To think 4 people can't fit in 2 bed house

[BananaCakePie]

The title explains it all really.

Teenage son in one room,mother,grandmother and teenage daughter sharing a room.

[BananaCakePie]

Gran snores very loudly. Thank you for the curtain/split room suggestions.

The teenage daughter has given up her room at the moment to stop gran from sleeping on a mattress/sharing a bed. Now the DD is sharing a bed with her mum,which is why her mum probably thinks it's okay for the 3 of them to share a room.

[Sirzy]

It's not ideal no but sometimes the options aren't ideal and I am sure lots of people live in much less ideal circumstances.

Teens sharing, mum and gran sharing

[5moreminutes]

The snoring will matter - poor girl if she's trying to do her A levels...

[MerryMarigold]

I don't think it would be good for the adults to sleep downstairs. Not sure what that is teaching the kids. Yes, it's nice to have personal space, but if it is not possible, it isn't. It's also hard to go 'backwards' but again, it is possible and a good life lesson. It may not be the last time this happens to them. People do it all the time when incomes are reduced, whether it's no more horse riding, or no more holidays at all, or a smaller house.

I think the teens should share the larger room with some kind of screening arrangement. If either of them are making a fuss then Gran/ Mum can share with grandson and the other can share with the other. I'm sure he'll pretty quickly choose his sister! I would always have a single sofa bed/ sofa downstairs anyway in case of 'not being able to sleep'/ snoring etc. situations.

[TheMaddHugger]

bugger. not fab for the teens dealing with snoring . they do need proper rest.

Earplugs ? Noise cancelling earphones as a Early Xmas pressie from You ?

[SpunkyMummy]

They can, yes.


However, why not like that: grandmother on a sofa-bed downstairs, mother and daughter in one room and the son in the other room?

Bunk beds for the people that have to share a room.

[Artandco]

Sleeping in living room is worse imo. Like I said, we have one bedroom. We all sleep in the bedroom. It means the living area can be used all evening and morning and day whilst anyone else sleeps. Otherwise as soon as one want to sleep in living room, everyone else would have to leave.

It means typically here kids go to bed around 9pm, then Dh and I can carry on our evening in living/ dining/ kitchen (it's open plan). We can have people over for dinner party etc and kids can sleep when tired. Same in reverse, in the morning, whoever wakes first can get up and start day in living area. Sometimes for us that might be one adult working at desk in living room at 6am, one child in to play at 8am, leaving the other two to sleep.
Again if someone is ill, they can stay in bed all day, whilst everyone else carries on with life. If half of us slept on sofa bed it would be a pain as in the way and having to get up first each day.

Honestly teens sharing are fine. Grandma and mum sharing are fine. Then that leaves the living area free so if one teen wants to do homework project late at table they can whilst other sleeps in bedroom. If granny or mum or teen wants friends over for dinner/ play games whatever they can carry on whilst anyone else can head to room if they want.
Have space to do stuff in both spaces. Ie we have a desk in bedroom, and desk in living room, plus large dining table. Means one of us can head to bedroom to work in peace, or can work in living room whilst table in use, or kids at desk each or at table.

Get good lamps also in bedrooms so each person can read whilst others sleep.

Nowadays there are lots of ways to semi separate rooms also using dividers, cupboards back to back, curtains or similar if wanted.

[SpunkyMummy]

I feel sorry for the girl.


She can't be in a room with somebody that snores loud enough to wake her. She won't be able to concentrate.

Plus, 3 people in one room?


Somebody should sleep downstairs imo.

[SpunkyMummy]

Or why not put the teens together, in bunk beds? Whilst not great 2 people in 1 room makes more sense than 3 in 1... especially when the 4th person has a room for themselves.

[KitKats28]

If I were your SIL I would look for a two bedroom with a dining room or a very large kitchen.

If the kitchen was large enough to put the sofa and telly in, then the living room could be used as a bedroom. This is what my friend has done to enable her elderly mother to live with them in a small house. My friend has one room, her kids have another and her mum has the living room set up as a kind of bedsit to give everyone time apart.

[FoxesOnSocks]

How many rooms downstairs?

My neighbours daughter had just mved back with then along with her children. They've made one of the rooms downstairs into a bedroom.

Thygh only used useful if there's a kitchen more than one room, or a large kitchen plus one room downstairs.

The ideas on pintrest (and more so that other site that the name I can recall) with the bed 'solutions' that actually need huge rooms or very high ceilings and lots of money to do!!

[BarbarianMum]

I think it's crazy for 1 person to have a whole room when there are only 2 to begin with. I would go for teens share and mum/gran share with rooms suitably divided for privacy.

[talksensetome]

I have three children in a two bedroom house, The large bedroom is divided with wardrobes sectioning off a private section for DD bigger than the box room in our previous 3 bedroom new build.

The boys have bunk beds in the larger section of the room, again bigger than the second bedroom in our old house.

I have the smaller room to myself although the 4 year old often sleeps with me, and wouldn't you guess, this room is also bigger that my old room in the old house which was the master bedroom.

So in real terms we all have more floor space than we had previously, all we are missing is a wall. I intend to put up a plasterboard wall where I have the wardrobes currently but it works for us.

[BananaCakePie]

There's only one room downstairs (living room/dining area)

[GrinchyMcGrincherson]

Teenage son on sofabed downstairs. Grandmother in one bedroom. Mother and teenage daughter in another on double bunkbeds.

I would do this or split the biggest bedroom with dividers for teens. It's definitely not ideal but it is doable. It's far better than a homeless hostel or b&b emergency accommodation!

[BananaCakePie]

I will mention splitting the rooms up to them,though the landlord is a bit fussy with them doing little things to decorate,not sure what's she will think of putting a curtain up to separate.

[BananaCakePie]

Both rooms are the same size (double)

[Bluntness100]

If they can't afford a three bed then they simply have to make do, however I agree, teenage boy in his own room and the three women sharing one room seems a bit off to me. I'd have the kids share and the mum and gran share.

[SaucyJack]

The gran should sleep downstairs on a sofa-bed.

No one should have to sleep with a snorer. It's barbaric.

[Bluntness100]

And yes a room divider is a good idea, my friend as a teenager had this with her brother, the divider was tall and basically gave them both privacy and they both had single beds.

[Amandahugandkisses]

Why does the boy get to have a bedroom like a king whilst the women are in like sardines? This sends out such s bad message.

[TheMaddHugger]

FoxesOnSocks i was linking pinterest for the visual concept of curtains for privacy, which we have done here in the past.
No way would those luxurious bunks in the pic would have fitted
Pity. they look comfy

[x2boys]

have a look at room dividers i was looking as i,m considering splitting my very large bedroom in to two for my boys my youngest has asd and learning disabillities so both need space anyway you can get some that are on a rail [cant do links i,m afraid.]

[5moreminutes]

If they can't afford the rent they won't be able to afford to go out and buy all sorts of new furniture to divide rooms etc.

Why does gran live with them? Is she a young gran who still works or an elderly gran needing care? Can she go on the council house waiting list or into sheltered accommodation (depending... Gran of teens might only be in her 50s or might be in her 80s...) in her own right? She might count as in an overcrowded home if sharing a 2 bed with her daughter and teen grandchildren.

[BarbarianMum]

Nobody should sleep downstairs if there is only one room -it'd just be like sofa surfing. Unless gran is one of those who goes to be at midnight and is up at 5am.