Why The Abandoned Station Original Renovation Plans Sucked!

[@brianduffy1338]

(Joan here). So much to have to consider/measure/assess before even daring to set out one's own ideas of what to do. Kudos for attending to these basics and going from there. I have come late to your site but I look forward to seeing how you proceed.

[@evanterry]

you should dig out the platform and have a section of track there with an old train or carriage or something!

[@abigailgerlach5443]

Food for thought: Consider flipping the front entrance to the back of the house so you come in under the covered porch. Close off the current front door which should give you room for a decent staircase and the bathroom would then be at the back of the house. Blow out the wall between the kitchen and sitting room, extend the kitchen and make a dining area in front of the three windows. Blow out the wall between the station master's office and the living room and expand it to one large living room. Take the waiting room in the center, steal a bit of room for the stairs and bathroom, put in some closets/cupboards and make that your entrance hall. The former entrance hall can be The utility room for the furnace, water heater, and electrical panels. Just a thought!

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I can tell you that at least two of your suggestions are in the plans we’ve had drawn up!

[@v88krb]

As a railway enthusiast I know the building was not designed to have an upstairs and, unless you remove the roof and raise it, anything upstairs will be a compromise. Personally, I would seek a design that puts the outbuilding into use as part of the house so you can restore the main building to its original proportions. This will give you the atmosphere of the original station repurposed as a residence. It all depends on your budget and your preferences. Thanks for toning down the music. Good luck.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

We’re going to have to compromise to a degree as even by linking the outbuildings we’ll need plenty of space. The plan is to have first floor bedrooms on either end with a full height ceiling in the middle section. Thanks for the comment 👍

[@kathdavis8059]

The family that bought the station & originally converted , are family friends of ours, have photos somewhere from a visit there in the garden during the 1980s when my son was a toddler.

[@kathdavis8059]

Melinda lives in Barry now, I spoke to her before Christmas, sadly Ken (who was a builder) her husband passed away a few years ago, it was a lovely home with a beautiful garden, utility laundry room in the old station toilets, workshop shower room etc, they & their five children loved it there, have some very happy memories of visiting them with my children.

[@BendyBoo]

This is my friends old home. Can't wait to see how you renovate it.

[@slysynch8324]

Good luck with your house!!! I don't have too much advice except if you have the money get a second inspection from people who arent related to the area you are in if possible. Have heard nightmares about people buying up houses in my old neighborhood and the realtors working with the inspectors to get them to hush up about some things. I know you've already bought but might be a good idea for someone in the town over to take a look. I grew up in a few historical houses and it bummed me out to hear the community was doing that after I left. From small towns on the east coast here :) Good luck!

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thanks for the heads up 😀

[@halflink]

It's a very unusual building, I'm sure the architects will love it. So many options to play with. The 3 tiny bedrooms upstairs seemed to be for children. Looking forward to the updates!

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thank you! 😊

[@halflink]

@@theoldstationrenovation What could be super helpful in terms of pitching ideas for your renovation is if you shared a brief with us (apologies if you already have in one of your videos). What I mean is that I'm sure you gave some form of brief to the architects (e.g. 'no bedrooms on the ground floor' or 'X bedrooms, Y bathrooms', 'separate eat-in kitchen' or 'integrated kitchen with living space', 'home office/art-studio/games room/cinema room is a must have', which walls can be knocked and which can't etc.). So if you share a similar brief with the viewers, it can help give direction to people (and hopefully reduce a number of suggestions that are unhelpful).

[@biserkapetrovic3404]

What a beautiful and inspiring building to renovate. Lucky you! Looking forward for new information and plans.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thanks so much!

[@tboettge2]

Looking forward to seeing your plans excited for all the videos to come. Thanks' for sharing your journey with all of us.

[@michaeltutty1540]

My first thought is also to put the ceilings back where they were so the full architectural feature is visible. The headroom upstairs is woefully inadequate anyway, and reconfiguring the roof structure would be a nightmare that could end up with you having to remove the roof completely and rebuilding it. The outbuildings are all of a very good size, so a breezeway connecting the two structures would make it lovely. There is sufficient footprint in the outbuildings to allow for 3 or 4 bedrooms, all en suite. The trickiest space is what you rhink was the waiting room. It is dark and all 4 walls are briken up by windows and doors.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

We’re going for a full height ceiling in the middle section with bedrooms and bathrooms on either end of the house. It’ll mean replacing some of the beams with modern, less conspicuous supports for the roof.

[@goingslightlymad7172]

Great video! Thanks for showing the blueprints as they relate to the real spaces! I can't wait to see the next steps!🥰🥰

[@meistergedanken4790]

Speaking as a structural engineer who has worked on many architectural projects, I suggest that the bedroom directly over the kitchen should be converted into a full [upstairs] bathroom. The other two upstairs bedrooms could possibly be merged into a master bedroom (and then you can make it a master suite). Of course, as the stairs are so cramped, you may have difficulty getting the requisite furniture up there. As an aside, I was thrilled to see how sound the masonry still is after all this time, though admittedly I have only been afforded a cursory examination of it (I did watch the very first video also.).

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thank you for these great ideas. The masonry is fairly good. Some of the pointing needs redoing but not all. The roof is also okay, some work but not replacing which is great.

[@ricoludovici2825]

Agreed. Being a builder, I would simply gut the remodeled upstairs. That will show you how much space you have to work with and no walls in the way. You are going to have to demo the space anyway, so do it now and keep the architectural items, doors window glass, etc. stored up there and throw the rest away For access, I suggest you reverse the stairway so as to go up directly from the entry hall. With the upstairs gutted, you can see how much space you have for a better upstairs landing and hallway to the unused attic and your access to a new bath and bedroom space.

[@KT_37]

I agree. I just found your channel with the upstairs tour. In the unfinished part of the attic you can see where the original ceiling was because they cut it (the original studs aresticking out of the wall) and then dropped the ceiling so they could create the now upstairs. The reason the stairs are strange is because that space was originally a hallway with no stairs. Your current bathroom also was part of the original hallway too. If you open up the wall into what you think was the waiting area you will probably find that wall was added as well. As recommended I would restore the original ceiling and restore the original windows which will just flood your home with so much light! If you do a glass extension you would gain square footage plus the outbuildings would becaome a usable part of the house creating really good sized bedrooms. I would also recommend keeping that exterior bathroom out there but renovate it into a familybathroom for these new bedrooms to use. Inside I would do as other are suggesting and make an ensuite for the master bedroom to.

[@lemoniaeleftheriadou3464]

I would raise another possibility. Eliminate the upstairs. Leave those beautiful beams where they are and for what they were intented. Holding up the roof. Instead raise the ceiling downstairs to uncover fully the pretty windows. If you going for the Victorian rail station look there's no other option. You have the out buildings to convert for more living space. Just my opinion.

[@karencarpenter8275]

Wow this is interesting. We converted an 1830s Victorian railway station in the early 2000s. Similar to yours it had been sort of converted but left a lot to be desired! It too had 3 equal boxes and a connected outbuilding. We basically gutted the lot, and started again creating an upstairs above the (previously) very high ceilings - like yours. We removed many of those troublesome beams in the loft space replacing them with steel I beams under the roof ridges and put in a proper floor. I wish you all the very best with your endeavours. This will be trying ! But will be worth it in the end!

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thank you for the very reassuring comment. We’ve had days looking at this where it feels extremely overwhelming! We’ll have to rip out everything that’s been done and start again but this does give the opportunity to have whatever we want like high ceiling in the middle and bedrooms either end which will mean losing some beams as you’ve mentioned. I’m sure we’ll get there in the end 👍

[@karencarpenter8275]

@@theoldstationrenovation I think we would look at 3 bedrooms upstairs a bathroom and an en-suite. 2 on the unconverted side and one master/ en suite on the previously converted end. Open plan (ish) in the central third with a new open plan staircase in the middle of the centre room. Others have also suggested removing the wall between kitchen and lounge to create a dining kitchen - but I’d also shrink the downstairs bathroom into a wc and put a utility room in the central third. Might throw a plan together to show what I mean. Some hefty structural changes too - I beams under all the ridges in an H shape….putting all the roof weight onto the 4 gables rather than the huge trusses

[@eattherich9215]

The downstairs is in better nick than suggested by the exterior. Can't say the same for upstairs and all the bedrooms are tiny. You definitely have to utilise the entirety of the upper level and get a bathroom or two up there, too. The downstairs bathroom can become a guest cloakroom.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Definitely agree!

[@catgynt9148]

Someone else suggested adding a bathroom on a wall adjacent to the kitchen. Perhaps the small room above the kitchen could house a second bathroom and a washer / dryer tower or combination machine could be located in the hallway closet next to the water tank.

[@garyhollywell2112]

I guess the first thing is to sort the Roof and Insulation. So much choice and opportunity there are lots of options. The Canopy area I would personally look to enclose with Glass and also consider glazing in the roof of that area and then make it a wonderful light usable area. I would seriously love this project to lose myself in.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

We had those thoughts too about enclosing in glass but not completely sure if we will do this. Time to ponder and plan though as this could be done later if needed. Thanks for watching 😀

[@Lea-bw9wj]

I'm going to go against the grain with what i suggest. I'd add a glass link to the out buildings and create a couple of bedrooms and bathroom there. I'd restore the ceiling to it's original hight which would mean losing the upstairs. I'd make a master bedroom where the downstairs bedroom is. You could also include the station masters room as part of the master bedroom. It could be wardrobe or ensuite. Or you could turn the bathroom you already have in the ensuite. Without the stairs this means that room could be turned into a proper hallway. Or you could split it and create a guest toilet and laundry

[@Loliolla]

I agree. I ‘d definitely would remove the false ceiling. Originally, the structural beams were most likely exposed. It’s a clever idea to use the outbuildings as bedrooms. I envision a breezeway with casement glass windows. To shorten the breezeway, I’d build mud room/laundry room at the end nearest to the outbuildings. I’d create additional space in the hall by turning the full bath into a small powder room. the station masters room would become the master bathroom and its door would be moved to the master bedroom. I’d also move the stove and replace it with a door leading to the waiting room. I’d consider enclosing the outdoor waiting area with high end floor to ceiling glass windows. Of course that room would have French doors leading to the back garden. I’d also search for a new front door - one that matches the style of the building.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Definitely thinking about how we can make the most of the beams and full height windows.

[@catherinekilgour2563]

My suggestion for the current bedrooms upstairs is to make them into one bedroom suite. Start of with a wall and door going from the chimney breast to the outside wall to close the area off from the rest of the house. Then that first bedroom becomes a walk in wardroom / dressing room. The second area will be the actual bedroom so open that up and get rid of the door going in. The space which is currently the third bedroom keeps it's door and becomes an en suite. The whole design could be flipped and adjusted to fit in the upstairs area of the opposite side of the station which leaves you the middle area to decide where you want the stairs and potentially another small bedroom and en suite. It would be nice to fill the walls of the porch with glass so it could be used as an extra room without making the old waiting room too dark to be useable. As it is the front entrance feels more like a back door both in appearances from the outside and also once you come in to the small entrance way. The station certainly has plenty of potential and I'm sure given time will be able to make it into a beautiful home.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Great ideas, I love the stained glass idea. Definitely something we’re thinking about. Thanks so much

[@lucysbookchannel4651]

Very beautiful ideas. Get someone who can help make your dreams more enjoyable.

[@howardarch]

In recent times there is a way of measuring distances by light beams. You can record this on a small structure or an industrial building and record it as either 3d CAD or BIM. This transfers to the architectural documents very accurately. It is not unusual to find buildings a little off. So for documentation on an old building is called an as-built drawing. I could ramble on. Appreciate the care your family is taking. Howard

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thanks Howard 😁

[@bos2pdx2yvr]

One the main floor, if there's room in the budget, I think finding a new location for the stairs would be a great change. The station master's space makes a great office, and the main floor bedroom could keep that purpose. I'd redo the kitchen floor plan and open up some walls between it and the waiting room (which could become the living room) and the old living room which could be converted to a dining area. Upstairs, if you're going to convert the attic to living space (it sounds like you are) you could combine the existing bedrooms and hallway into one large primary bedroom suite. The front bedroom could become a walk-in closet, the combined hallway and middle bedroom becomes a large sleeping area, and the rear bedroom becomes the primary ensuite bath. Put a nice big soaking tub under the skylight and you've got a great place to unwind. The attic could hold additional bedrooms with a bathroom for them in the left wing area, and the central portion could be turned into a family room. Can't wait to see the next steps!

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Great ideas thank you. We are definitely going to move the stairs and make them more of a feature. I love the idea of a tub under a skylight to unwind. There isn't much light pollution there so you could see the stars.

[@catherinekilgour2563]

I hadn't read your comment before I posted mine and I have basically said the same as you when it comes to use of the small rooms that are currently upstairs. What they called bedroom 1 and 3 are really far too small as is to be used as bedrooms in my opinion.

[@ricoludovici2825]

I made a suggestion you can read below about the upstairs. I would also add that you might consider removing that low stucco wall around the rear canopy. It adds nothing to the look of the station and is completely out of period for your goals. Also, I suggest you put three fixed skylights in the canopy. With the removal of the low wall and more light in the space, it will not seem so low and dark. And it won't change the use of the canopy space at all; just make it more inviting as a patio.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Completely agree about the canopy wall, it’s not in keeping and it will definitely be going! Skylights…. now that would be something special 😉

[@dombutler7685]

I'm sure you have already had plans drawn up by now, but what I would do is this; full height open plan center section with starcase, 2 bedrooms on the right, master bedroom with bathroom on the left, walkway/balcony connecting upstairs and glass covered walkway from kitchen to outbuildings. All you mechanicals, boiler etc. in there, plus laundry room and office/guest room with en suite. If only you could put railway track down and get a old railway wagon for conversion, make great extra rooms!

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Almost all of that you’ve suggested is in the plans!!

[@dombutler7685]

@@theoldstationrenovation you're on the right track then! (I should have been an architect!) Check out railwayretreats for ideas on converted railway carriages, mind you you have enough to do already!

[@CarlosGonzalez-hu3hr]

Hello great work! If it were my house, my big priority in design would be restoring that beautifully proportioned , vaulted middle two story section. Making it totally, vaulted, open front to back like it original was, with a period fire place back where it was on the right wall. That restored room would be both lounge and dinning space. You would walk into that restored vaulted space and say WOW!! Proposed changes from 1:24 in the vid, the plan you show us: to the right of the vaulted restored lounge you would have a larger kitchen in the same location as in the new plan, but taking up half of the room with the corner fireplace. The rest of the space of the room with the corner fire place, would be for both the new bathroom and the new staircase going up to the second floor and maybe squeeze in a small mud room space if possible. What is in the new plans the space for the bathroom and stairs will be open , but on top of that space would be a long narrow ,railed mezzanine that goes from the right side of the restored lounge to the left side. Creating a walkway that crosses over the lounge and leads from the second floor bedrooms on the right & left side of the building. That mezzanine would connect on the right side with the new staircase. That open mezzanine would allow access to both sides of the second floor, but still allow the vault of the lounge to remain open. Good luck!

[@nataliekeane8944]

I'd have to be opening those windows back to their full height and lift the lowered ground floor ceiling to get the full effect of those magnificent windows! Id sacrifice at least one side of the loft space for this. It is tough to work around all those beams anyway. Of course it depends on how many bedrooms you really need but sometimes trying to cram too much into a house can really take away the grandeur. Id probably convert the out buildings to a studio apartment. If you have older kids I'm sure they'd love their own space. Anyhoo, enjoy the journey and all i can say is try to let the building tell you what would be best rather than what you think you need. The gardens are going to be incredible and it looks like you have some great established trees and plants. This is an incredible building and thank goodness someone is going to love it again.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thanks, we love it when everyone has ideas. I just remembered reading your post that I had an idea for making some of the windows full height inside. I had completely forgotten about it. Thanks so much, we can see if we can incorporate this :)

[@nataliekeane8944]

@@theoldstationrenovation 🙌

[@kelvinhoughton7953]

I'd probably try to reinstate the main central room to full height and full size (removing the stairs and bathroom to be the living room) which was probably a booking area where there would have been a window in a wall to book tickets from a booking office side room, I would put a staircase , bathroom and small bedroom at one end upstairs and have an open walkway across the booking /waiting room (so you look down and what was and is a restored room) leading to a master bedroom the other side. The orgional booking/waiting room probably had a ceiling but it would be nice to open to full height to expose the beams and obviously would need insulation etc under the roof tiles. Did you notice in the old picture there was a 3rd rail line (siding) high up full of coal wagons behind the waiting room on the opposite platform

[@theoldstationrenovation]

We’re hoping to have the full height with the stairs, bathroom and wall removed although more as an entrance hall than a living room (although with some period furniture around the walls). The track that went up the side turned right to a local quarry at one time.

[@kelvinhoughton7953]

@@theoldstationrenovation As a rail enthusiast I'm enjoying your videos , I'm a few behind as a new subsciber. My reason for sugesting the waiting room/booking hall as a living room is because it is a massive area, as you said 1/3 of the main building if it were single story

[@latsword3513]

It will be interesting to see how this develops. There's no real reason I can think except cost and ambition for the unused space upstairs. You have to bear in mind that we are a lot more designed focused now than back then.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Absolutely, and I think it was probably 'what space can we use in the easiest way' in the 1980's. Thanks for watching.

[@Ragnar8504]

@@theoldstationrenovation They probably spent a fortune on the conversion even back then and converting more of the loft space might simply have been too expensive. The whole upstairs has strong DIY vibes to me and that would certainly explain why they didn't touch any structural elements at that time.

[@cherylemaybury9967]

If you can afford it, I would totally gut the whole insides and start fresh. I would have a master suite in the old attic space, move the stairs to come up beside the master suite, add a bathroom in the middle space and two bedrooms in space where the 3 bedrooms currently are. Downstairs I would have all open with kitchen and dining area on the side where kitchen is now middle area would be stairs and family room then one wall to separate for a movie room and a half bathroom. I would do a nice patio area sunroom where the porch is now. You will have the most beautiful home once it’s all done.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Great comment, thank you, I counted at least five things in your suggestion that are in our plans!

[@paulasmith3590]

What a cool building. How exciting for you.

[@catgynt9148]

I see radiators in many of the rooms but no utility rooms or furnace equipment. Is there a basement below or are these items located in the outer building with underground plumbing connections.? In the interest of maintaining the original roof lines on the station, perhaps you can locate solar panels and its infrastructure atop the adjacent building. Wishing you and your family an amazing journey. Thanks for sharing this video and bringing us along. Peace

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thank you! The boiler is outside the kitchen door, the radiators actually heat the place really well considering the system seems quite old. There are solar panels on one side although I must admit I haven’t figured out how it all works as yet!

[@millywood6801]

That was an excellent video, I can now understand the layout. Good lucky with your renovations, should be interesting.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thank you! 😊

[@19Bmiller]

From the video of the attic showing the dropped ceiling and black painted windows the first thing, I would do is make sure that any renovation lifts the ceiling and incorporates the full-size original windows. Yes, it would be a shame to loose the beams but with new products today a better layout with usable room sizes is doable and the lost attic space can be reclaimed. Hopefully the beams after removal can be reused elsewhere in the house design.

[@crewpsycho]

Remove the door between Living Room and Kitchen. That's an easy and cheap way to make it more open. Make that Living Room to be a Dining Room. Leave the bathroom on bottom floor exactly where it is. Remove the tiny hallway, stairs and wall to the old Old Waiting Area, put in new stairs and have the old waiting area to be your living room. For the upstairs rooms, ask your daughters if they'd be okay with 1 small bedroom each and then a spare room for them for study/reading/artsncrafts/whatever, or change 3 small rooms to 2 medium sized rooms. The rest depends on your budget.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thanks very much for the suggestions. I can tell you that at least 3 of your ideas are in the plans we have had drawn up!

[@debbiebarham6336]

This was an interesting video. It’s a shame that the other side of the attic was not renovated. Such a huge mistake by the 80’s home owners. I’m looking forward to seeing the new layout and completion.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Yeah but I can imagine what a daunting prospect it would have been walking into that 40 years ago! I’m intimidated by it now and I’ve got all the information I’ll ever need and access to any material I may ever want at my fingertips (budget permitting of course 😂)

[@Bobrogers99]

While it's nice to have an entry with a w/c, that area is so cramped! You may opt for having a large open area that includes the kitchen, dining and living spaces, along with a wider stairway in a better location. Having a downstairs bedroom is often a good thing, depending on your family's needs, and there's space enough to include a bath and a walk-in closet. Upstairs, you can have as many bedrooms and baths as you want, as well as a room for recreation, media, or whatever. You have the luxury of all that square footage!

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Definitely want to get rid of that bathroom at the front you are so right about that. Would love to open up the stairway and make a feature of it. Thanks for the advice :)

[@FelineRM]

it's gorgeous!! I love it so much! Can't wait to see what you're going to do with it!

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thank you

[@lemonladyYT]

The original layout may have been for a family of 5, parents bedroom downstairs and 3 children's bedrooms upstairs. I found a Facebook post from about 10 years ago where a previous resident was tagged. Might be worth contacting her?

[@theoldstationrenovation]

We recently found the listing when it was sold about 12 years ago, it looked like a lovely family home, very welcoming and comfortable. I have been in touch with a lady that used to live there and by coincidence a colleague of mine used to visit the station in the 80s as a friend.

[@alantorrance6153]

Fairly obviously, the unused Attic sections can be utilised to great advantage - there is just so much space ready to be used. Perhaps, with modern building advances, the structure can be modernised, removing those beams you speak so badly of. You can replace them with "A-Frame" units to give a lot more headroom, and leaving the entire attic floor areas to be redesigned. Those hated (maligned) stairs can be ripped out and replaced whichever way you desire. As a suggestion, the downstairs entry and the toilet/bathroom can be swapped (more or less) with the door to the corner room being shifted a bit so that access is from the "Waiting Room:, a bit closer to the chimney breast, leaving a larger "free" space in the LH corner. Bathroom placement could be door to new entry in LH Bottom corner of new bathroom, handbasin in top LH corner, with bath next to it across top of bathroom, under the rising stairs. Toilet just to right of existing exit door pilklar on external wall, for ease of plumbing. New wall just to right of toilet, more or less just where existing external pillar is situated. Extra space just to right of new wall can be boxed in and made into storage cupboards (accesses from new shifted area at bottom of stairs and the door moved a bit for LH corner room access). It is a pity I do not have a way of providing for you a plan drawing of what I suggest.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thanks for taking the time to comment! A lot of what you’ve suggested is in the plans, the bathroom, stairs and wall are coming out to make the middle room bigger with a nice stairway being put in probably where the bathroom is now. We’ll have to use some more modern supports to open up the headroom in the bedrooms on either side with an open ceiling in the middle section.

[@johnhoffman2818]

You need to knock out some walls to make more room. The stairs move them. You’ll never get anything moved upstairs. Knock down walls between the bedrooms maybe use the attic. Seems you have good bones. The beams are great for open ceilings.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Totally agree about the stairs and wall, it can all come out!

[@stefaniesombaty8980]

As an American much of the homes I see in the UK are so strange to me as normally our ground floors flow into one another with the exception of a bathroom or bedroom. There aren't doors closing all of the rooms off from one another but I understand why this was done when heating with fireplaces. The one thing I can't get my head around in the 80's reno is the full bathroom right next to the front door! How awful! The sights! The smells! I would get rid of the tiny entrance by removing the walls. Move the stair case to run front to back. Make all the upstairs bedrooms into one with a full bathroom. Then I would attach that out building to the main structure and you have two more bedrooms with a bathroom. The unfinished attic space could be turned into living space.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Hi, a lot of your suggestions are in the plans! Taking out the bathroom and wall to leave the whole entrance hall open from front to back with a new staircase is essential. And we’re going to join the outbuildings, it’ll be a waste not to. Thanks for watching, and hi from south Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 👋

[@buffplums]

3:01 so looking at the plan, there would have been the station masters office, a ticket office, a waiting room and sometimes they had a ladies waiting room. So the big area in the middle would have been the ticket hall and where any luggage would be stored and possibly a weighing machine? Do you have any of the old plans? Sorry hope I’m not second guessing you, after all it is your home lol xx

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Please don’t be sorry, we’re grateful to hear from anyone who has more insight than us on these things, we’re learning as we go but comments like this really help us understand how the building may have been used👍 And no we don’t have any old plans ☹️

[@GMteam.]

the station used to be two cottages after the railway closed. if you look at the second window and the brickwork from the right of the front door you will see where the second front door used to be. so i was informed by a friend of a friend.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Absolutely right, up to the late 70’s early 80’s from what I’m told. I saw a photo on FB of the back door bricked up which was taken in the 50’s.

[@nisebiggs6572]

My tuppence worth: I would make the area under the canopy, an indoor / outdoor dining area and place for relaxing and looking out. The area behind that could be the living room. Convert the three rooms upstairs to a bedroom en suite.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thank you! Under the canopy is going to be an outdoor dining area, I imagine it’ll get lots of use with the rain we get ☔️

[@cazzawazza9553]

Definitely get the bathroom upstairs

[@steffieswaddling8432]

I would think the station masters room would make an excellent boot room especially as it has doors to outside and inside

[@k13ehr]

I think the stairway is there because it took less space, as you show in the attic video there is a raised part, the whole thing will have been like that so it's possible that there was just and attic and no living space above the station the odd window will be just to let light in, the skylights are possible later additions, it is also possible that the staircase, bathroom and the big room were all one large booking hall originally. Is it possible to contact the original Railway company, they may have records and plans of the whole station, also contact any preservation societies for info, they throw nothing away, they may have it on display in a frame somewhere.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

I think you’re right about the big room being a hall. The plan is to take out the bathroom, stairs and wall to change it back along with full height ceilings. We don’t have original plans, I’m hoping they are on a dusty shelf in an archive somewhere just waiting for me to find them!

[@brucelucas1756]

One of the things that would already drive me nuts is tooo much separation of rooms. If there's a possibility, I'd prefer to take out large amounts of walls and give the place a more open and flowing floor plan.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Hi, there are at least two walls coming out, the one just inside the front door where the stairs are and the one between the kitchen and living room so it can be an open plan kitchen and dining room.

[@GeoEstes]

Are all the interior walls load-bearing? Knocking some out would open up many more possibilities. Combining the kitchen and living room into a kitchen/dining room separated by an island would be much more functional.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

No they aren't all load bearing. Looking forward to seeing what we can knock through 😄

[@GeoEstes]

@@theoldstationrenovation The more you can open it up, the more flexible the space becomes. Fewer, larger bedrooms would be better for our modern lifestyles. A second bathroom (or two) on the upper floor is a must. It'll be interesting to see what the architects suggest.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Agree with that, we’re going to make this perfect for us so although we could probably cram a load of bedrooms in we’ll have three of a good size.

[@mathiassca]

Honestly, I would gut the central former waiting room, removing the bath and stair hallway, open up the ceiling and making a great room open up the upper part of the windows, but also exposing the lovely high beams, switch directions of the stairs, Make two bed and upper shared bath over the upstairs, and lower the floor on the other side of the upper now attic making a master bedroom suit!!!

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Great ideas, this is along the lines we are thinking. Still finalising plans, that central space is key and will hopefully be amazing.

[@Thunderer0872]

Just found your channel I am a railway fan, looking at what you have they made a mess back in the 80's. So going in off the street those 2 windows each side of the door front and back that whole area would be the waiting room. so no bathroom or staircase. the platform side has the same 2 window each side of the door again which makes me think its all waiting room originally? left side rectangle could have been the ticket office with a clerks office behind if that wall is original where you say station master office? to the right would be the Parcels office with porters staff room onto the platform where the kitchen is most likely. There may have been a ladies waiting room on one of the sides as there was usually a ladies only room in many old stations, My home town has such even today. Shame the attic was done like it was but you've have worked out correctly on how high with no use in GWR days. I hope that helps and look forward to your journey in making it your new home. Oh the old chest of draws may have been the pre-destination tickets and cash depends on any writing on the inside of the draws? just a thought.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thank you, this is really helpful. I believe you are right and the central room would have been one big waiting room. The four rooms (two each side) seem to have original walls and could be the rooms you suggested. Please keep the advice coming it is really helpful.

[@jonathanstokes7791]

As it is at the moment, it’s strange that the hall and stairs are so small, while the former waiting room is just a huge hallway with loads of doors leading off it. I feel that the middle section of the building is crying out to be opened up. To be a full-height hallway and living area, with a grand central staircase, leading to a gallery landing, which leads to the upstairs rooms and overlooks the space below.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thats our feeling too. The tiny entrance hall doesn't really make sense and the central room could be spectacular.

[@glendabrekke5475]

The upstairs bedrooms were most likely for the guy or family that attended the station.

[@moodyga40]

i like the lay out

[@NailahRoberts]

I would get rid of the upstairs completely and expose the beams, then join the out buildings to the main buildings with glass, I would then convert the out buildings into bedrooms with ensuites.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

The beams are lovely, they would make beautiful features. We have plans to join the outbuildings, they are built in the same style as the main building so totally makes sense to!

[@contemporaryclassicstour5142]

I'd not remove or cut through any of those supporting beams upstairs to be honest. , Perhaps they can instead be a feature rather than a hindrance? Depends also on how much of the building you want to ''use''. Can you send me the plans and tell me what sort of spaces you'll need and I'll have a little think? Might be a fun thing to do tomorrow. Also do you have the original plans from when it was built?

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thanks. We are going to get some advice on the beams. They are beautiful but they do stop you walking around the upstairs without crawling under them. I popped the pictures of the layout in the community feed.

[@timothyclarke7689]

I would have thought that the Station Master and his family would have lived in the rooms on one side of the station. It may seem very small, but there would not be an inside bathroom and many houses at the time were only two rooms. You could check the voters lists. I knew someone who lived in the gatehouse of a country estate. They lived in one side of the gate and slept in the other. There was no connection between the two rooms. The number of people living at the station could give an indication of there being some rooms upstairs before the 1980 conversion.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

I never thought of the voters register! Great suggestion. I know that from sometime in the 60’s or 70’s it was converted into two separate properties until a family had the whole place in the 80’s.

[@Deaanl1]

That kitchen is way too dingy for such a beautiful building and doesn't compliment the feel of the building at all.. Excited to see what you are envisioning to make this your home

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Agree completely

[@TaralgaBushAdventure]

It seems obvious, and probably already mentioned, but the windows outside at ground level are taller than the windows inside - so the 80's renovation has added a drop-ceiling? I woudl try to remove that and get the ceiling height back. Also open up the front little front door room into the central wooden room - and possibly reposition the stairway 90degrees, to allow it to fit better between beams and be larger/wider. Also, personally I don't like the only bathroom/toilet being on a different floor to the bedrooms.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Great ideas. Repositioning the staircase is a must, we done lots of pondering about the best way to do it. We agree about the bathroom, it isn't great where it is.

[@lawrencesall215]

First I know it will be a tough process. Get a used camper, maybe 2 and set up on the property with utilities. This will get you out of the station curing the construction process. It'll give you someplace to feel clean and out of the odors, dust, and such not from the construction work! Now for the layout ideas. Gut that front entry area. Ok you'll need the stairs for now. Gut the second floor entirely. then scrap the stairs. Open the ceilings between the first and second floor keeping the joists for now. Gut the kitchen. Decide if any walls should be gone and do open them all up leaving the studs. Now where do the utilities come into the building. How is that bathroom serviced with water and sewer in relation to the kitchen and the point of entry/exit to the street. These elements will affect your costs and what you may want to actually do. At this point decide how open you want the roof rafters are to be. perhaps 1/3 the space is exposed rafters the rest is closed in for living space. Figure out the needs for the kitchen, eat in of not, lots of storage, etc. Put in a Half bath. Perhaps this bathroom is under the stairs leading up to the bedrooms. However, you decide the upstairs you'll need at least a full bathroom up there. Plan for that above the kitchen so plumbing costs are managed. Perhaps making the back side of the section of the station a shed dormer might help with head room and provide additional bedroom space.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thanks for this great advice and for watching. Lots of planning ahead as you say and considering what will work best

[@chrisallen2005]

Gut the interior. Save what building materials you believe will work in the rebuild. You will save money in the long run starting with a blank canvass knowing exactly what the bones of the building are. Somebody already tried to make things work and you now have their mess to sort out.

[@graemesteven3089]

The upstairs may have been the living are for the station master and family

[@lyragwen1895]

I feel the very first thing is the roof then proceed.

[@adds91]

Is the staircase original? The handrail and newell posts look old. I’m no architect by a long way but if the staircase is original Id try and keep it as it is to retain the history. On the first floor I would design it so at the top of the stairs you turn to the right to access all the rooms you will have up there (where the door to your attic currently is) & perhaps have that as a completely open area to right back to the wall that the platform canopy must hang from, possibly using that space as a hall / study area or a comfy reading space, then where the 3 bedrooms currently are I would change to 2 bedrooms with a jack & Jill bathroom between the 2 rooms and the unconverted side I would put in a large bedroom suite with a dressing room & en-suite. The front walk area currently used to access the current bedrooms I would just leave as it is as an interesting area 🤣 really glad I’ve found your channel and looking forward to how you renovate the house

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thanks 😀 The staircase isn't original, although we have found the top of a different newel post in the attic which may be original. Going to see if we can use that when we redesign the stairs. Love the idea of a dressing room. Thanks for watching.

[@Itsmyownmind]

I’m torn between saying return the gf ceiling height to its original versus using the upper windows for floor level light to bed/bath rooms up stairs. Have big rooms for your children up stairs, en suite if there is the space plus a guest en suite room and have the master suite down stairs which future proofs you living there as you age.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thanks Tom 😀

[@robwarren5744]

Hi, I was hoping to message you privately about something, but you don’t seem to have an “About” page with a message button?

[@theoldstationrenovation]

[e-mail]

[@2times2is4]

I'd make the three bedrooms into one big room.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Weee going to turn them into two goodies bedrooms for the children. Hopefully they won’t have grown up and moved out before we finish!!

[@buffplums]

Choo Choo !! Lol 😂

[@kimphilpin1062]

Maybe I’m wrong, but the hallway up stairs and also the smaller bedrooms seem so much more In keeping with an old house.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

and they are actually the newer additions!

[@kimphilpin1062]

@@theoldstationrenovation maybe they wanted to keep the feel of an older house,but as we all know that’s ok if it visible as living space. I just feel you are going to make it all good.xx

[@ndfl276]

yeah the whole layout is so uncofortable. At the very least, I'd open up the transition once you enter the building by removing the door directly accross and opening that whole wall up.

[@ndfl276]

yeah I'd remove quite a few of the doors on the first floor tbh

[@ndfl276]

and make the main entry door outswing would definitely help

[@ndfl276]

and it seems like the only way you could improve the upstairs is using that unfinished space at the top of the stairs to the right and build a bathroom. Those beams in the attic aren't helping one bit in regard to layout!!

[@theoldstationrenovation]

That door across the opening just doesn't make any sense! Can't wait to get some plans with it opened up.

[@brigid6609]

is the staircase part of the original building? Old houses and buildings have these narrow staircases the design of the stairs does look 1890´s hope you can save it although its a horror when you have to move big things up.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

No this was put in, in the 1980s we believe. There would have been a staircase but not this one. We have sound a huge newel post, we are not sure if it is from the original stairs.

[@jackstone4291]

Get a proper interior-engineer to give you some options. Someone on here on this internet KZbin thing will be able to do it. Maybe Ben for free advertising?! Don’t just get a structural engineer - there are different types of architects. Look it up. Look up some from that great channel 4 or BBC series with the Irish lady with red hair who presented and people got some great and some not so great architects to give different options for their properties and gardens too. Your property is massive so plan both as both outside and inside and that inbetween that space too is a living space so plan hard landscaping well as well as good architects plans and 3D walk through and cool stylish and remembering the history of the place kind of plans. Otherwise if you’re not careful that place could end up boring and static and not a good use of living space. Good luck !

[@theoldstationrenovation]

We are having a 3D walkthrough created so we can come up with options. Thanks for the advice.

[@smavtmb2196]

It feels claustrophobic. I would atleast open up the largest living space between the kitchen. It's possible to make it more like a home and practical and still maintain original character. Or atleast pay tribute to it without going too modern. Too many doors/compartmentalized. Rather than a small door I would enlarge the opening between the main entrance and the large living space in the center.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

We’re going to open up the kitchen to make one larger room, kitchen diner. And we’re definitely not going for modern 👍

[@smavtmb2196]

@@theoldstationrenovation Good to hear. 👍 Looking forward to see the progress. It will be a unique home.

[@andrewhorsburgh2549]

Looking forward to watching your progress BUT DUMP THE BACKGROUND MUSIC.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Thanks for the feedback, always grateful to receive it. You’ll be happy to know that we have stopped using music in the last two videos and probably won’t use it again. We had never made videos before so it’s been trial and error 👍

[@nancyhauge9500]

Cannot figure out why you are so appalled at the station..it could be derelict with joles in ceiling etc but looms like the outside couldmused fresh paint but the inside can easily be lived i while you put your own touches on..I think it is beautiful. Gorgeous floors and lots of personality. So make,the staircase larger and knock out a couple walls...the outside looks li,e a bigger project.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

We absolutely love it and can’t wait to get started with the real work, we have to wait for planning but in the meantime we’ll get on with the little things where we can.

[@SurendraPrasad-up3sd]

Need was limited and thus for insulation purpose only

[@johanbasson1191]

Can i help you

[@CarolMartin-xm1ri]

I'd put my kitchen in the waitingroom and enclose the overhang for inclusion.

[@Susan.I]

Tiny bedrooms upstairs.

[@theoldstationrenovation]

Absolutely, will be changing the layout.

[@lindastevens6861]

That’s a terrible plan😮