No Dining Room - Feedback - How to fix issue?

Question

Hello, we completed a rehab on a small 1100 sq ft house.  We tried to figure out a way to put in a L shaped granite countertop, but the house didn't have enough space or we would have had to do some major construction because there was a wall with a header.  Because of this, there is no dining room and that has been the main complaint of the house.  Has anyone had to deal with a house with no dining room?  Anyway to solve this problem?  Thanks.

Account Closed · Answer

What do you have?  Is it a combo kitchen/living room or is it a separate kitchen?  If so, where is the entrance to the living room from the kitchen? Could you use part of the living room to stage a dining area? How big is the eating area in the kitchen?  Although eat-in kitchens are not dining rooms, staging the eating area with a rug and dining table and making it look more "formal" might help people envision a dining area.  People have a lot of ideas about "entertaining" and dining rooms are part of that.

I suggest getting someone to help you stage the house.  If your feedback from potential buyers is that you are missing something major, you need really sell what you do have.

James Vermillion · Answer

Greg P., I have not had to deal with this...but it sounds like there is just not enough space for the dining room.  Do most of the houses in the neighborhood have dining rooms?

If so, what advantaged does your house have?  Are you priced below the competition?  The best thing I can think of is figure out a plan for talking to potential buyers.  If you know they are going to bring it up, be ready with an answer and to point out a positive thing about your house...i.e.

Buyer:  We noticed it does not have a dining room, we were really hoping for one.

You:  We decided it would be better to provide a top of the line kitchen, since we found out people spend much more time in the kitchen.

Account Closed · Answer

Greg P:  Do you have a house for sale with no apparent eating area anywhere?  I assumed you meant no dining room, but there's no eating area in the kitchen either?  I've seen studio apartments or very small 1BDRs with without apparent eating spaces, but not 1100 square foot houses.  Is the floor plan similar to others in the area?  If it's 2BDR that's 2-4 people that need to set their dinner plate somewhere.  Can you stage something in the living room area nearest to the kitchen?  What were your thoughts when you bought it?

Account Closed · Answer

Sign me up!  Asheville is so on my cool radar, so not on my husband's.  The "South" plus "Humidity" = never gonna happen.  Sigh.  I shouldn't say never though, because in the end it's not about our ideas about the perfect place to live, but about our kids.  They are young adults now, but when they start having families, it won't matter about ideas anymore, 'cause we will go where they are. My group of friends planned for/resigned to this years ago as we knew very few, if any, of the kids would stay in Santa Barbara.  So far, the CA East Bay, Portland and Austin are winning and a dozen of the kids are currently settling there, some with new babies.

There's definitely going to be some RE opportunities to those paying attention. Many families of adult children are different now in that a lot of Boomers are very close to their kids and expect to be close to their grandchildren as well.  But they aren't young enough (or didn't save enough) to retire and/or move to new cities. Families want to be together but need economic and creative space solutions.

Account Closed · Answer

Kama Ward  Was your rehab an older downtown or in-town house?  I live in a 1000 square foot mini Tudor, with living room, formal dining room, large eat-in kitchen, and separate hallway.  All that makes up for the two 9' x 9' bedrooms with closets too shallow to use a hanger. :)

This thread got me to thinking about all the small houses in my neighborhood.  Just about everything was built in the 1920-40s as 1BDR and 2BDR working class homes.  I can't think of one that I've been inside except mine that has a separate dining room.  A lot of remodels have opened up walls between kitchens and living areas and many have additions and increased square footage, but still don't have a dining room.  Doesn't stop anything from selling here. (Avg. $650K).  I think people who pay to live in little old houses in downtown neighborhoods accept the lack of dining room as part of the "charm".  I can imagine Ashville has the same thing going on.

Greg P. · Answer

Thanks for the responses.  It is a separate kitchen and the entry way is dividing the kitchen and living room.  We tried to think of a way to make a Bar area, but there was a wall that we would have needed to take down with a header and it still wouldn't of been not much room other than a very small bar so we decided not to do it.  Maybe we have to pull out a bottom cabinet end and open up the kitchen slightly to sneak in a small kitchen table?  Thanks.

Altin Velaj · Answer

Live in NJ. We also have small housing, no dining room :( . What I had to do was to move walls and go up ,another level. Moving walls is not that hard but it takes time and money. Of course you need to worry about plumbing ,electrical and supporting walls and budget.
Your best bet is if you are not  handy have a contractor come to you for an evaluation. 
If its prized right any house will go. There is a market for everything.

Kama Ward · Answer

Yes, my house was an in town house. It was a 1911 farm house, most of the houses are 1920's though. Actually, most of the 20's houses have dining rooms (even though the houses are small- down to 700sqft 1/1). But it's all about charm indeed- they put up with other quirks.  People buy buy buy here for 150-200K, up to 275K in the nicest section of town for a small older home.  We have lots of people move from cali and other parts who want the cool without the 650k price.

Kyle Meyers · Answer

I rehabbed a rental property this year that had no dining room. To give a good space for an eating area, I took out the cabinets on one side of the kitchen and extended them on the other side so there is a large space where a table could be placed. I did not stage the property to rent it, but did mention to potential tenants that part of the remodel and how well a table could fit there. I think either telling buyers where a table could go, or staging the space will get them to see how it can work.

Kama Ward · Answer

The house I just sold was 1135 sq ft with no dining room. I staged the dining area in the kitchen with just a small square table (less than 3'x3') and two chairs. Staged the rest of the house too. Out of all the furniture- the buyer asked me to sell them the table and chairs!  That small 'suggestion' of a dining area did the trick.

No Dining Room - Feedback - How to fix issue?

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