To think a 2 bed house is ok if we only have 1 DC?

[Marghe87]

We are ftb and are looking to buy a place in the next few months or so. We live outside London (work in London so cannot/don’t want to move to other cheaper parts of the country) and our budget can only get us a (nice) 2 bedroom house or potentially a small 3 bed that needs a lot of work.
DH and I would love a 3 bed as we occasionally have family visiting from abroad and it’s useful when working from home, however, it is more a nice to have than an essential. AIBU thinking that perhaps we’d be better off buying a smaller house given we only have 1 DD and do not desire another child?
I feel this pressue from society of having to get the bigger house when in reality 2 bed could potentially be enough for us and if we had a smaller mortgage we could have a better lifestyle and afford more holidays and activities for DD.
What is your view? Anyone on the same boat who has regretted/not regretted doing this?

ps: I appeeciate many people on MN might be from different parts of the country, used to living in massive countryhouses and this sounds like a miserable solution, however, DH is a Londoner and I grew up in a flat being from another EU country (where it is absolutely normal for families to live in flats in the city) so we don’t mind smaller spaces

YANBU, I live in a 2 bed flat with my only child. I do rent though so slightly different.

I'd rather have extra money to do things than an extra bedroom that only gets used occasionally. I've never been fussed about having a large house.

Is it from society or your circle?
i live in a two bedroom with my daughter
no pressure felt but I’m poor

We only have one child, and are lucky to have a three bed house (outside London) but if it was between doing stuff like holidays and days out and 3 bed house. I'd go for the first and have a 2 bed house and enjoy life

Well heaps of people have 2 kids in a 3 bed or 3 kids in a 4 bed so why not 1 kid in a 2 bed? (I get that kids can share to allow guests to stay when they’re younger, but probably less so when they’re older.)

I think it is infinitely more reasonable to live in a 2 bed than it is to buy a 3 bed that will put you in an uncomfortable financial position.

Number of bedrooms can be a red herring. Its about communal space as well.

If you have enough space to cook, eat, relax and play the house is big enough.

There are very clever solutions for smaller homes.

Get a 2bed. Isn't the point in stopping at 1 child by choice to have a better standard of life financially?

Sofa beds exist.

I have my whole family in another country and they tend to stay 3+ weeks at a time. So wouldn't consider a house without a spare bedroom.

It depends how often your family stays and for how long! If it's only a couple nights per year, a sofa in the living room is totally doable.

I think there’s a risk you’d get the two bed but soon wish you’d bought the three bed. Typically a three bed would have a larger footprint too, so larger living space downstairs. I’d go for a three bed, if you can.

@monsterradeliciosa I grew up in a 2 be flat (not in the UK) but in this country people seem to be quite set into a big house and how children need a lot of space etc. I don’t get it and disagree!

I think the general layout matters as well. When we were buying we looked for places with a decent kitchen diner and a lounge that wasn't a through route. That way we could have a sofa bed for guests in the lounge without it being hugely inconvenient.

Could you buy a 2 bed house with scope to do a loft conversion or extension later on? We moved from a 2 bed when we still just had one child. I was sad to go as I loved the house and area but we had a tiny garden & the loft could not be converted.

Family visiting was a factor - no hall so front door opened into the living room and the stairs were there too. Had to go through the living room to get to the kitchen. So no privacy for someone sleeping on a sofa bed. If we’d had a different layout downstairs or a 2nd living room, we would have stayed longer.

We have three kids in a two bed house, and there's no problem with the three sharing a room so it doesn't have to mean you only have one child.

@MooseBreath they only visit a couple of times a year for 4-5 days. We use a sofabed right now already so not an issue, a spare bedroom would be just nicer to have but not essential

Isn't it always better to make choices based on your own desires and circumstances rather than perceived judgement from others?

It's a no brainer as far as I'm concerned, get the 2 -bed.

It sounds as though you’re already set on the 2 bed. It’s really nothing to do with anyone else.

I am in the process of moving to a more expensive part of the country and one of my huge regrets is that I will almost certainly not be able to afford a third bedroom in the new county. I'm a single parent with one DD and we will make it work, but oh I will miss having a spare room!

Nothing wrong with buying a 2 bed if you know you are not having more kids. Families can stay in nearby Air BnBs. They don't need to sleep at yours. If working from home becomes more frequent, you can always rent an office pod in the area, using the spare cash to pay for this from having a smaller mortgage.

Would this definitely be your “For ever home” or is there a chance you could trade up in a few years? What about somewhere with potential to extend at some point?

A small third bedroom would be useful if you/dh work from home. If not then just go with 2 bedrooms, who cares what society thinks.

I would buy a house that had the best living space I could afford.
i.e. 2 reception rooms and a separate kitchen if it meant that there would be a living room and say dining room that could then be another living space in years to come when your child is a teen and then has a space to watch tv in / do homework / have friends over that wasn’t their bedroom.
if that was a three bed then so be it.

Yeah get the 2 bed. We're currently looking. We need a 3 bed as have 11 year old DSD and 10 month old DD so too big an age gap to share. However we're looking at houses priced way below what mortgage we could get and thats because we still want holidays and want to pay off as soon as we can so can retire as a reasonable age. A couple of my friends are baffled by this and thing we need the bigger more expensive house. I'm completely happy with it

It's ludicrous to pay tens of thousands extra just for a guest room. There are loads of 2 child families in 3 beds and 3 child families in 4 beds.

Depending on your jobs, think about office space if some or all of you may need to WFH. A garden office might fit the bill.

I think we have enough space
huge garden
but undesirable location but I’m able to fit in as I grew up on a rough council estate

I live in a 2 bed flat with 2 children and I have plenty of space. I'd argue my mums 3 bed house is less suitable because of layout etc. I feel like we have plenty of space. A 2 bed is fine