Need a reality check – large garden, small flat, bad idea?

[Eatweeds]

Please help, can't sleep! I was looking for a house but have inadvertently fallen in love with a flat with an amazing garden - 160 ft, mature trees, sunny veg plot, city centre.

Unfortunately the flat has a strange layout and is small (700 sq ft) - 2 beds, one only just a double, small lounge, and I have a 6 year old. For the same money you can buy a small 2/3 bed house with small garden in a less central area.

It was over-priced, and has now gone down by 20%, but I still cant tell if it is good value ? there is nothing to compare it with, and possibly large gardens with trees are more of a liability/less desirable, unless attached to a large house?!
I am dreaming of installing a garden office/beehive/chicken run but not sure we can fit into a small flat. So?.

Q. Can a large garden compensate for small flat?
Q. Has anyone ever ?downsized? and did you fell better for it? How much stuff do we need?!
Q. How much value can a garden add? Equivalent flats probably sell for 240 -260k, this one is on the market for 290k?.. so 30-40k for a garden seems a lot!

I have never bought a property before and feel out of my depth, trying not to let heart rule head ?? any advice very welcome, thanks

I cannot answer your questions, but I have been in a similar dilema: smaller 2 bedroom flat with a garden or bigger 2-3 bedroom flat without a garden, because I can't afford both. Made up my mind for a larger inside space against the garden. However, a balcony is a must as the garage would be desirable. I have 2 kids, and at the end of the day they will have lots of stuff.
Having said that, 700 sq ft is not that small assuming for the family of three, as most of terraced houses are just about the same. Central location is probably a big advantage. I would say, go with your gut feeling.

Thanks confused, Yes only three of us which makes it a posibility.

I have so much clutter, it is difficult to imagine fitting in... so maybe not a good move.

Hadn't considered the sq ft of a small house - its just the feeling of space and separation that you get with some stairs. Am thinking it is over priced!

I think it sounds overpriced - do you think the price may be due to development potential in the garden (could you build a separate house or extend the flat significantly?)?

If we lived in a country with an amazing climate then I would say buy the flat but as you may only be out there a few days a month, then I think it is best to find more living space unless the flat gives you a lot of potential to extend (but it would be disproportionately expensive as you would need to pay for freeholder permissions and lots of party wall consents with the other flats).

I would look at any move as an opportunity to get rid of a lot of clutter...

Not a good first purchase IMO. Its unusual small flat and large garden so very difficult to resale and would need a very particular buyer (not sure who and thats a problem, as single person who loves gardening?). Your child will soon not want to play in the garden that much.

Just keep looking. Unless it has development opportunities

Think of the disadvantages to having a big garden in the town. We had a basement flat once in London and found that although the garden was lovely we had issues with the following:

The upstairs neighbours forever watching us, commenting on what we were doing and angling for invitations to come down to the garden

All the neighbourhood cats used the garden as a loo. All of them. And what wasn't covered in cat shit was covered in fox crap instead.

Yes it is nice using the garden in summer, but everyone else around you will be doing the same, so you have chat and BBQ smoke drifting over the fences from all angles.

You are really dependent on having good neighbours - how would you feel if you moved in and the upstairs neighbours were noisy, chainsmoked out of their windows and played music with the windows open all the time.

Granted all of these things happen with gardens all over the country, just I found that a garden belonging to a flat had more chance of these issues happening as there are more neighbours in flats than in a row of houses.

TBH I'd keep looking.

Oh dear.... I think you are right; thank you for your thoughts. One of my concerns is not knowing neighbours, mansion house is divided up into 10 small 1/2 bed flats, five overlook garden. And no doubt there are foxes that will eat my chickens.

But I have been looking for 6 months and haven't been excited by anything else.... need to be patient I guess.

On the other hand I am hitting my mid-40's which is a bit late for a first time buyer and this flat has been on the market for months - clearly will be difficult to sell. Though an office in the garden might help?

Final nail in coffin is probably that it is listed - grade 2, planners have been positive and helpful but no assurances that I could alter how I want

If you love it, buy it! I think that garden sounds great. If you need to keep foxes and cats out, you could put up secure fences with anti-cat toppings. More prosaically, I think you could have just the same sort of neighbour problems in a little terrace with a poky garden. Why not go round, knock on the neighbours doors, and get a feel for the type of people they are?

No, the planners can't assure you that you can alter it how you want without seeing detailed plans - they're told to be very cagey about giving assurances, especially before someone buys a house. If they're positive, then that's a good sign, because they'd probably have no compunction about telling what you absolutely can't do! However, they'd always advise that you don't buy a listed building without being happy to live with the current layout.

if you love it and don't imagine selling it for a long time go for it. you could put a summer house in the garden

Yes, you can get some great garden shed/ summer houses that you could use as an office or den. I love the idea!

Thanks ... lots to think about over the weekend!! I have been to the 'readersheds' website (great name!) to browse

Tough dilemma... I know exactly how you feel. Talk to neighbours if you can.

Points to think of:

-If you don't buy it, you may spend years longinly thinking about it. I know I torture myself with what if's when I don't follow my heart.

-If you do buy it and the shortcomings turn out to be more of a PITA than you thought, at least you walked into it with eyes wide open.

-a small space looking out onto a big garden feels more expansive, you don't feel so hemmed in.

-anywhere bigger with smaller outside space that you look at in the next six months is going to suffer in comparison to your 'heart's desire' place.

Think I'm going to knock on neighbours door and take it from there - never thought of that - it could make all the difference!

P.S. for anyone still reading this - I have posted a pic of the garden on my profile.... pls take a look! thanks all

hang on 700 sqft isnt tiny is it?

have just worked out the sqft of the house we're buying (which i think is big beyond my wildest dreams, and it's 900sqft quite a bit of which is a loft conversion

I would buy it in a heart beat, my 3 bed detached has less square footage than that!

I'd stick a conservatory on the house. I'd put a giant shed in the garden for storage, build an outside office and loo, and put up a fabulous tree house.

where is it?

it probably has not sold because £250,000 is the limit for first time buyers tax exemption. The competition seems to be priced below that.

Why can't I see your profile?

I live in a London flat with a huge garden. Over 100 ft long by 30 ft wide. 3 bedrooms for 5 of us so proportionally quite small. It does have a conservatory though. I don't regret the move at all. The garden is totally worth it. One word of caution is to check development rights on the garden. Our garden is huge as it is protected from development as are all the gardens on this conservation area. We would never be able to put in a summer house. Even a normal Nike shed needs planning permission.

That should say bike shed!

This is an old thread that gemz has resurrected, probably to advertise a website. I'm going to report it.

i would llike to know what eatweeds did though?

me too, wonder if she'll see this.

looks like she bought it