Will a driveway just at the back drive us crazy?

[MaryPoppinsPenguins]

Hello! Buying a house that is on a corner and has the garage at the back with a driveway.. (on a different street.)

I've contacted the council and checked we can drop the kerb and have a drive at the front and we can, but obviously that's pricey.

We will have some money for work when we move in but can't afford to do everything we want to do. I think we should leave the drive for now, and do it at a later date. DH thinks that parking at the back with 2 kids, shopping etc... he's also worried that if we leave it too long council rules might change and we won't be able to do it.

WWYD? (I'm thinking new bathroom more important!)

Do the bathroom first. The rules on dropped kerbs are unlikely to change.

I used to live in a house where the driveway joined the back of the garden and if I'm honest it was a pain. I either had to lug shopping through the garden, or park at the front, unload and then shift the car. I used to get drenched if it was raining. Also, because the driveway wasn't obviously connected to a house, I'd get random cars parking there (usually people visiting neighbours who either "didn't realise it was someone's drive" or who had been told "Flo said it was ok to park there" ).

Personally speaking, I'd seriously think twice about buying a house with this arrangement unless I could afford to get access put in at the front.

I'd want tall gates at the back, with strong bolts and a king-size padlock. You will also need lighting and a better lock on the back door (because you can't supplement it with internal bolts if it is your Final Exit Door).

if you are prosperous you might consider electrically operated gates.

Electric gates sound amazing but probably pricier than just getting a driveway right?

don't know.

Security is a good point. Although I never had any trouble, my neighbour (with the same arrangement as me) had his car broken into one night. Obviously all areas are different, but to an opportunist, a car on a secluded driveway will be more attractive than one parked under someone's bedroom window.

Hmmm. Depends, how far to walk in with bags kids etc, can you make back door the entrance/exit easily? We do everything via the side gates and back door to boot room but that's normal in the country vs town I suppose. Doubt rules will change but agree I'd do bathroom first!

Our driveway is at the back, accessed from a different road, and I find it ok. It's quite nice taking the shopping straight into the kitchen instead of having to carry it through the house. We don't have special security measures but it's a well-lit access road used by lots of houses.

rear or side access means that people can get into your back garden, and approach your outbuildings, back door, kitchen window, garden tools etc.

I prefer to keep the perimeter secure.

I think it depends on the area. When our dc were 3 and 1 we moved to a house in a village where the drive was behind the house. It was fine. We used to go into the house via the side gate into the garden. Or I'd unload at the front and then move the car round. But we'd moved from a terraced house in a city centre where there was very little parking and sometimes I'd end up parking streets away and then havei to get baby, toddler and shopping back to the house which wasn't fun.