Looking for our 'forever home'

[IAmRubyLennox]

If you had 3 DC and were looking for your 'forever home' (thankyou, Kirsty & Phil), how would you spend £340,000?

this older 3 bedroom house on the edge of a village
or
{{http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-36801989.html?premiumA=true this 5-bedroom house in a big new development]]

All feedback welcome!

[IAmRubyLennox]

OK, let's try those links again

older 3-bed on edge of village

or

5-bed in big new development

[wishiwasonholiday]

I like the 2nd one, and you've got plenty of room for when they get older plus visitors.

[noddyholder]

1st one by a mile!

[Goodluckcharlielover]

wow - wish we could get that much space for that money down our way! They are both great but in different ways so i can see your quandry!

House at edge of village

• great gardens but how much use will they get with our weather?
  
• How many kids are nearby the house on edge of village - will you always be driving them to their friends or are there enough nearby?
  
• Is the area safe for them to cycle around
  
• Who gets the bedroom downstairs and will this cause issues?
  
• like the older character
  
• will you have guests regularly and need a spare room?
  
• what is storage space like?
  
• do the gardens have a sunny aspect?
  

House on estate

• great rooms and space
  
• what is storage like
  
• do the gardens have a sunny aspect?
  
• what will happen to the open fields over time - maybe a selling point now and another estate in 5 years!
  

wish we had choices like that in our price range. Very

[oreocrumbs]

Agree that location might be a deal breaker so think that through, but of the two I would go for the older house.

I agree with the soverylucky about playing about with the house in the future and extending if need be.

Its a lovely house. The second house is nice too, but nice rather than lovely IYSWIM

[oreocrumbs]

If you can loose the study then its a 4 bed with an ensuite after a quick tap with a sledge hammer, so there is more than enough room for everyone!

[oreocrumbs]

That would be lose not loose , I got all carried away with my o's!

[FriedSprout]

First one by miles. Love the gardens and it just looks far more substantial and hard-wearing somehow

[Dotty342kids]

Yup, first one too - much more character and looks like a forever house. Second house, though lovely, more of a "we're here, for now, with the kids" kind of house!

[KateShmate]

See I think the 2nd house looks like a more 'forever home', whereas Im not so keen on the 1st house so to me it looks like a temporary.

Because you want it as your 'forever home' I think its best to look at how it will be in the future too. The 3rd floor with 2 double bedrooms and fitted wardrobes is perfect for teenagers - fitted wardrobes mean that you don't have to buy copius amounts of storage. And the shower room will be brilliant too!

In a big development I would image its nearer to a town - which would mean that as they get older they will have friends on the estate and can go out to play. And when they are teenagers you won't have to ferry them round as much

Just looked at the floorplan for House#1 - bedroom 3 looks teeny! Have you been to see them in person yet, because I would be wondering why they hadn't put any pictures of the bedrooms? Although your DC's may like sharing rooms now, when they are teenagers I would suspect that they probably wouldn't like it. I actually prefer the layout of H#1 on the groundfloor, but the second floor just looks a lot smaller in comparison.
And I know that its not all about the outside of the house, but I do think that the outside of H#2 is much nicer than H#1!

[Floggingmolly]

I prefer the first one. You get a hell of a lot more for your money outside London, don't you?

[AWimbaWay]

I like this one

Out of yours I like the garden of the first but I think the house of the second, which is weird as I don't normally like new builds.

[FashionEaster]

First one by a mile, except for one factor - location - but maybe that's reflected in the price? If it's very close to the motorway all those lovely photos of the garden are immaterial if motorway noise is a constant part of the ambiance. And you need to like gardening/pay a gardener. But third bedroom isn't really small and maybe appropriate for converting over the garage.

The second one has plenty of bedrooms but usually people spend most of the day downstairs and imo the first house beats the 2nd in spades.

[FashionEaster]

WimbaWay, that's gorgeous - does it have any garden?

[LittleFrieda]

That first house in on the M4.

And the second house looks lovely BUT looking at StreetView it's a horrible development with very few trees: I reckon it will be minging in a few years.

[suebfg]

I prefer the second one. It's modern, you won't spend your spare time doing repairs etc, more internal space. It looks like there is plenty of greenery around that you can access when you need it, but aren't responsible for its upkeep. Unless you're a keen gardener, a large garden is overrated IMO (having had one previously myself).

[IAmRubyLennox]

You lot are fantastic at this! I've bored everyone in RL to tears so it's so nice to get some fresh eyes.

Yes, I suppose compared to London / Home Counties we get quite a lot for our money in sleepy old Swindon.

For me, the first house just looks like a proper family home. I can envisage lots of family occasions in that garden, and even loading the car up outside to take them to university, it feels more substantial somehow.

But then I do think the space that the second one gives us is a massive bonus. Real life isn't all about Emma Bridgewater crockery and gravel driveways, it's about three teenagers squabbling over whose turn it is in the bathroom, and whether we're watching the football or a DVD.

DC are currently 5, 7 and 8. The boys have taken one look at that garden over my shoulder on rightmove and sworn they don't mind sharing a bedroom until they're 18!!

We haven't been to see either yet (I'm trying to hold myself back until ours is sold) but really they're symptomatic of what we can afford: big but on a huge unproven new development, or a character property that's really a bit small.

(AWimbaWay, yours is vair vair naice. Hadn't seen that one, off to peruse particulars in more detail!)

[LittleFrieda]

I like this one not for its current enjoyment but for its potential and location which is what a forever house is all about

[Yoghurty]

I prefer the 1st house, but I'm familiar with the areas you are looking at and would say that Blunsdon is a better location! Not my choice thou- maybe writing up a list of pros and cons for each?

[IAmRubyLennox]

Old Shaw Lane is a really really lovely area, but unfortunately, DH refuses to countenance anything over that side of town .

[BarryStar]

Purely going by the pictures I'd go for number one, it has a much nicer "feel" to it than modern number 2. There is probably quite a lot you could do to number 1, should you want to, over the years.

Our house has three floors, and whereas its handy to have the two elder dc up there, it is also an effort to keep going up there not that I'm at all lazy. If we ever move, will definitely only go for two storeys in future.

[Heswall]

We rented a new build (am so glad we didn't buy it), tiny proportions, paper thin walls, everything needed replacing - the property was 4 years old - garden the size of a postage stamp and everything was so crammed in, driveways, no off road parking.
Always always go for the best location.

[echt]

1st one by a mile. More character. Lovely gardens.