Move or not?

[OrchidFlakes]

Can anyone help me unravel this - confused with what may be best course of action.

We live in village I'll call it H and DS (5) goes to school in village J. DS2 is 2 and will go to the same school. Drive from H to J under 10 minutes.

Amenities in village H ok for food but no walks, decent park etc. J only a poorly stocked convenience store but great pub, cafe, walks etc.

We have a 4 bed (2 bedrooms up, 2 down - converted bungalow- small lounge nice kitchen diner, main bathroom downstairs, loo upstairs) we moved in 3 years ago and fully renovated now valued 100k more than we paid.

To get comparable in J we'd have to add another 100k at least on top of our new valuation which is way beyond our reach. We could buy a 2 bed fixer upper in budget but may not get planning for an extension (conservation area) but could internally jiggle to make it work and therefore get access to the better lifestyle in that village.

Do we look to move with one set of compromises (size primarily) and get location or stay where we are but effectively commute for school and leisure.

I can't see this objectively at the moment.

For a ten minute drive I think I'd stay where I am. There's also stamp duty and moving costs to consider apart from the extra 100k.

Where is the secondary school (thinking long term), children walking to school themselves, meeting up with friends?

We could buy a 2 bed fixer upper in budget but may not get planning for an extension (conservation area)

You could always ask the vendor to get outline permission, it takes the risk out of it. This plan only works, of course, if houses don't get snapped up without PP.
I second the thought of looking at the long term - secondary schools and general teenage access to transport.

I don't see that there is any urgency so I would bide my time until the right thing came on the market. Is this just a case of itchy feet because you have finished doing the current house and are casting around for a new project?

On the basis of what you've said I'd probably stay put. A 10 minute drive to the amenities isn't that far, and it sounds like you get a lot more house for your money staying where you are. If all you could afford in J is a 2-bed, then presumably your DS's would have to share a room and whilst not such an issue now, I think as they got older they would need their own space really.