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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to buy a house with terrible parking?

309 replies

Seaandsand83 · 13/01/2020 12:37

We currently live in a 2 bed terraced and have found a fantastic 4 bed semi with big beautiful rooms, well within our price range. We'd have enough money to build an extension on the back for a really spacious Kitchen diner. However, the parking situation is terrible. There is only parking on one side of the road and it is always full. There are a few spaces about a 1 or 2 min walk way, round the corner. I know that doesn't sound far but if I have done a food shop it would mean a few trips back and forth

We are in a position to put an offer on but AIBU to buy a house which is perfect for us but with such bad parking?

OP posts:
JellyfishandShells · 13/01/2020 19:29

It's a nightmare when it's pouring with rain or you've got several bags of shopping or those spaces around the corner are full and so you have to circle - particularly if you're in a hurry. I know it doesn't sound like much, but being able to park outside your own home is something you perhaps don't fully appreciate until you can't do it

I can rarely park outside my home - London suburb - and think it is beyond feeble to describe 1 or 2 minutes walk as ‘ a nightmare’ . I have just circled and am parked in the next street and it is raining but I’m not having to be revived from the trauma.

Cohle · 13/01/2020 19:32

To afford a decent sized house in a lovely location I think most people will need to compromise on something.

I would absolutely park a couple of minutes away in OP's shoes. It just wouldn't strike me as that big a deal.

Ated · 13/01/2020 20:35

I've lived in a place where the nearest place to park was 20 minutes away and moved to somewhere with one designated place if you were lucky, then to one with one defined spot and then finally to somewhere in the country that can take 14 cars or two lorries at a push. It is shear bliss. Don't buy without parking.

Torchlightt · 13/01/2020 21:44

FGS. Loads of people in town centres park on the street. How do they survive 2 minutes in the rain? Maybe they own a coat?

CoffeeRunner · 13/01/2020 21:51

I would rather live in a small house with adequate parking any day.

Whatdayisit2 · 13/01/2020 21:58

I wouldn't do it either- as pp have said you'll resent the parking and the house won't make up for it

Hohofortherobbers · 13/01/2020 22:01

4 bed house with NO parking? I wouldn't. Maybe test how you feel by parking 2 mins away from your current house for a fortnight and walking back and forth

SleeplessWB · 13/01/2020 22:05

We have never had a drive or dedicated parking space - London flat and now a road of victorian houses. It does occasionally bother me but I would never have chosen a drive over the house and location I wanted. Have 2 small children and we manage fine.

Hohofortherobbers · 13/01/2020 22:13

We had a 2 bed flat with reasonable communal parking and a garage, if we were home late then 1 car would be in the garage and the car park would be full, we circled for ages before parking on street then having to get up and move it before the wardens came round at 8am. It was a pain as child free cohabiting, wouldn't be doing that now

MrsJBaptiste · 13/01/2020 22:23

Have you read the parking threads on here, OP? 😁

Parking is a thing for me though, I wouldn't even buy a house where you couldn't park two cars side by side. The faff of moving another car every time you need to go out... so no, I wouldn't buy my perfect house if you had to park round the corner rather than outside your own house.

longestlurkerever · 13/01/2020 22:28

I'm with jellyfish. Loads of people argue that they'd use public transport if it was an option where they lived but judging by this thread that's not true at all as 1 min walk is a massive drama. It's a bit of a sobering thought when it comes to thinking about the climate.

JosefKeller · 13/01/2020 23:02

I am aghast at how people are so resentful of walking 2 mins round the corner.

Have you seen how many kids are being driven to school when they could very easily walk? I am not surprised. People are ridiculously lazy, but we can see it everyday.

SisterAgatha · 13/01/2020 23:20

Well I used to have to carry two babies who couldn’t walk, from a top floor flat, with all their bags because I couldn’t take the gumph down and leave it while I went back for the babies in case it was robbed, then walk them .47 of a mile (no exaggeration) with no buggy because it wouldn’t fit in the lift so had to be left in the car, whilst recovering from a csection to take the eldest to school so yeah, I’m clearly lazy Grin

HelloAgainYou · 13/01/2020 23:23

How many cars do the current owners have? Maybe you'd just take their spaces on the road Grin

JosefKeller · 14/01/2020 09:38

SisterAgatha
there's always one Hmm
Anyone said your newborn could walk to school, have they? I must have missed it.

BuzzShitbagBobbly · 14/01/2020 09:57

Not leaving house because you might lose your space.

Twice recently I have visited people who live in very congested parking areas. Both visits at odd times and I found a parking spot right outside, where I think the previous occupant gambled on it/previous experience staying empty while they nipped to the shop or something. It worked out great for me, but I bet they were royally pissed off!

BuzzShitbagBobbly · 14/01/2020 09:59

All those saying first world problems, they manage without a car etc.

When you get a taxi, do you ask it to stop at the station or your bus stop and walk the last bit?
Do you ask a supermarket delivery driver to wait down the road so you can lug it all back on foot?
Etc.

Or do you have all the above stop directly outside your front door?

Cohle · 14/01/2020 10:05

When you get a bus does it stop at the bus stop or do you magically make the driver drop you right at your front door?

Lots of people don't have cars or regularly take taxis. It absolutely is a "first world problem". That doesn't mean it isn't a real problem for some people, but I do think we need to retain a sense of perspective.

NoMorePoliticsPlease · 14/01/2020 10:07

Just dont

SisterAgatha · 14/01/2020 10:08

JosefKeller

I actually can’t understand your message. Could you write it again maybe? Of course a baby wouldn’t be walking to school but they may be accompanying an elder sibling and happen to also have another sibling who is 16 months and still unable to walk. They have to be carried, right? Both of them. To a car nearly half a mile away. I had a sling but that’s still another 16mo to carry and bags. I’m not unusual in that either, plenty of people have 3 children with small age gaps so there isn’t always one.

SisterAgatha · 14/01/2020 10:12

And even if I wasn’t driving to school, the double buggy had to be stored in the car because it wouldn’t get up the stairs so I’d have to walk there regardless, strap them in to the car just so I had hands to assemble the thing, and then get them out again in to the pushchair. Some people really have no idea what lives other people lead. Im not judging them for needing to drive or park near their houses so let’s have less of the “lazy”, shall we.

Crawley65 · 14/01/2020 10:17

Buy it. I was a single mum living in a lovely Georgian townhouse with parking like this. I used to quickly park outside the house and offload shopping and then park and carry dc. It was a hassle but the house and great location made up for it.

minipie · 14/01/2020 12:52

This thread is really depressing.

OP how long would it take you to walk/bike to work and the DC to walk/bike to school? Try it one day and see how it is. Anything under 20 minutes is really not a big deal, a bit wet if it’s raining yes but a little water never killed anyone and we have wellies and umbrellas etc. I know it’s a hill but you will soon build up the muscles for that, it might even be good for you all Grin

I would sacrifice a lot for a lovely view. And it doesn’t sound like there is no parking - there is parking but not enough for all the residents, right? So hopefully on the few occasions you really needed a space you could speak to the neighbours/leave out bins with notes and neighbours would be accommodating.

Those who would never consider a house without dedicated parking - I presume you’re all rural and/or have no option but to drive to work/school. At least I hope so.

Unusualsuspicion · 14/01/2020 13:00

This is us! It's fine. I just stop the car in the road outside the house for a minute and dump all the shopping in the hall, then go and find a parking spot down the road or around the corner. But then we walk or cycle everywhere (including a mile to school and back) and only use the car max once or twice a week, if that. If I was doing a daily car commute it would probably piss me off more. But not so much as to turn down an otherwise perfect house - I'm honestly quite shocked at the balance of replies on this thread.

FlamingoAndJohn · 14/01/2020 13:09

Never.
My last house was a fight to park.
We were close to a theatre and that made the evenings very tricky. I remember one day coming home when there was something on at the theatre and not being able to park within a ten minute walk. I sat there and cried. I just wanted a cup tea and I had to drive around and wait for someone to go.