Am I mad? My heart says yes but head says no!

[Bagger288]

Currently live in a 2-bed Victorian terrace. It's me, DH and a 1 year old, plus dog and cat.

We've seen the most gorgeous country cottage. Idyllic location. Commutable to our work, just outside of the city so 15 minutes and you're in a place with proper shops etc. It's just been totally re-wired, new boiler put in, etc... it has a gorgeous garden, newly-turfed, a stream running alongside. Quiet but not too quiet. Lovely community. So picturesque. We both love it. I've got butterflies.

However... there are some massive downsides.

It's only a two-bed. If we had another baby, they could share for a while, but what about when the eldest is a teenager? It has room for an extension, but still...
The rooms are a bit pokey; large enough but low-ceilinged.
No hallway - the front door opens straight onto the living room.
No mains gas, only oil.
It's on a flood plain. The last time it flooded was in 1968 when a dam burst, but it would still factor into insurance.
The gardens are lovely but neither of us have 'gardened' properly before, so the learning curve would be massive.

Are we mad to be taking something like this on when starting a family? Should we be looking to upsize massively instead?

It's a real 'head vs heart' dilemma...

You could, at a push, put a stud wall up in one of the bedrooms to make it a 3 bed. They'd be small rooms but if the cellar was a play room then you wouldn't need loads of bedroom space for toys.
What about that viaduct in the background, is that in use and if so how noisy is it?
I would be wary of flooding for sure. There seems to be a lot more flooding these last few years.

It’s a sweet house, and a lovely location but I think it’s more for an older retired couple, not a growing family.

There’s no storage, the rooms aren’t as big as you think. A cellar in a house next to a river would have the potential for damp so may not be useable as you hope.

Even though it appears well fenced I don’t think I’d feel comfortable letting a toddler play in the garden alone (or minimally supervised) so close to the river.

I’d keep looking. I bet you can get a similar location with a lot more house.

It looks lovely. DH grew up in a village near Chew Magna and loved it. He tells me how much better it was than my suburban childhood / teens! If it's also in catchment for Chew Valley school you're onto a winner.

Have a look to see if nearby houses have been extended as that will give you ideas for the future. PIL bought their house as a 2 bed bungalow but it's now a 3 bed house. All of the houses in their street have been extended in different ways.

However Chew Magna nearby does flood. DH's friends live there and have been flooded at least twice that I know of. I'd look into that aspect a bit more before committing.

It's quite overlooked, if rural appeals would this not bother you?

And check that you could definitely extend if needed.

I was surprised how plain and box like it feels tbh. I was expecting nice door, stone walls, beams or cornicing- it doesn't scream country cottage. Remember in the UK we spend a lot of time inside our houses- i really needs to work. With no furniture it will look much bigger. Are there any old photos online of previous sales with it furnished?

I agreewith @Sidge. It's a future house for you but in 30+ years.

Can you find out why the previous sale fell through?

The basement isnt accessed from the house is it? There's no stairs!

You couldnt then use it as an additional bedroom or a playroom as you couldn't leave the kids in one part of the house with no access to you in the other! Especially at night!

I wouldn't even think about it. Its too small if you have any thought of a second child and i dont think the ability to extend is guaranteed. Even if it was, you wouldnt get the cost back on the value of the house because the back to back caps it low anyway

Look at sepa website to check flood risk.

I wouldn't buy next to water with young children. You'll never have a minutes peace