To swap my council house

[flossie86]

Okay so this is my first time posting, more of a WWYD. I rent a Council house, it's a Victorian terrace 3 story, livingroom dining room small kitchen 4 bedrooms 2 large one small & one box room. I have a small L shaped patio type yard, small but enough room for table/chairs some fairy lights few pots etc will attach photo of part of it. The street is mainly bought houses with just 2 council including mines. All in all a great house however I've been wanting a back garden for my 3 children for a long time & have a girl interested in swapping. She has a new build house on a council estate, 3 bedroom no dining room but enlarge kitchen & a great back garden with lawn. Now the catch is her house is 500per month whereas mines is 350per month, my house has character & not on an estate with high ceilings & long halls but hers has the large garden that I've been longing for & the house is only 2 years old, would I be unreasonable to swap based solely on wanting a large garden for my 3 DC one of whom is on the spectrum & cant play outside? Wwyd

I don’t think the garden will be used the way you think either.

You’ll have neighbours to think about so noise and bar b q’s will be stressful. You’ll have to weed and maintain the lawn. A lawnmower requires a shed which is ok until it gets rats, or needs re roofing.

I have a tiny garden thatI’ve planted out nicely but it’s only me that appreciates it because I like a sunbathe. DS would rather go out with his friends now anyway.

Thanks DeftandGlory I think it's a case of wanting something I never had, I definitely have my rose tinted glasses on when I envisage a garden but reality is usually a bit different although of course a garden would be lovely to have I dont think it's worth giving up the house in the long run, thank you

Good decision OP . You would of regretted it xx

Wow you are so lucky to get a 4 bedroomed council house when you only have 3 kids! The house sounds lovely too and is so cheap. Of course a lawned garden would be great for the kids.but they'd only really get the benefits from it for a few months of the year, so no I think you'd be mad to move.

Mad as it sounds I once made a tiny lawn on a concrete yard - just laid down some wooden sleepers and some plastic inside, filled the space with earth and bought some turf for it. It was only just enough to lie on with a book - a couple of meters square I suppose - but it brought nature and green-ness to quite a stark area. Grass has quite shallow roots so it works as well as long as you water it. And it's not expensive. Might there be enough space for you to have a pocket handkerchief lawn? Your current yard looks really pretty, mind you.

Aprillygirl the floor measurements (because of hot press) made the 4th bedroom too small to be considered a bedroom so its officially a 3 bedroom however the tenants before me had it done up as a childs bedroom as it does fit a single bed & cupboard, I use it as a wash room though (dumping ground) lol but could use it as a bedroom when time comes.

Love that idea with the wooden sleepers/earth I'll definitely be looking into that! Thank u

The biggest thing I would consider is how thin the walls are in this new build? Would it mean you now hear your neighbours cough? Assuming it's not a detached house of course.

New builds are often smaller rooms, neighbours hemmed in on top of you so you feel like you are living with them etc.

Sounds like you have a lovely house so stay where you are.

Never move to an estate when you have the choice not to, I almost did the exact same and I am soooooooo glad I never. Bringing teenagers up on an estate could be a nightmare, once you are on the estate it will be very hard to get off it.

My DD thinks it's important to have enough lawn to do a handstand and be able to land safely afterwards. So that should be your guideline! Our cats used to bask there whenever they could.

Don't swap!

Wish I had your house

I wouldn't, gardens aren't all that. Plus can you take your tenancy with you these days? I wouldn't consider an exchange unless they had the lifetime tenancy I have. Don't give up house space for something that needs looking after. Gardens are a pain in the arse.

I wouldn't either. A friend of mine with a courtyard bought squares of fake grass and lay them on the concrete. Looks lovely.

Also off topic, but is there a roof or something over your courtyard?

And the benefit bashers can piss off.

The years of playing outside don't last. They stop. When that happens you won't have your lovely period house anymore...but a redundant garden.

One thing I've learnt with children is that the stages pass quickly - so you make decisions based on where they're up to today and that all changes very quickly and suddenly you've moved on to the next stage.
Our boys mucked about in the garden up to about age 11 but then they were either inside (on screens!) or out and about with their friends. Once they were teenagers they used the garden for socialising/ BBQ s etc. but you've got enough space for that.
Stick with your Victorian 4 bedroom - it sounds lovely.

Sleepysleepsleep yes it's got a roof built over the seated part it's part of the house I didnt have it done x

No don't swap, mine stopped using the garden years ago. We moved to a new build yes but a much smaller garden that's so much easier to manage. Before you know it your children will not be wanting garden toys and you'll be stuck with a large garden to maintain!

I don't get people's obsession with large gardens and houses. I love flats and tiny gardens.

No!! Stay put op. We are a family of 6 in a tiny 3 bed but with a huge garden. I would give anything for a 4 bed. They are so rare here! The kids don't really appriciate the garden. It's all about laptops and ipods...meh. They are 13, 10, 9 and 2. All absolutly desperate for space and their own rooms. If you move you will never get a 4 bed again. The bedroom is more important then the garden. Plus your house sounds perfect! The new builds are full of faults and not built as well.

Thanks guys going to stay put so glad I got everyones opinions I definitely would have regretted it in a few years time x

Re large gardens...they're only worth it if they're MASSIVE. And even then, they're too much work for most.

We moved to Oz 4 years ago and our current garden is almost a bloody acre. It's constant work...often looks a mess. My DC are 14 and 11...the 11 year old uses it but not the oldest.

We're not always having BBQs in it. We used to live in a house like yours OP....in the UK and I loved my courtyard. Yours looks lovely...you can have nice pots of flowers and all that. Where I am I'm having to think about the yards and yards of fences all the time...the cost of repairs etc.

Utterly stupid of you to even consider this.
The park is 5 minutes away, dint be lazy!
Theres so much you can do with that patio space. You have an idealistic view of a big garden. Really silly of you to give up your current situation.

You spend more indoors time in UK, assuming you are there.
Your house sounds ideal. We have on off summer weather so at those times you could take them out when you can.
Lucky duck

Defo stay where you are OP.

I am in a 3 bed semi (old 1930's house,) and have a huge garden (like 90 feet long and 40 feet wide at the side of the house, so the house of the neighbour not joined on is 65-ish feet away) and I do love it (been here quite a while!) We are on top of it and have it nice, but it is still quite high maintenance. (I do love gardening though thankfully!)

However I do agree that all the garden activities that are promoted are overrated or exaggerated. BBQs are a ballache and hard work, kids pools get full of crap, and it's too cold half the year to sit out there!

I would rather have a big 4 bed Victorian home (if I had 3 kids) than a 3-bed crappy generic new build. Not ALL new build are crap, but more are crap than not. Only the 4 and 5 bed detached houses at twice the price of the semis and terraced new builds are built fairly well.

I know several people (who are in late noughties and 2010s new builds,) and they can hear their neighbours yawn, talk, fart, grunt, flush the loo, cough, switch on the light in the bathroom, and snore!!! They can also hear their kettle boiling, when the microwave is on, and the sound of the washing machine!

In addition, their homes are tiny, with small bedrooms, no storage space, and a postage stamp for a garden - front AND back. Literally - some new builds have 14 to 16 feet wide gardens.

Stay where you are @flossie86

Stay where you are! Another thing to consider is that the drainage is often crap in a new build garden. We are in a new build and our garden has been practically unusable. We are getting fake grass and slabs put down now.

I would put some fake grass in your yard area, if that's important to your kids. Looks gorgeous just now though!

I suppose & we do live 5 mins from park
I'm glad you've decided to stay where you are and keep that £150 monthly wisely either on necessities or nice things to do with your children when possible. I can't imagine 4 bed council housing in the location you are in and of the quality you are in are easy to get and you may regret it when the children are older and need their own private space.

Its housing association with option to buy
Check out what if any purchase discount you'd get as a long term tenant. If you do manage to buy you can probably sell (after whatever qualifying period is set) and get a house with a bigger garden, though I agree older children are more likely to be out or in their bedrooms on technology anyway. The number of bedrooms are still a better bet though.