To leave my tiny house in a perfect town for a bigger house in an area I’m not sure about.

[Beachymamma]

Early 40s, two little ones (2 and 4 years old).
Over the past 22 years, I’ve lived in about 17 different houses, moving around the UK and Europe. But now, I’ve finally found somewhere that feels like home.

We live in a small, charming town that I absolutely love — canal walks, the beach, parks, and great schools all on our doorstep. It’s a quaint place with lovely neighbours. After three years here, I’ve started to get to know people, and I just adore living here.

But… there’s a dilemma.

The town is incredibly expensive. We own a small two-bed terrace, and we simply can’t afford to buy a three-bed here. We’ve looked into extending, and it might be possible to add a small two-storey extension for around £85k — giving us a third bedroom and a slightly bigger kitchen. But even with that, the house and garden would still be pretty small.

Option 2:
We could move just five miles down the road, where house prices are much more affordable. For the price, we could buy a beautiful Victorian semi over three floors — the kind of home I’ve always dreamed of. Big kitchen, lounge, dining room — proper space to have friends and family over, to host Christmas… the whole lot. That house is completely out of reach where we live now.

But here’s the thing: the neighbouring town, while not terrible, feels a bit soulless to me. It’s rougher, the schools aren’t as good (though not awful), and honestly, the thought of living there makes me nervous. I’m scared I’ll feel lonely there. I’m very introverted, and while I’m happy in my own company, I take such comfort from the vibe of where we live now. I never feel isolated here.

So I’m torn.

Do we stay put, squeeze ourselves into our tiny house, maybe extend and make the best of it?
Or do we bite the bullet, move to the next town, get the space we need and the dream house — but risk losing the sense of belonging I finally feel?

Have any of you made the move from your dream location to get the bigger house? And if so… was it worth it?

I honestly don’t know what to do. The kids will need more space as they grow, but I’m scared I’ll regret leaving a place that finally feels like home.
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Let me know if you’d like me to make it more formal, shorter, or more emotional!

Stay and extend. Also, we live in a two up two down terrace and put in an office at the bottom of the garden. Something like that could easily be used as a space for teenagers.

My personal experience leads me to advise that you stay where you are happy.

I made a decision to move, once it was on the table I focused on all the ways the current house was too small, convinced myself it was unworkably small.

I've (after much waiting and much negotiation) managed to organise moving back to my old house as I have hated every single moment since we left, and it has been almost 2 years now.

Do not give up what you have. Having a location you clearly love by the way you describe it, neighbours you get along with (which is absolutely crucial for peace of mind), and good schools when you have little DC, is so beneficial to your life and wellbeing.

If you get into it, there are so many ways to design a small home to work for a family of 4. Get on YouTube and look for some interior design inspiration! Consider in future giving the kids the bigger bedroom and splitting it! So many options, I wouldn't give up all you have for a physically bigger home. Lots of people choose to live in small places with their children as a sacrifice to live in their dream locations.

Stay put and extend :) it’s all about location.

Extend

We've chosen a small house in an affluent and desirable town. We absolutely love it here, the schools are very good, there's stuff to do and places to go, people are generally pleasant and educated, it is just lovely to walk round. It can be a bit pretentious but I think it's better that way than a bit rough. 5 miles away we could afford a house twice the size with a garage and bigger garden but I just couldn't do it. Good schools for the kids is my top priority.

Get the kids into the schools you want - you can always move 5 miles down the road later when they are in a good school.

This is the floor plan . We have a big w ouch front garden to add on an extension . You step in to house when you open the front door currently.
Back garden isn’t huge . We are on the end of a terrace .

What’s behind the kitchen/ dining room? How wide is the house? And how small is the garden at back? Assume no garden to the side?

I moved from a much more reasonably priced area to an expensive one and as a result paid twice as much for a much smaller house. I'm struggling. I am not a tidy person and although I got rid of quite a lot of things before the move, I still have a way to go. I really, really miss having more rooms!

That being said, I love the area where we live. It is safe, my daughter loves her school and has friends round the corner, there are parks and green spaces, and we have family close at hand. I just wish the house was a bit bigger - it is a similar plan to yours but smaller - no space for a table in the kitchen! We'll manage, I've made my choice, but it isn't easy.

Your floor plan is very similar as a house i use to rent. A lot of people turned the front bedroom into two with a box room over the bulk head (although the front bedroom already had the windows which made it a little cheaper to do).

Would an 85K extension add at least 85k to the value of the house?

If it wouldnt then I would move.

I certainly would not be embarrassed. Stay put

House C.

Been thinking about this, and how long realistically would it be before you could afford a bigger house where you are?

Because while its manageable to live in a 2 bed for the next few years, you really will need to upsize at some point before they hit the tweens stage. And that 85k would make a massive difference to what you could buy when that happens.

If it is unlikely that you will be able to make the move for atleast ten years then I would bite the bullet and move to the other town now before you become even more entrenched and wont have to deal with moving schools etc.

The kids ages are good for making new connections via school, play dates etc.

Similar situation to me Could have bigger place in the next town but much prefer living here.

I stayed as wanted kids in good schools and doing things that didn't involve roaming the streets. ATc, St Johns ambulance, cubs etc

Even now they've grown I still like where I live, lots going on, many friends etc

Similar to our floor plan but our living room is more oblong so we have space for a small dining table. Can’t really tell the size obviously but we squeezed a small breakfast bar/butchers block into our kitchen for more worktop space and has given us a dining space if we don’t have a table, part boarded the loft, have storage ottoman beds and tall wardrobes so more storage, and we have a small garden room which we use as an extra sitting room if any of us have friends round for some privacy. We have the smaller bedroom also and DS has larger so all his stuff fits in his room rather than all over the rest of the house. It is actually fine. Would love more space but love the area so it was a compromise. Get a decent sofa bed or chair bed for the living room if you want a spare room. My mum uses ours or hubby uses it and she gets in with me if she stays over (only person that ever does/needs to).

Op don’t be embarrassed about your house with relation to play dates- all kids want to do is play and all adults want if/ when they can pop in, is the chat !!!

Location, location, location!

It’s expensive and stressful to move. Everyone is different, which would give you more satisfaction and enjoyment. For some it’s a location and lifestyle (all the walks, beach etc) and a smaller house is ok. For some a bigger house with space to live and spread is what brings joy. Which are you?

You’ve obviously lived lots of places and tried lots of different living arrangements hopefully you can use your experience to help guide you

Location, location, location.

Put your sofa and TV in the dining area. Then make your master bedroom where the living room is. That way your DC get a bedroom each as they grow. It involves no structural work to the property and saves money.

You could buy a folding leaf table for the kitchen. Ikea are great for these space saving solutions. Some of which I use in my own home.

My friend, that is a no brainer. Stay where you are.

Stay put until all of you are desperate for extra space. Meanwhile be clever with the space you have. Get a small garden pod to create a space for alone time
or quiet working. Don’t accumulate junk.

I have the tiny house in a gorgeous market town and would chose it again and again and again. We were in a tiny one bed years after all our circle had bought 3 bed semis in less nice locations, usually new build estates with less going on. We finally upgraded to a small 3 bed last year (could get 4 bed detached 5 miles up the road) about 5 years later than everyone else but our lifestyle from the location of the house is amazing. We can walk to all the lovely local amenities and use them frequently and have got to know plenty of people in the lovely community. There are loads of community events that we walk to where our friends fight for parking to attend.

Some friends are now trying to get their kids places in the schools in this town despite having to drive in each morning, others are now considering moving in but the jump in prices is either too much or they will need to compromise on the house from their current property.

I also find living in a small house makes me tough on stuff and clutter where I previously had a tendency to hoard. We’ve thought hard about and invested into storage in this house and whilst it’s not huge, it is “enough”- the extension sounds like a lovely way to achieve this!

Location wins every time.

Extend, do the loft, focus on savings, declutter, enjoy a place you love.