To move house for a drive way?

[MissHoneyPenny]

DH says I’m being unreasonable to want to move house purely because we don’t have a driveway.

We have a lovely terraced house with a beautiful garden (front and back) in a lovely area but no driveway and no scope to create one either. Since having DCs (2 under 3) parking spaces or the lack of has been playing on my mind non stop. I hate not knowing if there will be a space available outside my house. I obsess over it and have been known to not go out to places because I don’t want the stress of losing my spot.

There is an unspoken agreement amongst most of our neighbours that we won’t park outside each others houses but there are always work vans, visitors, etc. who park up. To be clear, I know I do not own the space outside my house and I would never dream of being rude to anyone who did park outside my house.

If we did move to a bigger house with a driveway, we would most likely have to move to a cheaper area.

My DH says the parking situation doesn’t bother him in the slightest.

AIBU to want to move due to this?

I did it in reverse with my first house! I had a semi detached with a drive and moved to a terraced house without! I did that to get from a slightly dodgy town to a lovely village, and it had a view. But it was just me so no juggling small children and shopping. The point is though, you would need to pay more than your current house is worth otherwise you'll have to compromise in other areas you might not want to, to get the drive.

For us it was a game changer getting a driveway when we moved a few years ago.

It was a factor in why I moved.
Very busy street, 3 kids under 2 and a husband who worked abroad.

Having one baby in a sling and 2 in a buggy doing multiple trips up and down the street just to bring in the groceries was stressful and not fun.

I understand, Friday afternoon was stressful and I used to get DC early from nursery as spaces on street filled. Lugging shopping, baby etc in the rain, dark was a hassle. We moved

What utter rubbish and incredibly rude to label someone "incredibly irrational" just because you don't agree with their concerns! 🙄

Anyway, OP could the compromise be to stay in the area but find a house with a front, or rear, garden that you could convert into parking? Even as the kids get older traipsing up and down the road with sports gear, bikes, holiday stuff etc. is such a pain.

I live on the edge of a county town, terraced houses, one way street so parking only on one side. I have an allocated disabled bay and a blue badge.

I'm like you! I'm becoming ever more isolated because I daren't move my car because, as soon as I do, someone else parks in the space. Not a badge holder, just anyone. It's a white painted bay so it's a 'courtesy' space.

I'm contemplating getting rid of my car because I'm too anxious to use it and not be able to park when I get back. So ridiculous! I'm also looking on Right Move at places I can afford that has parking/a driveway. But I can't afford to move, either!

We have a drive, when we were first looking in this area we couldn't afford a house with one but then I got a promotion mid search and we could. I wouldn't have moved to a worse area for a drive though, then there will be lots of other compromises.

She is being irrational! She’s talking about having a fear of leaving the house in case she loses the space. What’s the point of even having a car if you are afraid to move it? That is irrational behaviour.

We did. We moved for that very reason. We were swamped by commuters every day and could never park when we got home. We now have plenty of space and it’s bliss

Parking was a number one concern in every place I've bought. I just couldn't deal with the stress of finding on-street parking for myself and also the hassle of where any guests would park (and how that would affect our neighbours). I think this is a perfectly good reason to want to move.

Hi OP, I’m in a similar situation and it’s causing me a lot of anxiety.
In my case, though, the actual root cause is that I have a fear of committing to something and then realising that I’ve made a mistake. Rationally, I’m aware that having to park on the street is just a minor inconvenience (as my partner puts it); 9 times out of 10 there’s space outside and when there isn’t we need to park round the corner and move the car (which we rarely use) as soon as there’s a space, normally within an hour or so.
However my anxious brain will always be looking for reasons to worry.
Is there a chance that your concerns may be about something else (e.g. inability to control the situation, fear of the unknown, etc)? Sorry if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick here.