to not want to buy a do-er upper home when DC are young - or maybe ever?!

[stuckindamiddle]

Many of my friends with small children are doing major renovation work to their houses - extensions, loft conversions, new kitchens etc. We're just in the middle of getting all the interior paintwork done by a pro - walls and wood - and between the dust from the sanding prep, the primer fumes and needing to keep small DC away from wet paint everywhere it's proving more than enough for me.

Once we're done with this there's nothing else major to do (hopefully!) but this isn't our forever home and we'll need to move in a few years for more space as DC grow.

I'm realising now that we'll need to rule out anything needing total renovation or anything more than cosmetic personalisation as I find the mess and inconvenience too much. We'll either have to pay a premium for the work having been done already or even - gasp! - consider a new(ish) build, which I don't generally like due to them being on high density developments and a bit identikit.

Am I being pathetic or do others feel the same?

[SomethingkindaOod]

We've done it twice. Both times I was pregnant. It made life interesting for a while! No way would I do it again, if we move it will be to a completed, decorated house where the only thing that needed changing is the light bulb.

[Oblomov]

Couldn't. Even the mess of replacing a bathroom was enough for me.
Complete do-re-upper? For like months and months/ years?
No way.
Would kill me my marriage probably.

[missymayhemsmum]

Absolutely. Wait until the kids are old enough to help you sand, paint, tile and can learn useful skills like how to repoint brickwork and plaster, and you can make it a family project. 5 at least for decorating and 10 if there's demolition involved. Power tools, raised floorboards and a crawling baby is not a recipe for domestic bliss.

[morethanpotatoprints]

YANBU its horses for courses. Some people can manage homes like this, especially if they learn how to do the majority of the work themselves and save thousands.
This is what we did on several houses, it paid off one mortgage by 40 and the second one will be paid off by 50.
My dh learned how to do every job except electrics as he wouldn't tackle this. He knew nothing when we got married but can do a house up from a shell now.
You can either live with the mess or not, there were times it drove me mad especially when dc were little, but the bigger picture always kept me focussed.