Tips/hacks for living in an overcrowded house

[poshsnobtwit]

Due to circumstances that cannot be helped 5 of us are moving into a 2 bed flat, from a 4 bed house. I'm hoping it will be a year max, but no guarantees. The 3 dc are all teens. One will take bedroom 1, 2 will share bedroom 2. Dh and I will sleep in the living room (the two single beds will double up as seating during the day). Our furniture is going into storage, and I'm only taking what we really have to. I'm trying to be positive but realistically it's going to be a nightmare. I've been googling hacks/tips for small spaces but annoyingly it's all "paint your hallway bright white to give the illusion of space". The illusion is not going to help me one bit, I need clever but cheap storage solutions. I'm not in a position to pay thousands for a particular bed that has a lot of storage space. If anyone can point me in the direction of any pinterest type images or youtube videos of utilizing small spaces it will be very much appreciated.

Ahh stacking boxes will be your friends. Lightweight and mobile. Obvs try to get rid of lots stuff before you move. Find local places that you can all use as your ‘third place’ so an alternative to home and work/school eg library, cafe, sports club, laundrette, pub, so you are not all at home all the time.

having only one bathroom will be an issue too. Is there a health club or leisure centre near by that you could use.

Bless you and good luck.

I found that the Ikea Kallax units give maximum storage and there is a wide choice of inserts to blend with your colour choices.

I cannot believe how much I can fit into them. You can use them as room dividers too, whilst storing stuff.

Get the really tall ones and make every bit of space count.

Inexpensive but practical.

Would a sofa bed be better?

I've yet to hear of a sofabed that is comfortable for 2 adults to sleep on long term. Ours was quite expensive but still is only okay for occasional guests.

To be fair, Ikea is amazing at this. For eg, we recently bought a sofa bed that folds back together again with enough space to store all the bedding, it's brilliant. Kallax is also brilliant. But really, the secret of good storage is not having all that much stuff to store.

Seems a bit unfair to have one teen in awhile bedroom and you and DH in the living room?

Is there no way to put the teens into one bedroom together? I think it would be preferable to keep the living room free if possible. So a teen sharing a bedroom could get up in the morning without disturbing one that wants to sleep for example.

The website “apartment therapy” used to (still does) show a lot of real people’s small spaces (eg tiny new york flats). I always found it good for ideas.

I would suggest looking at the display rooms in Ikea - or the catalogue if that's not convenient.

There's so much tiny house content on Youtube and Instagram, it's mostly focussed on storage. Or take a look at the content from people living in vans, they're really hardcore!

I have lived in tiny flats in my life…

My advice is (kiss goodbye to your deposit but that’s next years’s problem and you need sanity in the meantime) is drill into the walls and build high. Rather than buying freestanding bulky shelving units, wardrobes etc drill into the walls and affix floor to ceiling shelving. It’s so much more adaptable to the space.

Attach wall to wall rails to hang clothes in the bedrooms rather than having wardrobes.

If you have high ceilings put shelves above head height in every single room. Even the bathroom. If you don’t have at least one shelf on a high wall then you are wasting a space saving opportunity.

Also a shelf should be above every single door frame. On both sides of the door.

Anything with a door - not doors to your rooms obviously! - such as wardrobes (though see above), cabinets, kitchen units- needs space for the door to open out on so don’t bother with doors on furniture if you can help it.

Really consider how you are going to dry your laundry. Consider buying this: https://www.lakeland.co.uk/53405/lakeland-extendable-ceiling-airer?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADtoD6OCkGUU4CFNxy4jGB0SbEciy&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgJyyBhCGARIsAK8LVLMuL8U-tw70L-Lrgk9s9LzpKjl2uBoIEbm8ptuqJWfKe8PNECB7bHkaAhhREALw_wcB

For the kitchen have a hanging rack for pans like this https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwi7qvWBupaGAxW9h1AGHRbRBcMYABAOGgJkZw&ae=2&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgJyyBhCGARIsAK8LVLOmJk1lXPoFj2MD00w6mooQeA7y6ZRCtEYOyzRGHV7HnQtIypZWSWgaAgrvEALw_wcB&sph=&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESV-D2zY-tuLAeMAHt4Y0CGnoOTy1BKTWNEgFp87EyWhxZRAZDktU4mDaGTKrYDh28YMkIJC3ShDTonOinRS9JRVhkIdPtglM35nTgDfmPF4uGRb69EjdY3g&sig=AOD64_3eZkcQEZ31UIv6z1wSLSVxUX-Fsw&ctype=70&q=&ved=2ahUKEwiSu_CBupaGAxVMUkEAHYo_CM0Qwg8oAHoECAgQFA&nis=8&dct=1&adurl=

Over-door kitchen pantry storage like this is great. You can also get over door or hanging shoe racks. https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwiP1-i9upaGAxWjlVAGHWaeACsYABAFGgJkZw&ae=2&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgJyyBhCGARIsAK8LVLOFiCoHoPax6tFCH048Ly-a-tDMbfNG32rl7tc6W9VYTW6E9qJ9twkaAoPhEALw_wcB&sph=&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESV-D2BTu1gNyL6sXBlyA6pvSeLBpDDF8tIuNKGWiiFV5BpiUAnLaHQmTN2jHxNBCLLE7kzW-z0GqdPaZIIxiVcl4oQf1dTDZFs8vWbTWmVWCUsa5KvwJG6w&sig=AOD64_3NAltuZO8egsyXShdxlxvXA7nSWQ&ctype=70&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjX0-O9upaGAxXmUkEAHR1MCVAQwg8oAHoECAcQDA&adurl=

Magnetic wall strips are cheap (a couple of quid at IKEA) and excellent for kitchen knives but so much more (all cutlery, earrings, jewellery etc).

Collapsing laundry bins.

Collapsing colander.

I used these magnetic hooks on radiators and the side of the fridge. Perfect for hanging keys, kitchen utensils, tea towels on.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnetic-Hooks/b?ie=UTF8&node=1938462031

If you only have a small kitchen with one sink this washing up bowl is so worth the money… https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwj63JeTvZaGAxX0l1AGHco6BvwYABAIGgJkZw&ae=2&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgJyyBhCGARIsAK8LVLPiqk-MWLjwjJv4iqw_prLwBZbTIOrWvCw1JjOi294ViHpuApUg7lAaAsVMEALw_wcB&sph=&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESV-D27bsY02WArt6OExfFcCMO8xRUkDBQu62uFiZ7F-EPAd4rkaF50FXjDoyqUeJzLW5e0sRW2H6_9ZLRjbocmwGi9CYUzg8Hwr0ryv40akcyqWxgX90SpA&sig=AOD64_3PKYWnuPeou_dEpgfffEw1Kt2V-Q&ctype=70&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjU9o-TvZaGAxXAYEEAHRfABoQQwg8oAHoECAQQHA&adurl=

Only buy something if it is preceded by the word ‘stackable’, ‘magnetic’, collapsing’, ‘foldable’ or ‘hanging’.

Oh and a final one, if you don’t have beds with built in storage buy some bed raisers for your existing beds. They are really cheap but the extra height, even if only 10or 15cm higher really gives a lot more under bed storage space.

Teenagers need study space so think about roll-away beds and fold-down desks. Put the teenager with final exams in the single room.

Cull your (plural) wardrobe, books and toys.

Put bulky kitchen appliances (bread maker, stand mixer) into storage.

You are going to be under each other’s feet at the weekends.
It sounds like you’re a military family with a Permanent Change of Location.
If not, are there any grandparents nearby who could host a teenager over the weekend or provide a leisurely Sunday family lunch?

Is there any way to divide one bedroom so the 3 teens can sleep there? I think this would be a better option - you could always let them use the other bedroom to study in but you 2 sleep there.
Minimise your clothes. If you have a storage option, only take the clothes to the flat that you need for that season. Store the remainder, then change them over in winter.
Get a tumble dryer - there is no way you can dry clothes if you have no space and wet clothes make the place cluttered. If you can’t get a tumble dryer, go to a laundry for towels and sheets and get a dehumidifier for the bathroom to dry your other clothes.
Look up tiny house on YouTube/Pinterest/Instagram, they all live in mobile homes.
I’ll post more later - DSIL lived in a mobile home for 2 years while building her house.

I’m presuming they are of each sex so as teens can’t share

My biggest piece of advice is that once you’ve worked out how to store stuff is to drum it into the family to put stuff away and not leave things at their backsides (I may be projecting here!)

I imagine they are too, but in this situation I'd still put the teens in altogether. There are ways to create privacy for changing- using the bathroom, dividing curtains etc. I always shared a room with my sisters but we certainly didn't want to get changed in front of each other.

Definitely use your vertical space, shelving around the top of the walls, over doorframes, above kitchen cabinets, on top of wardrobes etc.

If the kitchen units have plinths then think about whether you can use the space under your kitchen units to slide shallow storage boxes with cleaning supplies, the same for bath panel, if it's the type that easily clicks on and off, use the space between bath and panel for your cleaning supplies and spare toiletries.

Don't overthink teens' study space. My teen chooses to work mainly on her bed. I was a boarder so my study space was one of those folding desks they have in exam halls - that was all there was space for in our cubicles at my very exclusive school.

Think about using a "timeshare" system to give people space from one another. One child's afternoon out gives the others space from them. Especially important for you and your partner, living and sleeping in the same space.

Put a TV in a bedroom and think of it like a second living space.

Do make use of (paid) storage and really minimise the belongings you have with you. Pack a suitcase each of winter clothes at the front of your storage unit, so you can easily swap them out once at the change of season. Anything you are going to use once or twice a year (Christmas decs, holiday equipment) might be better stored off site.

Stick bits of electrical tape or blue tack over flashy lights in the living room. If you are buying white goods, check the dB level and choose the quietest ones you can. The fewest pieces of furniture you can get away with will maximise your living space.

Thank you so much for all of the replies, very helpful. We are not a military family, we were given notice to leave our rental home of 10 years and out of about 30 applications this is the only property that accepted us. We have a bit of a housing crisis in our town at the moment :-(
The DC are all girls, but one is autistic and sharing would be impossible. The bedrooms are both in the eaves, so pitched roofs so height/wall space is already very limited. We are going from 3 bathrooms to 1, which will be a massive challenge.
Our furniture is all going into storage, we have created a capsule wardrobe/kitchen/everything. I'm hoping it won't be for too long....

Good luck, I’m sure you will find all sorts of wonderful ways to make it work as you go along.

Lots of good ideas here.

The bathroom needs to be for the toilet and showering. Some sort of alarm timer so people keep showers to 5mins. All other getting ready needs to be done in bedrooms.

Get a mirror with a drawer/tray on the bottom for your skincare and makeup, then it can go on any table and be moved around easily.

IKEA is great for furniture that doubles as storage, all furniture needs to be this in a space so small.

Use the walls, go up instead of out - shelves, cube units, Really Useful Boxes stack well.

Price the replacement cost of anything you're thinking of taking to storage and price the cost of a year's storage, then decide if it's really worth keeping the stuff. Your money might be better spent on more suitable furniture for now than a storage unit to keep things for later.

Get strict with laundry, if it's only been worn to go out in for 2hrs it's not dirty and doesn't need to go in the wash. You're maybe not going to have room for a clothes airer or a tumble drier. So you'll need a washer dryer (and an ironing board - they put creases in, unlike a normal dryer) unless you've got an outside space to dry things. Otherwise you'll have washing draped on curtain rails and radiators constantly which makes the place feel messy and costs a bomb in heating to get it dry (you need to keep opening the windows to let the damp air out or you'll have mould.)

As PP says, you need to do your living outside the home now so as not to get under each others feet. Home is just for cooking, washing, laundry, sleeping and storing a minimum of stuff. It's totally doable though.

High shelves, especially shelves above doorways, gives you extra storage without impacting your living space as much.

Just want to say thank you everyone, tips have been great. I just want to reiterate for anyone else who might need this that stackable clear plastic boxes are definitely your friend in this situation. The kitchen here is tiny with only 2 overhead cupboards so I keep utensils and food stuff in the clear boxes, stacked up and it's working well.
Over door hanging hooks are also really good, on both sides of the door to maximise hanging space for coats/hoodies etc.

I second @Duh suggestions, and the apartment therapy and ikea suggestions.

Also I assume you're renting - grills designs has loads of great renter-friendly ideas (lots on Instagram generally)