Another "which house would you choose?" thread.

[cavell]

I absolutely love one of these houses, quite like another and hate the other. Dh loves one (obviously not the same one that I do, or there wouldn't be this "dilemma") and quite likes the other two. I won't say which is which for now - I just want to try to get things straight in my head about it.

House A: absolutely stunning 3acre garden. Layout not ideal for us but would be okay until we are able to fund building an extension in 1-2 years time. 1.5 mile walk to the train station for dd1 to go to school. Nearest neighbour approsimately 300m. Near busy road and with a quiet train line running along the edge of the garden. Can't see the road from the house, traffic noise acceptable. Very well "finished" inside.

House B: large garden with established trees but more "normal" sized. Not overlooked. Light and spacious inside but with a few cosmetic jobs to do and the windows all need replacing. On quiet residential road. Approximately 1 mile from train station. Not much potential to add value.

House C; (very badly) converted barn. Amazing views. Huge garden plus 3 acres of paddock. (No, we don't have a horse, nor do we ever plan to). Needs gutting on the inside. Quite dark. Possibly damp. Set on its own, near some playing fields. Nearest neighbour approx 300m. Could possibly be done up and sold on at a large profit, but we would, basically, be living in a dump until we could afford to do so. Perhaps 2 years down the line. Approximately 1 mile from train station.

[littlecrystal]

House B! House B any time! I would not want to be a house slave, in the sense that spending most of my time supervising building, thinking where to improve, dealing with builders. I just would want to live life that is not centered around the house.

[MyMotherHadMeTested]

Having read the OP I was sure you liked House A, and Dh House C. I was going to go for House B - House A is too far from station, House C needs too much work, and when you have children I think the most important thing is to have a house to live in - practical, close to the things you need, etc. So having read the rest of the thread it turns out I agree with you - House B it is!

[CrazyOldCatLady]

It has to be B, really. A is too far from the station and 3 acres is too big if you're struggling with a normal garden. C is just impossible with kids.

Tell your DH he can have land when you can afford a gardener.

[MILLYMOLLYMANDYMAX]

House A has a train line and a busy road. That would be a definite no no.
House B needs work and although maybe not on the face of it that much you will end up doing more than you set out to do, windows wil mean probably a new paint job in the rooms and if there is not much profit in it I would give it a miss.

House C as long as you get it at the right price and get a good builder in to get it done whilst you live/camp elsewhere. I would allow about 12 weeks, then you will have a perfect house with a good garden. The 3 acre plot I would see if you could rent out to a horsey/farmer type person more for them to look after than it being your responsibility.

[Mintyy]

I would pick b.

The size of the garden at house a is too much plus its on a main road and has traffic noise.

A job like house c should really only be done by people who have always intended to find a doer-upper. It rarely goes well when inexperienced people decide to go for it on a whim.

[steppemum]

Just a thought, if the 3 acres are paddocks, and properly fenced, then you could let them to horse owners in the village. Where we used to live there were always people looking for pasture. The income might even be enough to do the building work.

[lighthousesea]

From someone who owns a large garden, an acre of mature garden is a full time job. 3 acres is a lot of work. Are you able to pay for help? Do you have the time at weekends and evenings to dedicate to it? I would only tackle 3 acres if both parties are on board. If your dp is not into gardening that's a bit strain on your relationship and time.

[steppemum]

I agree lighthouse, my mum is a serious gardener and retired, and she had a garden of 1 acre, it was a full time job, and she has just given it up.

[Leopoldina]

grazing is not very lucrative - the paddocks by us in the pricey south east rent at the princely sum of £25 / week because they aren't connected to mains water / electricity / have no shelter. unless you invest, it doesn't raise much cash - though at least you can put the burden of maintenance on the tenant. You may of course occasionally find a horse in the garden - as we do from the neighbouring fields. It's as well I like horses... and they appear not to be too keen on my herbaceous borders.

[dietstartsmonday]

I think i should marry your DH, as house c and a campsite would appeal to me!!

However in your position i would say house B is the sensible choice really.

All i would say about house c is how soon could afford the work? If quite soon you could always live on site ( mobile home ) as you have the space to do that. However if you are looking at notbeing able to afford to do it up for some time, then that would count it out for me.

[MILLYMOLLYMANDYMAX]

We lived in holiday cottage accommodation nearby when we had a previous house done.