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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think a two bedroom house is big enough if you only have one DC?

107 replies

unlucky83 · 04/11/2013 19:14

Listening to Radio 4 You and Yours today talking about the new government help to buy scheme...and how hard it is to get approved.

(Was a bit distracted - but pretty sure these fact are right)

Heard something that the more I think about it -the less it makes financial sense to me...

They had someone saying they have a 2 bedroom house and have had a baby - their DC's nursery has 'to double as a spare room'...ideally they need a bigger house so DC can have their 'own room' Hmm

  • but can't get approved for the scheme...
(They bought with 100% mortgage, were in neg equity for a while but now could make a 5% deposit from the equity in their house)

So AIBU to think that 2 bedrooms should be enough - if money is tight - and if they can afford to pay a bigger mortgage they would be better off paying more into their current mortgage for a couple of years to increase their equity/reduce their interest (or even a savings account)! rather than borrowing more money and taking on a bigger mortgage/debt for something that (IMO) is not essential?
(Or am I missing something here? Confused)

OP posts:
RoxanneReidsChafingFishnets · 04/11/2013 19:16

So they want a 3 bedroom so they can have a room for the child plus a spare room?

Each to their own.

Justforlaughs · 04/11/2013 19:16

YANBU, but I think you'll find that more and more people see a spare room/ study an essential rather than a luxury. Confused I don't get it either. ANymore than I see the need to have separate bedrooms for all children, nothing wrong with sharing imo.

mrsravelstein · 04/11/2013 19:18

YANBU, it's quite odd really, i don't think i know many families with a spare room.

Justforlaughs · 04/11/2013 19:19

Should add that I don;t actually care as long as they are paying for it themselves. I do however begrudge the idea that my children share rooms while people (a specific someone, I should be clear) get given a 6 bedroom house large enough for her, her DP and their 4 children plus a spare room for when her DM stays over - all paid for on housing benefits. (and yes, I am well aware that not everyone on benefits get this)

lessonsintightropes · 04/11/2013 19:19

We're trying at the mo and live in a 2 bed - which is going on the market. Reason being is that the first floor maisonette we live in has a very narrow hallway - not possible to have a buggy in it, and there's nowhere to put a buggy for that matter upstairs either. I think it's not just the bedroom, it's other spaces too. I am aware that this is a bit of a first world problem though...! If we can't find a 3 bed that we both like and can afford then we'll stay put.

Oldraver · 04/11/2013 19:20

Well having a spare room is a bonus especially as so many families live away from each other now. But is not essential and should not be funded by the taxpayer.

bundaberg · 04/11/2013 19:20

yes you're right. 2 bedrooms is enough

but yousaid something slightly differnetly... that ".ideally they need a bigger house"

ideally is not the same as necessary! ideally I would LOVE a 5 bedroom house, so each of my kids could have their own room.
However, out of necessity mine will have to share.

if there was a scheme whereby i could get a 5 bed house and pay no more per month than I do now I would go for it I reckon!

Serendipity30 · 04/11/2013 19:20

Its their business

Original poster
unlucky83 · 04/11/2013 19:20

That's right - a room for their baby DC AND a spare room ...
I don't understand it - if you had lots of money etc and could easily afford it is one thing - but if you can't Confused?
Also their council tax, heating bills etc are all going to be more...

OP posts:
sublimelime · 04/11/2013 19:21

2 bedrooms with one child is not unreasonable and cost effective. Occasional guests can sleep on a fold / blow up bed in lounge or dining room.

However a bigger house can make sense too, especially if you live away from extended family and you like them visiting. The cost, if you can afford it, is worthwhile.

Horses for courses IMO.

expatinscotland · 04/11/2013 19:23

It's not their business when the taxpayer is sponsoring the whole thing. Stupid arse scheme.

DustBunnyFarmer · 04/11/2013 19:23

It depends whether all of your extended family live locally or far away. If everyone lives away and your parents/in laws or on a limited income, being able to put them up in your own place can greatly facilitate more frequent family visits that enrich your kids' life. As someone else said, each to their own.

Also, if you are planning another baby and might reduce your hours, it helps to get your mortgage whilst you are on higher earnings as it will increase the amount you can borrow and mean you can trade up for something larger to accommodate increased family size.

justanuthermanicmumsday · 04/11/2013 19:24

I've lived In 2 bed rentals with two kids and husband and mother in law due to financials reasons. It's doable but many things are doing beggars can't be choosers.

Generally they are small. Like a box the living room is the first room when the front door is opened no hallway or vestibule, which I detest. The two reception rooms are so small it'd been wiser to have one large room what idiot designs them. The kitche s were so narrow a second person had to squeeze past to get to the lbathrolm.bathrooms are always off the kitche I really can't stand this.

Bigger problem no storage at all it's a huge problem. They gardens are usually bigger than the entire house and some, it's stupid design.

So I can understand why they want. 3 bed they're box homes .

ShoeWhore · 04/11/2013 19:27

Depends how far you live from extended family I would say? Ours live all over the place and it is much easier to give aged grandparents with dodgy knees/bad backs a room to sleep in when they visit. Gives them somewhere to retreat when the whirlwind of family life gets too much! (They tend to stay for a few days as the journey is fairly long)

Maybe the thing is that the overall size of the 2 bed house is a bit small? Often a 2 bed house has small rooms and the downstairs might not be conducive to family living. My friends had a gorgeous 2 bed cottage but it wasn't all that practical once they had a baby.

Having said that we're moving this year (maybe!) and won't be able to afford more than a 3 bed house for five of us so there will be no more spare rooms for us!

Badvoc · 04/11/2013 19:27

Dh is really insistent about our dc not having to share a bedroom and tbh as someone who shared a room til I was 26 I agree.
I think particularly teens need their own space at times.
But, the need for a spare room is a luxury IMHO.
We dont have one. We have a sofa bed in the boys playroom. I would love one, but it's not a priority.

freyasnow · 04/11/2013 19:29

It does depend on the house. There are four of us in a two up two down with an extra attic room (so DS is in the attic), but it is an old house so the rooms aren't tiny. The design of some modern two beds is really impractical for family life.

stubbornstains · 04/11/2013 19:29

Ahem justforlaughs, I doubt this family you know have been given a house. I would imagine that they're renting it. And, unless their 4 children are all teens, they will not have been awarded enough housing benefit to cover a 5 bed house, let alone a 6 bed one. They definitely won't have been awarded extra to cover a spare room. I would imagine they are topping up the HB they are receiving from their own pockets.

Catmint · 04/11/2013 19:30

We live in a 2 bedroom house with 1 DC.

When our parents come to stay we give up our bed for them and sleep on air beds. DP goes to bed later than me so he sleeps in the lounge and I go in with DD.

It is a bit inconvenient, but we like our house and can't afford a loft conversion.

marmaladeandguitars · 04/11/2013 19:31

YANBU. We have one DD and rent a 2 bed house. We have a sofa bed in the living room. Would love to be able to buy the house at some point- we think we could potentially add a small third bedroom onto the extension easily enough, as DD is 6 and by the time any future DC come along, will really be too old to share.

bundaberg · 04/11/2013 19:32

it's not paid for by the taxpayer though is it?
the govt guarantee 15%.... presumably you still pay the whole lot back?

MrsCosmopilite · 04/11/2013 19:32

I'm a bit torn. It does depend on the house and how flexible the space is. I am in a one-bedroom with a lounge/diner (the kitchen is off of this). We've had guests to stay and have 'partitioned' off the end of the lounge with a screen, to give them some privacy, but it does mean that everyone has to agree a set time to go to bed so they don't disturb anyone else.
We also have a toddler who is sharing our room.

We're looking for a three-bedroom (which we can afford) as DH works from home and really needs a study. This would double as a guest room.

BlingBang · 04/11/2013 19:32

Of course two beds is big enough for one child. A grew up in a two bed and there were three kids. it's just that most two beds are small and also have quite a small living space.

bundaberg · 04/11/2013 19:32

i don't understand why it's only on new builds though?

i couldn't afford a new build round here even with govt help!

Weeantwee · 04/11/2013 19:32

A spare room is a bonus but if it didn't get used very often then it seems daft to spend x amount extra on a bigger house just to have one for occasional guests.

EyeOfNewtBigtoesOfFrog · 04/11/2013 19:34

We are definitely what I think of as affluent - two good incomes, live in a nice area - and I don't see a spare room as a necessity. We have 3 bedrooms, one for us, one each for 2 DC, plus a small boxroom study (very small, you couldn't fit in a bed in it and it has no window).

My mum however thinks it's appalling that we don't have a dedicated spare room, and that we didn't prioritise that over nice area/school/garden etc.

I also prioritise the DC having a room each over having a spare room - because having your own space to get away from your sibling is something you can make use of every day, whereas a spare room would mainly sit empty.