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 without a doubt. Better layout, bedrooms more equal, two loos, nice garden with potential for a garden office. Also it's pretty!

Lack of parking is a bit of a pain but no house is perfect. I've lived in several houses without off-street parking and you manage, especially once the kids are older and you're not lugging buggies / car seats etc.

Good luck OP!

The character one is so much more appealing and looks more spacious. The second one is ok but won’t increase in value as much as the other and one big niggle to me is the raised garden (too small also) as that could be a water flooding problem or expensive subsidence issues in the future?!

Viewing booked in at no.2, the character house.

The Knebworth house a PP shared is fab but has already gone under offer.

Thanks for all your input so far, really helpful and lifting me out of a dark headspace.

House 2 may be bigger, but the lack of parking would be a massive negative for me. If you don’t mind that, the space is bigger. I’m not mad about any of them really.

No2 And Codicote is a lovely village IMO (only know from driving through and stopping the once or twice)

I think the character house is good, you could use the big dining area as a lounge or lounge/diner and have a separate area in the current sitting room as a dining area if you want to or just an office/snug in the evenings for the soon to be teens. It also has the best sized bedrooms and teens love their bedrooms!! Plus no fighting over a tiny box room.

Or move elsewhere so you can get way more for £500,000! I live in SE 45 mins SW of London and my house is the same value but is 4 bed with 2 lounges and 3 bathrooms. I appreciate this isn't practical but you are in one of the more expensive areas even for SE!

Oh yes, this is also a good idea! I would definitely still hate a desperate sofa and tv in the dining area so there's essentially 2 living rooms. Best thing we ever did with teens is get 2 lounges!

There's not much to choose between them.

"Unexpected job insecurity" is Gods way of telling you to stay put and forget moving house . There are many uncertainties ahead for all of us; best to sit tight and wait and see.

House 2 and it's a nicer area as well

Second wins hands down - but no parking sounds like a nightmare.

Character house.

More spacious. You could ,in time, out in off street parking and a garden room for an office / the kids to escape to.

The garden is lovely and the rooms much bigger. The light is fab.

I really don't like no 3. Small, dark and pokey with a difficult garden.

We don’t have parking, like everyone in our area, and it’s no problem. No one has driveways or garages.

The character house is by far the nicest in my opinion

House 2.

Best combination of bedroom spaces (the 3rd is tiny in 1). Agree that separate reception rooms gives you more flexibility, one person watching TV while others work / do homework.

2 has a downstairs toilet, useful when your DD’s spend ages in the bathroom.

Nicest garden.

On a budget, I wouldn’t pay for a garage / drive over living space. But do check on street parking.

House 2 with a home office space at the end of the 15 ft sitting room (move the door along the wall and ditch the chimney breast)

I’m in my 5th house and have never had off- street parking. (London)

:shrug:

The character houseis best proportioned and prettiest but how busy is that road? And how frequent are the buses (bus stop opposite)?

3 I think. It has 2 loos, plenty of parking and is basically detached. Street view looks nice and quiet.

You could open the kitchen into the back half of the lounge and partition front lounge off. Looks from pic 6 as if garage has been converted so useable as WFH space?

I do prefer house 2 and its garden, but no parking would be a deal-breaker for me.

house 2 has almost even sized rooms for your children that is a big plus, room in garden for WFH space or could use master bedroom corner or a corner of the living room for an office
parking may or may not be an issue that needs checking could you get a dropped kerb at some stage have any of the neighbours done that and so set a precedent

Definitely 3. You could improve the inside and the garden and the garage could be made into a great office come spare room. I also wonder if it might be possible to put a room upstairs above the garage to add an extra room? I agree that 2 is a lovely house but the road would put me off a bit- but if it doesn’t bother you that could work too. In time I’d possibly try to redo the loft to add a bathroom up there, extend the kitchen to the side and put a nice home office in the garden.

Detached every time. I'd rather be in a characterless house than a noisy one.

found this property on the Rightmove Android app and wanted you to see it: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/120252374 Detached 4 bed not sure if this is too far out of hitchin, I'm not familiar with the area but looks much better than the modern property 3 you shared. Plus bed 4 can be small wfh space.

1 is very small but well laid out. 3 isn't much bigger and would need the downstairs rejigging into front living and back kitchen dining to offer the same demarcation of space. The size and layout of number 2 is excellent for a growing up family of 4 but the lack of parking will be an issue in the future, even if it isn't now.

With either of the smaller houses (we are a family of 4 and very much outgrew a 800 sqft house when the boys approached their teens) I would worry about storage.

I'd say they are all decent options.

Favourite is the second one. Then the first, then third.

Second one is beautiful with a lot of character, and if parents have master bed in loft the other two bedrooms are quite equal for the kids. Good garden.

4 bed semi here, not sure if it's still within your search area, but plenty of space plus parking! Only thing is garden is a bit small. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/81944139