To buy this House

[TherapyRocks]

Head vs. heart issue.

I’ve fallen in love with this house but it’s on the small side for me & two teenagers.

It’s at the bottom of my price range so the alternative is a big, four bedroom new build type with all modern bells & whistles.

I’m worried that this house will suit me down to the ground but will be too cramped / too much of a compromise for two growing kids.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/132915815#/?channel=RES_BUY

It’s fab!

It’s good that the so-callled 4th bed on the ground floor can be a separate snug / TV room / teen hang out. Open plan can be tricky if teens plus friends have to be in the family space.

But the bedrooms look big enough for them to have a desk for homework and bean bags for friends to sit on.

If it leaves room in your budget you could in future put a well insulated ‘home office’ in the back for extra space.

My questions would be how busy / noisy is the road? Are there buses into town / secondary school? It is constraining for you and teens alike to be reliant on Mum Taxi.

It looks absolutely lovely, but quite old- so do bear in mind it may need some work! What's it like inside?

Different perspective: small cramped and depressing with dated decor and on a main road. Plus it’s period so the insulation will be pants.

Find a bigger house on a quieter road.

The bedrooms look decent sizes, it has 2 loos, a living kitchen, plus a separate sitting room/study. Lots of flexibility for you each to have separate living and sleeping space if you choose not to hang out together in the evening.

Plus it’s absolutely gorgeous with so many charming features. Go for it!

It's lovely, which doesn't automatically mean it's right for you.

Will your stuff fit in it, will the kids manage in those bedrooms, could the downstairs bedroom be a second living room / guest room or do you need it for office space, how cold is that porch loo going to be in the winter, is it miles from anywhere your teenagers want to be?

We compromised on this house and have been living with the tiniest awkward kitchen when I would have loved a kitchen diner like this, so think about how you live. Go through a busy morning in your mind, would this house enable you all or fight against you?

For one moment I thought this was Malpas in Cornwall until I saw the price!!Love it but the garden is very small.Check is there planning on the fields in the future?Could be expensive to heat but great property if you want something with character.

It's gorgeous, buy it!

I lived in a similar positioned house, backing onto open land and it was wonderful. I really felt like I lived in the countryside but with all the advantages of a town. It was fantastic and made such a huge difference to my life I think.

I don’t get why you think it’s not big enough???? There’s three of you and three bedrooms.

I wonder if there’s potential to add a dorms on the 3rd bedroom? That would really make a difference. Is it listed, or conservation area?

It is stunning!

Can you convert attic area or add on extension? I’m rubbish with things like this so can’t see re this house.

Yes it is gorgeous but as other posters have mentioned the EPC rating is poor. This is not just a case of, "oh the cold doesn't bother me I will wear extra layers, snuggle on the sofa". Although Rishi Sunak has rowed back on net zero targets there is no saying what regulations a new government will bring in.

This article highlights the problems which could have been facing owners of older housing stock in Scotland if the net zero targets had been maintained (hope the link works).
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/virtue-signalling-wont-help-pay-for-net-zero-qnx5x27hx
As previous posters have said, you at the very least need to get quotes on costs for increasing insulation and installing energy efficient heating system to improve EPC rating. Bear in mind these improvements may become mandatory at some point in the future.

A new build would have good insulation and probably an efficient heating system.

My other point would be parking appears limited, are you anticipating being a no vehicle/single vehicle/no visitor household?

I love this house.

I would totally go for it and I don't think it's too small for 3 people.

Good luck xx

Only on Mumsnet would this be called cramped for 3 people.

I’d love this house!! I’d deffo go for it, I’d maybe put the study/4th bedroom as like a snug tv room if that makes sense with a sofa bed in for guests. That way you have your living room then a room for teens to sit and chill. I deffo can’t see why it wouldn’t work out, with a younger family and toys everywhere it might be a squeeze but I think this is a beautiful house and I’m very jealous 😂 go for it xx

The third bedroom looks too small to me. You could always knock through the two small bedrooms into one master bedroom and equally divide the current master?

Are all the ground floor windows stained glass?

I like period properties and live in one, but unless your teens also happen to be fans of architectural history I’d steer clear of this one.

The bathroom is not good for three adults and the kitchen is very basic, with hardly any storage. You’d want to rip kitchen and bathroom out and start again. All those quirky room shapes would get annoying quickly in terms of furniture placement and the sloping ceiling upstairs look quite oppressive. Stained glass is expensive to replace if it gets broken.

That front study room doesn’t look remotely snug and pleasant to hang out in. And I can just imagine the cold winds whipping across that massive field.

To me it’s the kind of place a friend lives in that you love visiting but would not want to own.

If it's just you and your teenagers, I would look at maybe taking the smallest bedroom for yourself, and having an office/dressing room in the downstairs room. I would allow both teens to have space for beds/desks/room for visiting friends to sit. You would still have your own bedroom, but the kids would have a space to escape to if needed.

I would definitely be looking at anyway to make this work, that house is gorgeous!

<<cynically wonders if OP is the owner doing some clever promotion>>

I think it’s gorgeous and if you will love it you should buy it. I’d use the little room downs as a study with 2 desks so kids can do homework in there. That way their rooms can be just for sleeping and socialising.

Malpas is lovely.

I wouldn't think twice @TherapyRocks , I'm also house-hunting with a nearly-teenager, and had lots of great advice on MN about how to use space to best effect. The main rooms are a good size and there is plenty of scope for a kids "den" if they want one, but if you had one of the smaller bedrooms then they would have plenty of space in their rooms anyway.

Re the likelihood of development at the back, if that concerns you (and it may not), check out the Local Plan for the area (on the Council website) and that will tell you what the land is designated as. Malpas is good farming country and that looks like pasture (grazing land) so with a bit of luck it's a field that the farmer values and wouldn't want to develop.

A really lovely quirky place - go for it!

It’s gorgeous! What charm. What do your kids think? New builds are soulless boxes by comparison. I love a feature property.

It's perfect OP, get an offer in.

There's 2 loos for 3 people, do you really think that they need one each?

Buy it. You'll smile everytime you get home. It's plenty of house for your family, and so much nicer than a new build.