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Original poster

Best option for breaking up commuter week

46 replies

MintCream · 09/12/2018 12:15

Dh will have an 1.15 commute to work soon along witb possibly long days, and we were thinking of ideas of how to make it work for him.

We thought we'd look at buying a 2 bed apartment, rent out one room and dh could stay over a few nights a week.

We aren't going to move closer to his work, we like where we live and we're mortgage free.

But would an Air bnb once a week be better? The apartment felt like it could be an investment, something we're paying off whereas the air bnb felt like 'wasted' money.

What would you do?

OP posts:
peachypetite · 09/12/2018 12:17

To be honest that's not a particularly abnormal commute. Could he work from home once a week?

TeddyIsaHe · 09/12/2018 12:18

You want to buy a flat for a 2.5 daily commute? Seriously?

Original poster
MintCream · 09/12/2018 12:20

It would be an investment property, but a 2.5 hour commute on top of a 12 hour day can be relentless. I know, I'm currently doing it on a contract that will end early next year.

OP posts:
Original poster
MintCream · 09/12/2018 12:42

We are only mortgage free as we got lucky and bought and sold at the right time. This is the reason I don't want to move closer to dh work, the houses closer in are really expensive but a 2 bed apartment would be a very manageable mortgage.

I guess it doesn't seem like a Good idea. I'm probably a bit jaded doing the commute at the moment and then other house admin. When dh starts I'll have finished my contract and there will only be one of us working.

OP posts:
captainprincess · 09/12/2018 12:48

If you can afford it and we're thinking of buying another property as an investment anyway, then why not?
But I used to have an hour (some days 1 hour 15 mins on super busy traffic days or an accident on the road) most days and just got on with it. Oh and I did 12 hour shifts as well.

Silversun83 · 09/12/2018 12:49

An hour and 15 minutes each way sounds like heaven to me! (Add an hour on to that each way!)

As a PP says, can he WFH once a week?

Caprisunorange · 09/12/2018 12:50

I’ve worked with a lot of men who do this and tbh I wouldn’t accept DH checking out of family life 2/3/4 days a week, but it seems to work ok for people.

Original poster
MintCream · 09/12/2018 13:13

Caprisunorange I have thought I might resent his downtime at the apartment, not sure if we go this route there is anything I can do to get over that.

captainprincess we can afford it, but it would mean having a mortgage again, manageable, but having that amount less every month. Dh's family is a longhaul trip away so planning trips home instead of just deciding to go home type thing

We are only just mortgage free, maybe we should enjoy it for a bit.

I'm genuinely looking for comments as I go from what a great idea (and have visions of dh and I being able to stay over in the city) to thinking it's a bloody terrible idea.

OP posts:
SushiMonster · 09/12/2018 13:39

Lots of options if you’ve got the cash.

Two bed flat and have a lodger in the other bedroom - might have issues with the lodger feeling like the main person and your DH feeling like they are intruding a bit!

Be a Monday-Friday lodger in someone else’s flat. Benefit you can leave your stuff and no booking hassle unlike an AirBnB.

Work from home one day.

SushiMonster · 09/12/2018 13:40

But also - 1h15 is NOT a long commute!

Can he look at how to use the commute productively? First class train tickets and get emails done etc?

ragged · 09/12/2018 13:43

My commute is almost that long each way but A) I'm not driving, I can relax or work on train B) I don't work 12 hours on shift.

where I live some people commute 3-4d/week to London (2.5 hrs each way),

VimFuego101 · 09/12/2018 14:16

It doesn't sound like you really want to deal with the admin of a second property or having a lodger in it. The airBNB option sounds easier.

Charley50 · 09/12/2018 14:28

I do an hour and 15 minute commute. It's not great, but not so long that I would need to sleep somewhere else other than home; that's madness!

Charley50 · 09/12/2018 14:29

Although I don't do any 12 hour days.

halfwitpicker · 09/12/2018 16:43

Wowser

Eggyricething · 09/12/2018 16:48

1.5 hours?! Grin

Nacreous · 09/12/2018 16:50

I think 1hr 15 is a pretty long commute each way on top of a 12 hour day!

I left my last job because of that.

Let's say you get up at 6:15, leave for work at 6:45, in work at 8, work til 8pm, home at 9:15, then you've only got 45 mins to eat your dinner and shower before you need to be getting back into bed to get your 8hours sleep for the next day. Possibly feasible if you're someone who can manage on 6 hours or whatever, but a lot of people can't. That sounds exhausting to me.

I would definitely be looking at maybe WFH one day a week, and then staying over one night perhaps, if you don't want the hassle of a two bed.

How much would the mortgage be on a two bed? In my town a lodger would pay the whole of the interest on a mortgage, plus cover most of the bills. This would mean the only cost to me would be the capital payments and a bit of a electricity so would be a pretty bargainacious way of getting a flat.

nutellalove · 09/12/2018 16:50

1.15 hours very normal commute even for long days! A friend lives in zone 1 London and it still takes her 50 mins to get to her zone 1 job due to bus/walk/traffic...

Original poster
MintCream · 09/12/2018 20:47

Exactly Nacreous

OP posts:
Original poster
MintCream · 10/12/2018 11:18

Does anyone else have thoughts/opinions on this?

OP posts:
babysharkah · 10/12/2018 11:22

That's is a totally normal commute!

bobstersmum · 10/12/2018 11:26

An hour commute is not really enough to justify any of your suggestions imo. Unless that hour usually turns into 3 hours due to traffic?

cloudtree · 10/12/2018 11:33

Gosh the DC have a 50 min commute each way to school!

1.15 is not a long commute. But its your money and your family life. If you are happy to pay the money and happy for your DH to be away on his own whilst you do everything else then...

cloudtree · 10/12/2018 11:36

Its also likely to be a slow investment. You pay CGT on any profit you make since its a second home. For most people they pay off the mortgage through tenants but you wouldn't be able to do that since your dh would be using it. So your investment hopes are based entirely on market rises (less CGT) at a time when many are predicting recession about to hit us.

titchy · 10/12/2018 11:43

Your OP says POSSIBLY long days. If he was doing 12 hour days every day you may have a point (although as you're mortgage-free I'd be asking why aren't you both thinking about work-life balance), but if 12 hour days are infrequent then agree with others that the commute is pretty standard. FWIW I did the same commute and managed to drop and pick up from school.

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