Are you happy in your small house?

[EveningSpread]

When I bought my 2 bed terrace it was just for me and the cat. Now DP and our baby live here too. I’m 36, he’s 41, baby is 11mo.

We could afford a bigger house, and I fear when DD is older we’ll want more space. But right now there are so many positives:

• we can pay the mortgage off in 10 years and the bills are cheap
• the location is fab: close to town, parks, the train station, nursery and schools
• house maintenance is relatively cheap
• we can’t accumulate loads of crap cos we don’t have the space
• we love travelling, and we still have enough spare cash to put £500 a month in the holiday fund, which goes a long way cos we travel cheaply
• family gatherings can happen at my mum’s, so we don’t strictly need more space

The cons of our current house are:

• I fear we will outgrow it when DD is 10 or so at the latest
• I worry about not giving DD the best environment we could provide - we could give her a bigger house with more space
• We can’t host Christmas (too small) or have friends/family to stay (no spare room)

DP is up for staying here and moving in future, if we ever have the means to do so and keep our current lifestyle. (He’ll likely inherit some of his family estate at some point, though it’s a complicated family so no guarantees, and obviously there’s no telling when.)

We have a great lifestyle at the moment and zero financial worries, which is no mean feat in this economic climate. I’d hate to feel imprisoned in a bigger house.

But I know people tend to stretch themselves when they are younger, and house prices will only increase. Also, I sometimes feel it’s the wrong choice to live in a small house for 90% of the year so that you can enjoy holidays and travelling for a small percentage of the year.

So, with all that in mind, give me your happy small house stories! I hear loads of people stretching for the bigger house, but not so many who live well within their means.

Are we sensible, or stingy?!

Our house is very small and I would prefer something bigger. One of the main issues that I have is lack of storage - it’s not that we have huge amounts of stuff, we don’t even have anywhere to keep basics like the vacuum cleaner.

But location is one of the most important things for us. We don’t spend a lot of time at home and it’s much better to be in a convenient location. We moved here for the school catchment and probably will move in another couple of years when we don’t need that anymore.

I’m sure your daughter will have plenty of space as she gets older . She has her own bedroom and will want to be in a downstairs room at times with you or your husband . That is enough surely? She can only be in one room at a time so even if you had ten rooms it would be too much . The only thing that she might be lacking is a garden to play in .

I bought a smaller place in a better area thinking I could live a minimalist lifestyle. My daughter is nearly a teen. I’ve found it really hard, storage is the main problem - not a hoarder by any stretch but there isn’t a place for things and it feels cramped and hard to keep tidy. Sleepovers tend to happen at her friends’ houses as even taking over the living room feels cramped. I’d vote for getting out of there for when she starts school (or just after 6/7 if you can stay in catchment).

Sorry! Just reread your OP and you asked for happy stories! I’ll post anyway but with apologies :)

Uuurgh I let DP talk me into buying a bigger house on the outskirts of town (in fairness we had been looking for 2 or 3 years by this point so I didn’t exactly put up a big argument) - it’s such a faff to keep clean and tidy, even just carrying laundry up and down the stairs is a bigger mission, I bloody hate that aspect of it. Plus shouting at the kids, e.g. to come down for dinner instead of them being a few steps away or at least within earshot, those are the moments when I definitely miss our old house. Oh and I can’t wear a nice coat to work anymore cuz I have to cycle to the station for 15mins whatever the weather, sexy rain trousers & booties and all, instead of the previous 5-min walk with a brolly. Keep the small, central house OP! Keep it!!

Bigger house = bigger bills. You could eventually be living in with more space but then it costs more to keep. Even once you become mortgage free, it still costs more to run and maintain. I have the bigger house now but looking back, I realise it was the right decision at the time (recover). However, if I’d known what would happen with the world financially, I’d have stayed put.

You can invest in your pensions & your child’s future. Even under estimate the value of this. Financial security is so valuable. Horrible things can happen, jobs can be lost. The ultimate aim in life is to be stress free and happy. The grass is always greener. I’d stay put and keep paying off the mortgage and putting into your pensions/child savings. All going well, you can always upsize in 10 years

Small semi 3-bed here. But in a wonderful location that after 32 years I wouldn't change. They will have to carry me out.

No I hate it. Me, DH, DS13, DD10, 2 cats. Small 3 bed terrace. Downstairs is all open plan so if anyone wants their own space they have to go to their room. Which are pretty small, barely any storage and hugely over run with 12 years of crap.

This minus the cat.

I love it. It’s very central (I walk everywhere) and it stops me from amassing clutter as there’s just no room for it. The rent is eye-watering due to location but it’s perfect for my life right now.

I don’t think I’ll ever live in a big house. I’ve always been minimalistic and wouldn’t want to waste money on more furniture, higher energy and upkeep expenses when I could spend it on festival tickets and flights. 😊

In a similar situation, got a little house which was fine just me , not so much with children and would love the idea of a bigger space, garden etc. Also have mums house for that advantage so don't feel too trapped. Anyway went house viewing but financially it was such a stretch, I enjoy being able to have more disposable income than worried about skimping in other areas of our life having a bigger tie over my head.
I think play it by ear, enjoy your travels, and as your DD gets older if you still feel like this you can do something then. Sounds like everything about your house, location wise etc is all good so I wouldn't change it for the minute whilst she's still so young.

Have a extremely small 3 bed house, 3 children no pets, the biggest downside is for me personally - 1, no storage, not even one cupboard in the entire house nor space to put one for things like mop/hoover/brush.

Theres just no space to entertain (except the garden, which is a wonderful size but, we live in the UK...) so my kids almost never have friends over. The bedrooms literally fit bunk beds + drawers, so theres no space for playing with friends except in the living room.

I cba restarting and the outdoor space + driveway makes it manageable mentally, but if i had a redo, i'd of moved before having 2 more children.

Wouldn't change them for the world though ofc, we make it work. But I'd love space to breathe, and a dog!

We lived for 15 years in a 2 bed terrace that was meant to be our starter home, but we ended up bringing up our 2 dcs there. We extended into the loft to make a 3rd bedroom when ds2 was 2.
We were very happy there - it was a 5 minute walk from school, 5 minutes from town and we had lovely neighbours.
Downsides were a very small garden (but 2 parks very nearby) and it was tricky entertaining.
We outgrew the space when the dcs became teenagers and moved to a bigger house with a large garden, which is wasted on them now - I love it though.

We intentionally bought a small cottage with a little garden that’s just the right size for our family. A bedroom for us, a bedroom for our son, and a third bedroom as a home office. We are so content here and love our location and lifestyle. We are very minimal with our possessions and living in a huge house is of no interest to us. We could afford bigger but we prefer our lifestyle as it is.

Our little house has sustained two enormous teenagers who have just left for university. Love grows in little houses...

We live in an extremely small 2.5 bedroom house. It’s very narrow and the downstairs is all one room. Me, DH, DD & 2 cats. Only thing I wish for is separate kitchen or laundry room as I find having tv / cooking / washing machine in same space overwhelming. Otherwise I love it. Would rather live here, very centrally than in a big house further out.

Yes.

not having space for guests to stay or being big enough to “host” are pros IMO!

Stay whilst it suits you, move when it doesn't

DS is 12, nearly 13. DD 10, in year 6. We've been in our 3-bed terrace since DS was 1, and it has done us proud. Lovely primary school at the end of the road, and we're a short stroll from the train station. Now we are outgrowing the house and approaching secondary school age for both kids we are moving somewhere bigger.

We just had that conversation with DH tonight. Moved to a big house 3.5y ago, but if we had stayed in our previous little house, we would have paid our mortgage already. Now, we still have huge mortgage…but a lovely house. DCs are 12 and 15yo so we will need bigger house for sometime still.

Oh I think you're being sensible @EveningSpread . DH and I have a small 2 bed cottage, and it's very cosy. We moved from a large, 3 storey, 4 bed house - to this little 2 bed cottage when both our DC flew the nest. Had to declutter BIG time. Got rid of about a third of everything we had, and much of the stuff in the loft and garage etc, and we honestly cannot remember 90% of what we got rid of!

We have low energy bills, and I can fly through the place and blitz it in about 5 hours. Took 3 times longer in the larger house. Was a nightmare to heat, and to clean, and the maintenance bills were much more.

Every now and again I wish we had a bit more space, as we have to keep decluttering, if we buy new stuff... But the low bills, easy cleaning, and easy and cheaper maintenance (coupled with having no mortgage from the age of 49) makes up for that! We have plenty of surplus income, decent savings, and a new-ish car, and can afford nice holidays.

I would stay put if I were you.

Oh, and YES... we are happy in our small house! 😄

I would have stayed in my tiny home only for the combination of us both moving to 100% and 80% working from home and our second child! The nature of my work means I need a separate room so can't share an office with DH. Otherwise we'd still be there.

Do you work from home?

This is not always true at all! I live in a 5 bed three story house, I clean less now than when I lived in a two bed cottage with sitting/living/dining- everything going on in the one space!! Cleaning as endless and relentless. It led to a breakdown to be honest!

I have to agree with this. I've really liked living in my smaller houses. I fully utilise every room in my current two bed. It took me years to set it up that way though. For some reason I kept a bedroom spare for visitors. It occurred to me the room was rarely used and could be better utilised as an office. After a couple of years of cramming a desk beside the queen sized bed, I realised the room would be much better without the bed. I ended up getting a wall bed which has a desk. Best thing ever! The desk pivots so everything can stay on it when the bed comes down. It fits a full size queen bed ensemble mattress. The room is now fully used and the office is nice and spacious instead of crammed in.

Redoing kitchen and bathroom recently I made sure I put in plenty of storage as that was limited with the original layout.

As OP and others noted about their houses, location is amazing. Central to shops, dining. Public transport is literally across the road. Cleaning is a breeze - the robo vac is perfect to zip around daily and keep floors sparkling.

I had 6 people for Christmas lunch last year and it was really comfy. My living area is similar size to what I see in 3-4 bedroom houses around here.

I wouldn't move for appearances. I'm very comfortable here and again, as other posters have noted, I'm able to save as my mortgage is much cheaper than it would be on a larger property. My garden area is 200 sq metres, so a pretty decent size for my two small dogs.

We lived in small places in England, always one bedroom short for our growing family. When we moved to Australia I realised that space is the secret to happy families. Single mum of one, no problem in a cosy place and I would be equally happy, or if your decision is to prioritise location over space I also get that but for a family of five including two lively boys a big house has made our life so much nicer. I am currently on holiday in Europe and hating the cramped spaces, I had also forgotten that English houses never have enough bathrooms. I know it’s such a first world problem but I just want to go home to my nice big house.

Our house is basically 2 bedrooms one cupboard size room barely big enough ro squeeze a child size bed in, one bathroom with one toilet . One tiny living room that you have to walk through to get from the entrance hall to the small kitchen diner at the back

Since DS became a teenager and it is clear that he will be living with DH and me for thr foreseeable future ( he is 21 now with ASD and ADHD) I have been feeling claustrophobic in the extreme . Especially since both dh and I work from home 1-2 times a week each and DS has spent the last 2 years basically at home 24 hrs a day not doing anything. It has become almost unbearable and I cannot imagine retiring in this house and spending every day here

We absolutely need more space

I love these replies! So much food for thought. I always say, like one poster, that you can only be in one room at once!

We’re not having more children and could go into the loft if we ever want more space. We’re lucky to have a decent sized garden too, with grass, patio, hidden shed - which is rare in terraces from 1870.

You’re all right that storage space is so important. We’ve worked on getting the right furniture and using every inch of the space. Our bedroom is a good size and I’d say the house is well laid out. We keep the tumble dryer and Hoover under the stairs. Layout and storage can be as important as size.

And being able to clean the whole
house in an hour between two people is brilliant.

I also love the poster who says being unable to host is a bonus - I have to admit I think that sometimes too, and I know DP does!

DP grew up in a big farmhouse and was miserable. His best friend was an only child who lived in a small house with his parents, who sort of adopted DP a little bit as a second son. I think DP wants to recreate that and thinks we’ll be a close little family in a small house. I really am grateful that he’s not the one pushing for a bigger, more expensive house. He’s a wonderful man.

So many flats and houses can FEEL bigger or smaller depending on layout and light and how the space is used.
Much prefer a smaller space where the layout works well. So many people seem to live in badly arranged clutter with disused rooms.
I live in a very narrow terrace townhouse with my three adult DC. It works well because no clutter is allowed. We have two bathrooms and a downstairs loo and massive windows and an outside space. It’s everything we need in a great location.
I do have strong feelings about children over about 8 having their own rooms. I grew up in a large family and hated having to share.