Found a house we love, but will it be too small?

[LaTristesse]

For a couple and one child it'd be fine, but if we have another child I'm worried we'll be too cramped. Due to the house being next to a listed building there's no way it can be extended - it is what it is.
Is size something we shouldn't compromise on, or can we adapt by living in a less cluttered way? Does anyone have any advice? Have you bought somewhere small and you now regret it? Help me sort my thoughts out please...

[Meglet]

As someone living in a teeny house I would say go for something bigger if you can afford it.

I bought my house before I had dc's, it's technically a 3 bed, but the third room is just a boxroom and the rest of the house is very cramped. We also need a second loo but can't alter it or extend.

There's a limit to being less cluttered IME. Unless you are going to shop for food daily, get rid of clothes each season (storing winter stuff takes up room) and be ruthless about toys then it tends to feel like a losing battle. I have store-cupboard groceries in my loft as my kitchen isn't big enough for everything I might need.

Am hoping to be able to move in a year or two.

[fizzyelderflower]

I've always thought that I wouldn't want a size my house to dictate the number of children I could have and so we bought a big 3 bed when we just had DD1 and went onto have 2 more and never worried about space, rooms etc.

We've just moved out of that house though into something smaller, with more character, a bit more expensive but in a much better location. Like meglet I'm finding I need to be really organised in a smaller space which is hard when I'm juggling 3 under 5s too. I had thought about room for beds and place to play before we bought and I know people manage with a lot less space but I'm at the stage that the DCs (and me) are home a lot and as soon as they get a couple of things out the house feels unbearably cluttered.

But, I love the area so much and it has lots of other things going for it. So I hope think the sacrifice will be worth it.

[Mollymax]

I think it depends on whether you can live with the minimal amount of "stuff"
I know I couldn't, as I am a hoarder and I like space.
Is there an option to extend or is the garden big enough for a den?

[LaTristesse]

Thankfully the house has a big under floor crawl space for storage, although no loft (flat roof), and several huge cupboards built in. There is no room to extend although we could possibly turn the garage into a den later... Thanks for the replies, it's getting me thinking... Anyone else got anything to add?

[Mirage]

We moved to a smaller house in a better location when the dds were 21 months and 3 weeks old.We struggled until we got decent storage and a loft hatch that you could actually use.Having a garage and carport helped though.Are these a possibility?

[risingstar]

given the costs of moving, fees, taxes etc in your position i would go for a bigger house that will fit you and your future plans comfortably. a few years ago, it was fair enough to assume that the house would go up in value and cover moving costs, but that is not the case any longer.

if you can cut out a move, you will be better off

[narmada]

We are living in a small house at the moment with 2 small kids and honestly, it's a royal pain in the bum - we are desperate to move. I am guessing we have about 75 sq m or possibly a little less. The lack of a loft is a major problem, as there are some things we don't want to get rid of (suitcases, high chairs, etc) but that we have nowhere to put.

Decluttering is great but small children are just messy and there's no getting away from that. There are toys trailed around every room and no 'adult' space. Go bigger if you can afford it, definitely.

[angel1976]

We bought a 2-bedroom house before DCs and now with 2 DSs, it's just way too small. And we have storage space too! Quite a lot of it. It's practically full and we still have stuff coming out of our ears. We are moving (hopefully very soon!) to a 4-bedroom. We were initially looking for a 3-bedder (intention is for them to share a room so we could have the third as a spare/playroom) but realised if we stretched that little bit more, we could get a 4-bedroom. It gives us more options when they boys get bigger and want their own room. It means we still have a spare bedroom or sorts. On hindsight, I would have gone for a bigger house. De-cluttering is all fine but you can de-clutter like mad (if you have the time, which we don't!) and still have too much stuff. We are forever tripping over stuff EVERYWHERE. Sick of it!

[harecare]

This is so interesting as we are about to do the same - move to another 3 bed house in a nicer area, but much smaller. There is a lockable brick outhouse at the bottom of the garden to store junk and another shed at the front for bikes etc, so I'm hoping it'll be OK. Can you get a shed or something for the garden?

Do you have another larger house to choose from? If you have then I'd go for bigger, if not just work out if there is enough space for what you currently have e.g. we're going to measure our large couch and the new front room.

We're considering getting rid of the downstairs toilet to extend the kitchen so it's big enough for our fridge freezer! Does that sound crazy? The kitchen would still not be big enough for a dinner table, but there is a separate dining room.

[Ohforfoxsake]

Children get bigger, as do their friends. Indoor space becomes more important as they get older.

If this is your forever house can you fit your children and their 14 yo mates in?

sorry to put a dampner on things - we moved recently and I could t get the image of stomping teenagers grunting at me as they stomp up the stairs! Oldest is 9 so I hope I've got a bit of time before this becomes a reality - but I won't be moving again in a hurry!

[Ohforfoxsake]

No! Dont get rid of the downstairs loo if you have children! Put the freezer in the out building.

[IngridBergman]

It sounds nice, have you seen anything else you like? I wonder about the space issue too, we have a two bed atm, boys sharing enormous bedroom, me in teeny one. It's a flat but quite big. I can see us happy here for a long while but maybe not into teenage years as boys will need a room each. Unless I do tank the cellar out, then they could inhabit that - might be an answer. I never want to leave here and would be awful to have to so I know what you're trying to avoid!