To think that DD(8) and DD(1) will always have to share a room when older?

Sharing bedrooms is fine and utterly unremarkable. It’s only very very recently that people have gone all uptight about children sharing. It’s normal and healthy to live a full family life not be all separated into little spaces that are “yours” and private.

Almost a seven year gap between DDs and they share a room. I can never get my head around the drama on MN about room sharing. I never shared a room
but most of my classmates did. We own our own home, we are mortgage free, we live in a nice area and have a nice lifestyle. We could move house but I like never worrying about heating bills and things like that and I’ve just booked a nice trip away for the Halloween mid term break. If we moved house that would change, we could afford it but we would definitely be tightening our belts.

Coming from a large family shared rooms if you've never been brought up like it then you won't know that it can be fun..Same for my own large family got 15 and a 5 yr old sharing and twin 3 sharing and a 25 and 4 sharing and they have always been asked if they want there own rooms and they all love each others company and each room is fairly large and specifically made so olders still have there own tv,gaming can talk at night without disturbing the other etc.

I shared with my sister until I was 14 and they had a extention built (she was 17). Your circumstances may change in years to come so you are being unreasonable to assume it will always be like this. It's not the end of the world to share with a sibling. I have family members where brothers share as she has 4 kids. Its a pretty first world problem you are buying a home they have a garden they will be fine.

Many siblings share a room. My childhood friends grew up three in a room and they are very close as adults. I have two siblings, 5 years apart, who share - the oldest is about to start secondary. We may be able to move somewhere bigger in a few years time, but I don't think it's the end of the world if we don't manage to do so.

Would you be able to have a bed built specially for the little room that would be big enough, at least until older DD has left home?

I’ve seen quite a few posts on instagram where parents have split a room with Kallax shelving - you could use them with extra wood on top to create a partition across one half (with a triangle top fitted to the slope) and tuck their beds behind it. That way they’ve got a bit of privacy without creating fully separate rooms, plus plenty of storage!

I think it's fine. When your DD8 is older and doing exams, she should have the study to herself to work in, and then a bed in the shared room.

I think the gap is too big, however that’s coming from someone who as an only child, never had to share a room, so it isn’t something I’d have my kids do (unless they wanted to).

I think that sounds fine. You can always reassess as the kids get older. It needn't necessarily be your final move ever. You've got a while before they outgrow toddler beds and reach their teens and issues might start cropping up.

My two children - boys aged 9 and 16 have always shared a room because we live in a 2 bed flat. The older boy has an area set up with his computer in the corridor so he has his own space and the younger one’s toys and stuff are in the living room. They’re fine. Not everyone can afford rooms for all kids.

I think it's fine. When the 2 DDs have to share, I'd screen their bed areas to make it feel more private using ikea kallax units or curtains or similar and give them the biggest room (assuming you can fit a double into a different room for you). In time (I'm thinking when DD1 is 13/14+), maybe you could fit a shepherds hut or something in the garden to give extra space.

ETA I'm not suggesting the shepherds hut for DD1 to sleep in btw (it sounds a bit like I'm suggesting you farm her out to the shed!) but just to chill with friends etc.

Loads of kids share rooms, it’s really not the end of the world, especially with headphones so they can keep their music and games from annoying each other.
maybe have a room divider, a large Kallax or just a screen. Otherwise people have done great room dividers using a bunk bed in the middle, one kid has one half of the room and the bottom bunk and the other has the top and the other half.

7 year gap between me and my sister and we shared a room until I moved out at uni. There were never any problems and I never resented having to share. We were given the option of holidays to places like New York and Miami or a loft conversion for our own rooms and we chose the holidays. My Dds will have to share unless we do a loft conversion or move in the future, but I’m not worrying about it. In my experience only people who had their own rooms seem to think it’s a necessity or if they had problems sharing a room when younger, most people aren’t bothered.

too big a deal is made on here about children having to have their own rooms. Reeality is that most people can’t afford a house big enough that all children have their own bedrooms.

It’s only recently that this has become a thing,

Children have shared bedrooms throughout history and nobody has been traumatised by it.

If you can’t afford a four bedroom house then you’re in the majority and the children will just have t share and live with it.

Having siblings is all about learning to compromise.

Even if you can't get a bed in there the smaller room is still an advantage - it can be a mini playroom or similar when they're younger and somewhere to do home work when older, so still a bit of private space which is better than nothing. It's all very well for people to say "well they'll just have to share" but it's a pretty big age gap - at 15 she'll be going to bed a lot later than an 7 year old. At 18 she might be coming home from a night out at 2am while her 11 year old sister needs to get up at 7 for school, etc.

You could maybe look at building a proper summerhouse type shed in the garden as well that the kids could use as a hangout area if there's space.

There are also lots of clever ways a room can be set up to give them a bit of privacy.

My 7 year old is still in a junior bed. And when he was at scouts camp his 10 year old big sis slept in it fine.

Or split a master bedroom into 2 box rooms.

or you set up the living room as your bedroom.

sorry I think everyone deserves their own space.

Quite simply, if you don't have the money for a bigger house, they have to share. It's the way it is and you all have to accept it.

How big is the study? You cam get child sizes beds that are bigger the toddler beds but smaller then a single. We had them as bunk beds while the DC where younger before we could move to a bigger house. DD slept in hers constabulary till she was 10.

I grew up ina 3 bed house my sister and I shared (6 years older than me) and our elder sister had the single bedroom. It’s totally notmal not everyone can afford a 4 bed house

Could you house hunt with the mindset of building an extension at some point in the future?

I wouldn't worry about it. You do what you think is best for your children; if you think staying in the area you are in and sharing a room is better for them than moving to a cheaper area and having their own rooms then you do that. You can only work within the parameters of what you can afford at the end of the day.

What about the possibility of a good quality sofa bed in the lounge rather than just a normal sofa?

Then that gives older DD the option to have nights to herself if she ever wants it x

I shared a room with my sister , 4 years younger than me, till I left home at 18. It used to be considered quite normal real and with the way rental/ house prices are going I think it will become the norm again.