Please help me - space or location?

[Bambi75]

After house hunting for an eternity in a part of west london where house prices are still shooting through the roof, i would love some help deciding what is the best thing for my family in terms of compromise:

A) go for a Victorian/Edwardian terraced house on a desirable street which is short walk (7-10 minutes) from chiswick high road and Turnham green for shops and amenities etc BUT where we will be compromising on space, have a tiny garden and may outgrow it in 5-10 years.

OR

B) go for a big detached double fronted Edwardian house on a slightly less desirable residential street with mixed styles of 1930s houses which is 15-18 minutes walk from chiswick high road/Turnham green. BUT the house is huge with scope to extend with a 70 ft garden. The house, whilst not my preferred style and is in between 2 nice but quirky 1930s houses, is absolutely wonderful inside with a lovely homely feel and loads of space for our 2 little girls to run around. We would never need to move again.

What should I do??

The price of the houses are very similar and proximity to good schools is the same for both houses too. WWYD?

Thanks! x

[JeanSeberg]

Space every time.

It's hard to imagine when your children are small just how much you will need and appreciate the extra space when they are older.

[BucketofDinosaurs]

The second house - with space - sounds wonderful - and your writing became really enthusiastic when you described it.

[NorbertDentressangle]

Well they normally say location, location, location but TBH it sounds as if the second house isn't in a bad location just not quite as good as the first so in this case I would say go for House B.

[wonkylegs]

The second one - it's only a marginally different location (not miles away) and you may find that in a few years the gentrification creep that affects London will get to you anyway. Your enthusiasm is palpable and it sounds like the potential for better family life is there.

[Bambi75]

Thank you everyone. House B is my gut instinct and I'm pretty sure ill go for it. It's just such a massive departure from what I always imagined myself living in - ie a typical red brick Edwardian / Victorian house.

House B is fantastic inside with a fab garden and drive for the car, but the houses either side, whilst not ugly, aren't the most attractive. I know this is silly and superficial but it is a bit of a leap of faith for me all the same.

X

[littlecrystal]

House B in my opinion. The way you describe it is nothing but homely and lovable!

[beaglesaresweet]

is house B not red brick? you say it's also Edwardian, or is it the kind of yellowis brick (can be also attractive!)?
Definitely house B, I'd say, the distance to the High road is just 10min more! I wish I had this kind of dilemma! Mine is a tiny place in niceish part of London versus a big house with an hour commute by train alone (plus tube). The fact you aer slightly further from High st is good - less noise and drunken people spilling from the pubs in the evenings to the side streets.
If you are worried about 'status', the detached in good location beats a terrace with tiny garden in slightly buzzier location every time! It's properly grown-up. IMO house B will grow in value MUCH more than house A, just in case you need to sell again.

[OnePlanOnHouzz]

I'd say B too ! nice walk to the shops - good exercise !! and by the sound of it a better size home for the long term ( it's so expensive to move !) good luck with the move !!! :-)

[Taffeta]

House B. I always thought I'd end up in a Victorian or Edwardian house but they are virtually non existent where I ended up living.

We live in a 1950s house, which we completely redesigned refurbed and extended and I love it. No it isn't a period property and we have deliberately gone modern with the decor etc as I hate faux crap. It's so easy to live in and we have totally made it ours.

[LynetteScavo]

I would usually say locoation, but in this case I would say B) Go for the space.

With time, the location may well improve.

[MrsJamin]

Space definitely. I live in a 1930s house and love it.

[BewitchedBefuzzledBewildered]

I know those areas well, it depends entirely where house 1 and house 2 are located! Tbh 7-10 mins walk from Chiswick High Road is quite far away, and 15-18 mins could be in a different travel zone

[ChazzerChaser]

B.

Victorian houses aren't all they're made out to be IME.

Embrace the 1930sness rather than focusing on victoriana.

[ogredownstairs]

for me in Chiswick it would depend quite a lot on whether I had to cross the A4 to get to the High Road. Not a deal breaker for some.

[magicofthemoment]

I've opted for location in your position, but there was a bigger differential between the two options in my case. IMO 18 mins walk to amenities is quite far in London and I don't care for gardens. But otoh, I think the bigger house would be a better financial investment, as beagle says. It will increase in price by a much bigger factor.

[Tinselt0wn]

House B all the way. 5-10 min extra walking is nothing really and the space sounds much more suitable.

[crashbangboom]

Space. Does anyone look out of their windows and admire the houses around them?

[ogredownstairs]

I do! But then I made a major space/location mistake in the 1990s and am still scarred by it. Location all the way for me..

[Bambi75]

Thanks for feedback everyone! Seems the majority still think house B, which is reassuring

Hi bewitched, in answer to your post, without giving too much away ...

House A - located on bedford park borders where space we're looking at is a 1700-1800 sqft house, typical terrace layout with 2 smallish and 1 largish bedroom on 1st floor and 1 bedroom in loft extension at the top, with a 20 ft garden. It is walking distance to Turnham Green tube - although neither my husband or I use the tube - and the High Road.

House B - in grove park area (we don't mind planes!), far enough away from the A4 to not be an issue BUT I would have to cross it to do the 15 minute walk to the High Road. Here we get 2200 sqft for the same money and a 70-80ft garden. It is also a quicker drive to my daughters' school in kew and walking distance from chiswick house and grounds and the river Thames.

[HairyPorter]

Tbh 1800sq ft sounds large enough for a family of 4 to me.... It's only a garden size that would put me off house a. If go with house a personally as I would prefer to be close to the high st. House b sounds more suburban and grown up

[Bambi75]

hairyporter I know what you mean! This is why the decision is a tough one for me.

I forgot to add that my husband works some days from home which is why, whilst ordinarily 1800 sqft would be plenty, we give up one of the 4 bedrooms for his office, so that automatically reduces the storage space. Also, because these terraced houses are often maxed to their potential to extend the biggest loft space possible, there is often minuscule, if any, eaves storage space. That, combined with giving up a bedroom for an office would make the terraced house a bit of a squeeze. Although we would be able to walk to the shops,...!

[BewitchedBefuzzledBewildered]

You sure that the walk to the high road would take 15 mins from that neck of the woods. In terms of location, provided its convenient to get to a newsagent, a supermarket of some sort and a post office, and is easy to do school run then you're home free. The north side of Chiswick would make a hell of a school run for your daughter, would you do it by car? Then you have the whole Hogarth roundabout or the big roundabout at the end of the high road. If you don't need access to the tube, I'd go for house B even if that area feels a bit cut off

[beaglesaresweet]

But you would probably want to drive to the large supermarkets (Sainsbury's has a big car park) from either locations when you do a weekly shop. There are buses from Grove park too, even though nothing like as frequent as on High rd, again you could do a short drive in bad weather. otoh the air quality may be better, as Turnham green area very busy. Bedford park does feel very (nicely) suburban too - not much difference in that respect with further in chiswick, not like the outer suburbs, but yes it's nearer the cafes and shops but still I'd say a good 15min walk.
Go for space! If neighbours aer noisy in their garden, you'll feel the pain in that terrace!
I don't know why everyone is talking about more modern houses, OP said that B was Edwardian!

[beaglesaresweet]

'either location'