What would you prefer - bigger reception rooms or bigger bedrooms?

[Purplepassages]

Trying to decide which house to put an offer on, and feeling a bit

One has an extension over a large garage and 4 double bedrooms and is much more spacious upstairs than downstairs.

The other has an odd upstairs layout (which can't feasibly be changed) - 2 double and 2 single bedrooms (plus bathroom and a lot of landing space) - but two spacious downstairs rooms, plus a smallish kitchen.

We have a baby and a toddler, hoping to move somewhere they'll grow up. Can't get my head around how we'd actually use the space as they grow up; we currently have a small two bedroom flat, so it'd be a big change.

Any thoughts/experiences? WWYD?

Definitely bigger reception rooms. We're currently buying a house which an ok layout upstairs, but bit smaller than ideal, but amazing room downstairs. I'd always go for bigger downstairs as this is where you spend most of your (waking) time, especially with small children.

We are in the process of selling our house which has more bedroom space than living space and it was an issue for buyers. I am really looking forward to having decent living space. It does put you off entertaining when your living space is cramped so that's what I would go for if you had to choose.

However, when we were looking we choose the house over an extended 90s house with a huge living room and dining room but tiny, tiny bedrooms and I think we made the right decision as I would find seriously small bedrooms stressful!

Also, are single bedrooms really that traumatic? We have DS and hoping for another. We are moving to a house with two doubles and a single and am thinking it would be nice if we are eventually in a position to move but not the end of the world if we can't.

I'd always go for the house with the bigger bedrooms. If you have most of your space downstairs then most of your belongings are in the more public area which all visitors see, instead of in the more private area of your bedrooms.

We are buying a house with a big double and two not very big bedrooms for us and our 2 DC. But downstairs has an ok sized lounge, fabulous big kitchen diner, play room and a 4th bedroom with en suite. I'm delighted. Really don't mind the small upstairs... Kids rooms are big enough for what they need but downstairs is great for being hospitable but also just for our general usage. Kids can play in their rooms if they like but I don't expect they will. We have saved some money in the sale so there's always the possibility of making more bedroom space in the loft but realistically we will probably use it to gain even more living space downstairs.

I would also give the children a single room each and have the other double as a room they can use as play/study room when older, with a sofa bed if possible.

Downstairs space is very important with young children IME

We have a huge bedroom 16ft by 20ft but only go in there to sleep I would much prefer larger living space as its where we spend all our time.

Bigger reception rooms, don't spend much time in bedrooms. In fact it's one of the things that drives me batty in USA, are the huge master bedrooms. I have no idea what the appeal is.

If this is going to be your 'forever' home, then downstairs space is much more important.

While the years that they may spend a lot in their bedrooms might seem endless while you're going through them, in the grand scheme of things it's not that long. You'll have years and years beforehand of them playing downstairs, as well as after they've moved out - perhaps hosting big family get togethers?

Reception rooms.

But I don't have children, and if I did I might want them to have plenty of room so they could play in the bedrooms when they have friends round (and stay out of my way).

Definitely more space downstairs. But, more than that - what's MOST important is a good layout, with good storage.

We moved a few years ago from a huge house with huge everything to a much smaller property - the smaller one was so much nicer. Felt cosier and was easier to clean, and the brilliant layout meant that we enjoyed it as a home much more. E.g. huge house had separate kitchen and dining room - small house had kitchen diner as largest room. Initially I baulked at not having a separate dining room, but came to love it - we spent all our family time in that room, I could have DD at the table doing stuff while I cooked, etc.

Smaller, fewer rooms can often be better to actually live efficiently.

So - 2 doubles, 2 singles sounds fine to me. Children both equally placed in singles, with big second bedroom as playroom/office/sofabed spare room. But hw small are the singles? Would they get a 3/4 bed in them, or are we talking literally boxrooms? (oooh...)

What's the storage like?

You say this is the one with a big downstairs, but then say it's got 2 rooms and a smallish kitchen - that doesn't sound brilliant.

Maybe neither house is the one??

hmm. They are not going to be able to grow into small bedrooms, as sooner or later all their gubbins is going to move into those rooms. Also - how many visitors are you likely to have - will you have space (we are thinking that when DD goes to school the number of weekend visitors will go up). I think it's the number of rooms downstairs and the layout that's more important, especially looking to the future - one huge room might be great now, but what about when the DC are older and have friends round, doing homework, that kind of thing?

Bigger reception rooms.

Our house is ace for that - two large reception rooms and a longish separate kitchen.

We did go to the trouble of making an extra bedroom upstairs, but only one of the DC spends any time of note in his room. So at least with having two downstairs rooms we don't have to fight over the televisions - I can watch my stuff and they can play on the PS3 - without disturbing each other.

also good for having guests around. You aren't all squashed in.

I think the bigger, better rooms downstairs will be much more important too.
We have two DC and one has much bigger bedroom than other. But one with smaller room is much tidier (he's also younger) so it works fine. He doesn't make much fuss about it - has a cabin bed with cosy den underneath, and room for a small desk too. We've said he can probably have his big sister's room when she goes off to Uni (weird to think that far ahead !) - but we'll have to see how that works out (and what dd has to say about that !)
Good luck - seems you like the one with bigger downstairs rooms better anyway ?

I'm going to disagree, big bedrooms!!!!!

You can never have enough wardrobe, soft toy, desk to do HW and dump lap tops on space.

Room to store towels, bedclothes, shoes, sewing machines, fabric, ten tons of DD1's art stuff, A large keyboard. My poor dining diningroom is clutted enough, without more of the DDs stuff living there.

Visitors need somewhere to sit once in a bluemoon. Bedrooms are used and played in every day. I have no idea how people live in modern houses with tiny beadrooms.

Where do you put your clothes?? Toys, craft stuff, etc, etc

Not to mention book cases, all bedrooms must be big enough for a book case and several shelves.

Also older DC don't want their friends in the reception rooms they want to be upstairs dressing up, playing schools, playing SIMs, Minecraft, doing their hair hairand nails, chatting out of ear shot of parents - ajust list to fit age and gender of child.

I would go for the downstairs space too - but then I just use a bedroom to sleep and keep clothes in. You'll have a spare double room to use for any other bits and pieces, or as an office/workroom.

I also love a big landing - which is where I would be keeping all the towels/sheets/whatever, or if I can, have a comfy chair as an out of the way space to read in (had a desk on one in one house I rented, really loved sitting there being able to see out of the upstairs windows).

I had a tiny bedroom growing up though, so it's what I'm used to. If you're more 'hang out in the bedroom' types perhaps that's not for you?

Depend how long you plan on staying there. With toddlers it's good to have the space downstairs, but big bedrooms are very useful as it means lots of the playing can happen upstairs ( as soon as they get to about 4) so you are not constantly surrounded by children's toys.

Also it sounds as though with the small bedroom house you can't change much to improve it. I'd go with the bigger bedrooms and work on improving the ground floor layout - either extend or use the garage space more effectively. If the upstairs is already extended over the garage it will balance the house more.

We just moved to a house and compromised on bedrooms, 2 single, 2 double with 3 DC but great downstairs space with a separate room currently a playroom that can evolve into a teen den and we still keep the toys out of the front room. If there couldn't be a separate downstairs room for the children's things then I would want bigger bedrooms for them.

Living space beats bedroom area hands down in my book.
Plus the huge bonus of 2 reception rooms means the ability for everyone to find some space in the house, as they start to grow up.
Big bedrooms are nice ....but not as vital as room to manouevre downstairs. Plus the over garage bedroom in the first house you mention will always be a cold room!!

Also older DC don't want their friends in the reception rooms they want to be upstairs

I disagree, when 2 reception rooms are available. Sitting room and a den gave mine the luxury to have stereo blaring in one (and some 'privacy') when they were teens, while we could still sit and chat in the other.
Plus loads of room for toys etc in the den when they were younger.

i lived in a house that was tiny downstairs and huge upstairs, loved it!! the girls shared a massive room and had all their toys up there, much easier to keep organised and tidy and kept downstairs much tidier. i know have a massive room downstairs and 2 good size doubles and 1 single. toys are everywhere upstairs and down and their bedroom is a nightmare. although it doesn't help that this one doesn't have a garage and the other did. so, going against the grain, i'd go for upstairs space personally (never thought i would!)

if you have two children, surely the eldest gets the biggest room and the younger one gets the single room. Generations of families have followed this tradition with little strife and few younger siblings emerge into adulthood traumatized by the experience.

Bigger downstairs gets my vote.

Downstairs space definitely.

My teens entertain their friends in the den. This is where their computer is as well as the 2nd TV (I have a no computer/TV upstairs rule). Their rooms are singe bedrooms and we never have an issue with this - the fourth bedroom which is a double is used as a spare room. Sleepovers take place there.

Crafts things are in the cupboard next to dining table - you do not want glitter, glue or pens in bedrooms!!

Lots to think about here, thank you. Will make a list of thoughts, and look at both houses again. Small-downstairs house is not too small to have any friends round, but it would be a squeeze to have a whole other family round once the baby is no longer a baby. But small-upstairs house would mean one child in a much smaller room than the other.

I was the younger child in the tiny room - my big brother's room was about double my room space. Not traumatised, but did get cross about it sometimes. Interestingly, I left home at 18 and he clung on until 25, so perhaps small rooms for kids are the way forward!

I was going to say the same as others have done - give them both a small room and set up the other double as a playroom with plenty of storage and a decent sofabed. That way nobody feels hard done by and there is still plenty of space to play.