Is this two bed too small for a family?

[beersqui]

WIth interests going up, we are considering buying a two bed place for us and our DC (only one DC). Would this be too small? It would mean a very small mortgage and I guess a sense that we can always afford it.

Where’s the kitchen? Is it a flat?

link to property would help?

Yes that would be too small IMO. Having only one living space and no separation will be noisy and it would just feel quite cramped. A two bed would be more comfortable if you had a kitchen/diner and separate lounge IMO.

Also the rooms sound quite small, what storage space would you have? I think it would only work if you were very minimalist and ruthless with what stuff you keep.

I'd be fine personally. People cope with much less and are happy with their lot. I'd take the peace of mind over the small mortgage, overpay if possible and reassess in the future if you wanted to.

I think if you don't have a lot of 'stuff' and access to open spaces, even if it's not your own garden, there is a lot of sense in choosing something smaller and affordable.

It is worth thinking about how often you would share the space; does anyone work from home at all?

If yes then it could be more challenging. But otherwise it looks fine to me

It's a bungalow so does have some storage under the roof so that wouldnt be an issue. But there isnt really room for a kitchen and it's currently a kitchen/living room space. For us this would mean halving our mortgage which would be great but I dont know whether it's just too small.

Aren't bungalows more expensive than a house in general though?

For me I'd be looking at whether in time I could extend upwards or outwards should you need more space to future proof yourself

Is there room for an extension if you found you needed extra space?

I’d buy this and try to put money aside for a conservatory or loft conversation so that DC has space of their own when friends visit. But it’s ok as it is, too.

Is there scope for extending into garden or roof? if it's a bungalow etc? If so I would go for it instead of renting, then in a few years or when possible you could extend. It would be worth it to be bit cramped initially. In summer you could use garden as living space cheaply enough too until can afford major building work.

If it's for sale right now, can you screen shot the floorplan, crop anything identifying, and post?
That hall looks massive, but I'm not sure it is in reality.

It's small. We had an all-in-one kitchen-living-dining room and it wasn't great. It would have been a nightmare if DHs job had switched to wfh while we were there.

Bungalows cost more per sq ft than a house I think as they take up more land.

The hall looks really big.

It may be that it's not at all to scale! The bathroom is drawn much to small to start with.

Are the measurements in meters?
My bedrooms are smaller than yours if so. Lounge is similar I think, and its the only reception room. But we do have a separate kitchen.

Yes apologies it's not quite to scale but I did put the measurements. The hall is not as big as that.

@MillicentTrilbyHiggins how do you find it?

I think I’d be fine living there as a family of three as long as neither parent WFH.

How old is your child? Are you one and done?

Personally I'd do it. If your mortgage is 1k and this is 500, can you afford to put away at least 250 a month for example? You can always look at moving again as the kid grows if you need to.

Outside space?

It's only the sitting room/kitchen that looks small to me. My sitting room is 4.8 x 3.6 and I could go a bit smaller but I have two sofas and a table. Depending on your kitchen you may not need a table? Bedrooms look plenty big enough.

It's fine. Me and 2 teens, we turned the 2nd reception room into a 3rd bedroom. I can't afford anything else so it would be tough if it wasn't big enough

That looks like 55sqm/550sqft.

That would be exceptionally tight, especially for storage.

DC is ten so we are definitely done, the outside is more of a drive than a garden.

The difference in our mortgage would be sticking with 300k v going down to 100k which in the current climate feels huge

I’ve lived in a similar sized apartment for the last 6 years with a family of 3, now 4.
It was fine when it was just the three of us (me, DH, DS), but we had to block off part of the kitchen to use as an office during COVID. We installed a desk along the wall and sacrificed some kitchen space. However, once DD came along, the space was far too small for us.

This apartment was always a stepping stone for us, and we just purchased a 3-bed house. I could do it as a temporary thing (6 years in our case) but definitely not as a more permanent living situation.

That being said, millions of people raise families in apartments this size in large European cities, so… perhaps I’m precious.

In terms of size - I think it's 670ft.

I had a similar sized flat when it was just my DC and I and it felt really big. My DC had a bedroom nearest to the living room and we used it as a sort of play room and he’d enjoy switching between the rooms.
Is there space in the bigger bedroom to put a comfy chair so an adult has somewhere to sit if they want for example to read on their own?