to ask people who live in a house in Central London what it's like?

[manicinsomniac]

I mean an actual family 2+ bedroom house, not a flat or an apartment or a divided up house etc.

I'm absolutely fascinated. Living in London is my absolute pipe dream but, even though I'm on a good salary, I am a single mum of 3 and would only be able to afford a tiny shoebox in an area of London that would make it worth moving to (I'm only 35 mins on train now so now worth going to zone 4+). Whereas I can rent a lovely little 2.5 bed house where I am.

I don't see much in the way of full houses when I walk around central London (we go a lot) but was walking down a street of them today and the people looked so normal. Not rich at all. And the houses looked pretty run to be honest. It made me think.

This is pure curiosity but, if you do live in a zone 1/2 house, can I ask:
Which area it's in
What the area is like to live in
Whether you think it's worth any sacrifices you may be making

and, if it's not too personal (sure it is for many and I completely respect that) whether you consider yourself affluent and, if not, how on earth you manage it?

I have to admit I'm so jealous!

Waitingsanta your lifestyle does sound great ,I don't understand why someone would bring up four children in a one bed flat though just to be in London were the sacrifices worth it for your friend?

I certainly wouldn't move out "for the kids". Ok for when they're little but by the time they are 11/12 and starting to go out and see friends and stuff, you end up becoming a chauffeur.

I live in the bottom part of a house with a lovely garden in a very upmarket part of London. Im right by the river, I have a huge park across the road and work is 10 mins away, I LOVE it. There's nowhere else I'd like to be.

I live in a flat in zone 1. Don't need a house there's only the two of us.

Life is awesome. I don't consider myself to be affluent but statistically I suppose I am. Not much cash left over at the end of the month but I want for nothing and spend a lot on eating out and generally having a nice life.

London life is awesome.

I mean, what would I get in a suburban house that I don't have now? A long commute to work? Far away from my friends? Additional housework/gardening/DIY?

Fuck that.

We're in a three bed maisonettes (top two thirds of a house) in zone 1/2. A glorious location, both central but near lovely parks (Regents, Hampstead Heath).

We have young DC and it is great for us. No plans to leave the city we are here for the long haul. We could own a bigger property (full house, more bedrooms) slightly further into zone 2, or similarly central but less desirable part of two. But the location works for us because:

As above, lovely local area. Loads of young families, excellent facilities. Families with young DC v local neighbours (though not all will stay long term, some renting, some in smaller flats and unlikely to be able to afford more space in the area) but great for now. Three lovely small parks, a two libraries, baby gym at an olympic training facility all in 10 mins walking distance. A trip to the Tate modern or similar is a fun morning or afternoon jaunt for us with the toddler.

Standing in our house to standing in office commute for both me and DH is under 30 mins (key reason we didn't buy a big house at this stage). Also only an hour to visit my parents of vice versa (eg we could buy a lovely house in south london but would then have a much more stressful two hour journey for family visits). Also good transport links for DH's family to visit (he's not a brit).

At the moment, we don't do a lot of cultural London (young DC). But did loads of that before having them. And last summer i was out, on a tropically hot day of the year. Walking back through covent garden at 9pm, i loved the energy of the city. I love that the best of culture, theatre, music, fashion, food, yoga is all there waiting for us. We can book a babysitter, go out to something world class and and home and in bed by midnight.

I hear people saying 'my lovely country house is only £100k'. True, but its not just the property, its what you do, both in work and out of it. We could sell up and buy a fabulous house somewhere. one of us to stop working. But if one of us did we'd be bored and miserable. Leaving London would require one of us to change career paths (would not want to commute with young DC) and neither DH nor I want to. Staying enables us to have challenging, fulfilling, well paid careers, AND quality time with the DC (e.g. I'm easily a higher rate tax payer even though i work part time - find me that outside of london and i might reconsider moving).

I bike around often and it enables you to discover secret london - the paths less travelled.

x2boys my friend was particularly attached to her very close support network of friends (the community aspect I mentioned). Our dc's were at school together and really happy, her DH's job meant he was regularly away for weeks/months at a time. All the friends filled the role of family for her but of course eventually, it wasn't worth it, they left when eldest was about 6 and youngest coming up to 1yo. Very happy in their 4 bed house with big garden in Kent now!

No not HG we also loved Peter Pan though once the rain stopped pouring on us anyhow

We lived in a 3 bed Victorian terrace in East Dulwich with a decent garden with our two kids. I loved being central, but the garden, while good for London, was small compared to where I grew up (not in the UK). Have had to relocate to the Southwest for DH's work, and sold up (just before things went absolutely bonkers in London), but managed to get a really lovely, spacious 18th century four bed house with a nice garden for far less money than we sold the London house for.

I get a little frustrated that I have to use the car EVERY DAY, but our social life is actually even better than when we lived in London (nothing to do except go round friends' houses and get pissed at the weekend!) - NB we do not use the car for that!

I expect they are waitingsanta everybody's different I found it extremely hard with two children in a two bed flat but everybody wants different things your lifestyle does sound amazing though .

We live in zone 2 NW London. We do have a big house, with a large garden but bought many years ago before crazy prices. It's worth quite a few million but we didn't pay that much of course. I love it, but only because we have enough room for our family. Now that we finally own the whole house, it will be part of our children's inheritance so we will never sell. I love everything London has to offer, and we do have a second home in the country so I get a bit of both.

You don't have to be rich to own a house in zone 2, you just have to be middle aged. Plenty of places in zone 2 where you could have bought a 3 bed house for between 100 and 150 grand in the 1990s including the very late 1990s. And loads of dual income graduate couples who could have managed the mortgage on that easily.

You don't have to be rich to own a house in zone 2, you just have to be middle aged.

Agreed! Plenty of nice zone 2 areas where 2x teachers could have bought a nice 3 bed Victorian terrace and then gone up into the loft and extended out the back... All now with >£1m but bought quite comfortably 20 years ago.

Brockley in SE is z2, and still (relatively) affordable.

I grew up in a house in z3 borders and went to school further in so had friends all over. I loved it and had a great childhood and upbringing - but then I didn't know any different. DH is also a Londoner and we'd both love to live more centrally but because we wanted to get on the housing ladder before we turned 50, we had to compromise on where we bought so we're now in z6. Although because of the fast trains it takes no longer to get into town than it does from where I grew up...

My cousin had a contract in london once and his family came over from NYC and lived in South Kensington. I was SEETHING with jealousy

i lived in a house share in chelsea, right by the habour. Our neighbors were just like normal people, its when you got to sloane square you saw all the fancy cars. Living in chelsea was probably the best time i ever had tbh, everyone was friendly round there and i didnt ever feel unsafe.
I live in zone 2 now but its a converted flat, the area is still nice but not close to so much transport.

What an interesting thread. We are all so different, aren't we. I am a total country bumpkin at heart. I live in a 300yr old stone farmhouse in glorious open countryside. Yet I enjoy London, if only for a visit, and spent a year living in Paris when I was younger (I lived in a top floor flat that looked over most rooftops, so still gave me the light and feeling of space). If I had a £3+Million house I'd move, buy a lovely small holding for £500k and never do a days work for the rest of my life! Each to his own though, and I'm not meaning to be rude.

We were very lucky to live in an 18c terrace in Chelsea right on the riverside. The house belonged to DH's great aunt, she came from old money and requested that it never be sold to new money or a foreigner so it has been very successfully shared within the family. DH and i lived there for 9 years before moving to another country. Oh how i miss London and that house. I did feel like a bit of a fake living there. DH and i had very good jobs but no way would we, then a couple in our 20s, be able to afford that house. Plus the interior was not to our personal taste but was too valuable to change. Feeling nostalgic now. I loved London. One of the Rolling Stones now lives a few doors down. Currently stuck half way up a Swiss mountain. It is beautiful but not London

I live in a 3 bed terrace in Islington (halfway between zone 1 and 2). It's one of the tall, thin houses there. The area is awesome - nice schools (although everyone's still angst ridden about them), lots of things to do, loads of families.

Affluent? Yes, we probably are. Also, the area itself is far more affluent than it was when we bought (ten years ago).

Sacrifices? I'm not convinced that we've made any - my husband would prefer a wider plot with all the reception rooms on one level, plus a 4th bedroom, but that isn't going to happen where we are.

Honestly? I felt as though I was making a much bigger sacrifice when I was commuting each day. That was awful.

Kennington we lived in the same area until last year. I bet we know each other IRL!
Same story as many. ..we lived at the edge of zone 1 in a 3 bed maisonette but moved out to zone 4 when we needed more space. Now have a Victorian terrace -there are loads out here but severely lacking in central London thanks to the blitz!

honeyroar absolutely each to their own but seriously, what would you do, with no work and in the middle of nowhere, all day everyday? I think I would eat and drink myself to death, I'd be so unhappy without people and activity around. I honestly can't imagine choosing that extreme. Shows how different we all are!

Ive got horses and dogs, they keep me busy, entertained and exercised. I already work part time, so have 10 days off in a block each month, so I'm well practiced in filling free time. A lot of my friends have horses too, so we meet to ride out. There's also lots going on here. Although we've got peace and gorgeous views, we are very close to civilisation, so shops, pubs, restaurants and theatres are easily accessible.

That shows the way my hugely biased imagination works honey, I pictured a house Skyfall remote, no civilisation at all within easy reach . I can see how your ideal would be a nice life now, but still not for me, not yet anyway .