Our budget has reduced - which house could work for family of 4?

[fancyaflatwhite]

Due to unexpected job insecurity, we're having to rethink our budget and expectations. Any advice and a little positivity boost would be amazing. thanks.

Could this space work for a family of 4 - inc. 2 tween girls and with WFH space needed?

Is this character house better? (no parking)

Or is this modern house a better bet?

House 2 is lovely

Sorry , not much of a response but out of all of them that one is nicest (imho)

I'd say no 3 (or keep looking). The garage has the potential to be converted to another room or built over upstairs.

The first house gives you the option of using either conservatory or dining room for working space, depending on where your preference is for having the dining table. But the smallest bedroom is very small, is that workable for one of your children? Or are they close enough that they could successfully share the larger room and make the smaller room a den?

The other options, nice as they are, don't seem to offer the same flexibility.

Number 2 with a garden office? It is so much nicer than the others.

Number 2 is nice and could be a lovely family home. Not at all keen on number 3

I thought the first one - lovely garden too. But the point about one loo is very valid so the second one. Front room can be the home office.

House 2. Better bedrooms and the location is nicer.

House 2, if you don’t care about the parking -I wouldn’t care. It has two loos, and a flexible space. It’s a nice looking house.

I prefer the 3rd modern link-detached one. No parking would rule 2 out for me and no 1 is essentially a mid-terraced with a very narrow lounge.
In No. 3 the 'work from home' space is the already converted garage, youngest child gets the smallest bedroom. Off road parking a massive bonus.
Only downside of 3 for me is proximity to a major A road but you know which property works best for schools/social life etc.

House 2

1 is too small
3 too open plan, unless the garage has been insulated it’s likely to be cold in time the winter.
4 upstairs too small and too open plan

House 3. Neighbours have converted the garage and you could make it a bedroom with en suite so that the small bedroom could be the office. It would be manageable now, but when funds improve, the garage conversion would make it a lovely home.

Also Bed 3 is bigger and squarer in House 3 than House 1.
I don't like the slopey ceilings in the master bedroom in No 2 the character one.

Do you want a big garden? Or is low-maintenance better?

Number two looks lovely to me. I am lucky enough to live in an area where I don’t often need to drive. Most places are in easy walking or cycling distance. I could cope without designated parking, but would still need somewhere to park the car! So as long as there was on street parking available close by, I’d be ok.

1 and 2 on busy through roads whereas 3 is residential cul de sac. I have always liked cul de sacs for peace and quiet.

2nd one is the best imo

I think the 2nd one. If you find yourself in a more financial stable situation, you can always extend. You could also convert the shed to a garden room for WFH.

2nd one as rooms more equal, though I'd extend the kitchen sideways and add bathroom to loft.
First one if your girls is going to suffer with a tiny room and overall it's small plus it's ugly.
Third one small bedrooms (also smaller third) but you could potentially convert the back of the garage to an office.
But on character and bedrooms I'd go with second option. If you extended kitchen and made that a decent kitchen/diner/family space you could use the front sitting for wfh. Though I'd constantly set a home office in the garden.

3 seems tiny.
1 or 2 have nice garden space to extend, and as PP have said you could replace or improve the extant summer house thing at 2 to be a garden office. The other option would be a workspace in the loft room.

Agree 2 has the most charm but 1 is done to a nice standard too. I would consider either.

Does house 1 have a shared access path between it and the back garden?

I like houses 2 & 3. With 2 could an office area be created in the master bedroom, or could the kids share and you use the smaller bedroom as an office?
House 3 you could convert the garage to an office with access from the house through the cupboard next to the stairs. Or even extend the garage towards the front & have the back half as an office

Number 2.

The bedrooms are a better size - you're going to have rows with someone ending up in a tiny single room while the other has a double.

Also I d big garden with existing structure that could be replaced with a garden office.

Have you visited them all?

I would say the second one looks the best.

The third one reminds me on the outside of Harry Potters House in Privet Drive. Can just see the owls sitting on the roof.

ooh love this even before I saw the inside! I would buy this house.

1 is confusing because the square footage is really small but it has a lot of rooms. We lived in a two bedroom house with that square footage and it felt small even with just us and a toddler

its 2 for me - no brainer. Lots of space and potential - the tweens will have their own space to study and there is sufficient family space to wfh and do other things

3 isn’t too small, isn’t to my taste at all and the outside space is awful

2nd one is considerably bigger in sq ft and has a second loo.