Is this the one or should we hold out?

[Sweetmelody72]

We have moved more often than we’ve wanted to in the past, and this next house has to be the last before we downsize (if we ever need to).

I can’t decide if this house is the one for us or not. Character properties are few and far between, where we live. This one has high ceilings, big big room sizes and can easily be extended to a four bed with a small double storey extension at the front as the neighbours have done (even five if we convert the loft). If we can get it at the right price, it is comfortably affordable which is important to me as I want to pay off the mortgage before I’m 55.

However, the garden and rear aspect would be a compromise and can’t decide if it’s one too far. Garden faces north, is on two levels and is overlooked. My parents are keen gardeners and their advice is that clever planting will give us privacy up to the height of a garage, and even though we would be overlooked by first floor bedroom windows, this won’t be a massive issue as bedrooms aren’t occupied as often as living spaces.

I cannot decide if for a ‘forever house’ these are things we should compromise on or we should hold out. I just want to be settled and fed up of life being on hold with so little coming on the market

link removed by MNHQ at OP's request

Do you have the money in your budget to do the work needed?

Yes - that’s all been accounted for

And it needs a lot of work but prefer a project

We waited 3 years in a rental to find the forever house. We nearly compromised on a north facing garden as we were desperate but an architect advised us against it and I’m so glad. One year later we found a bit overlooked south facing one. I would always hold out for the best. And especially in a forever house.

Not overlooked!!

I thought you were saying you compromised on the overlooking but not the orientation 😂

I really like this house and so sick of waiting (being looking for a year now and everything we’ve liked has been a compromise)

That’s not what I call overlooked! There a lot of vegetation to make it feel quite private. It’s been for sale for 9 months though- overpriced?

With a garden that big, it doesn’t matter which way it faces as it is going to get the sun!
With a small courtyard garden it is a problem. We have a north facing garden, which is big but not as big as that garden and we can alway find some sun at different times of the day.

Speaking purely about the garden - I wouldn't be deterred. It's a bit overlooked but many are. There's already lots of mature greenery - love the silver birch to the right! And you can plant a couple more trees in the gap to soften that.

Depends on your priorities but If the actual house and location are right, I'd be inclined to go for it. No doubt if the garden were south facing and totally private it would cost more money.

That’s a nice garden which I prefer to the house.

The last picture (12) shows the worst of the overlooking.

House been on for a while and reduced from 780 so we’ve offered accordingly, which has been rejected so we are considering our next move.

I think it's lovely and the work that needs doing could wait if you need to save up. It's not like it's a wreck.
The garden is lovely.

I think it’s could be a lovely house with a bit of work.

The N facing garden would be an issue for me so I’d try to have my main living spaces at the front to benefit from the sunshine.

In terms of overlooking, it’s be a very easy job - either a stilted hedge like the one in the attached photo or some evergreen trees. You can buy them at several metres tall but you’d need to factor that into the budget as they don’t come cheap.

A stilted hedge? Who knew! Thanks JoJo

I’m can’t decide whether a garden that doesn’t face north is an ‘essential’ or ‘nice to have’. With this house, the kitchen diner and family room (with the TV) would probably need to be at the back, with a glass roof in the Kitchen extension to maximise the light. It’s difficult to see how the layout would work if we put the family room at the front and the second reception at the back as ideally it would be connected to the kitchen.

I think that's a nice garden. You like the house, and you have been looking for a long time, so I'd say go for it.

With a long garden North Facing is not that big an issue.

But remember that the rooms on NF side will be very dark. I have a SF back but the rooms at the front are dark all year round. But I got over that!

If it’s a long term move, why not, property is always subject to change but prices always rise in the end.

I could never buy a house with a north facing garden. We have a north facing bungalow currently and it’s fine.
Pil have a north facing garden and it’s so bloody miserable on a gorgeous summers day, sat in shade.

I think it’s the back rooms rather than the garden that would be an issue for me as you can get stunning shady gardens too. With roof lanterns/veluxes, you will get good light but you’ll never have the sun beaming in.

That garden could be great. If you like the house don’t let the garden put you off. I love my north facing garden, in summer there’s always a nice shady spot, but patches of sunshine if you want it. I’m moving house and I’m buying another house with a north facing garden which I’m quite pleased about, I’m a keen gardener too, so it can definitely work.

We have a north facing garden and it really isn’t an issue. If anything it’s a bonus because we can have lots of glass at the rear of the house and it never gets hot inside. Our garden is big enough that there’s sunshine in at least half all year round.

I really didn’t want a north facing garden but have ended up with one, it’s actually lovely in the summer , the garden is long enough to get the sun in 80% of it all day and the 20% nearest the house is in shade which keeps the lounge nice and cool.

However, the garden and rear aspect would be a compromise and can’t decide if it’s one too far. Garden faces north, is on two levels and is overlooked.

^I wouldn’t buy a house with this.

I love it. I dont feel the garden seems overlooked. I’d do it.