Boy and girl sharing room instead of boy and boy?

[TheDarkPassenger]

Currently live in a large 3 bed house. Looking to move to a smaller 3 bed house with huge garden and three car drive. To me this is more important than huge rooms.

Anyway. Kids are 11, 8 and 5, older two boys youngest girl. Boys currently share a large room, we’re thinking as eldest is due to go to high school in September maybe the younger two could share so he has some privacy? What do you think about this? Please give us some guidance :)

I think its a tricky one as what will you do in 3 years time when the next boy goes to high school? A boy of 11 at high school is probably not going to be a fan of sharing a room with an 8 year old girl when the time comes.

Is the new house temporary, or do you plan to extend it?

At those ages it is fine to share a room, but it soon won't be, and you need a plan for when that happens. I doubt your eldest will suddenly want to start sharing as a teenager.

That is very true! Argh. This situation is driving me up the wall! I wanna make life easy for them all but there’s a lack of 4 beds in this town that aren’t new builds out of our price range!!

Not a good idea, sorry!

Yes I didn’t think of that too, I imagine he would get very used to his own space and would not want to share it again, maybe it’s better to keep them together. They like sharing at the minute but they’ve started fighting more as I think the eldest is starting to realise he’s growing up! Bless him.

No, the boys need to share.

Either have the 8 and 5 year olds share for a couple of years then put the boys together, or put the 11 and 8 year olds together in the biggest bedroom (master) from the get go and partition it.

Personally I'd do the latter as I suspect your eldest will be really adverse to going from not sharing to sharing at 13.

Is there a dining room or room to extend into the roof space?

I wouldn't do it. What happens when your oldest DS as a teenager has to start sharing again when your DD gets too old?

I think the younger boy will need a space away from his younger sister from age 10 at the latest, so the elder boy would only have a short time in his own room before having to share again. However, lets say you are happy for him to share with his sister for longer, then what happens when the younger boy is 11, starting secondary and still in with his sister when his elder brother got his own space at the same age? I think it would be more difficult to expect the elder boy to share after having his own space than if he has always shared.

id seriously think about trying to get an extra room we managed to get a room by using space originally in the bathroom and 1 bedroom to make a 4th bedroom

Personally I would do anything I could to get another bedroom - definitely at the expense of the extra garage or big garden. Failing that 3 big bedrooms would definitely be better.

If not I guess the younger two could share for a while but you might need to reconsider in 3-4 years and then the older will be more resentful of his younger brother sharing.

I think either stick with the boys sharing or see if you can get an extra bedroom on a house with a smaller garden and drive. It will be too difficult for your eldest to have a couple of years alone and then go back to sharing. I def think you will get more benefit from bedrooms than the garden as they move into teenage years.

If the girl and boy had always shared I don't think it would be an issue but the 8 year old is getting to an awkward age and making him share with a girl now may make him resentful in a few years. Also don't understand what you will do when he gets to high school if that's the reason you give eldest that he gets his own individual room. I'd just stick as you are or try and partition a room.

If you have three vehicles and a 'large' house already, I'd be thinking I might have the money to look into building an extension - after all, the garden is 'huge', so it won't turn it into a dinky little courtyard. Or a loft conversion (but a nice one).

That way, everybody's happy and you potentially increase the value of your new home in doing so, especially if the kitchen is a little compact.

It would work for now, but in 2-3 years ds 2 will be going to high school and unlikely to want to share with his little sister., And by then ds1 will be used to having his own room and will be unlikely to want to share.

Put DD in smallest room on her own, boys in biggest room....is there room to partition it so they get privacy?

Thankyou for all your replies I’m glad I posted on here!! Okay idea well out of the window the boys will continue to share until we can look at maybe getting another room. Our current house has a semi converted loft that we haven’t finished off due to me having to take time off work for illness. We all really want to move to a big garden though!

We have two cars but it’s the outside space that attracted us and it backs onto a wood: my dream. The kids are outdoorsy and we currently have a silly little courtyard and we just want to run around with the doggy and play. Our house atm is more house than outside and I struggle to keep up with the housework if I’m honest!

In the new house if the main bedroom is the biggest rather than you and partner having it divide it into two using book cases etc and you and partner take the smaller room.

Yes that will happen anyway I think :)

I have this dilemma. Currently dd is her own room.
DS turns 19 in a few weeks and will start to pay rent. He shares with ds8.
I did consider giving eldest his own room
But have decided to separate the biggest room using ikea Units and curtains. It means the youngest won't have a window but I'm gonna make it as nice as possible.
We make do with what we have I guess

Is there any way you could extend the new house to create another bedroom? I think the outdoor space will be lovely for the next few years then when you have 3 teenagers/preteens in the house the lack of enough bedrooms will be an absolute nightmare.

Even if we don’t move we will still only have three bedrooms I’m afraid! Four bedrooms is a way off just now so it’s basically just trying to find a way they’re all happy. We were thinking bunks for the boys then but youngest boy won’t go on top and eldest can’t due to bladder issues! So we might have to look at an ikea partition! Honestly I’d kill for a four bed, no shouting and messing on at bed time being little buggars! But like a pp said we make the most out of our situation! Im lucky they get on well enough to share at the minute, we’ve been lucky so far 🍀

The boys will get the largest room like they have in this current house :) all I need is a bed and a mirror and I’m happy!

If it's any consolation I had cousins who shared a room and chose to continue sharing when they moved to a bigger house (their mum turned the extra room into a sewing room!). It's great the boys get along well!