What's more important: house + location or garden?

[purplefig]

I'm currently pregnant with our first and starting to think about what we'll need from a home in the future. In your opinion, what's more important: a house and location, or having a garden?

We currently live in a spacious three bedroom terraced Victorian terrace. It was a state when we bought it, but we've just about finished renovating it and I love how it looks and feels now. It's in a town I love and just around the corner from a children's centre, great primary school, shops, restaurants, swimming pool, yoga studio etc. Plus, there is the opportunity to convert the loft into a 4th bedroom / en suite.

My only issue with it is, it doesn't have a garden and from the threads I've read on mumsnet, it seems like having a garden is hugely preferable with young children.

There is currently a tiny north facing courtyard which we could expand (we need to knock down a poorly built, useless extension) that would make it a slightly bigger space. Maybe 5m by 5m. We are considering turning it into parking though, as currently just have on street parking.

While we don't have a garden, we are a five/ten minute walk from multiple beaches, a lovely public garden and a few children's park.

To get a garden in our area we'd have to move further out, meaning it wouldn't be a short walk into town. Plus we'd likely have to downsize the house and probably go for a modern house, which isn't my preference.

What would you do in this situation? Move to a house with a garden? Convert small courtyard into parking? Make courtyard as nice as possible?

Ooh definitely stay put and transform the courtyard! If it works some nice artificial lawn in one area would make a nice play surface, plus as other have said perhaps a sand pit and paddling pool and a bistro set for the grown ups. Hanging baskets will save on floor space if you want some colour from flowers. A bit of bunting (who doesn’t love bunting!) and some co-ordinated accessories and it will be a lovely outside space.

So I've lived in 3 houses in the last year and a bit. We sold our house we bought in 2015 last year feb 2018, for a better location but small garden. We then realised as little one grew older (now 19 months) that she needed a garden, a proper garden. So we just completed in may 2019 on a house that needed full renovation so that we could have the space in the house plus the good sized garden that we needed. We also didnt want to be overlooked which we have definitely achieved here. The area is still good but not a 'fantastic' area like the house with the smallest garden.

Tbh the area that was supposed to be fantastic had a much higher crime rate than our first house ever did. Break ins, car and van break ins, awful youths throwing stuff at windows and snotty neighbours!

OP. It was just a balcony. One side was concrete and other 2 were bars. I just sat out there with a rug and my dolls and made it their house. I tried ribbons on the bars and when I was a little older I had pot plants and grew all sorts. I had a tiny fishing chair to sit and read too. It was my haven. To this day I look at balconies with jealousy and happiness. I've told my DH when we retire I want to buy an apartment with a balcony.

"who doesn’t love bunting"
Me

Can you make it into an occasional parking space but mostly a garden, perhaps with the use of gates that can be opened when you need to park? This would be useful in the winter when most people don't go into their gardens. Woukd you then have a place to park across your own dropped curb? Even though it is your gated off garden (mostly) behind the gates?

I lived literally on a park, and we didn't use it nearly as much as I thought we would. When we moved from there, garden was a priority.

Outside space your kids can be free in is important. More important than a parking space. Make the courtyard nicer, bigger and kid-friendly, that's your answer.

It doesn't need to be huge. 5m x 5m is absolutely fine. But it'll open up a whole world of toddling / running about outside, playing with water, ride on toys etc. And fresh air is good for you!