Small z1 flat and country pad or z3 house and tiny weekend bolt hole

[800msprint]

Dreamworld...
Which way round would you go?
I'm undecided but probably london home and a coastal bolt hole
Sigh....

The main home where the family spends most time needs to be really good. So definitely a house in London + a bolthole.

I went for the the London castle, but now I don't want a bolt hole as I am happy in my castle. So If you really want a split life style you probably need to go for a small London pad and a country home, or you just won't use the secondary residence.

A z1 flat probably costs as much as a z3 house!

I'd go for the flat and a manor.

Or a ‘mini’ country house in zones 5-6. That’s what we’ve done.

Zone 1 flat and country house. Until kids are teenagers then switch. Not being a taxi service

I'd definitely love a London castle 😃

Vanbrugh Castle, Maze Hill, Greenwich, London, SE10
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-53950009.html
A snip at £2.5m

@JoJoSM2

Or a ‘mini’ country house in zones 5-6. That’s what we’ve done.

Yep this.

How many people are there in your dream world? There are 5 of us and the thought of 5 of us trying to get organised and out the door of a morning in a smallish flat does not sound fun. Although 5 of us in a smallish bolt hole with all our outdoor weekend stuff doesn't sound fun either. But I guess we wouldn't have to bolt all at once, in a couple of years the kids won't want to at all probably.
So big London place and small cozy weekend bolthole for us

Weekend bolthole doesn’t hold that much appeal for me. I like the idea of it and love the occasional visit to other people in theirs (when I fantasise about getting my own), but in reality I know I don’t want to go away every weekend - I actually enjoy weekends in the city - and if I do want a weekend away then I don’t always want to go to the same place and I certainly don’t to spend my time doing upkeep and maintenance when I get there.

Home in country, stay at the Ritz. Probably cheaper and someone else does the housework

Small seaside bolthole for me - I fancy an Art Deco apartment overlooking the sea at Bexhill - so that I don't have to spend my (imaginary) weekends there on hours of cleaning and maintenance.

Can I live in the country pad and use the flat as the base for visiting London? Because obviously in the dream I'll have the money for regular theatre trips etc. Maybe Dh might need to stay in it for work sometimes.

Big home tiny bolthole, because I know I'd not use it.
It's not the same as we don't live in London nor do we have stressful jobs and well, it's a caravan, but we do have a static caravan near the sea 2hrs drive from home. It's as well if not better equipped than home, wifi and everything.
We never go for the weekend because come Friday night I just can't be bothered with the drive, nor knowing it's an extra 3 sets of bed sheets to wash and dry for the sake of 2 nights. We don't pack to go it is stocked with food and clothes but it is still such a faff.
I can't imagine having two homes and enjoying the lifestyle, I think it might be one of those sounds better than it really is type deals.

Weekend pad in London and place in the country. So I can go up to town and indulge myself...possibly have an affair with a dissolute young art student while my husband stays home and plays golf.

Bit rambling Sussex mansion with a lake and river on the extensive grounds, please (to also include an orchard, chickens, maze, formal garden, walled garden, kitchen garden etc etc), and a petite Parisian pied-à-terre, probably in the Marais, when the pastoral idyll and affairs with the shirtless gardener get a touch tired and I fancy a frolic.

What about a compromise? We have a large-ish flat in zone 2 (very central part of zone 2 with loads going on) and a comfortably-sized house in the country. Neither is tiny but neither is huge either. Both perfectly liveable in for the long-term.

As much as I love the idea of a second residence, I'd go all-in with a large Z3 house and then find weekend retreats on airbnb. Having a second home that is unoccupied 60-70% of the time just seems like a waste to me. Also, that way I get to explore different areas on the weekends rather than confine myself to one location. Is it just me that thinks this way?

Is it just me that thinks this way?

A second home is easier if you have hobbies requiring large pieces of kit like a boat, kayaks, a bunch of bikes etc. 99% of Z3 houses don’t have the space to store all the stuff either.

Better to choose where to put down roots.
Will you not think of the children...?!?

I would go Z4-6 large house and a small weekend/holiday retreat. Friends with large weekend places found they barely used them when kids hit the stage they wanted to do sports and socialise in London. It seems a waste to have a large house you don't visit much!

Good size house in zone 4-5, and the bolt hole money spent on years of rental holidays abroad / airbnb in the UK. As others said, nice to have variety.

@Saz12 ah yes but which would be better?

Best IMO is to put all your “property” money to buy a home that works and don’t have a second one at all.
You can always AirB&B or whatever for weekends if you feel the need of a break.

I'd hate schlepping in between 2 houses. So just one in a place I liked which would be in a city.