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Original poster

Will I regret buying a house with a tiny garden?

32 replies

ColossalKalamari · 11/06/2017 17:07

The house is beautiful and in my budget, in a reasonable area, no major decoration work needed but the garden is a tiny courtyard. Would it put you off? I'm a ftb with no children and none in the immediate plan

OP posts:
FrogsLegs31 · 11/06/2017 17:11

Just how tiny?

sunshinesupermum · 11/06/2017 17:12

If it's not going to be your forever home nd you love it then go for it :)

AlternativeTentacle · 11/06/2017 17:12

Oh gosh no - I need a garden or I'd go mad.

babyturtles · 11/06/2017 17:12

Do you have space to hang some washing out?

I think I'd buy it, no kids yet...

NapQueen · 11/06/2017 17:13

I love a courtyard garden (only option round my wayy!).

Is it big enough to have somewhere to sit and a few pot plants? Or is it basically filled with the bins?

toffeeboffin · 11/06/2017 17:13

Do you like gardening?

We have a huge garden but don't have time to garden so we should have bought a house with a small garden, obviously.

You live and learn.

ChampagneCommunist · 11/06/2017 17:13

Boy outdoor housework (gardening) & space to sit with a G&T? I'd pay extra!

Wallywobbles · 11/06/2017 17:13

Room for table and 4 chairs and a washing line then you are good to go.

Rollypoly100 · 11/06/2017 17:14

If you've lived in a flat with no outdoor space then any size garden is nice I would have thought.

toffeeboffin · 11/06/2017 17:14

But we do have kids so they run riot in it so it does have it uses.

ChampagneCommunist · 11/06/2017 17:14

No outdoor housework - is what I tried to type

notangelinajolie · 11/06/2017 17:22

It would depend on the size of the house. A small 2 bed cottage or terraced property with a little courtyard garden is lovely but if it was a bigger house I would look for a garden to match. Looking to the future it may be harder to sell and could possibly put some people off.

DarthMaiden · 11/06/2017 17:22

Sounds like a house for sale near to me.

3 bed cottage. It's really pretty.

The reality is whilst it works for you, you could well have resale issues as the market is more restricted.

If you can live with that then go ahead....

Smarshian · 11/06/2017 17:25

Depends on your priorities. We are just moving out of our much loved home for one with a garden as we have just become parents. Have loved this home without a garden (just a courtyard) and have lived here for 4 years. Was definitely the right decision for us to buy it as it has suited us well and we've loved it and has given us extra equity and time to save for our forever home (the next move). I'd go for it if I were you

NotYoda · 11/06/2017 17:28

I agree that if the garden doesn't 'match' the house then you may have problems selling. Having said that, if you decide that the house suits you, so why wouldn't it suit someone else ?

I do live in London, and in our area all the gardens are small and everyone is happy to have an outside space at all.

I don't know if you can buy a house on the basis of theoretical children, but again, having a small garden hasn't been a problem for us with two kids.

Erinys · 11/06/2017 17:29

We have a small garden, terraced, no grass. When we bought we had no kids and no desire for them. The fact that there was no grass to cut and you could sit on the terrace with a glass of window and look at the sea were huge selling points.

We now have ds (2) and I'm pregnant again. I get the odd pang of jealousy when we go to friends who have grass/flat big gardens but we live fairly close to a couple of play parks and I love the house too much to want to leave.

FlouncingInTheRain · 11/06/2017 17:39

My small garden is the only real issue/ downfall with my current house. It has advantages that its incredibly private. I've had houses with acreage that i've loved and worked incredibly hard to landscape and maintain, tiny courtyards and most things inbetween including my current small garden.

Every house has its compomise, unless you've a botomless budget.

I have managed to do quite a bit with my small garden that I couldn't have afforded to do in a big one. It was a bit of a dump so I stripped it out and have been able to get some quite big standard trees olives, privets and some photonias (technically a bush). Its mainly large potted evergreens but looks good to my eye year round. We've built a large covered area off the house with comfy ikea wooden sofas under so the garden is more like a green outdoor room than grassy lawn expanse.

If you google courtyard gardens you can find some amazing inspiration.

I've got three DC and the garden is big enough for a small inflatable paddling pool or swingball but anything else like football we go to the park.

Some practicalities to consider are things like do you need a shed for cans of paint, a bike, tools or will these go in the house (loft?). Where will you keep your bins. Can you hang washing out on a nice day and still have space to sit out, you can get lovely compact wall mount washing lines.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 11/06/2017 17:41

As long as there is room to hang washing out,a small table and chairs and a few pots I'd be ok.

Puffpaw · 11/06/2017 17:45

We looked at a beautiful semi detached Victorian cottage, top of our budget, with a courtyard garden. We bought a small scruffy 4 bed detached with a huge garden instead. Because the garden was one of the most important things to me. Now dh spends all his time mowing and I spend every weekend weeding. A gorgeous sunny courtyard might have been a better choice! Luckily I like being outdoors in the mud.

HappydaysArehere · 11/06/2017 17:46

Have you got somewhere to park a car? That would make a difference when selling. Some people don't want a big garden as they get older.

Original poster
ColossalKalamari · 11/06/2017 17:49

It's a nice little courtyard with a washing line and room for a table. It's quite overlooked but could be screened a little bit with some pot plants. I'm not sure how much sun it gets as it wraps around the house, and there's no parking except on the road

OP posts:
applesandpears33 · 11/06/2017 17:52

Is the garden north facing? I wouldn't mind a courtyard garden so long as it got some sun.

Original poster
ColossalKalamari · 11/06/2017 22:16

I'm not sure which way it faces (stupidly didn't check!), the fence probably shadows it quite a lot though. It's a fairly small terraced house so not a massive family house with a small garden. I was hoping for bigger but I realise ive got to compromise somewhere!

OP posts:
eurochick · 11/06/2017 22:33

Our last place had a small paved courtyard garden, which was perfect for us pre kids. We now have a big garden and it's such a burden. We are not gardeners but there is always something that needs doing.

uthredswife · 11/06/2017 22:51

The no parking space would be a bigger issue. How busy is the road? How likely are you to get a space near your house? Will you mind never being able to wash your car in your own drive? Pokey very overlooked garden would be a big negitive for me. And I'd worry it may be difficult to sell on. Is it a city centre property or suburban (i.e who are your neighbors going to be)? Town would be ok but if it's suburbia it may be difficult to sell.

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