ok, so this is the typical renovation dilemma - we deal with this type of thing regularly.

Firstly, in regards to the question of "is it better to have...." say X or Y option/scenario for the purpose of resale/value well that question is probably best answered by a local real estate agent or property valuer who has the knowledge/expertise of what that would most likely be.......

But whether or not the answer to that matches your particular priorities or goals for a project is another question, and then the following question is how much is is going to cost you one way or the other.....and ultimately it boils down to how much money you have to play with one way or the other........

From experience, number of bedrooms seem to correlate somewhat to property value and of course there are other factors/aspects that come around this.

The other thing I can advise from experience is don't underestimate renovation expense. Losing a bedroom to refit and get a larger kitchen may when all stacked up end up not making sense from a numbers point of view (ie it costs you X, that you have not gained overall by losing a bedroom). But is this even an issue? Do you need to borrow for this or do you have money in the bank to cover a project? Is this more about resale/flip in the shortterm or is this going to be a long term project?

All these questions and factors contribute to a project direction and ultimately how you should be managing important project design decisions one way or another and it's sensible (we think) that you have accurate information on board with professionally considered/advised numbers (as opposed to amateur "guesstimates")

If the whole house needs an overhaul you best to seek professional (design) assistance with considering your options for the whole thing and crunching numbers properly. We find that depending upon budget, it often makes sense to consider a clever extension in the mix of options if you are wanting to maximise value, rather rip into a building and spend higher $$ for less value return on a "rearranging the sock drawer" scenario so to speak

Happy to provide further info if you are interested in how we typically manage this

Regards PD :)

www.pauldistefanodesign.com

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful, helpful responses. A lot to think about!

In terms of my needs, I am hoping to stay here for at least the next five-ten years. I'm in my late twenties and will probably start a small family of my own in this house. I have cash saved for reno's but I am hoping to do the bathroom first as it's more urgent- kitchen will be saved up for over the next few years.

The house has not had any major work done since it was built in 1951 (apart from updated electrical and plumbing, and a few paint changes) which is what I mean when I say overhaul, I am looking to do the kitchen up regardless of whether it's moved to the bedroom or it stays in the same place (have attached real estate photo of the kitchen from when I purchased the property) . While the kitchen is basic and tiny, to be honest it's better than a lot of the rentals I have lived in over the years! The house is lovely and bright which is what attracted me to it. I have made minor cosmetic changes such as curtain changes etc since I've moved in.

some ideas to consider,

you would need a builder/engineer to check load bearing walls

You could also add an internal staircase in the study area to access the laundry which would be a good idea and gives you better access to the second toilet and possible shower, I will try to draw it for you later cheers

Also we don't know if ceiling heights differ between the sunroom and the kitchen......so much to consider/look at before starting to thing about "how" to do it......

Ultimately (as always) it will come back to balancing available budget and what your priorities/goals are for the property......before you rush into renovating the bathroom, and you are starting to think about your strategy for the broader picture, advise you seek some preliminary professional advice, just so you have the info/decisions sorted before you spend any money on it one way or the other

Ideally when you request your chosen Professional to access any load bearing walls any other things such as any different ceilings or floor heights that might be involved. I don't see either of these as a big challenge having dealt with this situation in our previous house, it would add to the budget but using the existing rooms to get a better resolve would be cost effective, you certainly don't need to add to the house squ m.

Study with internal stairs to laundry and second bath. Access to the storage room would need to be considered with the stairs

Thanks everyone, again, a lot to think about!

With regards to changing the structure of the house to make it more open plan - making one large living/dining/kitchen room is not something I want to do, it means getting rid of the 50s styling (inbuilt shelving brickwork etc) which I love about the house in the first place. It would also not be very practical for Hobart living, with freezing winters heating such a large space comfortably (initial heatpumps plus ongoing winter bills, without or without the wood heater )- would be completely out of my budget to be honest. I'm also not a huge fan of open plan living in general.

The sunroom is effectively a 'tacked on' room to the outside of the house (load bearing wall). It was the original concrete deck just enclosed with plastic sheeting roof and walls, again a very costly renovation that I wouldn't be able to afford without years of saving.

I'm liking these suggestions though- its all stuff that hadn't even crossed my mind.

I think I will go with turning the bedroom into the kitchen and opening up the house from that side, I think that because it's a one bathroom property, it makes sense to me having 3 bedrooms and a larger kitchen/dining space.

Thank you again for all your help and detailed responses :)

Laura

Seeing that you are working with a tight budget and want to do both bathroom and kitchen I suggest the following, Without knowing where the features are that you mentioned,

I've added doors to close off the kitchen family from the living room, as I think being able to open up those areas to each other will evenly heat the rooms in cold weather keeping the bedroom wing separate. These doors will also allow light and sunshine to enter the house and cooling breezes on hotter days. Would you consider using the sun room as dining and possibly remove the window between it and the kitchen to create a servery.

Keeping the kitchen in the same position will save the cost of removing walls, the cabinets are 600 deep this should allow approx 1200 - 1250 between the cabinets and is an ideal working space