Does anyone else live in a house not big enough for their family?

[mckenziemuffin]

DH and I have 2DC of different genders and live in a 2.5 bedroom flat (DS' room isn't actually big enough to be classed as a room, but does have a window. May just be able to squeeze in a single bed when he's a bit bigger but there'd be no floor space. We'd only intended on being here a few years whilst they're young but the market has outpriced us and we can't afford anywhere bigger that's not literal hours away and in a whole different place. We are expecting another child (contraceptive failure) and don't really know what we're going to do when they're a bit older. The only option we see is splitting our room in half for the older DC but that's only if we can put a door in a wall we haven't checked structurally. So if not then I really don't know. I'm so reluctant to move again as it was a big move to here 2 years ago and DD is thriving so much at a school and I don't want her to have to move again when she's so settled (DS probably wouldn't mind as much). Is anyone else in the same position that their home is too small for the people in it? We can't extend anywhere either

That's why I keep saying pay a carpenter to make one and fit it for you. It's nowhere near as expensive as it sounds and it would last forever. It's what everyone here has had to do with an even smaller room.

What about something like this? It would stop any pregnancies at least!

That's a great idea @CornishPorsche , thank you

Buy a 2ft 6 bed OP. They are fine for kids and just that bit narrower so you get the length but it will fit along the longer wall where a 3ft wide one wouldnt. A few storage boxes underneath then he'll have the space to the side to play.

My childhood bedroom was about the size of your DS’s I had a high cabin bed with storage underneath. I loved it.

Some of my clothes were in my parents room. All my schoolwork, music were downstairs. It never bothered me that it was small.

Or as others suggested - just get someone in to build a bedframe that fits the space. Up where i live literally thousands of 3 bed semis have a box room this size and they always have the stair bulkhead cutting across making it even harder, everyone just customises beds to fit the space and it's fine for kids. Many kids actually love a cosy room.

I always think these are good.

@Mumofmanymany that's the same as us, we can't take over the living room as we use it sooo much.

My youngest is in the same sized room (2.5mx2.26m) and has a 'shorty' sized cabin bed with a desk and wardrobe underneath.

As for the baby, once he or she is old enough to need to move out of your room, I would just have bunk beds or similar in the bigger room for the two children that are the same sex. The child that is the only boy or the only girl gets the box room.

It's not ideal to have kids with an 8 or 6 year gap sharing a room but life isn't always ideal is it. It won't harm them.

OP, can you share the rough area you live in? There's usually some sort of solution but it involves work/thinking creatively. There are a few on here who are great house hunters and would love to help find options/ideas

What about this it’s 180x80 and has lots of storage

www.argos.co.uk/product/8882079?clickPR=plp:1:11

Making a bed to fit sounds like a good idea, but how would you get a mattress to fit?

It sounds like you don't like the area you're in that much, so could you plan on moving when your DD goes to secondary, as she'll be changing schools then anyway. I think you could move sooner, kids can make new friends quickly, at a new school and joining new clubs, so I think you should seriously consider a move.

If you could get jobs in a cheaper part of the country where your money goes further, you could have a big enough house without a killer commute.

Can you post an image of the upstairs floor plan

You can either get a mattress made to fit, or cut some good-quality foam cut to fit.

I agree with a PP that later on the 2 same-sex DC should share and the other gets the tiny bedroom.

Having young DC crammed into a small living space is stressful - been there, done that. I do sympathise, OP.

This is our floor plan. Master bedroom upstairs is DD's room but windows are on one side and the ceiling slopes to really low one one side (you can't get up out of bed on one side without hitting your head, you have to get out of the other one). DD's room looks bigger because of the staircase, but she has a double bed, chest of drawers and wardrobe and her room is full. We're in bedroom 2 and DS is in 'storage'😅. To get to the kitchen, you have to go through the dining room, so no one can have that as a bedroom and it's not big enough to become the living room.

So once the baby you're pregnant with is older...they share the biggest bedroom with whichever older child is the same sex as them. The other child has the small room with just a single bed...
You and your DH have the remaining room.

Actually after looking at your floorplan...why don't you make the dining room the living room...and use the current living room as a bedroom

If it's possibly with work, I would seriously consider moving locations OP. It's really hard to uproot, but it's a short-term pain.

we were with 3 small dc in a small 2 bed flat until youngest was 2.

it was very cramped.

a handyman could custom build a bed frame to fit that weird nook and a caravan or yacht supplier can get you a matress to measure for not much money.

Thats a fairly standard small bedroom in most 3 bed semis

You can get a bed made so you make the most of the space and get clever with storage.

Kids shared bedrooms years ago and thought nothing of it

Would something like this work?, the yellow indicates the single bed position

I would remove the wall between the dining and bedroom and make that a big combined lounge /dining. Then split the living room into 2 rooms. You would just make a small hallway into the living room and put the 2 entry doors off it.

if that wall is load bearing, you can still remove it you just need a bulkhead with a beam. Can’t remember what it’s called but there is a special one you can get.

Make the dining room the living room - it's small but keep the junk to a minimum and choose your furniture wisely, fold up table etc
Living room becomes a bedroom
Bedroom 2 still a bedroom
Storage room is just that or an office until baby arrives, then baby's room when they're old enough with custom furniture?