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Will this house work for us?

25 replies

greyhairsahead · 20/04/2012 22:03

DH and I have been searching for a house for ages, but most things have either been too small or too expensive. We saw one today that we think may be a go-er, as it ticks most of our boxes (we can't afford to tick all of our boxes!).

But, I'm worried about storage and space. ATM we rent a flat which we've grown out of (no garden, only 1 1/2 bedrooms), but it's pretty roomy. There's plenty of room for DC paraphanalia, such as the double buggy, car seats etc, and for the coat stand / hooks, in the hall. There's also a big storage cupboard (which TBF is just full of crap but it's v useful).

The house is a good size i.e through lounge, big kitchen. But my pram is the width of the hallway. The hall leads straight into the stairs, with one door into the lounge. There is a cupbaord under the stairs which is a decent size but because of how the house is configured this is accessed in the kitchen.

The only other storage is the loft, which we'd need to board.

Thing is I know I've been completely spoilt with the space we have already. Lots of people I know have to collapse their pram once inside. And pretty much all the houses is this area are the same unless you spend more on somewhere larger, which is not feasible for us. But I'm struggling at the moment either collapsing my massive pram everytime I get in, or struggling round it (you have to push it right up to the foot of the stairs, where the lounge door is, to squeeze past it). DS2 will only sleep in his pram atm so I'm likely to often have a sleeping child meaning collapsing the pram isn't an option anyway.

And where will we keep our coats and shoes? There's no room for a coat stand, and hooks on the walls would mean that the coats would stick out into the hall too much. It's such a shame there's no porch (and building one isn't an option unless we butcher the front of the house.

DH doesn't think the pram in the hall is a problem at all.

Or are these just non-issues and I've being overly fussy????

(and my double is a tandem, not a side-by-side)

OP posts:
RachelHRD · 20/04/2012 22:16

I would try not to base the purchase of a house on a pram issue as it is only a temporary thing which will change as your DS gets older. My pram/buggy never comes inside I keep it in the boot of my car - would that be an option for you? You could try weaning DS off only sleeping in the pram.
Coats could go on hooks or an over door hanger on the inside of the understairs cupboard and maybe just have a couple of hooks in the hallway for the DC's coats?
I have tried very hard with our new house to minimise what we store as half the time it is you will probably never use again anyway. We don't have a loft but did in our old house and didn't use it but had a garage full of stuff we didn't use so when we moved we got rid of all but the essentials and now just have a shed which isn't even half full.
If you like the house and it ticks most of your boxes I wouldn't worry too much about these issues - just use moving as a major reason to declutter - it's very cathartic!!

Pannacotta · 20/04/2012 22:20

I really wouldnt worry about the pram too much as its a short term thing to store.
Coats and shoes etc more of an issue as they do need a home close to the door.
Coudl you change the entrance to the understairs cupboard so you access it from the hall rather than the kitchen?
If not could you store these things in another room?

greyhairsahead · 20/04/2012 22:21

Thanks rach. A friend of mine used to keep her pram in the car but I really don't like having to do that every time I go out. Especially if the weather is rubbish I then have to go out, assemble it, bring it in then get the DC's in it. Such a faff!

I have the over-door hangers and they are fab, would def use those there. I think it's just that I'm so used to being able to dump stuff in the hallway that it kind of freaks me out that I won't be able to do that anymore, so silly really!

And to have a loft will be fab.

It's frustrating because we know the type of house we really want, but don't have the extra 100k needed to get it! Sad Envy

OP posts:
greyhairsahead · 20/04/2012 22:25

panna no, the side of the stairs is in the lounge. When you walk in the front door all there is ahead is the staircase, iyswim. There is no space in the hall at all. Alot of the houses in this area don't have a hall, you'd walk straight into the lounge, in order to maximise space. But, doing that would lose some of the character, as there is cornicing in the hall..

OP posts:
cestlavielife · 20/04/2012 22:34

err get a smaller pram ?

Pannacotta · 20/04/2012 22:34

Where were you planning to store your coats/shoes? Is there room for a coat rack in the living room?

MarySA · 20/04/2012 22:36

I must say I do sympathise with your situation. We moved to a house which at the time we thought was great. But for years we have had a major battle with storage. Not helped by the fact that we aren't the tidiest of folk. However, I agree that there's no point in considering storage for prams buggies and so on. Because that stage doesn't last that long in the grand scheme of things. Though it's hard to believe that at the time. In our first house when we only had DD I kept the pram in the dining room. Not ideal but it had no hall to speak of.

cestlavielife · 20/04/2012 22:37

had small flat and hallway years ago and a pliko which could be left open

www.mamasandpapas.com/range/pliko-pramette/2412/

daft to not take a house if you like it otherwise because of pram and anyway children grow up and no more prams...

seb1 · 20/04/2012 22:38

Does it have a garage?

greyhairsahead · 20/04/2012 22:44

cestlavie It's a double tandem, so I'm pretty restricted in how small I can go. I'm thankful that I didn't go for a side-by-side as then we would really be screwed.

Panna there would be space in the lounge for a coat stand but it would look a bit odd, no?

seb no, it's a terrace. Garages are a very very rare luxury round here!

OP posts:
greyhairsahead · 20/04/2012 22:45

Oh and panna for shoes I'm thinking a storage cupboard in the lounge for everyday shoes would probably be ok?

OP posts:
RillaBlythe · 20/04/2012 22:50

A bit of space out front for one of those metal storage boxes/sheds? How old are the dc? Presumably you'll be onto a single soonish and a scooter and a balance bike

Pannacotta · 20/04/2012 22:52

A coat rack in the living room might look odd but I think you need somewhere near the front door to store your things or you will find it hard to keep the house tidy.

Better to have coat and shoe storage in the same place IMO, whether that is the living room or understairs cupboard - though this isnt ideal with access only from the kitchen.

Is there room for a shallow wardrobe cupboard in the living room for coats and shoes? The IKEA Pax range has a 30cm deep wardobe and comes in 50cm width. Any good?

Pannacotta · 20/04/2012 22:53

Some good ideas here showing hall storage even in small spaces
class="underline">menu>hallways>130x115>stylishhallway_ideas

Are small hooks an option?

TheDetective · 20/04/2012 22:59

I keep coats in the bedroom wardrobes. It might mean having less coats per person though. I have 4 coats, DP 3, DS has 4/5 I think! Unless you have under bed storage for the ones you wear less often, so can vacuum pack them, or just box them up.

I don't have any hall storage other than the cupboard under the stairs, which is tiny. That is where we dry the washing anyway! Boiler is in there!

All our shoes are inside our wardrobes, we have Ikea pax ones, with pull out baskets where the shoes go. Works well for us.

I think you are being daft! Go for the house if that is all that is stopping you!!

thisisyesterday · 20/04/2012 23:02

if you could afford to add a porch to the front that would be the obvious solution...
i know you say you couldn't do it without butchering the front... but is the front particularly special/lovely? you couldn't build a sympathetic porch? are there others on the row that have porches or something else?

lastly, can you link so we can see it??? :-D

greyhairsahead · 20/04/2012 23:17

Thanks ladies. Thisis sorry no linky I'm afraid. They are (small) victorian terraces, so the only ones with porches (though I'm not sure if there are any in the street) are the houses where the owner has decided thay don't like the bay window. Although it adds a little bit more space, it also has an adverse effect on the value of the house too! (doesn't look as pretty). The houses really don't suit porches.

Panna thanks for the link. There is no space in the hall at all for cupboards etc, though a couple of hooks for DC's coats might work. Atm I keep all my shoes bar the one pair I currently live in, in my bedroom in a little cupboard. DH keeps his in the hall but that's just habit, and I only have one DC in shoes right now. Shoes don't concern me too much.

I think the pram is my main concern but as you've all sensibly said, I won't need the double for that long.

OP posts:
thisisyesterday · 20/04/2012 23:29

ooh i have another idea.

is there anywhere at the back you could hang coats etc? by the back door?
or you could add a small porch at the back instead for storing stuff?

even better if it happens to be an end of terrace, or has access through the back garden..

greyhairsahead · 20/04/2012 23:32

Awww This good idea but no, no access into the garden except through the house. I did think of that when we were looking round but not an option, it'd be great if I could get in via the back door.

Where I come from back alleys are standard, not round here though.

OP posts:
thisisyesterday · 20/04/2012 23:32

k i am imagining it's a bit like this?

thisisyesterday · 20/04/2012 23:35

where do current owners store stuff? they may have a clever solution

greyhairsahead · 20/04/2012 23:37

It's been refurbished, so not lived it.
It has to be the understairs cupboard in the kitchen though, doesn't it?

OP posts:
greyhairsahead · 20/04/2012 23:40

Nice house! Yup v similar, only not as impressive upstairs (no loft convo and the bedrooms are smaller). So that's prob the same size hall as mine but it only has one door as it's a through lounge.

OP posts:
TheDetective · 20/04/2012 23:57

WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING ABOVE THE FIREPLACE! It looks freakin' dangerous

SoupDragon · 21/04/2012 12:03

in theory you could knock out the understairs cupboard so it is accessed via the lounge which might be more practical.

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