Help with house configuration

[RuntoReno]

Welcome to a very boring thread. I am moving into a 4 bed house with DH and DD6. It has 2 double bedrooms and a small double upstairs, 1 large double downstairs off the dining room. DH and I and DD will take the two doubles upstairs.

DH wfh 3 days a week and I wfh 2 days a week. Both of us are on the phone a lot and have intense jobs.

We live 2 hours away from family and need a spare room for when elderly grandparents visit, usually to babysit DD6, approx once a month and a few days during school holidays. Overnight babysitting is a few times a year. We would like to use the 2 spare bedrooms as a study and a guest room but can’t decide on the configuration. A few factors to consider:

• The small double room upstairs can fit a double bed pushed against the wall with no room for a bedside table or other furniture. Grandparents are elderly with knee/hip issues and not sure they could comfortably scoot across a bed to get out. It could fit two desks but the second person would potentially be visible on video calls which feels unprofessional so think it’s only suitable as a one person office.
• Downstairs double room is large. It can fit a double bed and a desk or two desks comfortably.
• The walls in the house are very thick. If babysitting grandparents are sleeping in downstairs room they would not be able to hear DD6 upstairs without a baby monitor. DD has nightmares and to get to grandparents would need to come downstairs, past front door, through living room and through dining room to get to downstairs bedroom. I’m also worried about house fires (anyone watched Manchester by the Sea?) and babysitting grandparents being so far away from a sleeping DD in the night. DH thinks I’m over worrying about the distance but defers to me on house matters.

YABU - Option 1 - upstairs one person office plus downstairs office/ guest room (and get a baby monitor)
IANBU - Option 2 - upstairs small guestroom (but grandparents might be uncomfortable) and downstairs shared office.

Option 3 - With the amount of time they’d be over helping, I’d have your daughter in the small double until she’s old enough to not need babysitting. It’ll be plenty big enough for her and I’m sure she’ll love it if it’s decorated for her.

Upstairs double for grandparents. Downstairs as office.

If the grandparents have mobility issues, a bedroom downstairs would be better for them particularly as there is more space and they can get in the bed from either side. A baby monitor is the way forward - and so long as a light is left on at night for your DD in case she needs to come downstairs, I don’t see that there would be a problem.

This was my first thought too. Presuming grandparents are ok with stairs for now.

Once DD stops nightmares and is old enough that you're not worried about the distance, or when grandparents start to struggle with the stairs, move to option 1.

We have an office with two desks, it's fine. Set up a second spare workspace in the large guest room for when you have overlapping calls.

I have voted YABU but not according to your little criteria @RuntoReno

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/property

THIRTEEN threads already replied to , and that's today at 0900.

Option 1 assuming DD has lots of stuff that needs storing in her room; or failing that Option 3 but if you are concerned about house fires then address the risks? Wired smoke alarms, fire suppression/sprinklers?

Option 3. You could always split the downstairs room into two smaller offices or put in shelves as a room divider, if you need a bit more separation from each other while working.

I would put GPs in the downstairs rooms for their regular monthly visits. For the much rarer overnights, could they not just have your bedroom so they can hear DD if she wakes?

you haven't said where the other rooms are - if for example the only toilet and bathroom are both upstairs, there's no real benefit to the grandparents having a bedroom on the ground floor.
otherwise i'd make the ground floor room a guest room/ office, and have a second office upstairs. if you ever go away and leave them babysitting overnight, give them your bedroom.

Can grandparents manage the stairs now?

If so I agree- put DD in small upstairs double and have big double as spare room/ office upstairs. Then another office downstairs too.

If not I agree put the grandparents downstairs and DD can always bunk up on some cushions/ a fold out bed in the corner.

Would GPs not just use your room if you are not there, solving the issue of her being alone upstairs. Small double upstairs fitted out as an office, large double downstairs with a double bed and desk. If you wanted to be super fancy, you could have a bespoke pull down bed in the downstairs room to make it feel more like an office day to day.

Thanks all, I think it’s sensible to go with option 1 and when GP’s babysit overnight have them stay in our room.

Option 3- upstairs as an office. Downstairs as a spare room/office. This is assuming you wfh at the same time as DH.

I don’t see the point in locking a room away as a spare room to use only a few times a year so if it will work space wise I would combine it’s functionality.