Tips for choosing a house for teenagers

[MrsJamin]

We're looking to move location and upsize a little. Our boys are 10 and 12 so we're working out what they'll need in their teenage / young adult years from the house without yet knowing what its like to live with teens. We'd like a house in a nice location and do it up so we are looking at floorplans and potential extensions / building work to make it work for the long term. What would you say is important for teenagers in a home? The houses we like have quite small bedrooms but I was thinking if we had some great downstairs space (eg a garden room for beanbags and a PlayStation etc) then size of bedrooms would matter less. If bedrooms matter more then we'd consider loft room extensions instead. I'd like them to be able to have friends round in their own space or have a separate space they could hang out in the evening, for eg. Any advice really welcome as to layouts or spaces that work.

Teens like public transport or even just near their friends and places they like to go

Mine want to hide in their rooms, so I wouldn't think of a games room

Many adults appreciate 2nd kitchens; let the teens trash their own kitchen while adults keep adult/family kitchen nice

I agree with Cleverknot, near to friends or near to good public transport.
Mine also spend a lot of time in their rooms - those two things are more important than anything else for them.

Close to friends and either close enough to town to cycle in our in a good bus route. Ideally walking distance to secondary school

Also nice big rooms as they spend all their time in them.

Agree with pp. I have 2 teenagers and they make good use of our train station 8 mins walk away to go out with friends. Also 8 mins walk from town. Ps4 each and a small double bed. Extra bathrooms are good too. We'll move house for me space but would be sorry to lose the location

Thanks for your comments so far. The locations we are looking at have all those things, near to school, town, bus routes, friends etc. It was more the internal layout I wanted to know about which worked. I understand it's important to give teens their own spaces so it was just ways in which people found worked.

I would agree with PPs that location is more important for them, they just want to be able to see their friends easily.

Regarding bedrooms, I don't necessarily think they need huge ones, but it will be useful to be able to fit a desk in. Our bedrooms were too small and the dc ended up taking over the dining room for homework...although maybe having them work where you can see them isn't actually a bad thing!

I know this wasn't what you were asking about but agree with others about proximity to public transport and their friends. But also think ahead for when they'll have their own cars and make sure there is enough parking for all of you!

Definitely larger bedrooms each than a playroom imo...

My teens would take big bedrooms and their own bathrooms over their own downstairs space any day. That and good public transport nearby and a shop they can walk to pretty much covers it. Oh and the fastest wifi possible too!

Separate sitting room or den so when their friends come round to watch a film, you have somewhere to go.
Games room in the garden or garden studio good too as it keeps 'gatherings' out of your house.
Good WiFi

Room enough in bedroom to accommodate sleepovers - sofa bed, z bed etc. A double bed good esp for boys who grow overnight. Plenty of power points for gadgets. A desk for homework. A bathroom you don’t need to share. Teens do spend a lot of time in their room!

I agree with transport and access to friends.
But I slightly disagree with the bedrooms v. playrooms.
It depends where the games room is. My nephews have an attic chill space, with the playstation and TV etc and they love it.

I think it works because it isn't downstairs.
I also (as a parent) like it because it means the screens aren't all in their rooms, so there is some control over what they are watching/screen hours when they are younger teens.

(my 18 year old recently said to me - I thought when I was 12 that what I needed was a laptop in my room overnight. Now I understand that what I needed was parenting. You parented, thanks - it was a rare a precious moment!)

They use the garden massively less since starting secondary. But oldest did still like a place to kick a ball round.

definitely an extra bathroom too.

Location, somewhere they can get about by public transport or bike. Also work opportunities , if you think they will be living at home when they're looking for their first FT jobs.

Other than that, buy what you and DH want to live in once DC are gone. By the time you get the new house straight, you'll have very little time with the DC actually in the house, or if they are, they'll be online with friends so eed very little space.

I always thought we'd be the kind of household that was always full of teens but DC don't seem to do that, they "hang out" virtually, even before Covid.

From my experience, bedroom can be smaller if it had its own bathroom! So the teen dream would be enough space for a double bed, a desk, an en-suite!

Separate downstairs space is good if you don't want boyfriends/girlfriends in bedrooms.

At the moment, outdoor garden space where they can socialise, without massively annoying neighbours, and which isn't accessed through the house. Space for a large fridge .

They went through a brief phase of using the break out space we have downstairs to watch Netflix or something but now they are pretty much glued to their beds in their spare time (both do plenty else). They rarely sit on the sofa beds in their rooms and have almost never had anyone round. They do both use their desks which double as a kind of dressing table. We have upgraded to more comfortable desk chairs.
They make good use of kitchen equipment (blenders, smoothie makers, milk frother, baking stuff).

In Corona times having a small firepit to toast marshmallows and garden furniture plus gazebo has been useful for friends over.

remember not to over invest in the house, so you have spare cash. The teenage years are expensive!
On that note, buy within easy travelling distance of an outlet store, saves thousands on clothes!

Number one is public transport access, secondly a snug/second living room for them to have their Xbox and entertain friends (you don't want them in bedrooms if you can help it, means you can regulate use). Kitchen able to take a big fridge, water dispenser was popular. If you can get a decent garden, camping in it was always a hit.

Bedrooms are important, teens like their own space. A separate living room in addition to or instead of a big open plan downstairs layout. Access to public transport, being close to friends, school, colleges anything that makes life easier and more independent. Oh and a big fridge

Looking back at your op, we had a loft extension with a separate bathroom and moved up there ourselves, leaving them a big bedroom each and a shared bathroom. It has been fantastic not having to share the bathroom with them, and we also get them to sort cleaning it between them on their own agreed rota (good preparation for student housesharing).

I’m moving from a house I really like because the two non masters are really small, we are moving where my teen daughter will have a bigger room plus an attic off the room, she pretty much spends all her time in her room.

The house is actually smaller than my current but laid out better. I’m also moving to a little choc box cottage from a new build estate so it’s also for me.

Def need space if they can but ultimately they just need and safe, warm and happy home.

Also, open plan living became much less attractive when they were older. Having separate rooms gave us lots of flexibility.
Having said that, I would not buy a house that doesn't have a kitchen table. Lots of conversations round kids munching toast and cereal (and I'm not talking about breakfast) and it makes it really easy to eat an evening meal together. This is my no. 1 key tip for the teenager years, make eating together a habit, it may be the only time you see them all day.....

My friend has a normal house but has garden room at the end of the garden. It has a TV and squashy sofas. Her teens loved it.