move or extend house

[Tadla]

We are outgrowing living space for 2 adults, 2 dc and have one toilet which is becoming an issue!

Nice sized garden, not overlooked, walking distance to a good primary, just off on a main road etc.

options are to sell house and buy a 4 bed double garage, pay a load of stamp duty and have a greater mortgage each month but an amount which wouldn't leave us close to the point of penniless or to extend, use savings and borrow a bit to make it possible.

i know im lacking in a lot of detail but im really asking if anyone has bought a larger property with higher mortgage each month and regretted the stretch/impact.

we'd have to think about complete redecoration/ new kitchen for the houses that we've seen on the market, so maybe 15-20k for that too,

a rough estimate on a larger house would be £600 a month more than our mortgage now and it would be a 25 year one - we are just into our 30s if that makes any difference. it would be affordable on paper but in reality, might mean fewer weekends away over and saving less each month.

Any one regret moving to a larger property or wish they'd not extended

A cautionary tale: Years ago we decided to extend as we thought this would be cheaper than moving and we loved our house - but only 1 bathroom, 2 dcs and no room to swing the cat.

We got an architect to draw up plans and he said what we were planning would cost in the region of £60k to build. But we would end up with a 4 bed house, ensuite bathroom, much more room downstairs and a downstairs loo. Went through planning, rejected the first time, amended plans, (more fees to architect) and finally got our planning permission.

We then got 3 builders to quote for the work.

The cheapest quote was £120k .

We had just wasted nearly a year and several hundred quid to find out it would be cheaper to move.

Get a builder in first to have a look round and give you a REALISTIC ballpark figure of what the work would cost.

Thanks CQ. This consultation is less than £50 but will call a builder too.

I would hate it if my neighbour extended as it would be over their garage.
It would devalue my house by making it dark and gloomy and would take away all privacy. We would not be able to sell it.
I do not have a problem with people extending as long as it does not devalue and ruin other peoples enjoyment of their homes.

we are unhappy about the first extension as the builders messed about on our land, it went on for fucking ages, and it turns out it should never have been built and if we'd known that within 4 years of it being built we could have had it pulled down. Only we didn't because we stupidly believed them when they said it didn't need planning.

and I'm not happy about the second just because - they haven't spoken to us about it at all and they've buggered off to their other house leaving us to be inconvenienced by it all. And it's the same sodding builders!!!!

we have now found out that our council take light very very seriously and don't give PP for extensions that will affect light, so yours might be the same LL12.

Building work is never fun. i dont want to upset my neighbours as they are very good to be semi detached from!

We moved to somewhere more than a third bigger than our last house.
I wouldn't have coped with the mess and dust of extending (also DD is asthmatic).

We wouldn't have got everything that we have got here by extending without it being a major job- for e.g. all the bedrooms here are much bigger than any in the last house.

We live in a nicer area now too and have loads nicer neighbours. Also the mortgage we took out for this was very small, as we had savings too so we wasn't stretched and no lifestyle changes.

No regrets at all, absolutely love it and we can always downsize later in life and release some equity when we retire, if we want.

I moved from my 2nd house but wish I'd extended. I then extended my 3rd house and moved straight after to my 4th house (which I love). I know this is no help but I can see what a tricky dilemma you have.
600 more a month is quite a chunk to find.