WWYD? Move to school village or not?

[squishy11]

We currently live in village A in a 5 bed detached house with medium sized garden and larger than double garage. Plenty of space for our family of 4. Needs some updating as it's getting tatty, planned to do this/next year. New bathrooms already done over the past few years. One child goes to school in village B and one starting next year. We enjoy living in village A, but village B is also very nice and DSs best friends live there too.

A house has just come on to the market in village B. It's a 4 bed semi detached barn conversion with a smaller garden. Done to a very high standard and potential for converting the loft. Plenty of space for working at home and larger bedrooms than we currently have. It's more expensive than our current house.

WWYD?

So what’s your motivation for moving?

My two pence worth! We also have this situation and have decided to definitely move to ‘Village B’ because the life that our children can have living in the same village as their friends is totally worth it.

We’ll be more than doubling our mortgage and council tax bills to do it!!

Village B gets my vote as long as the increased costs are broadly affordable

Motivation for moving is just as @ilovebedtimestories said, the chance for DS to grow up in the same village as his friends. Of course there is no guarantee that they will stay there, but the village is nice and from what others say who live in it, very friendly and happy. There's quite a bit going on (normally!) and has good facilities. The school is great, we're very happy with it.

I just went and had a nosy at the outside of the house on the school run and the garden really is very tiny though, around 10m by 10m. It's probably a quarter of the size we have here. Only one parking space too - we have 2 cars and more spaces than that at the moment. It would be quite a compromise.

Are you in walking distance to village B? How does DC1 get to school? Where will they socialise as they get older? We're at the stage with teens now that they can meet their friends, walk home. We can go out for a drink (subject to Covid) and not have to worry about being a taxi service later on, worrying about how DC are getting home from sports matches / cinema trip etc. That's worth its weight in gold!

It doesn't sound like you're compromising on the house (other than the garden and perhaps the expense) so I'd be very tempted.

Current primary school is a 3 mile, 8 minute drive away along rural roads where people drive very fast so not suitable for walking or cycling. Secondary school would either be in village C 2 miles in the other direction, so village A is closer, or one in the nearest town, 3 miles from village B in the other direction. There are school buses to both from village B.

Public bus services are better in village B, more links to county town (10 miles away). Yes house looks great on paper - we haven't been to see it in person. The only downside would be the outside. We spent a lot of time outside with the children playing in the garden during lockdown but we're not big gardeners. Do children spend less or more time outside when they get bigger?! Do they need more space as they get bigger? They seem really silly questions to ask!

How old are your kids OP? My eldest is at the age where their friends are starting to go to the park together and they’re missing out.

How into gardening are you? We’ve compromised on the garden in the house we are buying.. our current one isn’t huge but this is smaller again. But, it’s south facing. Has a patio for a table & chairs & our water tray. And probs a small trampoline at a push. Has grass that will fit a slide & they can sit & play on while small. For me, that’s all we need. The house & location are great & that’s more important.. but we aren’t big fans on gardening. We don’t really have time! My mum loves it & cant really understand why we’ve chosen a small garden but she’s the only person that keeps our garden alive 😂

Can you do village B but a different house? That one doesn't sound a good exchange.

On the other hand being in the school village seems a good idea - we have a village school and our daughter goes to school in the next village, which I can confirm is the worst of both worlds!

How old are the kids? They won't be at primary forever and at secondary their friends could be anywhere in the wider area. Are either villages on a decent bus route - once they turn about 12 that's a godsend

That's the same position we're in @UnconsideredTrifles, school in the village but going outside!

Kids are 6 and 3, so a while off playing out without me but it's a consideration for the future.

Not into gardening particularly, we do enough to keep it not getting overgrown but haven't got any nice plants - all low maintenance bushes! We have a swing, a slide and a playhouse. The kids love digging in the flowerbeds mostly (another reason for not having nice plants everywhere! :-) ) Both gardens are south facing - quite important for me.

I think we might have to wait for another house. Trouble are, they're much more expensive and don't come up very often!

P.S. there is another house in the village for sale - smaller house but huge gardens, not in the centre and needs complete renovation. Also semi detached. Is being semi detatched a problem after being used to detached?

We're in a similar position, live in village A but DC at school in village B (8 minutes drive away along a fast country road) as I'm not keen on the tiny school here.

Easier for us as village B is more expensive, houses are more crammed together so we get a much bigger house and garden in village A. We also are in catchment for better secondary schools.

I'm not sure moving to semi-detached AND a smaller garden AND parking issues would be worth it for me.

Saying that I don't mind the driving and DC have several friends in village A who also go to school in village B, so they're a little gang together and we have playdates in our village park.