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Original poster

Buying 'forever' house - garden or extra reception?

30 replies

CoffeeMum · 20/07/2010 09:15

We're looking for a family house to live in for many years, and we may have to choose between a garden, and a third reception [we hope to have a lounge, a dining room that will be used primarily as a playroom, and a third reception to eat meals in, or a kitchen/diner.

Please can you share your experiences of living in your house with children [we have two, one of each], and tell me how valuable/dispensable you find either a garden, or a playroom.

We are currently in a flat, so having either feels like a dream at the moment! But any opinions from those already there would be great. Thank you

OP posts:
cakeforbrains · 20/07/2010 09:20

I'd go for a good sized garden - brilliant for the kids, even on dry days in the winter. And if finances permit at a later stage you could add a conservatory or extension, which would give you the extra room and add value to your house.

Hassled · 20/07/2010 09:22

Yes - I'd go for the garden option. Most people cope fine without a playroom, and realistically the toys will move to wherever you are in the house anyway.

Original poster
CoffeeMum · 20/07/2010 09:40

Thanks both - I was definitely veering in that direction. And I used to think a garden wouldn't get used in the winter, but I now reckon that if the kids are wrapped up warm, that needn't be the case at all.

I also wonder if the need [wish] for a playroom would be pretty short lived? I hope the phase of toys strewn everywhere will just be while they are small [wishful thinking huh!] Maybe as they get older, they can be trained to put stuff away a bit more at least...

OP posts:
Butterbur · 20/07/2010 09:47

We had a playroom, but ended up using it as an office, as none of the kids would tidy it up - constant whines of "I didn't get that stuff out".

A garden will be more useful as they get bigger too - great for burning off excess energy.

WowOoo · 20/07/2010 09:49

A garden..We are in ours all the time.When it's not raining!

Great for doing gardening and growing veggies and herbs with the children too.

dinkystinky · 20/07/2010 09:51

Definitely go for garden in forever house.

Original poster
CoffeeMum · 20/07/2010 11:07

okay, thanks very much all - very interesting to hear a playroom might not even get the use! I am definitely convinced - i think i might need to show this thread to DH though. He is convinced we need a playroom [which would be all very well if we were millionaires!] but if it's a choice between the two, it's got to be a garden i think. Will make entertaining so much easier too i think, barbeques, parties etc - and it limits the mess with kids' parties too i should think.
Anyone find a playroom absolutely indispensable?

OP posts:
LovingTheSunshine · 20/07/2010 13:15

Yes, I love having a playroom for DS toys. Granted he does bring toys out into the house but it is just so nice having a home for his toys & it also means the living room is kept clutter free. I am also pregnant so I know the playroom will be used for a long time yet. We spend the majority of our time in the playroom during the day if we are indoors. Would you be able to buy a house with the extra recpetion room & a smallish garden? Or, like the others have said, a good sized garden so that you have potential to add a room onto the house at some stage? We have a large conservatory leading onto the garden & it is lovely but too hot in summer & too cold in winter. Ideally I want to knock it down & build a summer room but funds won't allow. Good luck with your decision

Original poster
CoffeeMum · 20/07/2010 14:35

Thanks Sunshine. I can't deny a playroom aswell would be lovely, but i'm trying to keep my realistic hat on! I love the idea of just being able to close the door on the clutter. We are looking at houses with garages, or large enough gardens to extend into, so we may get our playroom in a few years
Good luck with your baby on the way!

OP posts:
LovingTheSunshine · 20/07/2010 14:52

Buying a house with an integral garage would be a great option for you & far cheaper than adding a conservatory etc. My friend converted hers for about £5k a few years ago & that included having a huge bay window installed at the front.
Thanks for your well wishes & good luck also with the house hunting

mumofsatan · 20/07/2010 14:53

Definitely a nice size garden.
We bought our (originally 3 bedroom) house years ago when only 1 DC. We now have 4 and have added a conservatory, two story side extension and more recently a loft conversion so we now have a 5 bedroom house with 2 x en-suites.

The house is lovely, however the garden is just too small for us and I'd love a bigger garden and DH is lusting after a workshop (not quite sure as he would never actually do any work in it, just an escape from me and kids I suspect!)

ReasonableDoubt · 20/07/2010 14:56

We have are lucky enough to have both, but I would take the garden over the playroom any day. The kids are out in the garden more and more as they grow, and in all weathers. It is such a luxury to be able to open the doors and shoo them out . I grew up in a small flat with no garden and do not know how my mum managed with us in her hair all the time.

Francagoestohollywood · 20/07/2010 15:07

I'd go for extra reception, but that's me, I've always found it too cold to use the garden in the UK (bar a few days in the summer) and I'm not a great gardener.
Plus, children grow, and the more they grow the more place they take up

ChippingIn · 20/07/2010 15:31

Garden - without a doubt...

Still, best wishes for finding BOTH! I'm an eternal optimist - the house is out there

Quality · 20/07/2010 15:47

Garden, every time. We don't have a garden but do use the spare bedroom upstairs as a playroom. Result is toys sneaking out all over the house and a spare rom that looks like a bombsite
My mum has a veyr small 2 and a half bed bungalow and the dd's share the tiny room with all their toys, but she also has a massive garden. The toys are hardly used as the girls spend most of their time in the garden whether it's raining or not. They use the kitchen table for crafty/colouring and books in the sitting room and that's it.

If it's a forever house then a garden is much better as in 10 years you won't want a playroom, the children will have their stuff in their own bedrooms and be able to play on their own by the time they are 5 or 6 max and then you have an extra room but no garden...

ReshapeWhileDamp · 20/07/2010 17:02

Definitely a garden. We've seen a lot of houses recently that have a long (knocked-through, in some cases) living room with what's billed as a dining room or 'dining area' at the back.

Since a lot of the kitchens we've seen also have enough room for a table, we'd always use the kitchen for eating and make the dining area into a play area for toys. It doesn't keep them out of sight, but theoretically it means one end of that long room is less toy-infested!

I prefer the idea of children playing at one end of a room you're also in, rather than in a separate room. Mind you, I bet the children would prefer a separate room when they're older...

TheMoonOnAStick · 20/07/2010 17:13

Our main need day in and out is more space in the house. Having said that I'd hate not to have any garden at all as dc use it a lot.

So I'd def choose a bigger house with a smaller garden over a smaller house with a big garden. But I'd not go for any house with no garden whatsoever iyswim. God I think I've confused myself there let alone you CoffeeMum

Gardening isn't my thing at all but it's great to have an outdoor space with dc around or they drive me nuts

lillybloom · 20/07/2010 17:21

I'd go for garden too. My dc live in the garden. Ds1 has always been an outdoor type. Our garden is quite large and is perfect for all the friends to play in.

I find that I want them playing in the living room when inside so I can keep an eye on them. We have a spare room and could use that for a playroom but to be honest we have never found the need.

Fennel · 20/07/2010 20:16

Always a garden for us. I'd give up a lot for outdoor space, I would rather live in a hovel with outdoor space than huge house without.

What do you mean franca you wimp? too cold to be in the garden?

like others, my children have never particularly played in any room designated as a "playroom", they always wanted to be with us.

Original poster
CoffeeMum · 20/07/2010 20:57

Thank you everyone, really appreciate you all taking the time to share your experiences. Very interesting about wanting to be able to keep an eye on your kids rather than having them in a separate room [and having to wait until it goes worryingly quiet to go and check on them]. I could see it becoming a bit of a warzone between the two of them in years to come, though if they're playing in the 'main house' it might be more of a neutral zone...or something?!
Franca, i know what you mean, i love a bit of sunbathing myself, but since having kids who need a run around [in the park, at the moment], i'm of the 'no unsuitable weather, just unsuitable clothing' school of thought. Oh, and good point about kids being able to play in their rooms before too long - and being able to send all the kids and their friends outside too.
And yes, Fennel, while DD is still too tiny to express a preference, DS is definitely a fan of hanging around me [which is lovely, to a point!] so unless that changes, a playroom could be a bit of a waste.
Moononastick, i know exactly what you mean
Thank you all

OP posts:
Francagoestohollywood · 21/07/2010 09:51

Fennel . Yes, I'm a wimp . It felt too cold most of the time (to me of course, the children were absolutely fine... you know, they are still quite "english" in their ways... they don't wear a scarf in the winter, which is frowned upon here in Italy )

Francagoestohollywood · 21/07/2010 09:57

I do agree with Fennel that in the first years children tend to play where ever the parents are. Our children for instance had colonized the living room and the kitchen when little.

I think my lack of interest in gardens is also cultural, I grew up in Milan where most people live in flats and children play in little parks and play areas. Going to the park is very important for my kids too, as they meet their friends there.

My children are now 6 and 8 and I often have a good number of children playing at our place, this is also why I'd go for a big house !

muddleduck · 21/07/2010 11:31

you can add rooms to a house but you can't add garden.

PrettyCandles · 21/07/2010 11:39

Garden, definitely, because then you'll have the space to extend if you need the extra room. Also invest in two good storage spaces so you can have garden equipment, chemicals, etc locked away, and also let the dc have free access to where their outdoor toys are stored. Ours are a shed with lighting and power for garden stuff, and a massive storage bench for toys.

As for a playroom, we have one and it is heavily used. But if we had to choose between them I would give it up and keep the garden.

Kathsunn · 21/07/2010 11:57

We bought this house a year and a half ago and have loved the big garden. We have one large reception and a kitchen/diner, so our clutter is on display. But, we keep most of the children's toys in their rooms.

I have to say the best thing about this house is the summer house. We use it all the time -- when it's rainy, too hot/sunny. The children use it more than the sand box or paddling pool. We keep an easle/chalkboard in there and some musical instruments. dcs decorate it with their art work and holiday photos/postcards. It's been so useful. Consider getting a summer house if you feel you need a bit of extra space. (We also use it in the evenings once the children have gone to bed to have a peaceful glass of wine)