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Original poster

Could you live comfortably as a family of 4 in this?

78 replies

KimGa · 28/06/2022 12:37

Hello, I’ve posted multiple times with various questions as I’m in such a quandary. Here is another, forgive me. The background: we have lovely 3 bed extended semi with parking and big garden, but outside catchment for decent secondary school. Not willing to consider secondary school we will get. Need to move this autumn. Can’t afford any houses we like in the catchment area. So going back and forward about whether to proceed with sale and go into a rental if we can get one - but financially it will be the worst choice (we’ll have to use part of equity from sale to fund a year in rental as monthly cost is double mortgage - will we get back on ladder in 12-18month?) or shall we buy something smaller/worse than what we have?

A smaller house has just come up which could work as it has 3 decent sized bedrooms and no onward chain. No parking and very small garden. This is the floor plan. We have a 10 year old and a 5 year old and husband wfh (will have to have a desk in bedroom, but he is used to that). Think we’d put 10 year old in the basement for now as we still have to go to 5 year old in the night sometimes.

Do you think if it was you, you could manage quite happily in this for 5 years or no?

Could you live comfortably as a family of 4 in this?

OP posts:

Notagain76 · 28/06/2022 12:42

Size looks ok but would your 10 year old want the basement? What about 2 kids share for a year and use basement as a toy room or use living room as 3rd bedroom and basement as living room. Depends how your child would feel being 2 floors away

Itsnotallaboutmoney · 28/06/2022 12:42

Personally I’d leave both children on the top floor and take the basement room myself and continue to use baby monitors. Or let both kids bunk in together for a while and I’d take the other upstairs bathroom and use the basement as a guest room/playroom/office. However you try and broker it, 10 years old is still young to be away from your mum and dad in the middle of the night when your sibling gets to sleep next door.

GandTfortea · 28/06/2022 12:44

Are you joking .
i brought up 4 kids and a dh in less square footage ..
24 years 6 of us in that space ,no one was damaged or had a crap childhood
jeasus what planet are u on

SheWoreYellow · 28/06/2022 12:44

How does it differ to what you are currently in?

Dinoteeth · 28/06/2022 12:44

My Aunt had a house like that when I was growing up. It worked fine for them oldest child in the basement.
But if you kids are same sex I'd be tempted to put them in bedroom 1. You in bedroom 2 and have bed 3 as a playroom / den for them and friends.

Cuddlywuddlies · 28/06/2022 12:46

Of course you could live in it comfortably, I have lived in smaller with 2 dc and plenty of ppl live in smaller.

Tippexy · 28/06/2022 12:47

Two children share and the basement is a home office.

Why should your DH have to work from his bedroom?

Iheartmysmart · 28/06/2022 12:49

I’d be tempted to use the basement as an office, turn the front reception room into your bedroom, use the dining room as an open plan living/kitchen area and have the kids in the two upstairs bedrooms.

Ginisnnice · 28/06/2022 12:50

Be fine.. can you also go up into the loft?

Rina66 · 28/06/2022 12:52

The no parking and no loo on the ground floor living space would make me think twice, otherwise there's plenty of room for a family of 4.

StopFeckingFaffing · 28/06/2022 12:53

Looks fine to me OP

If it's in your budget I would go for it

eatsleepswimdive · 28/06/2022 12:54

The kitchen would be an absolute no for me. The bedroom sizes are fine but I would need to do something to give us a bigger kitchen be that an extension which would be ideal or knock through into the next room whilst still keeping a separate living area. Square footage is small but it is workable

LexingtonsHome · 28/06/2022 12:54

I'd probably make the children share initially, and use the basement for their toys like some others have mentioned.

TeacupDrama · 28/06/2022 12:55

i would give the eldest child bed 1 the younger one bed 2 plenty of room for toys and or desks etc you and DH have bed 3 with ensuite and DH has a desk in either dining room or living room to WFH. The living room maybe better as can shut door as dining room maybe more of a corridor they can use dining room and bedrooms for play after school until DH finished work

AugustSeptemberOctober · 28/06/2022 12:55

I live in a house like this, in fact with a bit less reception space. Before DC I was really stressing, thinking the house wasn't big enough for a family. We could have upsized but didn't want to stretch ourselves as the plan was for me to be a SAHM. Anyway, we are now a family of 4 and I'm so, so happy we never moved! You just work with what you have.

Calmdown14 · 28/06/2022 12:57

We could but agree with others. I’d use the basement as a multi purpose room. Desk and a sofabed maybe if you ever have guests and double up as second living space in evening. Plenty of good toy storage

I’d give the kids the front bedroom and divide it with ikea kallax or something similar.

It seems a reasonably flexible option given your restrictions

RandomQuest · 28/06/2022 13:03

Your older one would probably love having his own basement suite when he’s a teen! If he’s not ready for that separation yet then you could always have the kids share for a bit and move him down in a few years. The only non ideal bit is WFH space but if DH is genuinely ok with a desk in the bedroom then you’re fine. Maybe a loft conversion could be a longer term option too? But overall it looks pretty decent. Re parking, I’ve never had off street so it wouldn’t be a big deal to me as long as I can usually get nearish the house but do check out the road at different times of day to check it’s not a complete nightmare.

2bazookas · 28/06/2022 13:05

When our eldest was 11 we moved from a large victorian house ( we had already done parental request to a great primary (outside catchment) but were facing catchment to the same very poor state comp ) .

to a much smaller rural cottage (catchment of a great rural comprehensiive but mediocre rural primary school)......free transport to and from both from garden gate....and never regretted it. Not much room indoors (okay, cramped) but the children were outside A LOT and ranged for miles outside. They all got a superb secondary education and fantastic lifestyle.

gegs73 · 28/06/2022 13:07

I lived in similar setup but smaller for about a year with 2 children, DH and dog. There were just two bedrooms not three and a smaller kitchen. It was a squeeze and hard to find places to store things. We had to get rid of lots of belongings as our place before this was bigger.

We kept the house and extended getting an extra bedroom (3 in total so same as above) and extended the kitchen and it’s now good. Not massive but fine. It’s a squeeze if we want to invite people over but we manage.

We moved partly for schools too (away from a failing one), sacrificing space and I’m really pleased that we did. DSs have both done well and have lots of local friends as they live near their school. Location wise we are nearer shops and bus routes so all good.

Original poster

KimGa · 28/06/2022 13:09

Thank you, I like the idea of using the basement for the home office etc but don’t think it’s fair for my son 10 nearly 11 and not far off secondary to have to share with his 5 year old sister. He says he’d be fine on a different floor but obviously the reality could be different. Yes in the long term we could swap and take the basement with en-suite for ourselves.

The kitchen is loads smaller than what I’m used to - no dishwasher, tumble drier etc nor space for them. Aware I’m hugely privileged to have those currently but losing them along with parking will be rubbish. Plus no space to play football in the garden for the kids. Daughter will gain a bigger room though (she’s currently in a box room) so that’s something.

Tried husband working downstairs in a reception room at the start of pandemic in current house and it was not good, but could try again and like you say, bedrooms for play after school.

OP posts:

De88 · 28/06/2022 13:14

I'd stay put and look again at those secondary schools. 5 years might seem forever but it isnt- it flashes by. What is wrong with the one you think you're definitely going to be given? Why would your son not be happy there?

CushtyCushty · 28/06/2022 13:16

Would sharing bedrooms not be a problem if the five year old regularly wakes up and needs her stents to go to her in the night, she'd also be waking the 10 year old up too.

Having the basement as playroom for when friends are round sounds great and my sil tried this, although not a basement, she converted her garage, and scrapped it and changed it back to a bedroom for the eldest, because there's be lots of clashes over who was allowed their friends round, the 12 year old couldn't make casual plans with his friends in case sil had arranged a play date for the 7 year old. Or if he'd got friends round it meant the den/playroom was out of use for you younger one and he'd be told he had to let his sibling in and play with them and he felt he was being left as babysitter in the garage while the parents chilled in the house, it also meant the 12 year olds couldn't watch the movie they had planned because the younger one would want to be in paying with their toys at any moment and if they were watching a 12 film they had to switch it off. So what ended up happening was the eldest didn't invite friends round and went out instead.

He found studying hard too because there was no quite space and that's what made then decide to give them their own room and nephew would either be hunched on his bed as there was no desk space in shared bedroom or he'd use the den/playroom but again, younger siblings paydays or wanting to be in to play themselves meant that wasn't a quiet place.

Live4weekend · 28/06/2022 13:19

What's so bad about your catchment high school?

It's a big big compromise and downsizing would be too hard for me if I'm honest.

Also moving is really expensive!

chesirecat99 · 28/06/2022 13:30

I think it's fine. If you took the basement bedroom and installed an intercom/Alexa, so your DD can call you if she needs you, would your DD be fine with that?

It might be advantageous to sell up while prices are high and rent for now if house prices drop. Although going into negative equity probably wouldn't matter if you are staying for 5 years. However, you might be able to afford a better place if you sell now and don't buy until prices are lower. If you buy now, you may be able to get a better fixed rate mortgage than if you wait to buy in year or so as interest rates are rising. It's a gamble...

chesirecat99 · 28/06/2022 13:35

The kitchen and dining room look like they are open plan with the kitchen units extending into the dining room slightly. Is that right? Couldn't you extend that run of units further into the dining room to make space for a dishwasher and tumble dryer? It looks like there would still be plenty of room for a dining table.

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