This cottage for a family of 3 (contains link)? What is your opinion?

[AfterTheRainComesSun]

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/137657495#/media?channel=RES_BUY&id=media0

Within budget (lower end) in the desired area.

Actually looking again it looks doable.

The kitchen diner is fairly large, so no dining table needed in living room. I would put a smaller table in kitchen so it’s not so cramped though

Child in bedroom with bath. Ours is 3 with en-suite and he’s never played around in it. Means you can shower early or late downstairs without disturbing sleeping child.

Add half wall and then glass framed top half at side of stairs. Will made it more private and separate from living room, plus help with noise from downstairs up.

Add built in narrow bookcases either side wall where old downstairs wall division used to be. Then you make that one room semi open plan rather than full, and can have tv and sofa area at back, and armchair, play area, study at the front

Add front porch. Gives somewhere for shoes and means you don’t open door straight onto living room. Look at others locally for ideas

The garage gives option of converting later to proper office, and storage area if needed.

If this is bottom of budget, then you have £ left to make alterations

It’s quite similar to my last house but I had a vestibule, landing and bathroom had its own door. If you can move the walls upstairs you could add value The house was 3.6 m wide though. It was plenty big enough for me and two small children.
The issue for me which led to me moving was car parking it was impossible to park nearby. A long narrow living room needs careful thought and clever storage. I had a log burner so the open stairs were an advantage as the log burner also heated the bedrooms.

Well it is small but them Mumsnet is full of people with huge houses it seems! The price seems quite good for that area, I’m not so far away from you. Child is only 3 so I’m sure it would be fine, it looks nice

Thanks all. Not planning another DC although you never know what life might bring.
OmI saw the 3 bed linked, great space-wise but really don’t like the interio and would need to spend a lot of extra money on top of it to make it look decent… worth considering I guess

I think price is cheap as close to a school that requires improvement

The one PP posted I mean

That 3 bed is less good for schools as close to a not so good one :(

@girlygirly yes I know. It’s depressing. Surrey commuter towns are very £££

Perfect for a family of 3 ❤️

House is quite nice but layout not very good, bathroom through bedroom and kitchen appears to have an en suite, no porch.

It'd be ok if the bathroom went off a bedroom. That becomes old very quick- I speak form experience.

The second house linked upthread, though a bit dated and boring looks far more practical and it's nothing that a bit of decorating and updating won't fix and could all be done yourselves with a bit of effort. The cottage with the oddly placed bathrooms would need tradespeople to fix.

I love it! You will need to add storage but you have the space. I don't understand the MN obsession with a porch.

I'm assuming there's some kind of gate to the garage/garden, not just a door as illustrated?

Sorry when I said porch, I meant hallway.

@User19543785 closest primary requires improvement :(

Schools change. We bought a house near an outstanding primary when dd was 2yo. By the time she was in year 1 it was In special measures and so bad we put her in a school a five mile drive away. The local secondary also went into special measures as she started but was back to being good a couple of years later.

@VeloVixen yes but we need the school fairly soon and can’t drive miles away every day due to commute unfortunately

Ah, right, you obviously want to be happy with the nearby school

They're both 0.4 from a 'requires improvement' and both 0.4 from a 'good' one - there's nothing in it distance/schools-wise according to the Rightmove maps. What is it that's making you differentiate between the two of them on schools? Besides, the Primary boards on here will always tell you that a RI school is the one getting all the help to boost it whereas the 'better' ones could be coasting but you don't have to put the RI on your list anyway if the risk bothers you.

It's a bit tight, but adequate for a family of three. Many people around the world live with less. Does it meet your other needs?

My personal concern would be that it wouldn't work if we had guests to stay. I wouldn't necessarily need a spare bedroom if there was a separate living room downstairs where I could put a sofa bed, but with the open plan layout here that's less doable.

I don't understand the MN obsession with a porch.
It's to do with having sort of buffer zone between the front door and the living area. If there isn't one, if you answer the door, the visitor is almost in your living space. By the front door tends to become a dumping ground etc.

A porch is handy in a small cottage, as otherwise your sitting in only living room surrounded by shoes and coats. Plus it helps with insulation against drafts through front door.

Also, if the door is left open and your toddler goes through it, there will be a shut door to stop the toddler getting out.

It's lovely. Great character.

Try to find out if the neighbours have done anything different with the layout by looking at the local council planning applications.