Ok, it’s decision time. The kids are now too old to share a bunk bed. They’re certainly too old to share a room. One of them is a maniac, and the other is worse. They need their own space.
So now what? Move house? Or… that bedroom is looking quite roomy, isn’t it? Could it actually be two cells, er, I mean bedrooms? Two is twice as much as one, and solves the kid problem at a stroke.
Dividing a room in two seems like a good idea. It often is. But how do you do it, what are the costs, and what are the downsides?
How do you divide a room in two?
By putting up a stud wall. A stud or partition wall is just a grid of timbers filled in with insulation and then plastered or wallpapered.
Done right, they look absolutely fine. However you do need to watch out for a couple of things:
- Is there a window in each new room?
- Is there a separate entrance? If not, you may need to create a new ‘lobby’ with two doors off it.
- What about light fittings? Will they need to move?
- Are there plug sockets in each new room?
You need to think these through in advance, ideally by sketching a floor plan. And of course ask a builder if you need help.
How much does dividing a room cost?
£800 if it’s a simple stud wall with no door. Add £300-£600 if you need to add in doors or a lobby. Add £100-£300 if you need to add in a new radiator or electric sockets.
You can do the job yourself if you’re pretty handy. Of course you may not get the finish you want, and plastering is one of those jobs that amateurs should usually avoid. But you could do a DIY job for under £200.
Does dividing a room add value?
In some cases, certainly. If you’ve added a bedroom and improved the layout then that places your house in a more premium category.
But beware: if you divide a room into two tiny box rooms, it could actually put people off. A good minimum benchmark for a double bedroom in the UK is 10m2. If your new rooms are significantly below this, you may deter buyers. The government has regulations around this for private renting:
- 6.51m2 for one person over 10 years of age
- 10.22m2 for two persons over 10 years
- 4.64m2 for one child under the age of 10 years
Of course, removing a partition wall is very easy. But some buyers just don’t have an imagination: they’ll just see two tiny rooms.
