hi Everyone
Just after some advice from some experienced renovators,
My 1st reno is a 2 bedroom apartment in the south eastern suburbs of Melb, the bathroom area is quiet small being 1800×2590, however next to it is a separate toilet which if I knocked down the wall would create a much bigger bathroom, but leaving me without a separate toilet.I plan to rent it out for the long term and I’m unsure of which option to take
any ideas would be greatly appreciated
thanks
is the wall structural? Have you sought approval of body corporate? Have you submitted a development approval/cc for the work – removal of any wall needs council approval.
Have you had a structural engineer look at it? Do you have appropriate insurance coverage should you cause damage to the structure? Are you appropriately qualified/hold licences for structural demolition work?
As Scott said. But answering your question- It depends on the area and what the expectations are by buyers and renters.
We recently bought a house with a small bathroom and separate toilet. Normally I wouldn't combine them for a house but by combining them we can add a freestanding shower (instead of over the bath) and this outweighs the advantage of the separate toilet.
Unless there is some gain by combining them, don't.
Put in your tenant hat on and what would think if you are a tenant, what would be a convenient way to have separate show room and toilet particular in busy morning? I assume there is an exhaust fan installed in the unit? Think about also, if you combine the two, if you live in the unit, and you have some visitors wanting to use your toilet while you are having a shower? Always, think from a tenant's perspective unless you decide to live in the unit yourself.
But do your due diligence first as Catalyst says. Very important!
I'd leave the toilet separate! Unless you only expect to draw sole tenants who will want a spare room/study, the separate loo lets two housemates coexist more peacefully!
I'm a bloke and maybe girls will say different, but if I were a tenant sharing a place, I'd rather easy access to separate loo and shower than a luxury bigger bathroom!
For what its worth…….
Hi Strataman,
Catalyst is right – one of the best things to start with is finding out what people want – what they find value in. You could call 3 or 4 well regarded real estate agents in your area for their feedback perhaps.
In my experience, a separate toilet will add more value to a property. Yes it's a great to have a large bathroom, but better to have a separate toilet when there is more than one bedroom especially.
There are lots of excellent design tricks that will help you give the illusion that your bathroom is bigger than it actually is. For instance, a wall mounted vanity (not touching the floor), lighter coloured walls than floor (make the walls appear further apart), landscape positioned wall tiles (elongates the room), frameless glass shower screen (creates a more seamless look), large frameless mirror set into the tiles, avoiding medicine cabinets and anything that protrudes into the room unnecessarily, good lighting that shines onto the walls and pushes the walls out. These are just a few of the things you can do!
If you scroll down the page at this link, you will see a few of these principles in action… http://www.hotspaceconsultants.com/_webapp_742650/48_Rogana_Crescent
Good luck!
Jane – Hotspace | Hotspace Consultants
http://hotspaceconsultants.com/home
Email Me | Phone MeRenovating for Profit specialist
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