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Original poster

House with a small garden if you have kids?

71 replies

Pleaselettheholidayend · 28/10/2023 07:33

Husband and I have seen a house in an area we like and are really interested in the property as it has lots more internal space (which is what we need) but it has a small garden.

We have two young kids so part of me thinks we are insane to consider. However the house is right next to a lovely big park with woodlands and it has lots of really great community events all the time - the neighborhood has a really nice community feel, much moreso than where we currently are, which is part of the appeal!

Are we insane to go for it? Our current home has a decently sized garden but i feel we've never made the most of it but conventional wisdoms is it's handy to have? Also worry about the appeal of this house selling on, though there's scope for us to do improvements and maybe add an extra room.

OP posts:
Tumbleweed101 · 28/10/2023 09:21

I've got a fairly big garden and these days I spend the most time in it! The children mainly used it for a large trampoline and gymnastics, paddling pools etc. These days they use it to sunbathe! Although my youngest did have a veggie patch this year.

Some outdoor space is nice, it's nice to open the doors up on summer mornings but the garden doesn't have to be huge. Enough to play in before and after school in summer (when they are older) and for you all to sit out in together.

SallyWD · 28/10/2023 09:26

We had a small garden with young children and I think it was fine. They'd play in it sometimes. There was a huge park 5 minutes away so we often went there. When the kids were 8 and 10 we moved to a bigger place and one of our criteria was a bigger garden "for the children". However, since we moved they've rarely used the garden! Occasionally they'll kick a ball around but they're more interested in screen time sadly (they both do extracurricular sports and just want to relax at home). I think it depends on the kids. Some children aren't that interested in being in the garden as they get older.

dragonmummy17 · 28/10/2023 10:16

We're just moving house and my two non-negotiables were a home office and a garden big enough for DC to kick a ball in without it flying over the fence with the first kick and to have space for the guinea pigs and a trampoline. We have a tiny garden now overlooked on 3 sides and I hate it

bloodyfootprint · 28/10/2023 10:20

If the constant community events are right next to your proposed tiny garden they'll get old very fast and ruin your privacy and peace.

meow1989 · 28/10/2023 10:41

We moved from a tiny new build garden to a house with an 80foot garden, personally we would never go smaller again.

DS is 5 and we have room for a wooden playhouse, swing, potentially a trampoline, allotment patch, flower beds, pond and room to spare for running around... in the summer it's an extension of the house - bifolds wide open aNd D's is is in and out. With two I'd definitely be cautious.

Devilsmommy · 28/10/2023 11:02

I live in a first floor flat and was overjoyed that I had a small garden for DS, however it rarely got used in summer as he's got severe hay fever😂

GasPanic · 28/10/2023 11:24

Realistically your kids are only going to use a garden for a few years. By the time they get over maybe 8 it will be too small to play ball games in (or at least the vast majority of gardens are and will be destroyed by a bunch of 8 year olds kicking footballs around in them), up until maybe the age of about 3-4 they will probably be OK with something pretty small.

So you've got about a 4 year time window where the size of a back garden might become limiting for them for playing outside.

Notmetoo · 28/10/2023 11:28

A garden is nice but it's not necessary. If you have loads f space inside and a park nearby I think that's enough. I would say inside space trumps outside space anyway as you use that all year round. A garden is normally used half the year.

boomtickhouse · 28/10/2023 11:36

We have a tiny garden and barely keep up with it. I think I there is a window where a decent size is good for kids say 2-6ish. But then beyond that they need a proper woods walk / bike ride etc not just puttering around with a watering can. So if you ride out those years with playgrounds etc you'll be fine. Things like giant connect 4 and skittles etc can help make the best of it when they're small. We sit out and eat in ours but little else. It's a sitting and reading space, not a play space. Kids don't care now - they ride bikes on bridleways & parks anyway, wouldn't want to ride round in circles in the garden.

boomtickhouse · 28/10/2023 11:37

True - unless you have an actual football pitch style garden, ball games are a pain in the arse once they can actually kick the ball

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 28/10/2023 11:45

We have a small garden- I would like a bigger garden if honest to fit more kids play stuff but tbh I’m grateful for the outside space and don’t dwell too much

KievLoverTwo · 28/10/2023 11:47

If I had kids, I think I would prioritise community, big open spaces and woodlands. I think all of those things will be better for their mental health than a bigger, enclosed garden as they get older. Access to nature is pretty important to me. Depends on the nature of your kids though.

Re: adding an extra room. Personally, I would only do that if I was prepared to write off the cost of it, if it would make my house the most expensive house on the street (but with a small garden) come re-sale time.

Blondeshavemorefun · 29/10/2023 00:26

From what you describe garden doesn't sound tiny

But with kids a garden is def essential and nice if can have a trampoline - swing - slide - washing line plus some grass to play on

nice to come home from school / or wake up in holidays and open door and off they go while you wake up with a cuppa in your pjs

I had friends in lockdown who lived in flats and even now know friends with kids who live in flats and their kids love our garden /space

It's hassle sometimes to have to go to the park. Pack drinks blanket etx rather then just open door and say go and play

Seeleyboo · 29/10/2023 00:32

Tiny garden here and never been an issue, but we do live in a cul de sac, and kids play out front.

kelpinah · 29/10/2023 00:57

What are the measurements?

Our garden is 4.7mx4.7m which I find a bit limiting - enough space to have a playhouse, sandpit and slide, but not to pedal a trike or properly run around in. For us it's just part of being ina London terrace and we'd have to move too far out to get a bigger garden, which wouldn't suit our lifestyle. We made a decision to make it a play area and there isn't space for a bbq or entertaining, but we're not keen on that anyway.

My dc do prefer going to playgrounds than being in the garden as they like proper climbing frames and big slides so I don't think we'd ever be the kind of family who would be happy to stay home and let the dc play in the garden. In fact we have bucket lists of all the best playgrounds in the city and we have a mission to visit all of the biggest ones. We prepare our lunch and bags every night planning to be out for the day so it's not an extra hassle to be going out, it's just part of our routine.

TerfTalking · 29/10/2023 06:21

Our house has a small garden, DC were 1 and 4 when we moved here. I had reservations but the house is off the road, down a private drive and two minutes from the park and close to the best schools in the area.

never had any regrets at all.

Riverlee · 29/10/2023 06:36

We went from a larger (but not massive) to smaller garden when the dc were aged eight and five. It was fine. They played football with neighbouring kids on the grassey patch on the road, but we could still have barbecues in the garden.

Thisthingwedo · 29/10/2023 06:57

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Original poster
Pleaselettheholidayend · 29/10/2023 07:51

We viewed the house yesterday and the garden has a bit more space then I remember but the space is in an odd configuration. Conservatory is built over where the patio would be and the grass is raised off the patio and goes into a triangle. I think what throws me is there's an enormous stone shrine to the virgin Mary in the corner and I can't visualise how much room we'd gain back once it was gone!

Rest of the house is as spacious as I remember, double bedrooms, double garage, big loft room and through lounge. Needs work doing to it but we are tempted.

For context, we viewed it last year but it was priced 50k higher, it sold but is back on the market now as buyer pulled out from not wanting to take on the work.

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Peekingovertheparapet · 29/10/2023 07:56

We have both - huge garden and lots of indoor space. If I had to pick one I’d pick the indoor space as it’s used all year round. The garden is awesome, especially with two boys and plenty of room for kids + friends to run around, but it’s a hell of a lot of work.

I haven’t read the full thread but the property you’re describing sounds like it could be in my neighbourhood, which is a conservation area of 1910-1930s houses, some of which do have small plots for the house size. We are right next to a large city centre park, with 300 acres of fields, trails, play grounds etc and this is a thriving community.

i think as long as you have enough garden to have a decent outside sitting or eating space, the amount of play equipment gets smaller as they get bigger. It will be fine.

ComfyBoobs · 29/10/2023 08:04

We moved from somewhere with a postage stamp garden when our kids were 3 and 5.

The big draw of the new place was the much bigger garden but it didn’t really see much more use until they got into football at the age of 7 and 9. Then it was absolutely essential to have the extra space and they used for hours every day (destroying the lawn in the process…).

They still play in it now - at the ages of 11 and 13. Quite often their friends will come over to churn up the grass with them.

Windywuss · 29/10/2023 08:13

I think it depends what your kids are like. I had to move to a house with an awkward garden which is all split level. Not big enough for football. We have played swingball and some other bits.

I am a single mom and only have DS though so it might be different with two, but he's not a kid who likes football. He likes computers and art and videogames. He will come outside and hang out in the summer a bit and is happy to do walks and bike rides out of the house, but I don't think a small garden would have made a difference to him really. He was 6 when we moved in here.

ithinkicanithinkican · 29/10/2023 08:13

If you did a wee diagram of the garden, letting us know which way it faces, I bet you'd get some good suggestions!

Blondeshavemorefun · 29/10/2023 08:45

We love a diagram

Always thought when selling a house they should include garden size /shape in drawings

Original poster
Pleaselettheholidayend · 29/10/2023 09:39

Ok here is a diagram, apologies it's a bit inept!

Orange is the house plus the garage, blue conservatory, green obviously the grass. The grass is raised and slopes upwards towards the top left corner and has the shrine built into that corner currently, so hard to gauge the actual size. Red is roughly the boundary. It's an end of terrace, double fronted.

Both sides of the garden have brick walls from neighbours building surrounding it. Garden is actually same direction as our current one, sort of south east so likely to get lots of sun unless the house surrounding it block it but I don't think that's likely!

Typing it out, it's becoming more of a no brainer to go for it I think initially was freaked because our current garden is more of a classic mid/big sized rectangle plot. But we have much less house here and we are all on top of each other with husband WFH and me studying

House with a small garden if you have kids?
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