To move home and take on a much bigger mortgage?

[NameChanger2031]

myself, DH, DS1 (age 9), DS2 (age 7).
MlL and FIL live abroad but visit regularly, as well as lots of other relatives from other parts of UK. We need a guest bedroom.

We live in a 3 bed (plus a tiny office) - DC share. No dining room so only 2 rooms downstairs.
We would like a 4 bed so each DC can have their own room, we would also like some extra living space downstairs.

to move to somewhere we like still within our target secondary school catchment we would need to double our mortgage payments, and it would only just be affordable. So we will be able to manage okay but paying a high mortgage until we retire, won’t really be able to save.
right now, we have plenty of disposable income, and things are not tight at all. If one of us lost our job, we could (just about) manage on a single income.
AIBU to think about giving up a lot of financial safety buffer so kids get their own bedroom?

40% of combined income is massive IMO. I'd build an office in the garden and do the bunk beds idea suggested earlier for when family visits.
If you get promotions at work and the financial situation feels more secure, you can reconsider when your DC are in secondary education.

I can't believe you're making your kids share a room when you have a guest room just sitting there.

Give your children separate rooms, guests can stay in the office on a pull out bed or on the sofa, or go in your room.

Why don't the kids have their own rooms and when a guest comes they share a room

That way they have their own rooms 95% of the time?

Some of you are acting like a 7 & 9 year old sharing a room is an act of cruelty 😂

DSis and I shared a room until I went to uni. Happy memories!

Alternatively

Office becomes child bedroom
The guest room has an office on one side plus a good quality double sofa bed

When guests come they sleep in there and you have your office set up permanently

No - it just makes no sense to make them share when there's a spare room sitting there empty!

We have done it although we were only in a 2 bed so kids were sharing. To be fair they were very good sharing but having their own rooms has been a game changer. Eldest is 10 so getting to that age where she needs her own space.
Mortgage is a lot bigger so we do need to be a bit careful but to be fair all the saving before was in preparation for the house move. We do still have some money left over from our salaries each month so there is a buffer. We are still adjusting to the new bills but I am hoping to be able to overpay at some point.

This is a great idea
also, our friends had a tiny box room - they got the ceiling removed and raised up to the rafters, velux put in, high loft bed and desk and drawers under the bed.
it was very cool, and much cheaper than a loft conversion.

We have constant guests so it’s more like 25% of the time they’d have their own room

But it’s not just sitting there, it’s being used by grandparents and other family members

So give one of the kids the office room, and put the office in the guest room.

I find it really odd that you're prioritising guests over your resident children.

But why do they get priority over the children who live in the house full-time?

Because they contribute massively to the household

Is it a financial contribution? As if so maybe this makes a big difference to affordability.

That doesn't explain why they take priority over your actual children who live there full-time.

Stay where you are for a couple of years and live as if you are paying double mortgage. That is money being saved towards fees and increasing deposit and you will get a reality check of whether you can afford it.

Yes 40% of take home.
we earn very good salaries in real life, but not shitloads by mumsnet standards. Total take home £10k, current mortgage £2k which would be £4k if we move

financial safety is much better for your whole family than their own room would be. Do the guests need a room, can you not have them bunk down in the dining room or living room or small office ? Your boys live there the guests don't...

So you are asking if you can live on £6k per month after mortgage?

No - it just makes no sense to make them share when there's a spare room sitting there empty

But it's not empty for the whole summer when relatives are providing childcare

Best solution is bunk bed in one room so boys can share when required.

Just don't upside at huge expense!

This too, give up your room for a guest and bunk downstairs ? Oh also what kind of grandparents are happy with this arrangement? quite selfish...

Or one of the boys goes in the office in a trundle or similar - and put the office in the guest room instead.

I just can't imagine prioritising the comfort and space of people who don't even live in the house over ones who do

Total take home £10k, current mortgage £2k which would be £4k if we move

FFS talk about a drip feed!

Still a huge mortgage if one of you couldn't work.

to add, I don't think kids sharing is bad at all, but op has a whole spare room while complaining the kids share... When they don't really have to! Then wants to gamble their financial security on a double mortgage payment.

This... one sick off work and the mortgage is screwed at 4k