Max Headroom

[poppy]

Hi,

I'd be grateful for any advice you might have regarding the following little dilemma:

The height of at the apex of the 2 bedrooms in the upstairs of our newly renovated barn is a mere 1.8 metres for all sorts of reasons that I won't go into here. From the highest point the roof slopes down to 1.5 metres. So, there's little or no headroom if you're tall.

I'm Irish, so I suppose one possibility would be to market it only to leprechauns but failing that I'm trying to come up with a positive spin on it ('quaint', 'authentic' etc). I feel I should be upfront about the fact that they have low ceilings but I'm not entirely sure how that should be put across. The last thing I want is the Jolly Green Giant to arrive on holiday and have to crawl around on his kness for two weeks.

I wondered if any of you are in a similar situation and could tell me how you solved the problem.

Many thanks in advance,

Poppy

[Fraise]

I think it depends how much of the 1.8 height is in the room and how quickly it gets to 1.5m. If it is mostly 1.5 then the room just isn't suitable for renting!! I have some rooms a bit like that here in my own house but then I don't rent it out, if I did I would either not include those rooms or include them as an optional extra making sure my guests realised! If mostly the rooms are 1.8m it can be seen as a cute feature !! Just a bit of the room being low at the end could look really good with sympathetic dressing, if it's mostly low then it isn't suitable as a bedroom.

[Normandy Cow]

Poppy,

Are these the only 2 bedrooms in the house?

If not, and you have others downstairs, then I would market them as children's rooms.

If they are the only rooms, then oh dear... I am only 5ft 3in but even if most of the room was at the maximum 1.8, I would feel very claustrophobic and boxed in in a room where the highest point is only 20cms above my head.
My husband is only 5ft 8in, and there is no way he would be able to stay in a room with only 3cm of clearance at the highest point. And 5ft 8in is really not very tall is it?(but don't tell him I said that! )

[poppy]

I've just pulled out the plans to look at some dimensions. Both 'bedrooms' in the barn are approximately 4m x 4m. About 2.5m of the width of each room is less than 1.8m leaving only 1.5m of 1.8m. As Fraise suggests, this probably renders them useless. In answer to CatherineS's question, yes, these are the only bedrooms in the barn. The downstairs is open plan. The upstairs, with its two 'bedrooms' is on a mezzanine so, unfortunately, there's no scope to create further accomodation downstairs. Does it help to suggest that most punters are likely to spend only 8 hours out of 24 in a bedroom while on holiday?

[Fraise]

Oh dear !! You say that you just pulled the plans out- does that suggest the work isn't done yet? If so, have you time to stop it and rethink? Maybe bring the mezzanine floor out by a few metres might give you the height you need? Good luck

[Hells Bells]

I don't think it would be very comfortable up there for anyone. Is it possible to put some dormer windows in there at all to increase the headroom? We spent new Year in a French ski resprt a few years ago, and the adjoining kids bedroom was like that. They had aching necks all week. They were about 12 and 13 at the time, so not fully grown. The room was huge ,but they couldn't stand uprught in most of it.

[garlic]

I'll reply to this because I have a similar sort of experience ...My little cottage has a huge (floor area) grenier and two bedrooms on the ground floor. The head height is probably similar to yours and each side of the main frame forms a room 4mx7m. We used to live in this house for a while and we did sleep in the upstairs...it was a bit of a pain although beautifully spacious when lying in bed running around trying to get dressed it was always head up head down. Short of lowering the ceilings downstairs and we could because the head height downstairs is 2.90m there's not much we can do. We can't put bathrooms upstairs because of the height either. When I look at the cost of lowering ceilings it just doesn't seem to make economical sense, if I made more bedrooms I'd need to make more living space such as a seperate kitchen which would of course mean less bedrooms if you see what I mean.....

What I think and I've visited a lot of local French owned gites and chated with other owners is that for the French market low ceilings are acceptable if the price for the property is right. I've seen homes with very very awkward bedrooms and some of these are really popular but they don't seem to attract English renters and if they do happen to get English renters then those renters seem to be very disappointed. I've been told by several friends (French) that they want a property that is clean, clean, clean, a decent shower and a comfortable bed most other things are just extras So maybe what I'm saying in a very long winded way is that if you market to the right people your ceilings could be fine

[Big Sis..]

Hi Poppy,

Oh Dear,

Is this really unchangeable[hope not] because I really think you will struggle as Catherine says even if people arent very tall the perception of no head room doesnt make for a relaxing holiday.

How could you market it My husband & one daughter would be fine[theyre only 5'nothing but me & my eldest are nearly six foot.
I know we are not when we are laying down but we need to get laying down without getting smacked on the head, or what about getting up for the loo in the night!!!!

What are the reasons are the really unchangeable.........

If a man has said it[sorry men...]
it might be because they dont want to.....
havent the skills to........
cant be ars..to.....
think its going to cost tooo much.......

Im sure if it was something they wanted they would find a way

Women are more determined and you need to put your determined hat on here........especially if it hasnt actually been done yet...
Is it a mistake with the plans...if so the architect...must find a way round.....
the builders mistake......ditto.

Would you have bought the house if the bedrooms had been done at this height originally.....

However much extra it will take I think will be worth it, youve got to bite the bullet.

Its hard enough getting a house rented out regularly, but to limit your market would be a bad mistake.

Sorry If I sound negative but Im just trying to motivate you to find a way round it,

Im sure you can do it,
youve made the first step,
admitting a mistake... asking for opinions & advice[something men are loathe to do,] sorry again men...
I do love you really.

Please keep us posted. Good Luck

[Vally]

Our cottages have low ceiling but still over 6'6", most people would not have to stoop though some of my Dutch guests do have to duck through the doorway!! I don't think we would have got permission to convert if they had been any lower.

[Big Sis..]

Hi Vally,

I think Poppy would be happy with 6'6

[thats a thought how did they get planning permission????]

[gh]

We rented a place that had a low beam in the middle of all the upstairs bedrooms, however, the ceilings went up either side, like a sort of v shape with the beam at the bottom of the v. Quite quirky we thought, just remember to duck when walking across the room, sore if you didn't.
The beds were placed under the beam, no probs for me as I was door side but hubby had to remember it if he got up during the night, dam, blast, oh he forgot again. He soon realised it was dangerous rather than quirky.

Sorry poppy if its not what you want to hear, Helenb and Fraise had good suggestions, I'm sure there is a solution, there always is

Good luck.

[AndyLucia]

I believe the estate agents in central London would advertise that as 'bijou and compact".

[Paul Carmel]

I believe the estate agents in central London

Sorry AndyLucia, just could not resist that one.

[Big Sis..]

Very Good Paul,


Yesterday an old Lady said to me as we waited for the bus, when it gets this late I RELY on the Bus not coming!!!!!!

Must mention that something seems to have happened to you lately your not looking yourself

[Paul Carmel]

Sorry Ross,

Are you referring to the avator? If so this is our first guest for next year. He is the Rev Twicenightly of the Church of the Sacrificial Goat, and he and his party have booked our house,apartment,villa,hotel for the whole of Jan - Feb 2007. He has paid by Western Union with a little extra on the side for me.