Incorporate house next door or move?

[ApplesTheHare]

There's a small landlocked house attached to my house/in my garden. The couple who own it would like to move so have asked if we'd like to buy it. Can't decide whether knocking the two through and creating an awesome big house is a good idea, or sorting out the land so one's not landlocked and selling both would be better.

I don't really want to move but one big house would be limited in value as the area has lots of teeny terraces. I can't help but think it doesn't make financial sense to knock through, although I'd love the resulting house and could do with the space

Incorporate the house, but do so in a way that means you can sell the properties individually in the future, should you need to.

A friend of mine did this. Bought the house next door and merged them together, but kept the access between the houses to a single door on each floor that was easy to block off again, and kept both staircases. Meant they sorted out the shared access driveway as well.

Two separate houses with proper access are likely to be worth more and be easier to sell.

If you had a big house, would you envisage staying there for ever / a very long time?

Sort out the access and until you want to move have one access door to them and use both!

So I'm the small property the kitchen becomes utility room, bathroom becomes ensuite with master bedroom?

We need floor plans!!!

Yes to floor plans!

You'd also need to check with the council that you could convert 2 houses into one. I think it's likely to be frowned upon.

If you have a big house with more of an annex/small house attached then it could be nice to knock them through if that creates a big detached house provided the garden and parking are adequate for a big property.

To be honest, though, I'd rather move to a fancier road with other big houses rather than live in the only fancy house surrounded by tiny terraces.

Ooh sounds like a fun opportunity, I'd do it (money allowing) just do what there have said make it easy to separate the two for future sale potential.
No hassle of moving day, no risk of shitty neighbours, no moving schools/ doctors/ childminders.

My dream! But yes future proof it through plans.

Thanks everyone, I wish I had floor plans but I've never been into this other house so I'm not sure what the inside is like!

We'd be hoping to stay forever if we did it. In our 30s now so I'd hope to stay until at least our 60s. Very positively, our road is the only one with a few large houses on and one has sold recently. The property also has a disproportionately large garden and several separate garages and outbuildings so I don't think we'd have an imbalance between house and property generally. But yeah all the tiny terraces in the surrounding area make me wonder if we will end up staying longer term or start to crave a better area

Do you love the location of your home?

If I could have a big house in a terrace street it would be my dream! I love our current House but terrace house neighbours are better (we never see ours now as we all have drives!)

Sounds like a great idea, and like pp said, you can just separate them again when you want to sell.

Chewbecca good question!

I'm not sure love is accurate, but I appreciate the house prices (houses like ours that are in the south sell for six figure sums), how private our property is while also being within walking distance of amenities, the nearby rural walks and our neighbours. Everyone on our street is insanely lovely. I mean, I'm not sure I could really ask for more. Saying that, I probably haven't lived here long enough to love it, iyswim?

DonaldWeasley we're really lucky. It's a small street so there's a culture of regular neighborhood get togethers here. That in itself feels very valuable in this day and age where a lot of people don't know their neighbours.

If you have all of that I'd stay as long as possible!! There are a few homes hidden away like you describe around me and I'd love to live in one.