property i have? my tenant is about to move out and i believe the flat still has it's 'original' features..hence it def needs a once over before i let it out again!
It is classed as a studio, but the bedroom has its own little section as you can see in this make shift floor plan. i unfortunately don't have the exact measurements, but the photos should give you an idea. I have also added some existing items that are in the flat at present.
Bathroom: This needs a full renovation...I was thinking tiling the floors and walls as its hardy and doesn't require maintenance. Laminate would be cheaper, but i fear that it will get ruined quite quickly as a rental. As this is a studio, i assume a single person or couple would live here, hence a shower could be more appropriate and a space saver.
Next steps was trying to work out if i should change the layout or keep it as is. Also, whether i should have a normal single shower or a double (with one shower head)? An architect friend recommended moving the shower so it spans the back of the bathroom, ie, shower in front of the window, but i'm not sure that's a good idea due to privacy and the potential build up of mould around the window. Being a rental property, the lower the maintenance required, the better i feel. Should i keep this all a generic white all over so the new tenants can give it their own personality? Space for storage is ideal.
Kitchen: I need to rip this out, but can keep the fridge (if i want) as it is fully functional. I think i need to add an extractor fan and try to maximise the amount of storage as the flat is pretty small. My initial thoughts was to also tile the floor (maybe the same tiles as the bathroom), and to partially or fully tile the walls - to keep maintenance low once again? Gas or induction hob? i've been seeing some people complaining that tenants have smashed the hobs before (i have gas, hence don't have any experience!)
Should i pick an all white kitchen or add some black in if i was to keep the fridge?
With regards to the door, i want to keep this as it's nicer to keep kitchen smells/oils away from the other rooms if anything spicy etc is being cooked.
Lounge: I will need to repaint this whole room to freshen it up. In addition, change the carpet (tiles are not allowed here due to it being a flat) and replace the radiator (do you think i should keep it in the same location or move it to another area?) for some odd reason, these flats only have one radiator and the tenant has confirmed that it seems to be enough.
The room has a nice bay window so the room gets a lot of light during the day. The current tenant had custom made cupboards for storage and TV made, and she has told me that i can keep that. (should i? or should i remove it to once again, let the tenants decide how they want to lay out this room, as i feel like there is nowhere to currently put a desk, dining table/chairs anywhere in this flat.
In addition, the grey Ikea sofa bed belongs to the flat hence can stay or be thrown out.
Bedroom: This is a very tight squeeze. The current tenant has a double bed in here and there is a really simple wardrobe space that eats into the lounge. it currently has 'curtains' covering it. Do you think i should add some sort of door to this wardrobe? sliding?
For legal reasons, i cannot add a door to this room.
Carpets, i was thinking of keeping the same carpet in the lounge and bedroom, potentially a nice grey to keep the palette neutral? (i feel creme might get dirty quite quickly). Walls painted white again?
Hallway with door to boiler
: I think the wallpaper should be stripped here and the same carpet from the bedroom/lounge continue out here? Should i keep it all white to try and keep it bright as possible?
Sorry for such a long post and thank you in advance for any advice!
Comments (8)
Kit Kat
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Feedback from renters; Tiny studio kitchen renovation
Comments (5)The thing is, there is no one right answer for this. For every person like me, who wants a closed-off kitchen, there's someone else who would rip down all the walls and have no barrier between the kitchen and living space at all. And there are a thousand in-between variations, as well. I've read your post on the Kitchens forum, so I have a better idea where you are coming from. For what it's worth, here are some more thoughts. I would not break through the wall into the living space at all. Once you put a window or pass-through there, you are defining the space on the other side of the wall. With the whole wall there, someone could put the head of their bed against that wall, and place a bookcase or other type of room divider parallel to the bed, creating a little, cozy, semi-hidden nook for their bed. Put a window there--it would feel really weird having your kitchen open onto your bed. And the height of the windows you have shown is awkward--the cook would have to bend down to see anything in the living space. I'd take my money and concentrate on "blinging out" the existing kitchen. Not knowing your area, it's hard to say where to spend the money. Definitely change out the "boob" light on the ceiling. Add some undercabinet lighting if you can. If the cabinets and granite are in as good shape as they look in the picture, and if stainless is what the renters in your area are looking for, then concentrate on getting stainless appliances. If the cabinets themselves are in good shape, but you want to lighten up the kitchen, then look into just refacing the cabinets with lighter colored doors. I would not give up an inch of storage space. Unless there is additional storage elsewhere in the building, like a basement lock-up, every bit of a renter's life must be contained in their apartment. Sports gear, clothing for multiple seasons, holiday decorations, the childhood teddy bear, books, CDs, DVDs, shoes--everything has to fit in that apartment. I've known people who didn't cook much who stored CDs or bicycle parts or clothes in their kitchen cabinets. There will always be renters who walk in and say, "We want open concept." But there will also be renters who walk in and say, "Look at all the storage!" You need to pick one group and market towards them. And in the other thread you mentioned fitting out one of the closets as a pantry. I'd suggest not doing that. Let your renters fit out the closets to work for them. Unless they are gourmet cooks, there should be enough space in the existing kitchen for most food storage. A dedicated pantry won't attract the average 20-something who eats out twice a day. They will only wonder how they can make the pantry work for them, instead of seeing it as a bonus....See MoreHELP! Need ideas for floor plan renovations!
Comments (39)DE and Cooks Kitchen - thank you for bringing up excellent points and for not being judge mental or condescending while you do it. I’ll try to address them point by point. DE- 1- I’ve had a couple contractors come look and any walls we’d like to take out shouldn’t be too hard. 2- There’s a mix, but yes, there are $450k and up homes in the area, alongside the $225k homes. On our street we have at least three that are $400k and up and one that for sale for $700k. 3- we don’t own the home, so no sale money. The homes we could buy other than this within our budget will either be a) not in the school district b) either not be enough house or not enough yard for us. We have to stay within this school district due to custody requirements, and it’s a high priced district. The yard is important because we have five dogs and a small yard will get destroyed and not leave space for kids stuff too. I’m totally happy with “regular” appliances and fixtures and I’m a good bargain shopper. My ex and I remodeled a large kitchen from the studs out ten years ago and only spent $7000. We did it ourselves, but my current husband and I can do most of the work past the framing and electric and plumbing too. Cooks- I’m absolutely not basing my opinions on value on the seller. I have done some real estate assisting and have several friends who are realtors (who will not be involved in the sale, thus have no financial interest) who are telling me to jump on this! The seller is in poor health and has already made $50k in rent off of me. She doesn’t want to have to do the minor repairs and cleaning that should be done to list it, although I think she would rather do that, but her husband really doesn’t want to and he basically told her she’s being greedy because between rent and selling it at 20k over what they paid, with very minimal investment, they will still come out $70k ahead. We will absolutely do an inspection! There’s no septic, so that’s not an issue. I don’t need a 50k kitchen. If we did that ourselves, without any wall changes, I can do what I’d like for $15 and be very happy. I’m not sure that my attachment is so much emotional, as it is that finding what we need in the area we need it is, within budget is darned near impossible. I detailed above in my notes to DE why. Also, we have a chunk of money that we have set aside that would cover a large part of said remodels. Doing the math, our monthly payment would be way lower if we purchase this house and pay cash for remodel (or even half cash half financed) than if we buy a higher priced house that gets us everything we want now and use that money towards down payment....See MoreChallenging Studio Flat Layout
Comments (11)The new bed and shelf placement is perfect, away from the window and blocked from the door. Move your dresser to the angled wall between the bed and the desk area, where it would also function better. Scoot your desk back toward the wall so you have more space in the living area. I might try the sofa against the wall, facing the desk, and the chair angled toward it under the small photos on the wall. Replace the small photos with a large canvas print, a large poster, or another wall hanging. Place your floor lamp on the wall to the right of the window. I think you need to add an end table and table lamp next to the sofa, and a small end table and tall narrow table lamp next to the bed. Or even a clip on light for the head of your bed. Lighting makes a huge difference in the feel of the room....See Morewe're renovating/redesigning our kitchen and I need HELP with design!!
Comments (1)Great bones, hire a kitchen designer. : )...See More
halberta
3 years agoCan the tv go above the radiator? I agree wallpaper needs to go. Same flooring throughout. Vanity for bathroom sink, move toilet beside sink and just shower (not a bath) against window wall. The sectional seems bulky. Sliding doors for bedroom closet. I tried drawing it out. Don’t laugh, I’m not a professional.
Kit Kat
3 years agoKit Kat
3 years agoKit Kat
3 years agoFYI, i finally got some measurements! the drawing isnt exactly to scale though, but the measurements are correct :)
Patricia Colwell Consulting