To think a 2 bed house is perfect and more rooms aren't necessary?

[takehimonwillyou]

For us.

It's just me, DH and DS.

I do not want any more DC. I am done. DH thinks I will change my mind but I cannot stand children in general, although can't get enough of my DS. But he is enough. I think I've hit the jackpot of balance with life, work, DC and being 'me'.

Friends and family think I'm mad for saying we will be looking for a two bed. I want to stay in a fairly nice area of the South so more rooms would compromise location and just aren't needed.

In addition to this, I'm a cleaning goddess and I like to do everything myself in a particular way so wouldn't ever want a cleaner to treat myself to an easier life. Having just 2 bedrooms makes this much easier as it probably equals a smaller property.

AIBU?

@takehimonwillyou You need to look further ahead.

Your son is very young. If this is a 2-bed house for life, what about when he wants friends round and sleepovers?

2 beds gives no wriggle room for anything that might happen.

You simply never know when you may need another bedroom. For example, I needed my mum to come and stay after a major op I had (she lived 300 miles away.)

You might be ill or your DH might be ill and prefer to sleep separately while you recover (we always sleep in separate rooms if one of us has a stinking cold or cough.)

I suggest you think a bit beyond the life you have today and consider all kinds of scenarios where 2 beds would become a problem.

The downside of a 2 bed is as people have pointed out a lack of downstairs living space and storage. Even if you don’t like keeping stuff your other half and child might want to keep stuff. As your son grows he might want his own space to be with his friends. He might need a study area, you might need a home office.

There are financial considerations. Moving is very expensive. Thats why people don’t climb property ladders rung by rung anymore. It is better to skip a few rather than buy and sell at each stage of life. That’s money wasted on fees and stamp duty. Selling a 2 bed will be more difficult than a three bed.

Alternatively buy something that can be extended in a way that fits your lifestyle now and in the future. An option to go up and out could future proof you and allow you to add value.

Frankly for me a spare third bedroom would have dressing room written all over it😜 but hubby needs a study🤔 So we quickly get to a need for a mansion.🤣

Personally I think the classic 3-bed semi, with the box room, would suit you well. Not huge, no nonsensical en-suites scattered all over the place, but a good and versatile amount of ground floor space and an emergency third upstairs space that can be used if ever required - emergency guest, hobby/exercise equipement location.

The three of us spent 13 years in a two bed, it did have two full size bedrooms and a conservatory which helped for extra space) The main reason we moved was for investment, also we found ourselves always looking at properties in a small closeby area We do use the extra space (and especially as DD plays violin, piano, ukelele and sings, ours ears can have a rest, but if I could turn the clock back, I think we'd both have stayed in our old 2 bed, it felt more like home, in restrospect we liked the road more.

As a child, from 3 we lived in a few houses (bungalows) as my dad used to do them up and sell them up.

The first one had 3 bedrooms.

The second one had 2 bedrooms, but also what was called a "sun-lounge", a sliver of a room at the front of the house in which you could fit a sofa-bed and a small table. My aunt slept there when she came to visit.

3rd house had 4 bedrooms, so completely different set-up.

4th house had 2, but my dad converted the roof-space with a velux window and there was room for a bed up there. It wasn't a proper room but gave some more space.

So as a family of 3 we never lived in a truly 2 bedroom house, there was always some other sort of space. If there is a study area or two reception rooms or a conservatory that may be all you need to give you a little more flexibility.

I'd want a guest room/office - also as your son gets older it's quite nice when they have impromptu sleepovers.

Also your husband might start snoring unbearably as he ages, like mine.

We moved from a 2 bed flat (1 double bed, 1 single bed) to a 2 bed house (2 doubles up, 2 rooms down) when we first got married and found that the lack of space downstairs was a real problem. We couldn't keep a dining table up without blocking the living room, and there wasn't room for one in the kitchen which was galley-style and had a tiny breakfast bar at one end. The bedroom space was fine but the downstairs space wasn't.

When we moved, we bought a 3 bed house purely for the larger downstairs footprint. We don't need the 3rd bedroom but we do want the downstairs space. I would buy a 2 bed again in a heartbeat BUT would make sure there was room for a dining table to be up permanently!

You might not have this problem if you buy a flat which has a sensible living space (like our initial flat) rather than a house - but I wanted pets and a garden, and a small upstairs means a small downstairs. There wasn't really room to have people over for dinner ever, and when your child gets older you'll more likely need more living room space :)

I think its fine. Also, if you ever change your mind, the kids can share room :) We live in a 5 bed house and my kids share a room, and if they had their way, we would all be in one room! We do have a use for the other rooms though, and as a pp said each room is a luxury (playroom, au pair room, guest room). I know lots of people who have a two bedroom and some with many kids. One family has 3 kids in one room another 4 boys in a room!

I have 2 bedrooms and 2 DC (only one adult though) we live in a very popular city where hotels and flats to rent are extortionate at best and barely possible to find at certain times of year. We have people to stay ALL the time. Its always worked out fine. Guest bedroom is a luxury not a necessity, especially in these parts.

Why would you need more? I don't get all this spare room stuff, no one iv ever known has a spare room unless it's older folk who's children have moved out. The concept is alien to me as well, I also hate visitors nevermind people staying overnight sounds like hell to me. You don't even need more than two bedrooms for two kids ime mine went insane at the suggestion we move and they have their own room. They even insist on their beds being right beside each others.

I'd go for a good 2 bedroom, one that has storage and 2 proper double bedrooms. I have a spare room/office at the minute and I'd swap it for more room downstairs. Most third bedrooms will be single rooms anyway

Yeah my sister has 3 bedroom and prefers mine because her third room barely fits a single bed in and the other two rooms are much smaller as a result whetheras both rooms in mine are huge, my kids have the biggest one and mine still fits a king size, huge wardrobe and other furniture with floorspace aswell.

I think if you're happy stay put. How many people can say they've got the jackpot? Too much emphasis now on always having more.

Yep two bed certainly sounds enough, as long as you have enough storage space!
My auntie has a three bed house, and it’s only her and uncle living there. They have so much crap and hoard so much stuff ‘because they can’.

We live in a 3 bed cottage, there is OH and I, our two daughters, his son on weekends and our dog. It’s just about right for us, we have a loft for storage and front and back gardens, and a little out building which we use for gardening storage.

I think once you’ve found your happy, you know ☺️

I've got a tiny three bed house (the third bedroom is tiny) and two kids with another on the way. We will move in a few years but for now this is where we live. I'm happy with it, my two sons can share for now and the new baby can have the tiny room. I hate visitors and there isn't anyone we would have to stay over anyway - all family/friends are local really.

Do what works for you. My friends all fave bigger houses than me but my small house means that DH and I both work part time and that's our ideal.

My house does have a disproportionately big garden though!

I grew up in a small 2-bed bungalow and it was fine. My room was quite small (just under 3x3m), but fitted a single bed, desk, wardrobe & bookshelf. At a squeeze I could have 2 friends sleeping over as well. Bigger sleepovers were held in the living room. My parents had no need for a home office, and when my dad's snoring got too much my mum would occasionally banish him to the sofa.

My DH & I do have a spare room, but that is largely because we both work from home regularly and (most important) because we could afford it without having to compromise on location.

2 beds (especially more recent builds) usually mean:

• tiny footprint eg relatively small kitchen, ok living room & little else downstairs (No additional reception room)
• small garden
• tiny plot size with less parking etc, no garage.

The overall smaller plot size and lack of space would be what put me off. Surplus bedrooms aren't necessary (although nice to have one for guests) but it gets annoying if you want to host a barbecue or a children's party and find the downstairs of your home is simply too cramped.

We looked at two beds or two and a box room and then found out we were expecting number 2. As long as you have enough living space then go for it- it will be cheaper, easier to manage and quicker to be mortgage free.

Idonteatchloveisland mines two bed and kitchen garden and living room is really big with loads of storage, Mil has three bed only her garden is big rest of house is tiny think it depends on the layout and build really not how many bedrooms. My mum has a two bed new build only built and moved in this year and thats big inside, the garden is small though.

Agree with PP about the ground floor space.

And trust me - you will want a play room/second lounge or something even a nice big kitchen, for when the dreaded play dates etc are on!

A second reception could have a sofa bed for guests if you really wanted somewhere for them?

I agree that living space can be an issue with two bed properties, but they can also be a major issue with three beds as well.

If possible, having a ground floor bathroom and more than one reception room - with one on the ground floor that could be turned into a bedroom or just having a sofa bed so if there ends up being in a position to care for someone or someone is in recovery from something that makes the stairs hard to impossible - would be something I would keep an eye out on if not getting a bungalow, but I don't see specifically a need for more bedrooms, just enough space to be flexible with the changes that can and often do happen in life.

I think, sadly, a lot of properties seem to have been built or renovated with a focus on getting in a certain number of bedrooms and living space seems to be an afterthought which is frustrating.

I'm surprised you don't have people staying over OP. In an average year we get: My parents, DH's parents, DH's uncle, one of my aunties, my sister and her family, my brother and his family, DH's sister and her family, a friend or two who don't live near by, a handful of DC's friends for sleepovers that spill over into the spare room. And we are deeply antisocial sods who never go out or encourage visitors. They just descend.

You can often get a better deal on two bed properties since so many people want at least three so 2 beds tend to be quite god value for money.

If you only have guests very occasionally then it sounds perfect for you. We have to have a spare room as we have guests about every other weekend.