Turning 3 bed home to 2 separate living areas

Jalopymac · 19-01-2024 8:47pm #1

Myself and my wife have been separated for over a year now (amicably I am glad to say) but remain living in our home.

With rentals being very scarce and expensive a friend of my wife's, who is an architect, has suggested putting a kitchenette upstairs in place of an ensuite bathroom and walk in wardrobe while making the downstairs sitting room a bedroom.

There would be no change to the entrance , Electricity, water and gas would remain as one setup.

We have 2 teens who would be able to come and go Through both floors.

Apart from plumbing and electrics the only 'work' needing doing is the removal of a partition wall that currently separates the main bedroom from the ensuite and wardrobe that would be the kitchen area.

Question i have iisdo we need planning permission to make upstairs and downstairs of a 3 bedroom home into two separate living spaces?

And has anyone done anything like this before?

TIA

Mundo7976 · 19-01-2024 8:50pm

Mustn't be a very good architect if they don't know the legalities of this.

Jalopymac · 19-01-2024 8:53pm

He's more a friend of my wife's and he says it can be done without planning permission

herbalplants · 19-01-2024 10:02pm

You don't need planning permission as you are only changing the layout inside your home, you are not adding an extension.

But my question would be why would you need a kichinette, do you want your private space to cook?

Ginger83 · 19-01-2024 10:09pm

Is there a shower on both floors?

Jalopymac · 19-01-2024 10:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121641546#Comment_121641546

Pretty much.

We want to create a separate space each, upstairs kitchen would be part of an open plan set up where a bedroom gets turned into a sitting room with kitchenette.

Jalopymac · 19-01-2024 10:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121641573#Comment_121641573

There is yes

Ginger83 · 19-01-2024 10:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121641585#Comment_121641585

That's a good help. It can be done but I would make sure to have a professional like a Surveyor on board. Any builder will have a go but for important stuff like cooking extraction and fire etc have a professional

Jalopymac · 19-01-2024 10:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121641617#Comment_121641617

Thanks, if it happens I'll be getting every bit of professional input as possible. I'd have assumed a fire certification would be needed. A quick query with a local builder who reckons the extraction fan set up in the current ensuite would make that part of thinks straightforward

Jalopymac · 19-01-2024 10:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121641660#Comment_121641660

The cooking extraction part, not the fire safety

Ginger83 · 19-01-2024 10:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121641660#Comment_121641660

I had another thought but someone else might know. Would this affect the home insurance policy? You don't need them worming out of a potential claim in the future.

Jalopymac · 19-01-2024 10:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121641804#Comment_121641804

I've a reminder to call them on Monday as I had the same thought

celtic_oz · 20-01-2024 3:03pm

seen this done where there was a second front door after the stairs up

Ezeoul · 22-01-2024 8:18am

My only thought really would be to make sure that any changes you make now could be easily reversed, if one (or both) of you eventually forms a new relationship and wants to move out.

frank730 · 22-01-2024 9:04am

no planning permission needed if you only change internal partition. My house, which I only bought last year, previous owner converted 3bed to 2bed to have bigger rooms. there was no issue with the lender or solicitors.

black & white · 25-01-2024 1:18pm

This house did it, not ideal to have a shower in the bedroom but other than that.

https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/terraced-house-29-cill-chais-shannon-co-clare/4737599

Turning 3 bed home to 2 separate living areas

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