How important is a garden once kids are bigger?

[KindergartenKop]

We are trying to move house. Currently our garden is about 3x9m and it's not really big enough for my kids to play football in properly. They're 7 and 9. We want a bigger house too, and a quieter road. The problem is that all the bigger houses with bigger gardens are on busy roads. We've seen one fabulous house in a quiet road but the garden is only 5x9m and I'm concerned this isn't big enough. I'm also worried that if we compromise on the road for a bigger garden then in a few years it won't get used and I'll just have loads of work with maintaining it plus the noise of the road. Any advice? Thanks!

I am going to go against the flow here, and say the older they (and we) get the more garden space is nicer. Our garden is large - about 150x100 feet.

Caveat is we live in the South so in the garden March to October at least.

We also have a shed, a greenhouse, and lots of flower beds and trees. Are planning a garden office too. Quite a few neighbours have proper garden rooms for teens to hang out in. We are semi-rural though, and all the gardens are big. Honestly, best move we ever made out of town, to a bigger house, and much bigger garden, with a countryside all around. Yes, on a busier road, but that also doesn't matter when kids are older.

Small garden house in a quiet road sounds a better long term option, especially if you don’t want to maintain a bigger space. Due to the amount of rain over the last few months, my grass has grown to mid calf height (or more!) quite a few times before it’s been dry enough to cut on days when I’m not working - no good for football! If the park is next to the primary school, no reason they can’t have a good kick about on the way home? If 10 mins is walking time, that’s extra energy expended going there and back on non-school days too! As they get older and can kick harder, you (and neighbours) may get fed up with footballs thudding against fences, not to mention damaged plants, potential for broken windows and retrieving balls kicked over fences etc. As a PP suggested, a swing ball set takes up very little space, can easily be removed when not needed and is great fun!

I did this when my girls were young. We got the big garden and as few neighbours as possible compromising on being on a busy road. The roads not been a problem really, it's only busy during the day and is noticeably quieter in school holidays. We just kept the gates shut so no small child or dog could get out there.

It worked for us, we have been here over 20 years now and as it was a bungalow (also another compromise), there is no need for us to move until we feel we want/need to be closer to the town centre.

DS is 15 now and never in the garden, I've just had it all landscaped so we can start enjoying it in a more adult way.

I think you can't ever have everything in a house, so what's important is how long you plan to stay there - that then 'weights' everything. So if you think this is your 20 year plus home, realistically the need - rather than the desire - for a massive garden is only going to be for - what? 20% of the time you want to live there. Whereas (for me) not being by a busy road would be important for 100% of the time you want to live there, as would the right layout, whatever that looks like for you. Also if you don't love gardening (I don't!) then maintaining a nice outdoor space is going to then be a thing for 80% of the time...

We had a big garden until we moved when DC were 9 and just turned 11. We went for a small garden, less mowing for me to do and it’s great. They had just got to the point where even with a good sized garden it was not suitable for them playing football as they kick too powerfully. Before then we had a big climbing frame and trampoline too but they’d recently stopped using it. We also used to have all the neighbourhood kids in our garden, and again that was stopping.

Youngest here is 10, garden hardly gets used for actual playing in, we chose smaller garden bigger house but there is a big park 2mins walk away on safe residential roads.

We picked house over garden, I think ours is only about 80sq m which is which small for the size of the house but we've zoned it with a dining area, seating area and a bit of a kick around area with a goal. My son plays a bit of football in it but as he's 11 now a garden would have to be huge to be an appropriate size to train! So he does that at training. So long as it's sunny and there's space to eat and chill, and not too overlooked, I don't need anything particularly big.

Kids are 18, 15 and 13. Still play cricket, rugby, football in our garden with friends and with each other. We installed floodlights for the cricket a few months ago. During lockdown it was certainly a blessing

At those ages in a quiet road with a park 10 minute away ... they are not going to be using the garden to play in for more than a year or so.

The garden will come back into its own when they are teens and they will want to have loud meetups.

How much bigger are the bigger gardens? Will it actually make a difference to how you can use the garden eg are they are big enough to play football, have room for a trampoline/play equipment that you couldn't have in the smaller garden, would you have to compromise on things you want in the smaller garden, like a veg patch?

We had a very teen friendly large garden like a PP so I think they used the garden even more once they were older - parties, breakfast or lunch on the terrace, swimming, barbecues, sitting around the fire pit until late. You don't actually need much space for those other than a pool, although fire pits are a bit antisocial if you don't live in the middle of nowhere. Pools were pretty common where we lived, I think the biggest draw of our garden that made it a teen magnet was that it was very sunny and very sheltered from the wind. That has nothing to do with size.

My 14 year old still uses our garden for playing garden cricket (it's long and narrow, husband bowls low balls at son!). Also they play table tennis together in the garden.

My 18 year old hasn't used the garden for years, if ever! He does sit on the small patio on a sun lounger though.

My 14 year old's friends are all quite sporty and they all still play football in their gardens when my son goes round.

Go for the house with the smaller garden. Roads only ever get busier, the noise will drive you mad and the pollution and the black dust that will get in your house and on the windows. You need a huge garden to play football properly. Some outside space is great for water play, sand box etc. throwing games etc. You can always buy a swingball. You'll sell the house on more easily if it's not on a main road too.

We got our budget garden when eds was 13 and he has. No interest at all.

*bigger not budget.

Your kids have a good 10 years ahead of garden games/entertainment; football. swingball. putting golf, campfires, sleepouts, barbecues, hanging out with friends, growing stuff.

If the house and garden feel too big once they've gone, you can sell it and downsize. But you'll find a good sized garden makes your house easier to sell to buyers with kids, dogs, keen gardeners. keen barbecuers etc.

What sort of garden? Vegetable or flowers? We had a vegetable garden when the kids were small, they loved it and helped in it spit. Now teenagers they very rarely go out the back.

Still important here. Son1 has a large workshop for woodwork, welding etc in the garden and locks his bikes up in it.

Ime however big your garden is post secondary school if not before, dc want to be in the other side of your gate...

True.

We have a massive green across the street but DS and his friends use another park near the school that is more central to the group as a whole.

At 7 and 9 I'd be searching for a bigger garden. If the park is 10 mins away they're still too little to go alone.

At age 7 and 9, you still have a good few years more where a garden will be an asset. It doesn't need to be massive, as long as it is big enough for a kick about and a trampoline I think you are good.

As they hit their teens, house space becomes more important, place where they can spread out will be more important.

Beyond 10 or so it was used perhaps twice a year for family cricket and occasionally for sulking in, later teen years sunbathing. A decent park nearby is better for the former. I wouldn't discount a busy road if you have decent parking off street - the advantage of being on the bus route come teen years is it's safer at night

My kids are 9 and 11 and constantly moan that our garden is too small. They're both sporty and play cricket / football out there. I know they'll start to use it less as they get older, but I imagine they'll want space to practise skills for good few years to come. I'd love a bigger garden.

We use it more now they are teenagers. We have two seated areas and they have "sessions" where they get their friends together.

It really just depends on the child. I know several ppl with teenaged kids who are really into outdoor sports so their gardens need to be big enough for basketball pitches / football pitches / a tennis court etc so friends can play. If they’re into skateboarding or biking it’s really useful to have a garden big enough to do a round on a bike before they ruin it outside so they know if they definitely want to keep it.

I know several ppl with teenaged kids who are really into outdoor sports so their gardens need to be big enough for basketball pitches / football pitches / a tennis court etc so friends can play. If they’re into skateboarding or biking it’s really useful to have a garden big enough to do a round on a bike before they ruin it outside so they know if they definitely want to keep it.

Yes because basketball pitches and tennis courts are totally normal, common and obviously completely within the realms of what the OP is talking about, busy road or a motocross track, just the usual house buying dilemmas