Am I daft for considering moving into the living room?

[dangermouseisace]

On a temp basis, until I’ve got the house sorted.

I’m in the process of buying my house, and will extend it. It currently has 3 bedrooms, 2 of which are v small and the 3rd isn’t big but is a double. I have 3 secondary age kids, 1 girl 2 boys. Boys share at the moment. My eldest son is starting the last year of his GCSE’s. His brother has a health condition which means I’m often in and out of the bedroom during the night. I think the eldest needs peace and quiet, so am thinking I could bunk down in the living room for a while, so he can have my teeny tiny bedroom. Realistically for maybe a year max.

I’m a bit worried about having to work, eat and sleep in the same room though.

If I organise this, will I regret it? My sons needs are greater than mine at this point, so I know I have to do something, but anxiety is preventing me taking action. Any tips?

Sounds so-able with an end in sight

Would it be feasible for you to put twin beds in the larger bedroom for you and your daughter and the boys have a room each?

Do-able

can you split up the biggest bedroom so that two kids share a split room? either the 2 boys, or maybe the 2 who don't wake in the night?

how big is the living room? would you have a sofa bed? would you have space to store your clothes?

Another option might be for you & DD to have the biggest room (again, with a bookshelf / room divider to give you privacy) so the two boys get a room each. would that work?

Thanks for your replies:

The biggest bedroom is currently set up split with singles and with a bookcase down the middle. It’s very, very tight, as are all the rooms. Eg none of us have wardrobes at the moment due to the lack of space.

My daughter (11) isn’t keen on sharing with me, and for her and a 15 year old boy to share wouldn’t really be appropriate in my opinion!

I’d sleep on our sofa bed (currently in storage). There is a big cupboard downstairs that I could store some of my things in if I move some more stuff into storage.

When we had two bedrooms and three dc - boy/girl/girl - DH and I bought a good quality futon and moved into the living room. We had a blanket box for bedding in the hallway and the bed and bedding was always put away before they left for school in the morning. It worked well for us for a couple of years before we were able to move.

Sounds doable as long as you are relatively confident with the timeline for the extension as builders are booked up well in advance at the moment.

Can you use some wardrobes or similar to screen your bed area from the rest of the living room?

Sounds do-able for a few years at least

Could your DS have a high bed with a desk underneath it in the smaller room?

Sounds reasonable. Something like the IKEA Hemnes daybed with the better range of mattresses is really comfortable, has storage underneath for duvet and pillows so you can pack them away during the day, and doesn’t look like a bed in the living room. Pulls out into a good double if needed. I slept on one for a year when I was living in a small studio looking for a house to buy.

Is there any way to trial it without making a big investment first?

And can you describe the rest of your downstairs or put up a floor plan? If that really is your only living space, then I think it would be really draining to do and you might find it hard to have everyone switch back even after the exams are over. It sounds to me like more strain than the previous posters seem to think.

If your eldest boy really needs his own room, then I think I’d trial sharing the large room with your daughter, whatever her misgivings and making whatever adaptations you might need to give her the privacy she would need in that setting. You sleeping in the living room will massively impact your entire daily dynamic.

Plus if you need to check on your son with the health condition that frequently at night, traipsing up the stairs to do so will be more disruptive to your sleep than a shuffle across the hall.

Although now I just realise you sharing with the daughter might also impact her sleep if she’s disturbed when you get up to help the son.

No easy solution

Is this the right house to buy? Do you have any other alternatives with bigger bedrooms or more space?
Could you share the small double with the son who needs health support as you are with him during the night anyway? And the other 2 children can have the small rooms?

I have done simlar. I have more children though. The biggest room I have split not with book shelves though. I have a floor to ceiling room devider it's only about an inch thick so it does not take space .

I have slept in my living room for about 2 and half years. I have a really nice sofa bed which I pull out every night. It is a right pain doing it and not nice sleeping in the living room. But its just not worth the stress or upset it would cause to make the older kids share .

If the large room is split by book shelves I'd share that room with the child with health needs. It would mean they were close during the night and would cause minimum disruption for everyone.

Thanks for your replies.

Unfortunately I don’t have any better options to this house. It sounds awful but actually, when it’s extended it will be fabulous. Your comments/questions have been really helpful though; having to think around this issue has made me more confident it’s the right place!

I couldn’t share with my health problem son. He’s a standard teenager and it’s bad enough having to have your mum so involved in your life, when no-one else does.
Definitely daughter would be most appropriate…but I think I’d end up sleeping on the sofa most nights. I think I’ll come to an agreement with the kids I’ll trial the living room and if it doesn’t work out we’ll have to do something else. The boys (eldest especially) is concerned about the impact on me fingers crossed.

I think I might have to go for a nicer sofa bed too eventually generalpost thanks for being honest about what it’s like!

Thank you all again!

There's a facebook groups called DIY on a budget, and quite often there are posts/examples from people who have had to split rooms. Some of them are really creative and definitely give the impression of two separate rooms with privacy and storage (some great ikea hacks on there). Might be worth a look for ideas?

lushheaven the main bedroom is full on IKEA hack trouble is, there’s only so much you can do in a small space, with a “cottage” type ceiling that has funny slopes and angles, and one narrow window placed right at the corner of the room.

I would go for a day bed or those IKEA sofas where you fold down the back, rather than the pull out type - easier to use and more comfortable.