What would you prefer - bigger reception rooms or bigger bedrooms?

[Purplepassages]

Trying to decide which house to put an offer on, and feeling a bit

One has an extension over a large garage and 4 double bedrooms and is much more spacious upstairs than downstairs.

The other has an odd upstairs layout (which can't feasibly be changed) - 2 double and 2 single bedrooms (plus bathroom and a lot of landing space) - but two spacious downstairs rooms, plus a smallish kitchen.

We have a baby and a toddler, hoping to move somewhere they'll grow up. Can't get my head around how we'd actually use the space as they grow up; we currently have a small two bedroom flat, so it'd be a big change.

Any thoughts/experiences? WWYD?

[noblegiraffe]

Spacious downstairs if you want to have friends around. We have a relatively small living room and it puts me off entertaining - especially if friends have kids who want to play together,

[ArabellaBeaumaris]

Spacious downstairs.

[GibberTheMonkey]

Bigger reception rooms

[IHeartKingThistle]

Downstairs space more important IMO.

[Queenie72]

Spacious downstairs. You spend more time downstairs and especially with children better to have bigger downstairs

[chickenfactory]

I had same dilemma, been in the house with bigger reception rooms for 6months and love it.

[Jojay]

Big reception rooms

[Purplepassages]

Ooh, it's unanimous so far - that's very helpful! Thank you.

All because of the having friends around thing? Bigger downstairs house would definitely be better for that (unless they wanted to stay over, in which case there might have to be some camping in the back garden).

[mumblechum1]

Downstairs space much more important. Really, as long as there's plenty of room for a bed, wardrobe, dressing table and maybe a comfy chair without banging your knees on stuff, you don't need huge bedrooms.

[chillybits]

It may well be a long long time before your children spend lengthy periods in their own rooms, and even then they don't need much space.

Make one of your downstairs sofas a good quality sofa bed if you need to put anyone up. We have a 'study' (ie useless sized room in new build) which we have use as a makeshift bedroom when guests stay - its fine.

[blimeyohriley]

Another vote here for bigger reception rooms. Although as kids grow they will probably spend more time in their rooms-but the rooms still don't need to be huge.

[Purplepassages]

My reservation was thinking the kids might like a big bedroom each, particularly as they get older - for me personally the bigger downstairs house would definitely be nicer.

[Purplepassages]

This is all very very helpful - thank you!

[Barbabeau]

Definitely bigger reception rooms. Our house was big rooms downstairs. The bedrooms are ok sizes but not massive. However since they are largely used for sleeping and storing clothes that's not an issue.

[KateCroydon]

Hmmm. If you have 2 doubles and 2 singles and 2 children then (assuming you as parents take one of the doubles) wouldn't that leave one sibling with a much better room than the other? Fine now, but maybe not great in five years.

[Pixielady83]

Definitely bigger reception rooms. I live in a Victorian town house terrace with 4 big bedrooms but only a small lounge and kitchen downstairs. It's just not enough space for DD to run around, use her toys (walkers etc when smaller, now scooter, buggy) and as a pp said it does put me off having play dates at mine.

[MrsBungle]

I had this dilemma. I went with bigger down stairs. I love having space down stairs. No regrets.

[TenToWine]

I would give the DC the 2 singles and set up the other as a playroom with a double sofa bed for guests, and a desk.

[Yama]

I opened this thread ready to say 'bigger reception rooms'. However, realistically, what would you do with 2 single bedrooms?

My dh grew up in a single room (step family) and won't put either of our dc in a single room. We discounted a few houses because of this. It was worth the wait - we now have a non-compromise house.

[icravecheese]

Definitely bigger downstairs rather than upstairs. A friend of mine has just finished a rather expensive single storey extension in order to balance out her 'top heavy' house - she had 4 double bedrooms but only a small kitchen and lounge/diner downstairs, and said it was a complete nightmare - it was, we never really used to meet up at hers due to lack of reception space (plus kids would head to bedrooms which held all the toys and totally trash them whilst we were sat downstairs drinking tea )

[PoppyWearer]

We bought our current house in spite of smaller bedrooms than we had in our old house. The downstairs has already been extended and has really good space for entertaining.

Upstairs is still a bit cramped BUT at some point we will extend and have space to do that.

So I vote for large downstairs.

[Dumdeedumdeedum]

Big down stairs rooms are more important. And with the bedrooms both kids coud have a single room and you could use the other double as a spare room. Then no fighting.

[ZingWidge]

both?

[breatheslowly]

Bigger reception rooms. That is why I wouldn't look at a 3-floor 5-bed house as they typically have the layout of a mean 3-bed house on the ground floor with tiny reception rooms.

[ZingWidge]

yep, both.

and a bigger garden