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Original poster

Would a small garden put you off buying?

69 replies

Minta85 · 11/08/2020 17:53

We’re considering buying a house that has lots of great points (detached, parking for two cars, ten minute walk to town). But the garden is small, though not overlooked. How much of a problem might the garden size be when we’re trying to sell the house in the future? It has a small patio and lawn - big enough for a trampoline and for sitting in but too small for a football game or big family gatherings.

OP posts:
Pillypocket666 · 11/08/2020 18:00

I wouldn't have an issue with this. Rather have a small garden not overlooked as opposed to a large one with lots of people seeing into it.

FManc · 11/08/2020 18:01

So we recently sold our house which had a very long garden and wasn't overlooked. We're renting now temporarily and the garden is just a small square. TBH we've really noticed the difference and just feel a bit claustrophobic in it. We don't feel like we want to sit in it as much as the old house. We can't wait to move into the next place we're buying which has a similar garden to our old house. Everyone is different however and some people just aren't keen on maintaining a big garden! All I would say is if it's a big detached house etc I would expect most potential buyers would want a decent sized garden for a growing family.

emmaluggs · 11/08/2020 18:05

I think it depends we just sold our house with a small overlooked garden but it was in a popular area, the people who bought it originally weren’t interested in it because of the garden but then went on to buy it. I think there are lots of factors

lazyakita · 11/08/2020 18:09

We specifically bought a bigger house with a small garden as we were so busy with work we had no time for outside maintenance.

AlwaysLatte · 11/08/2020 18:09

Last time we were looking we found the absolute dream house - big Georgian house with big rooms, tall ceiling, big kitchen. Perfect, then we saw the garden - the owners had split the garden in two and build a new eco house and pool on their bit. So the one for sale was now much smaller and overlooked. Totally out of proportion to the house, so it was a no. I don't like to be overlooked at all so a small garden wouldn't be a definite deal breaker for me.

AlwaysLatte · 11/08/2020 18:10
  • would
MrsCollinssettled · 11/08/2020 18:14

House on a new estate - would expect a small garden. Older property - would expect a decent size garden. So if it is an older property with larger gardens around it it could be a problem.

torpidcrystals · 11/08/2020 18:15

Yes, any house would have to have a decent sized garden or I wouldn't view it.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 11/08/2020 18:15

We currently have a postage sized yard. That would be a great upgrade for me!

JellyBelly78 · 11/08/2020 18:21

My kids adore the garden so not a compromise I’d make,

Depends which way it faces I guess, a small north facing garden would be a definite no from me. Would be dark inside and no evening sun.

isseywith4vampirecats · 11/08/2020 18:22

it would depend on how small when we were house hunting one house the conservatory had eaten most of the back garden and left a two foot strip about fifteen foot long, massive front garden but we said no, the one we have now has a small garden but a proper garden shape big enough for a small patio and lawn about thirty foot long quite happy

Finfintytint · 11/08/2020 18:23

A garden is important to me because I love gardening and entertaining outdoors. Small gardens are fine if you don’t have the time to maintain it though.

Zebrahooves · 11/08/2020 18:27

We've had two big gardens and they take a lot of upkeep and maintenance. The house that we are hoping to buy has a smaller south facing garden, and I'm looking forward to being able to sit out and enjoy it rather than working in it.

Wrighty57 · 11/08/2020 18:53

Have you got dimensions of the garden?

Our garden is 80 feet by 18 feet. Is that small?

JoJoSM2 · 11/08/2020 19:02

If you’re ok with the small garden and the property is priced lower than similar houses with large gardens, then that’s fine.

EmmaGrundyForPM · 11/08/2020 19:04

I think I could cope with a small garden but if it wasnt South-ish facing it would be a definite no for me

saturdaynightgin · 11/08/2020 19:12

I think it depends on personal preference. We compromised on a smaller third bedroom to get a bigger garden when buying our current house

LesLavandes · 11/08/2020 19:15

I would love a small garden. You can make it beautiful

ShyTown · 11/08/2020 19:17

It can’t be that small if it’s big enough for a trampoline! A small garden would be fine by me but we’ve always lived in cities so I’d consider anything with a lawn generous.

ZigZagPlant · 11/08/2020 19:18

Depends on the area. I lived in the city centre with a courtyard garden but further out I’d expect a big garden.

OneEpisode · 11/08/2020 19:18

Sadly my teens have no interest in playing in the garden now. Depends on the age of yours and how the adults use the garden?

Maybenexttime08 · 11/08/2020 19:19

How small are you talking?

Crabbo · 11/08/2020 19:21

It depends on the area and surrounding houses - do they all have small gardens too? In which case fine as that’s the norm for the area. If similar houses have big gardens then no because I’d always go for the bigger garden, even if it meant needing to do more to the house.

WhoWouldHaveThoughtThat · 11/08/2020 19:21

I think it really does depend on the dimensions. To me a small (but not too small!) garden would be preferable to a larger overlooked garden, but if a neighbouring garden had a trampoline, that would put me off! You can get overlooked every 30 seconds!

PeachandBee · 11/08/2020 19:24

I really dont know about this, I think it might be a right house for the right buyer thing. We have a small garden- 20ft long 11ft wide- 3 kids play happily and we've never had a problem with the size per se but its terraced and very over looked (by nosy and spiteful persons). Moving on now, and we've offered on 3 properties this time but I cant say that the garden had a huge sway over our overall decisions to offer.

  1. Semi detached, reasonable garden, somewhat overlooked.
  2. Terraced with small but beautifully paved garden, huge expanse of parkland directly opposite. Overlooked both sides.
  3. (Winner) semi detached with very large plot, summer house and workshop. Only overlooked by next door neighbours upper storey, backs onto woodland.