Are you happy living in your house?

[pretzele]

I'm not.

I'm very grateful to have somewhere to live but I'm just not happy here.

It just doesn't feel homely.
There's so many problems and worries with the house and it just gets me down.

I've lived her 5 years and never been happy.

Anyone else felt like this and managed to make things better and enjoy being in your home?

What type of house do you have and what don't you like about it? Do you have the budget to make changes?

Not really Happy.
There is a damp issue around the patio door, the kitchen is falling apart, the guttering leaks, it needs decorating top to bottom & the roof is on the verge of needing replacing. We can’t afford to do anything & to buy it we had to get a bigger mortgage which leaves us pretty close to the bone so we have no chance to save to do anything.

However, we are no longer living semi & so I can now go to bed without having to wait for my neighbours to turn off their TV. I no longer have to listen to them having noisy sex -eew, & I don’t have to listen to their hour long droning on telephone conversations. So, whilst the problems terrify me I’m happy to not share a wall any longer.

If you are so unhappy why don’t you make plans to put it on the market and move after lockdown?

Yes, I love our house. It’s a very old (pre-Edwardian) little semi that we’ve extended and completed renovated. We’ve done the garden too. We wanted to live in a very particular area and this little house is in my ideal location. It’s not anything special but it’s exactly to my taste and I never dreamt we’d own a home like this!

No - like you I've been unhappy here for years. We are planning lots of changes and had finally got around to making it all happen - but our plans are now on hold! So frustrating I am trying to focus on the things we can progress but it's tough.

Yss, there are some things I would like to change but I like living here.

I never liked my old house I was there for 5 years, took both my babies home to it but don't miss it one bit.

Yep...I adore it! It's tiny but it works for us and I love the location (rural but also coastal, but 12 mins from a town!) and the garden is an acre which gives us plenty to do.

Our last home never felt happy. The house we had before just felt so lovely and everyone who came in said what a lovely homely feel it had.

In the end we moved. We lived in it for about 4 years and that was enough. We could have done things to make it better, like a small extension but our hearts just weren't in it.

No I don't feel happy in my house, or any house I've lived in! The choices I've made have meant I don't have a choice, I would love to choose where I'd like to live.

Yes. I really do love it. It was a wreck but we've done so much to it. Nearly finished the first round of work after 6 years. Some rooms need doing again now though but most of the heavy lifting is done (rewiring etc.)

It's my very happy home.

Yes, it's got a nice feeling about it.

There's a few things I don't like (north facing kitchen which feels gloomy) but overall its sunny and feels warm.

I love my house - it felt like home the minute I walked in and the lady I bought it from said she felt the same 12 years before . I didn’t feel the same about previous two houses- although I should have loved the first it needed someone with interior design skills and spare cash to make it homely and I had neither. The second was post divorce and I was kind of forced to by it by ex . It was a nice Enough house but I just never felt ‘right’ there

Extremely. I wasn't sure when we moved in a year ago. It's 1880s with loads of extensions and no kerb appeal. Dark little kitchen.
But it is so spacious. Big L shaped lovong area, really bright there. Utility room we have changed into a school room. 4 double bedrooms and a huge garden.
There are things we need to change. Grotty en suite, horrible front courtyard. But the space and the garden and the views are amazing.
I feel very lucky.

Yes I’d say so. It’s only a tiny 2 bed flat for 4 of us but it’s cosy and it feels like home. I couldn’t imagine having stairs now tbh

The actual house I'm more than happy with, I just wish I could move it to somewhere away from other people. I dont suppose I'll ever be properly happy here because of having neighbours.

I thought I was happy in my home until 2 months ago, now I’ve made my home lively on a budget. I’ve had to move due to lockdown and am living in a different style of house. What I’ve realised is that through the different layout is it flows better and is more conducive to family life

Yes, after spending the last 10 years living in London house shares I feel incredibly lucky to now only share with DP.
However whilst we save to buy a house next year we’re currently living in a 1 bedroom flat which isn’t ideal. It’s beautifully done and we’ve put a lot of work into doing it up but I dream of having my own wardrobe and not being able to hear each other on the toilet

I’ve had houses I’ve liked more than others but generally always been happy

What’s wrong with your home, can you articulate what it is that makes you unhappy?

Yes. When we viewed it five years or so ago we pulled into the road and as we bot out of the car DH reached for my hand. Decision made.

It has been completely renovated and is perfect. 1927 Arts &Crafts house. Lots of oak and stained glass.

Ours is a work in progress. We’ve been here 5 years and very little is “our stamp” but provided we make it through covid without losing our livelihoods we’ll get a new bathroom very soon and then in a few more years we plan to get an attic conversion.
Downstairs is working quite well for us and the garden is great in lockdown (though I’d kill for easier access like French doors or similar).

OP are you in a position to move or do a house exchange after lockdown?
Can you make a list of the problems/ difficulties, then think about how you can change or improve these things?

Yes, I absolutely love my flat. I have wanted to live in this building for years but flats rarely come onto the market, and if they do they’re usually too expensive.

It’s an old print works with restored original windows, most of the original features remain including brickwork, beams, columns etc. I really never thought I would be able to buy one.

Yes, but it definitely needs redecorated in the hallway and I'd like the south facing part of the garden to have a patio or decking area. But it's made me very grateful that we went over our budget and bought it 10 years ago.

What do I like about it? 1/2 acre garden with large climbing frame, swings, slide, trampoline and goals have been amazing in lockdown. Likewise we have 2 studies, playroom, bedrooms for each child etc. Living on a Scottish island in a rural setting I feel safe from idiotic behaviour I see posted online and the fibre optic internet connection box thingy at the end of our drive means school and work are easy to connect too.

It's made me realise that the (many) moans I have about island living are easily outweighed by the positives during this pandemic and I'm no longer missing living in the city. Given that we are likely to have a number of outbreaks before a vaccine I very much love my house!

It’s lovely and in a brilliant location but very small with limited outdoor space with no garden. I’m glad to have it because it’s cosy and comfortable, but hoping to move at some stage this year to get a bit more room.

Nope. We rent and are desperately saving a deposit to buy.
We have been here 3 years, our previous landlord told us she was selling up, only 2 weeks before our wedding so when we were looking for somewhere to live we were rushed and short of cash. This was the only place we could afford. We are lucky to have 3 bedrooms but the third is so tiny that my 14 year old can fit nothing but a bed and some shelves in there. Hate to think of him being a fully grown adult in that room!

What do you feel is wrong with your house and what, if anything, could you do to improve it? You say it has problems and worries: does that mean there are issues with the decor, the structure/building or the area and are they easily fixed? If not, and if you have the choice, move. No point in staying somewhere you're unhappy if you have the option to fix or move.

I'm not unhappy in my house but I wouldn't actively choose to live here if I had the option. It's a 1950s pebble-dashed semi detached housing association house with no driveway, tiny doorways, next to no plug sockets and is in desperate need of redecorating. We're in a fairly nice area (a bit rough but generally quiet re. antisocial behaviour etc) and have a decent sized back garden though so that balances it out.