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Original poster

Nice house & 1 hour commute vs. studio flat & 15min commute

40 replies

bibbi01 · 16/02/2022 09:36

I'm having to make the choice between a 6am start and 6pm finish and a 7am start and a 5pm finish (from home to home).

I can either get a tiny, tiny studio flat in which I can never have guests and requires soundproofing, or I can choose a spacious 1-bed house -- but at a costly and lengthy train commute.

Is it better to live in a studio and not have to commute?

I'm just a bit worried that an 8-hour work day plus 2 hours of commuting each day might be a bit much for me. That being said, it would be a 36-week year as it's a school position.

I have had an offer accepted on the 1-bed house but it is really at the very top end of my budget and I would be using virtually all my savings for the deposit.

OP posts:
OneRingToRuleThemAll · 16/02/2022 09:39

I'd choose the flat if it was just you. DH & I went to buy the suburban house last year. It fell through at the last minute, meaning we remain in a city centre flat and we both have said in hindsight we are relieved that happened. We went for the house because it felt like we should, but we feel happier right in the middle of where we need to be.

lastqueenofscotland · 16/02/2022 09:43

I have a long commute but live in a lovely semi rural stone cottage and I adore it. I’d pick it over the city centre flat any day!
I quite like the commute. I do my life admin/read etc etc and then have the evenings free

EmmaH2022 · 16/02/2022 09:44

House.

But why is there no option inbetween eg nice flat with space and 40 min commute?

LIZS · 16/02/2022 09:45

6-6 is pretty normal for ft working day. What hours are the actual role? More of an issue might be cost of commuting.

PostThenGhost · 16/02/2022 09:45

Soundproofing never really works and neighbour noise can destroy your sanity. I speak from experience.

House & commute any day for me.

Movinghouseatlast · 16/02/2022 09:46

In the future you will be glad you went for the house! I did the same when I moved out of London 25 years ago. We really stretched ourselves but by God that house has facilitated so much in our lives.

You get used to the commute ( mine was an hour and a half) and zi used the time to prep for work, which I would have had to do at home.

The choices you make at a young age really impact on later life, I cannot emphasise that enough. I have friends who are heading into retirement in a very precarious position because of decisions they made in their 30's.

GeneLovesJezebel · 16/02/2022 09:46

It depends upon how long you are thinking of staying there and what your life might look like in that time.
I think I’d go for the house personally.

SheWoreYellow · 16/02/2022 09:47

I agree with something in between. ‘Requires soundproofing’ sounds a bit ominous. How do you know it will work? Sometimes it doesn’t because the sound is travelling down the joists.

Can we find you something in between? Smile

Comedycook · 16/02/2022 09:47

An hour's commute isn't that exceptional. I live in suburban London and always had an hour commute door to door. I'd choose the house. My mental health would massively suffer if I lived in a studio flat

AntiHop · 16/02/2022 09:47

House. Living in a studio flat would be pretty wearing

nannybeach · 16/02/2022 09:48

House. We moved downsized,to be near the sea and country. Was retiring from permanent job,but till having to work. Got a local job. 3 days after giving my notice,DH company liquidation on the spot. Had to rescind the notice. I did a 12.5 hour night shift (nursing) with a round trip commute of just over 100 miles. It was what it was.

CardRoomGreen · 16/02/2022 09:49

If the hour commute is on one mode of transport (2 max) then use it as extra PPA time. Studio flats can be hard to sell on, and additional soundproofing will be hugely expensive if it is to be effective.

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 16/02/2022 09:50

Depends. Are all your friends/social stuff near the flat? What will happen to that side of things if you move? Is it just you, or have you anyone else to consider?

EmmaH2022 · 16/02/2022 09:50

Also, a house will likely be out of reach within 2-5 years

60 mins to 90 mins commute each way very normal. Shit but normal.

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 16/02/2022 09:50

Is the commute 1 hour door to door, or is 1 hour on the train plus 10 mins walk either side?

Talipesmum · 16/02/2022 09:52

House. It would be miserable being cooped up in a studio flat in the holidays etc and not being able to have visitors. Get some good audiobooks or podcasts for the commute and take it as time for yourself.

And would you always be working in the same place? You might move schools / universities and then the flat would be tiny and inconvenient and you might find work closer to the house.

Eucalyptusbee · 16/02/2022 09:53

Is there something in between? From experience "just an hour" commute commute seems not that bad in theory but day in day out will wear you down massively. No time to meet friends or do anything other than travelling day to day.

LIZS · 16/02/2022 10:07

It also depends what the job is. Many teachers, police etc prefer not to live close to work.

LizzieMacQueen · 16/02/2022 10:13

A 1 bed house? Doesn't sound very spacious. I'd choose studio. Having done the 1hr commute - relying on trains - it is very stressful & more so if you have to be at your desk by a specific time (and as a teacher you will be).

Walking to work would win out for me. Save your cash for weekends away instead.

novacancy3 · 16/02/2022 10:23

House and commute. Based on your 36 week a year job.

dudsville · 16/02/2022 10:27

I chose the commute, but I was in the middle of my working career at that point and I was thinking about my retirement. Coming home at the end of the day always makes me smile.

irregularegular · 16/02/2022 10:31

Is it a direct train journey? Fairly reliable? Is it crowded? What is the journey at either end like? I quite enjoy a short walk to the station, sitting on a train and reading, so I would do that and have the larger home. But not if it is a horrible crowded journey with changes etc.

If you don't have to go in 16 weeks of the year that also makes a big difference.

RitaFires · 16/02/2022 10:32

Soundproofing doesn't always work depending on the type of noise that's bothering you and can be quite expensive and difficult to retrofit.

Don't underestimate the impact on your mental health of having to do everything within the same space of the studio.

From a financial point of view the house might be a better investment.

How do you live now? I had no problem with the lackof outside space when I lived in a flat but now that I have a garden, I wouldn't want to be without one.

Roseandgeranium · 16/02/2022 10:36

Lots of things to consider here.

  1. where are your friends? If you socialise a lot surf work colleagues will you resent having to leave Friday drinks early to catch a train home? Will you have to travel to see friends on the weekends or will there be some near you at the house?
  2. are the trains regular? I.e more than one hourly? Can you always be sure of leaving in time to catch your preferred train home? And will there ever be meetings/preparation stuff that mean your morning train leaves too late, taking into account the very real possibility of delays?
  3. is it definitely 60 mins door to door, or is it 60 mins on the train + 25 minutes from house to getting on train, then 15 minute walk at the other end?
LIZS · 16/02/2022 10:43

Did you ask similar before? It also depends how reliable the commute is.