WWYD - prioritise office space or location?

[MedusasBadHairDay]

We're looking at moving later in the year, probably after April, and so are looking at our options.

Currently we're in a 2 bed, so we need to move to at least a 3 bed so the kids don't have to share a room anymore. That's fine, there are a few decent 3 beds in our price range in our preferred area (the town we currently live in).

The problem is that, like a lot of people I now wfh full time and it's been confirmed that this can be a permanent change - which I'm thrilled about. But it does mean that my current solution of working in the living room isn't really my ideal long term solution- I'd prefer a home office. While some 4 bed homes are coming up in our price range, most are 20-40k above our top limit.

However in a town 30-40 minutes drive away there are a lot more 4 beds in our price range and they are usually bigger and nicer too. The town seems comparable to where we currently live, in that it's ok but not remarkable. But does mean moving further from most of DH's clients and from both our parents (both already 45 minutes away)

DH is reluctant to move, tbh so am I. It's not far, but will make his daily commute longer. But are we being silly not to go for it to get a better house?

Could you find a 3 bed with space for a garden room office or loft conversion? I'm in a similar position camped out in a temporary office made by rearranging furniture in my spare 2nd bedroom but once people are able to travel and visit again I'd like that back as a bedroom for them to stay in. But I'm also priced out of moving to a 3 bed in the area and finding it hard to get my head round living anywhere else as the location is great. I also begrudge having to increase my mortgage so much to accommodate working from home which I'm not doing, and never would do, through choice!

Possibly, though I'm concerned we wouldn't be in a position to afford adding a garden office or loft conversion. We're FTB so I'm already a bit freaked about by the enormous amount of money everything seems to cost

We are going to be doing the same and now have decided that it needs to be a 4 bedroom or space to convert a garage etc (don't go for a conservatory we have one and it's either roasting or freezing!) so location would have to be the compromise for me.

I desperately need to not be working in my bedroom with dp working in the kitchen!

It's such a tough decision, one we recently made except the price difference was about £50k for a 30 minute distance.

It's added to both our commutes (though I will mostly be WFH post Covid anyway, about 4 days a week) and we've gone from having parents over the road to 30 min drive. Also a few other inconveniences. I do sometimes worry it was the wrong decision as it's made a few aspects of life more difficult, however, the overall benefit of a much larger home far outweighs the other inconveniences I think. In our old place we'd have got a small 4 bed, single garage no extra reception rooms, to have a large 4 bed, office, double garage (DH's pride and joy) and an additional living room which the kids love, also a kitchen large enough for dining area and reception space which has frankly changed my life! We are in our house far more (especially at the moment!) than we are driving to work or seeing parents, so on balance it was the right decision. It's scary relocating, especially schools, and we haven't gotten everything sorted how I'd like yet, but it has vastly improved our quality of life, I think we will readjust to the inconveniences in time. Sometimes in life you just have to take a risk.

DH and I moved a long way from my work (before the pandemic) to get more space and aa better rural area, but it is wearing to have to commute so far and it was definitely something we looked at as feasible for three to five years, not any longer. I'd say that your DH's commute is an important consideration too, which it's kind of hard to remember at the moment.

Do any of the places you are looking at have space for a garden room, a garage to convert, or even a large landing space or a big master bedroom/dressing room? I had my old office in a full height cupboard on a landing and I could shut it away at the end of the day and shut out work, but it was quite a lot space all opened up, with filing pockets on the inside of the doors and a desk in the cupboard and the printer and extra monitor on shelves above the desk.

Both DH and I have been wfh for over a decade so we know very well that home offices are essential. It’s just us and one child, but we have a 4 bedroom because we both need a dedicated, quiet workspace.

Do any of the places you are looking at have space for a garden room, a garage to convert, or even a large landing space or a big master bedroom/dressing room?

Not that we've seen so far. DH had suggested I may have to make do with setting my desk up in a corner of the dining room (we currently don't even have a dining room, so it would be a small step up) but to me that doesn't sound like enough of a step up from how it currently is, especially as we're looking for a forever home rather than doing the place up and moving on.

Working from home really doesn’t require a whole separate office. Surely all you need is a laptop, a monitor and a decent chair? Nobody needs papers and filing cabinets and stationary these days.

This is quite a daft comment in my opinion, it's not just about the physical space required, it's the mental well-being side, being able to separate work from home. I found it utterly depressing spending an evening in my living room with my computer staring at me from the corner of the room, don't underestimate the power of being able to shut the door on work and enjoy the rest of your home being home, that separation is really important and worth a lot more than you are stating I think. Especially if this is a long term WFH situation which it sounds like it is.

Absolutely agree with @user86386427. When we realised last year that wfh was going to extend we rearranged our home to create two offices. I'm now sat in a lovely bespoke office, with all my kit, flowers on the windowsill, a pretty blind etc. It is so much nicer than the juggling we were doing previously. You spend many many hours working, and it is really important for me to have a comfortable space that I can shut away when I'm done.

I think @Whoateallthestuffingballs suggests some very clever solutions. When you are looking at houses, consider these options. It’s surprising how you can convert small spaces into effective and comfortable offices.

I do not think @Lockandtees point is daft. The point I believe s/he is making is that an office no longer needs to be bulky, requiring a huge amount of space.

Absolutely agree that separating home and work is essential for better mental health. However, this has a lot to do with our mindset. Even when working physically in an office, it is possible to bring work home with you both mentally (especially mentally) and physically. For instance, I need to consciously switch off work even if I put away my laptop and shut things down.

I do not think @Lockandtees point is daft. The point I believe s/he is making is that an office no longer needs to be bulky, requiring a huge amount of space.

They said you do not require a whole separate space, and for that I disagree, OP has said she wants a separate space, I moved because I wanted a separate space. There are lots of ways to try to switch off, for many people it is physically separating the space which is the point of this thread. So for many people this has caused a location vs space debate and I think space has won out a lot more frequently this last year where location used to be number 1 priority. Covid has caused a lot of people to re-evaluate their life style. Shorter commutes may not be the priority any more if you only have to go into the office once a week for example.

@user86386427

Working from home really doesn’t require a whole separate office. Surely all you need is a laptop, a monitor and a decent chair? Nobody needs papers and filing cabinets and stationary these days.

This is quite a daft comment in my opinion, it's not just about the physical space required, it's the mental well-being side, being able to separate work from home. I found it utterly depressing spending an evening in my living room with my computer staring at me from the corner of the room, don't underestimate the power of being able to shut the door on work and enjoy the rest of your home being home, that separation is really important and worth a lot more than you are stating I think. Especially if this is a long term WFH situation which it sounds like it is.

This is it for me, I want a work/home divide, partly for my own mental health, but also to make it easier for my family to recognise when I am working vs when I can engage with them.

Plus right now I monopolise the living room between 9am and 5.30pm. My kids can't play in here or watch TV during the day, and if I'm in a meeting (which is a lot of the time) DH ends up going to the bedroom to make his work calls. Not having a separate work space impacts on the whole family.

I know I don't need a lot of physical room, no need for filling cabinets etc, but I do need it to not be a corner of a family room.

Is there enough room in the kitchen to have the main eating space in there, and use the dining room as a study? Alternatively is the dining room big enough to fit an office corner into it? You can even get an all in one desk and shelves type thing.

@MedusasBadHairDay completely sympathise, this was the situation I was in last year, kicking everyone out of the living room which meant they couldn't use it and it became less of a safe haven for me in general! As soon as I was aware my WFH situation would be permanent I knew it was time to re-evaluate, and although kids will (hopefully.....) go back to school one day so this element of it is temporary, having a separate space has really helped me mentally. I work full time so it's really important I am in a comfortable space those 35 hours as it is most of my waking hours in the week! It's not particularly big, 2x3m I think, but it has a door which is the most important thing 😂

@Misandrylovescompany

Is there enough room in the kitchen to have the main eating space in there, and use the dining room as a study? Alternatively is the dining room big enough to fit an office corner into it? You can even get an all in one desk and shelves type thing.

That might be a possibility, will keep an eye out for places with larger kitchens, though most of the ones in our budget seem to be fairly small kitchens.

[quote user86386427]@MedusasBadHairDay completely sympathise, this was the situation I was in last year, kicking everyone out of the living room which meant they couldn't use it and it became less of a safe haven for me in general! As soon as I was aware my WFH situation would be permanent I knew it was time to re-evaluate, and although kids will (hopefully.....) go back to school one day so this element of it is temporary, having a separate space has really helped me mentally. I work full time so it's really important I am in a comfortable space those 35 hours as it is most of my waking hours in the week! It's not particularly big, 2x3m I think, but it has a door which is the most important thing 😂[/quote]
Oh I long for a door! 😂 Soundproofing would be overkill right?

@MedusasBadHairDay maybe try noise cancelling head phones for a cheaper alternative 😂

Are you absolutely sure that the 4 beds are out of your budget. Have you worked out the difference in mortgage?

We have a study and it's a godsend. Although we had a study upstairs in the last house and it was a bit depressing being sat in the box room!

You definitely need a separate space/area that's warm and puts you in the mindset of working!

Converting a garage can be quite cheap, especially if you're quite handy

What about schools?
How old are your children?
Assuming you won't want to move again before it's time to apply for secondary, I'd check what the local secondaries are like and consider the school run.
That would decide it for me I think.
Ideally you'd have more space but it doesn't have to be a 4th bedroom, it could be a reception room or you could be creative about use of space elsewhere.

@emmathedilemma

Could you find a 3 bed with space for a garden room office or loft conversion? I'm in a similar position camped out in a temporary office made by rearranging furniture in my spare 2nd bedroom but once people are able to travel and visit again I'd like that back as a bedroom for them to stay in. But I'm also priced out of moving to a 3 bed in the area and finding it hard to get my head round living anywhere else as the location is great. I also begrudge having to increase my mortgage so much to accommodate working from home which I'm not doing, and never would do, through choice!

Get a studybed!

I would definitely stay where you are as it sounds like your like will be easier closer to family with less commuting for DH.... but I bet you could find somewhere with the potential to convert the loft or with a garden that would take an office in the garden. In fact from what you say about needing your own space, I would definitely be thinking of an office in the garden - much better for your mental health if you can delineate home and work. You don't even need much space to have the smaller ones and you could bring it in for between 5-10K depending on level of finish.

I would also base my decision around schools.

I've been wfh for decades. You do need a separate room (teleconferences, concentrating, cutting out noise). And yes I do need paperwork, filing space and stationery, even though I work mainly on my laptop.
I can work in the dining room (and often do) and I have a hidden desk in my living room too. However, some days, I have to go into the separate office (which is actually in a separate building)...and still I get interrupted by people. You need a clear demarcation of working space otherwise people don't think/respect that you're working and not available.

@AnotherEmma

What about schools? How old are your children? Assuming you won't want to move again before it's time to apply for secondary, I'd check what the local secondaries are like and consider the school run. That would decide it for me I think. Ideally you'd have more space but it doesn't have to be a 4th bedroom, it could be a reception room or you could be creative about use of space elsewhere.

Schools are definitely a factor, they seem to be about the same level in both towns - maybe slightly more choices where we are now.

There was another town, similar distance, also cheaper, but the schools there didn't have such good ofsted reports, so we ruled that one out.