To think that some people live in too big houses?

[URSick]

Lots of people live in (in my opinion) already big houses yet they want to move into even bigger ones.
I see so many families where all the children have their own bedrooms, bathrooms, big bedroom for the parents, guest room, study, living room, and yet they never seem to be satisfied and want to move into a bigger house. They all want playroom for the children. What's the point, when they could easily play in their bedrooms or the living room? There are houses where everybody has their own level, plus bathrooms on the landings, more toilets than family members, and yet they want Buckingham palace. It's good to have enough space and not be in each other's pockets but am I the only one who thinks these people are greedy and unreasonable? You don't need to live in a mansion to be a happy family.
Not to mention those houses where entire rooms are never used, lots of space is taken up by massive stairs and there are parts of the house that are just walkways.
What's your take on it?

your dh? what about you?

i paid that too, yet I still have a social conscience and understand that there is a housing crisis in this country

i guess it depends on where you live. i live in south herts and the houses being built are over a million plus

if you live in hicksville up north it's probably okay as no-one wants to live there anyway

*i guess it depends on where you live. i live in south herts and the houses being built are over a million plus

if you live in hicksville up north it's probably okay as no-one wants to live there anyway*

Oh you're one of those. How desperately unfortunate for you. Probably explains the chip on your shoulder

I am a stay at home parent rosa so my dh's income is our family income.

kindly eloborate

rosa

How rude

So you have a social conscience ....just not an actual conscience

if you live in hicksville up north it's probably okay as no-one wants to live there anyway

Where is hickesville? :s

I wouldnt bother bear

rosa Nonsense on social responsibility. I can pretty much guarantee that the 'crammed' people cannot afford to buy my house and it's not a new build, so not a plot that could have been used for 'affordable housing'. I'd downsize for what exactly?

And if I want to assuage my nonexistent guilt, I can remind myself that my property doesn't take up much land as compared to a bungalow and is more energy efficient than the 2 bedroom period flat I owned previously.

Good to hear though that one of the most expensive cities in the UK outside London is 'hicksville' where no-one wants to live. Because southern bias and social responsibility are such natural bedfellows

I'll bet one of my many spare rooms that rosa did not pay £45k in tax last year.

I live in South East. Technically we have too many bedrooms but they're full lots of the time at weekends. We like our house. Lots of things about it give us pleasure. We worked hard to buy it. We continue to support others through our taxes. Don't know how much we paid in tax last year but must be well over £250k. We're not lavish but want a comfortable home for our family.
I'd personally fill it with refugee children/teenagers/families at the drop of a hat but my husband is less keen. We've fostered and he feels we've done our bit. He's happy to allow the children and their friends to fill it on a part-time basis.
It's not greedy. We don't eat it.
It's not going to solve the affordable rented housing crisis by us moving out.
It's in a national park and listed so not going to be turned into flats.
Far better we live in it, cherish it, maintain it as a historically significant building. We're not ready to downsize now and suspect we never will be. Smaller houses have smaller sized rooms and less grounds.

yeah i am thick, no i am just a realise unlike most people on this thread

When I was little we had a playroom big enough for a table tennis table. It was brilliant, half the kids in the neighbourhood used to hang out there; didn't need heating as it encouraged active play. And also had room for a wood-turning lathe so we could learn carpentry. A small room off the side was used as a larder for my parents' jam and home-made squash; also as a photo lab. Having our own bedrooms meant we could practise music at the same time without driving each other barmy.

It may have been a luxury, but I seriously don't see that any space was wasted. And my parents were in many ways very frugal. Which was helped by having enough space to do their own cooking and preserving, to keep sewing things and DIY/mending/carpentry equipment, and to store things like old toys and clothes for reuse. We wore hand-me-downs but had room for a piano.

In the places I've lived for the last 30 or so years £1 million doesn't buy anything approaching a mansion.

However people who can afford that do actually exercise quite a lot of social responsibility in my experience. Huge tax bills (income and CGT), don't use public services that could be free, eg, health and education), often donate large sums, have things like solar panels and architecturally modern and efficient houses, clean cars, bring their children up to give back and contribute too, and also do a lot to help their communities, fundraising for charities and contributing in other ways. I cook once a month (for about 80) for a homeless charity.

I think your stance is really rather offensive if I'm perfectly honest.

Yup rosa you are so real

Still waiting for the remarkable suggestions as to how I get rid of my 5 bed to find something you decree socially acceptable

People buy what they can afford to buy. Why does it bother you?
If I'd bought the £125.000 terrace I wanted to because we'd have minimal mortgage, great for us. With housing as it is, I'd be taking a property opportunity from someone else that couldn't afford the property I'm in.

Where's the sense in that?

What is a 'realise'

Oh, did you mean realist ?

I live Oop North, in Hicksville...I live in a vair naice village, where most front doors are painted in Farrow & Ball colours, a pretty stream runs right through the village with ducks on it, and we can see an actual proper, fairytale castle from our guest bedroom window...

It's not always grim Oop North

i am not suggesting you get rid of anything but where i live social housin g is being shunned yet million pound housing is being accepted. how is this ethical?

okay up north seems to be dispropritate to what we pay herer

It's because you live in the wonderful South Herts......I can pretty much guarantee my "too big" house in "Hicksville" costs less than your social housing

maybe it's grim down south?

I am bewildered by the suggestion that it would somehow help people who can only afford a small house if no-one lived in large houses.....

Do you think builders would build all houses bigger for no extra cost or something?

WTF are you sniffing?

working class in herts ain't a great place to be

Sounds like the south have it wrong and everywhere else has it right. You're in the wrong place Rosa.