Mumsnet Talk

Hi, we are moving to York and hope to buy a house very soon. There's me and dh, 19 month old dd and another dc on the way due in August. we don't plan to have any more children after dc2.

We've seen an end terrace house I've fallen in love with. It has three double bedrooms and also a converted basement, which could be used as an extra living room, office or occasional bedroom i.e. guest room. Lounge and dining room and kitchen on ground floor. That is perfect for us as kids could grow up and have a double bedroom each when they get older and we could also have a double bed for when guests come to stay (which would hopefully happen a bit as lots of friends in different parts of the country).

The only drawback is there's no garden, just a decked yard at the back with one raised flowerbed. Enough room for a small table and chairs and to have a barbecue but not a proper garden.

Alternative houses in our price range that do have a garden tend to be 3 bed semis with 2 doubles and a single (8' x 6.5') bedroom, with a lounge and dining kitchen downstairs. Adequate space for just our family but no room for guests and no extra reception room for when kids grow up and might want to solialise with friends away from us. But they do have a garden.

So my question is how much would we miss a garden when the kids are little? Would we feel like we were depriving them? There is a big green space (the Knavesmire for those who know York) a couple of minutes walk away and a big park (Rowntree park) about 5-10 mins walk away. Also, pil are also moving to York and they will buy a place with a big garden. But would I regret not being able to turf them out to play in the garden while I get on with stuff in the house?

I feel I might be being a bit selfish as the house I love is gorgeous period styling, original fireplaces, wooden floors etc, whereas the alternatives are more modern properties that don't have that 'wow' factor for me. I worry this might be making me a bit blinded to the downsides.

Have any of you had toddlers and younger children in a house with no garden or a very small outside space? I'd love to hear some opinions about this. The house would be a bit of a stretch for us but not unaffordable but we want it to be a long term move and I don't want to make a mistake.

Thanks in advance and sorry for long, rambly explanation

The house sounds lovely and perfect for your family.

How big is the yard?

So long as there is a yard you can stick a sand pit and a paddling pool out there then do lots of park trips as they get bigger. We have friends in York with a similar house. When we first visited I was aghast at no garden but it has never bothered them. Most of us spend far more time in the house than garden anyway.

I woukd go for it, personally. Would it be possible to stick a sand pit in it?

We've only got a yard (+ a postage stamp sized lawn on roadside) with a park down the road.
We have a sand pit and raised beds planted with veg/strawberries/flowers by DS and do use our outside space quiet well. Loads of kids in this street and we've all managed to make it work for us.
We are moving and a garden is on our wishlist but the move is forced by work and we would have happily stayed here.

It might be possible. It is a bit tiny but when we looked round I'm remember thinking it looked a bit bigger than on the photos. We're going to have another look, I might take my tape measure and then I can compare when I get home.

I guess I'm a bit nervous as we're leaving a 4 bed semi with a big garden but in a suburban commuter town and it's not where we want to stay and bring up kids. Want to be in a city and this area is lovely, vibrant and a bit bohemian. I find it so boring where we are at the moment, it's just a big housing estate. I would be unhappy to stay here but feel nervous about kids missing out to keep me happy.

There's much more for them to do in York though, and they might not actually hate it when they hit teenage years.

Very glad consensus seems to be that it will be fine.

From your description, this house is very near my friend's house. When she was buying, she said the nice older houses in York just don't tend to have gardens. She has a decked yard and takes her DD to the park at the end of the road every day (when it's not flooded). Might be more of an issue when the children are older and want to play out independently?

I would much rather be near a great park and have a small garden. Heading to the park is the highlight of DS's day. I like my garden, but it's just another room to keep tidy.

I think as long as they have somewhere to potter the size isn't that important.

We have a big garden but ds (6) would rather ride his bike on the front ( safe cul de sac ) or go to the park.

I love period homes <jealous>

The house sounds lovely and I would go for it.

London is full of families bringing up children in flats and using the local parks which I always think is a lovely sociable way of spending time outdoors. .. round here people with kids tend to get together after school in the park on nice days and I've often thought how much my kids would have preferred it at that age rather than going home to our average-sized, not very interesting garden.

I think it would be fine IF you were used to not having a big garden, I think it would be hard to go smaller personally.

It wouldn't bother me. I'm sure you could still get a sandpit and paddling pool in. Loads of children grow up in flat all around the world and might just have a balcony. With parks close by you'll be fine.

One massive positive is that you'd never need to mow a lawn again.

I think the proximity to parks, and your being happy to take them there is the key. There's no point in being that close to a park and finding reasons every day not to go.

Almost any garden is big enough for a sandpit and paddling pool. Plus you'll be surprised how much fun kids can have with a raised flower bed.

Is there a Park nearby?
Near in mind that we only get about 2 weeks worth of summer anyway
Sounds big enough for a sandpit, water table, etc...
House sounds lovely btw

Oh I love getting out of the house to go to parks etc, in fact it might make me a lot less lazy and to actually do things with the kids instead of sitting in the house mning while they're outside

I don't know if I'm underestimating importance of a garden because it's so bloody cold atm and I haven't actually been out in ours for months!

For me it is about location too I suppose.... the other houses that are smaller but do have gardens are a bit further out of York without shops as convenient. In this area there is greengrocers, butchers etc and also it is further away from busy main road.

Think I'm just a bit scared about leaving safe suburbia and enjoying city life again, which isn't like me at all! It's funny how it feels different now there's kids involved. But I don't want to lose that side of me and regret it, if that makes sense!

It's funny isn't it, the way you can have 'criteria' when you are looking for a house, but when you find one that tugs at your heart strings, it goes out of the window. I just don't want my heart to rule my head too much. But then again, why not? I want to love where I live.

Sunshine I feel exactly the same. We are in the process of buying a house which ticks most of our boxes but not a couple of significant ones, and yet we just loved it when we walked in, and knew it would work for us. And as someone said earlier, children all over the world live in flats or places with no garden at all and manage. We are so lucky that we get as much choice as we do.

YABU not to give us a link so that we can see the lovely house

Sorry to be a stick in the mud, but i would NEVER live near the Knavesmire. Sorry. Friend has just moved away from there, race days are unbearable, the traffic, and the drunken yobs throwing up everywhere and fighting are awful.

Oh no, pootles this is close to the knavesmire but it's at the bottom of a no through road, do you think that would make it exempt from annoying race goers?

What do you think of Fulford?

Can they walk through to get to town? How far from the entrance to the road is it? Basically you need to think whether a drunken idiot would see it as a nice place for a shag/piss.

Also need to look at which roads get closed on racedays, you may not be able to get out and about.

I'd think about asking on the York local board tbh, you may get more knowledgable answers on there.

Its a bit of a nightmare because non-York people always think races will be lovely classy affairs, but in fact its just a load of Geordies coming for an all-day piss up isn't bitter oh no

Having said that, there are some really nice areas around there, and you might be just far enough away... Something to think about anyway.

Fulford is great, bit floody in parts but mostly great. Excellent secondary school.

I was brought up in York. 5 mins from town centre. In a terraced house small back yard.
It was great. There are plenty of parks and green spaces in and around York so it was fine.
Good luck with the move

ah yes the knavesmire... does depend where around there you live. Fulford is very nice quite suburban.
I lived within view of the Minister, so different type of area.

<implodes with jealousy at minster view>