Biggish gardens - how important are they?

[shoobaloo]

We're buying a house and have seen one we like - the house itself is massive and amazing but the garden is tiny - about 12 x 12 foot. The house has five bedrooms! There is a great park about 5-10 mins walk away. Our DS is only 10 months at the moment so we have no exp of how big a garden we'd need for him when he gets older or with another sibling. What do people think? Do we really need a bigger garden? MAny thanks in advance!

also w/a bigger garden you can always expand your house - provided there is precedent for such applications being approved.

We live in an area where the gardens are all small and ours is no exception. We have found it fine - park life round here is great and you can guarantee seeing loads of friends when you go down there. I personally like the fact that no-one has room for climbing stuff and swings in their gardens and so kids socialise in a shared space.

i don't think a big garden is ever big enough once your ds gets into football.....

We live in an area where the gardens are all small and ours is no exception. We have found it fine - park life round here is great and you can guarantee seeing loads of friends when you go down there. I personally like the fact that no-one has room for climbing stuff and swings in their gardens and so kids socialise in a shared space.

i don't think a big garden is ever big enough once your ds gets into football.....

I would like a bigger garden so that I could grow foodstuffs - at the mo all I have is herbs and 18 tomato plants

if its a new build with a small garden, the other houses will be similar spec. who wants to have cars parked all over the street making the joint look like terraced neighbourhood? may as well buy a semi w/ a bigger garden and save the money.

I'm in a 4 bed new build & our garden is approx 35ft square so how your garden could actually be narrower than your house I don't understand. Certainly loads near us are about 12/15 foot long which is ridiculous for a family home. We're househunting at the moment & I'd forego some house size for a bigger garden. Ideally I'd like something around 45 ft square or 45xlonger, then we'd have room for good size patio, DD's little house,slide, shed, whirly & still loads of room to run around.
I actually live right next to a smashing park but Dd is still too little to go by herself & it's great that I can do my ironing or something & she can play out in the garden whilst I watch her knowing she's safe. Plus the bigger your garden generally the further away any neighbours are giving you a feeling of more privacy.

Our garden is about 22 x 80ft (the garage takes up a further 20ft). I sometimes think that is too small

Just reading expats post made me realise that we should have a bigger garden.....lost most of it thro extension and conservatory.

Sorry, am posting being an imposter[blush

Personally I'd be happy near good parks with onlya tiny garden but when we rented abroad and had no garden ds wasreally upset, even though the park was diagonally opposite. Now we're back home and he's 9, space for a goal etc is a lifesaver. He spends ages out there as does dd3 who's 2. It's nice to be able to have some play space and some grown up space if possible.

Big gardens get my vote - room for a trampoline, to play football, to keep chickens, to put in a large inflatable bouncy slide for dd's birthday on Sunday etc etc - it just gives you more scope and choice.

Personally wouldn't buy the house that you described....

Garden size is important to me. I want to have lots of flowers & plants, but also a patio/decking space, a shed and space for LO to play in. It seems that the more modern houses don't have very big gardens.

Although if I found a nice house that was close to a park I may compromise. However, with a garden LO (7) can go out & play & I know that she's safe enough with me indoors or watching through the window.

Thanks to everyone for replying - have been away a few days! WE decided against the big house with a tiny garden and have found a 3 bed (with room for a loft conversion upstairs) with a massive garden. The house itself is a lot smaller than the huge 5 bed, but the garden more than makes up for it! Thanks again for the advice! DS is on the crawl now and we can tell already that he is going to need a LOT of space to run around outside in!

We have just been around to visit another family nearby who have a huge garden - the ds's had sooo much fun. If we could afford it and I could face the upheaval I would consider moving....