Help me fall in love with my house again

[Ikanon]

I've lived in my 3 bed mid terrace for just shy of 10 years. I now have 2 children (3&6) which affects how the space in the house is used. I have also recently started a home business which requires a small amount of office type storage plus it would be nice to have a separate space to work in.

We've looked at moving but there is no where better than we have that's affordable. So why aren't I happy?

The rooms are doubles (albeit with a smaller one). New bathroom 3 years ago. There's nothing left on my DIY list to make it better. But it just isn't big enough for all the stuff I have. I've tried Kondoing and it's made a small amount of difference but kids stuff takes up so much space! We have a garage we talked about converting for my office but need the storage.

Please help me with some ideas to fall in love with it again. It doesn't need decorating or new furniture all of that is exactly how I want it finally.

Are you being genuinely ruthless about the stuff in your house? And the clutter? Have you taken a long hard look at the kids toys and got rid of anything they don't play with?

What about moving furniture round in the rooms?

Does your garden need work? Remember gardens are another room in the summer! They often get neglected but they can be a beautiful place for everyone in the family to enjoy

Loft conversion?

Outdoor office in some sort of summerhouse/glorified shed?!

Chuck the junk.

Can you explain what rooms are being used for what purpose at the moment?

I think one of the secrets to a happy house is to have clear definition of each space. It’s uncomfortable and chaotic to have too many different functions in a room.

As regards stuff: look at the storage you have, fill it with your/their favorites and once it’s full donate what’s left. You have to be realistic with stuff- if it doesn’t fit, it cannot stay. Once you get to grips with this principle, your house will work much better. Marie Kondo is lovely and sparking joy is all fine and well. But at the end of the day, if it doesn’t fit, it just has to go.

If you are storing something in the garage you aren’t using it.

If i told you that 90% of items in attic, shed and garage, never make it back in to the house, could you get rid of the stuff in the garage then?

(That % number is not true, it's probably higher)

What have you got in the garage?

Have you looked at putting a office in your garden? You can get them so they do need planning permission but still cozy in the winter.

Kids need to do decluttering and have designated places for everything. They also don't need to have a there coats /shoes near the door. X2 for everyone near the door the rest goes into there rooms.

Think space saving. Beds with storage underneath ( we will be getting a bed that lifts up to store loads of stuff in to get rid of a wardrobe)

Dual purpose items- kitchen is a good one for this- do you have a slow cooker and rice cooker? Modern ones do it all and cost less than £40.

Think height. If your kids are older than a lot of storage can go up high. Think like a ikea kallax 1x4 just under the ceiling (we have one next to our back door for all the coats) or a 1x2 above a door (if you have space)

To make you feel better look at painting your work area so it's designated for you!

@spendthemoney I do this regularly but with a 3 year age gap there's 2 lots of toys still realistically. Will try and be more ruthless with the puzzles and books next.

It's a long thin house so not much room for movement unfortunately. The garden is finally just how we want it with a lovely patio and grass space. I'll get the furniture out as soon as it's nicer weather more reliably. It's a real sun trap which others we've looked at definitely aren't.

@Palominoo there's room to do it but as we're mid terrace there's a ceiling price for the house. If it was end terrace or semi I'd do it like a shot.

@Sammysquiz we have an enormous garden shed and people asked if it would be a home office but it's paper thin with no power to it.

@SuziQ10 that's the plan!

@Adeste lounge separated from dining area by TV. Corner area of lounge is my office which isn't ideal but there's literally no where else to store my files. Conservatory is the playroom and we can shut the curtains on it. I agree with the 'fit' idea. It all currently 'fits' but it's stacked 3 boxes high with toys! I've been watching to see what isn't played with and will move to the understairs cupboard to see if it's missed.

@GregoryPeckingDuck agree. It's stuff to sell or tip. Selling is time consuming but the stuff including buggies is probably worth £1000. The rest is wheelie bins, bikes and car wash stuff.

@3luckystars I made a promise to myself that nothing goes in the loft except clothes for the youngest from the oldest. I had a massive clearout last year but could do another at Easter. The kids love playing in the loft! Shed is full of garden toys which get used March to October. Big stuff like trampoline, slide and corner rattan furniture. Garage could do with several tip runs.

@Ipchill I've rationalised the coat pile and hung everything else up in the understairs cupboard. Our bed has 2 storage drawers which are you've guessed it full! One is our wedding album (it's enormous) the other is my ironing pile. Eldest has a very low bed and youngest has 3 drawers which have swimming stuff, spare sheets and wipes/tissues etc. Kitchen I've cleared out the corner cupboard at your suggestion and moved stuff that's on the surfaces into it. Relatively painless and 2 clear surfaces now!

Something to think about re high storage. Certainly our understairs cupboard could have higher hooks for us and lower ones for them.

Thanks everyone. Ideas always welcome.

Could you get a new shed with insulation and electricity and make that into your studio? The kids could have a mini shed with bigger items in garage?

@Charley50 it was brand new last summer before I started my business. The garden is long and thin so 2 side by side wouldn't fit. It would be me in the mini shed

There are some great pictures on Pinterest of small spaces being maximised, like offices in cupboards and 'command centre' walls etc. I have also recently discovered IKEA for creative ways to store things (yes I know I'm behind the times!)

Kondo even more ruthlessly. I think it takes a few goes to really "get" it. Ditch CDs and DVDs altogether. Paperwork keep the bare minimum required by HMRC – I run a ltd co from home & it's all in one box file.

Limit to two towels per person – one in use, one in the wash. Kitchen stuff: pack it all away in boxes & retrieve what you need only when you need it, only then is it allowed back in the drawer. Anything left in the box after 3 months: get rid. (Same principle applies to cleaning products & other areas. Don't keep anything "just in case".)

@AmethystRaven I've just bought an Ikea inspired (but not actually Ikea cos it didn't fit) storage unit which is now full hence I think I need another go at Kondoing! @burritofan I had a box of 'stuff' in the understairs cupboard for a year and what was still in it after a year has gone in the bin/for sale/charity box. Maybe I can compromise on 6 months while I'm in transition phase!

If you are generally happy with your house apart from needing/wanting a bit more space & like the location you live in, would it really be so bad to have a loft conversion? Especially if you see yourself living there for another 10 years plus.
An extension/conversion is short term pain for long term gain & far less hassle than moving.

In the meantime could you borrow a bit of the conservatory (once toys culled) have a folding screen or one of those offices in a cupboard/wardrobe thing behind it? Or the back of the cupboard/wardrobe office facing outwards & you working behind it?
My friend does this.
Failing that could the children share a bedroom or would that be a pain worse than death?
Just remembered another friend had a lobby between her kitchen & downstairs bathroom (terrace house), friend used it as an utility area for washer, dryer etc but previous owner used it as her office space (small work desk, wall shelves.)