13, 14 and 15 year old boys all share a room.

[CatsorGuineaPigs]

Hi, my sons are 13, 14 and 15. They're really unhappy with the current sleeping arrangements, especially the eldest. I gave them my room (the biggest) but it's still small. I have considered sleeping on the sofa and giving up my room too, but I don't think that will go well in the long run. Living room is too small to make the sofa into a sofa bed.

Really can't afford an extension or to move. I just wondered if there was any ideas to make it ok for them? My middle son spends a lot of time at his mates house (frequently sleeping there) and it makes me a bit sad!

How do they sleep at the moment - bunks or all in single beds? Can you put up any room dividers to give them some privacy?

If you really can't move I think you may have to give up your room.

Is it big enough to seperate the room with 3 curtains, kind of like in hospitals around their beds?
They could take it in turns sleeping on the sofa if they like

Aw bless, this is a difficult situation for you all.

Do you have two rooms downstairs, ie a sitting room and dining room - even a large kitchen diner? You could perhaps make the latter a sitting room and have the sitting room as another bedroom for either you or eldest son.

The other thing is building a decent sized conservatory - with curtains or blinds - for son to use to sleep in. I can understand him needing some privacy at his age.

Hope you find a solution.

Can you fit a summerhouse in the garden? A friend has 4 sons, one lives in the summerhouse in the garden, another sleeps in the lounge.

Tricky but i don't see that it would be any better if the 15yr old had his own room, what happens when the 14yo becomes 15, 16 etc? he still has to share.
It's fairer to have all three share, i think you need to work on their room to give them as much of their own 'bit' as possible. Back to back high sleepers maybe? so each has a private 'den' area.
Can you get a garden room / summer house for hanging out with friends? or even just a firepit in the garden?

What rooms/people do you have? Maybe we can help find a solution.

Following as living in a small 2 bed with 3 kids (albeit younger - 2 x preteens & a toddler). Sympathise, I am desperate for more space!

As I said to my kids, if sharing a room is all you've had to complain about growing up then you've not done too badly

It's just me and the 3 boys. We have a summer house in the garden, but it's far too cold in the winter and full of bugs. In the summer it's very hot and like a greenhouse. It is currently just storage.

It's a small house. Upstairs there's just the 2 rooms, both small and their room can just fit a double bed. They're in bunk beds (the eldest at the bottom, youngest at top and then a single for the middle. They planned it out like this. The eldest doesn't come up to his room until very late as it's super cramped in there and then our only bathroom is upstairs (also a nightmare!)

Downstairs there's a separate kitchen, hallway and lounge. The lounge is tiny and we don't have a proper table so I just don't feel like there is any solution

I've seen triple bunks with TVs at the end of each, could do a bit of a curtain screen too.
Might make room for a settee in there or a desk.

Hello!

Is it your house? Can you sell up and rent? This is what we are considering doing. We can't afford the jump to a 3-4 bed in this area (& desperately want to stay here) so may have to do this.

Or could you afford to get the summerhouse properly insulated and kitted out?

Is there a usable attic?

It sounds very Harry Potter but as a child I knew two boys that slept under the staircase. It was open into the hallway. One had a curtain rail across and the other had a mdf style wall put up. Both were over 18 though so out a lot.

@woolduvets suggestion of triple bunks with a curtain and TV sounds possible. Could you have something made? Look up triple bunks on Pinterest.

I would also look to have a serious decluttering of absolutely everything you don't really need and consider storage solutions which get things out of the way. Living in a small space is harder when you have lots of stuff. There's a few minimalist families on YouTube.

build the big lad a shed

Would you consider making a dorm type house?

Two upstairs bedrooms for the boys, downstairs bedroom for you. Expectation is that each room is it's own living and sleeping space. Kitchen is shared space.

Any sob story you can use for a DIY SOS or 60 Minute Makeover type solution?

Can you ask a builder to estimate for upgrading the summerhouse, have it insulated, electric put in, portable oil radiators, the boys can debug it. Have you got a garage or anywhere for storage.

How expensive would upgrading the summer house be?

The sleeping arrangements seem actually fine imo (although triple bunks sound even better) but it sounds to me like they a room to spend time in (with friends, to just relax, study etc) which may be difficult in a particularly small living room... The summerhouse might be great for that. (If you could upgrade it...)

Wayfair sells a triple bunk bed:

www.wayfair.co.uk/children-nursery/hd0/derby-3-tier-triple-sleeper-bunk-bed-l1074-k~jkid1047.html?refid=GX200082348199-JKID1047&device=m&ptid=323563478806&targetid=pla-323563478806&network=g&gclid=CjwKCAjwxILdBRBqEiwAHL2R8_63Dlrt5Hs0qRSwSwyyM9tCO5WJimaUe4Jn5rBSgqS_xFB_YmoZ2hoCW8EQAvD_BwE&piid=20694796

Is there space outside for a caravan?

Dens the 15 year old wants privacy not a den. 😂 sorry but den made me laugh. What time do the two younger ones go to bed? Could it be that you let the older one have the sitting room to sleep in so he gets some privacy each night? I know that may impinge on you but at least you'd still have your own room too. There is nothing wrong with sharing but 2 and 3 sharing I imagine us quite a difference.

Look at MDF - Making Dreams Fun on Facebook. They design furniture based on what you want so you could probably work it so that they get the most out of the space plus some privacy.

It's a tough one, but if you can't even fit a sofa bed into the sitting room then I definitely don't think you should give up your room. Apart from anything else, sleeping on the sofa every night will quickly knacker your back.

I would do triple bunks with curtains and put in a small armchair into the bedroom in place of the single bed so that that becomes a potential chill-out zone. Then clear out and upgrade the summerhouse into a teenage den/sitting room, perhaps with the agreement that anyone with friends gets sole use of it. That way at least there are three completely separate areas for them to hang out in (bedroom, summerhouse, sitting room). And yes, give your eldest the option of sleeping downstairs occasionally when he feels like he needs a break from sleeping in the same room as the others.

Not ideal, but you're not a magician - you can only do your best with the space that you have.

*anyone with friends OVER, that should say!