Will "reversing" my house cause chaos?We recently saw a house in a television interior programme that had been "turned upside down" with the living room and kitchen upstairs and the bedrooms downstairs.
Our house - a semi D built in the 1970s - would be perfect for this because the views and light in the upstairs part of the house are much, much better than downstairs. Would this be a big job? Would we ultimately devalue our house?
The short answers to both your questions is a yes and probably. Newly built mews houses often have large open-plan living rooms on the upper floor and bedrooms downstairs and we can recall seeing a new, quite ordinary house in an estate where the owner had worked with the builder to change the layout so that it was, as you say, upside down.
Apart from decorative issues, the main changes for you would obviously be moving your kitchen upstairs and your bathroom downstairs and anything to do with these rooms are notoriously expensive and disruptive.
Something you may want to consider is the whole issue of access. In general people in houses want to have access from their kitchens out to the back garden, not least for hanging clothes on the line and filling the green and black bins.
Could you approach the problem a little less radically, at least as an experiment, to see if you like it before you go the whole hog and turn your house upside down? You have a great view from the front of your house - so why not make the bedroom at the front into a living room?
We tend to be very conservative about how we use our houses but it doesn't have to be like that. Indeed, in many early Victorian redbricks, the upstairs room to the front was used as a formal drawing room.
As to the impact on the value, that is harder to judge but there's no doubt that an upside down plan is a quirky choice and quirky doesn't tend to sell on well.
Is equity release best option for my parents?
There has been so much advertising for home equity release schemes that my parents are considering it.
My brother has encouraged them, saying that the extra money would mean more comfort; for instance, double glazing, no worry about bills and so on.
They have made initial enquiries and the money seems relatively small as my parents are only in their late 60s. What is your view on these schemes?
In this we defer to the Financial Regulator which is so concerned about these new equity release and lifetime mortgage products that they have released a new information booklet about the whole area.
The general advice is to make sure to get independent legal and financial advice and to think carefully about the long-term costs and risks.
There are also other things to consider, such as whether the lump sum raised will impact on your parents' State benefits, such as a means-tested pension.
Would your parents consider downsizing to a smaller house or apartment and release equity that way?
It would help if you and your brother also read the booklet, that way you will both be in a better position to discuss it with your parents. Copies of Equity release - using your home to get a cash sum can be got by calling 1890 77 77 77, or logging on to www.itsyourmoney.ie.
Send your queries to Property Questions, The Irish Times, The Irish Times Building, 24-28 Tara Street, Dublin 2 or email propertyquestions@irish-times.ie. Unfortunately, it is not possible to respond to all questions. The above is a representative sample of queries received. This column is a readers' service and is not intended to replace professional advice. No individual correspondence will be entered into.
