2 bed flat layout for lone parent with 2 children

[Silv321]

I am separating from my husband and am in the process of buying a 2 bed flat (no garden, but comes with parking-yay!) 25% shared ownership in London, and cannot make any structural changes as shared ownership. I will have the two children (DS8 and DD6) 50% of the time.

I would like advice on sleeping arrangements/temporary partitioning of the flat (if possible!). I'm going to get a decent sofabed for the living room, and thinking I'll share with DD until she wants to be on her own.

Current living arrangements in marital home: DD prefers me sleeping in her room at the moment whilst we are still in the marital home (I sleep on a mattress next to her mid-sleeper). DS prefers his own room.

Question: Is anyone living in a similar situation and can give alternative ideas?

I've included a screenshot of the floorplan below in case anyone wants to see, total area 57.2 sq/ft.

Please, no advice about divorce/separation/equity, or moving to another area for more space; just thoughts on how to arrange the flat
please:)

The kids are still quite young - you'd get a couple of years sharing if you wanted still. My kids are very much of the 'bedroom is for sleeping' mindset, so they still share a bedroom at 14 and 11, and then use the spare room as a play room (used to be toys, now it's computers).

Do your kids use their bedrooms to play in? If so, then have them share the big room and you take the smaller (and the living room). If not, then they share the little one to sleep in, and use the living room to play in, and you get the big room as your space.

Then in 2-3 years you can re-visit, depending on if you can afford somewhere bigger and you've lived in the space/the childcare arrangements so you have a better idea of what might work.

@CleftChin this is useful advice. Yep, they use their bedrooms to play, so I'm leaning towards them sharing the big room with some kind of partition. Thanks!

@Unexpecteddrivinginstructor Love this drawing❤️ I'm gonna speak to solicitor tomorrow so that they can ask about what changes I'm allowed to make. Thanks!

Hi OP, came across your post and wondering what solution you came to? I am in the process of separating and will be in a similar position - looking at a 2 bed in London with 2 young kids. I have been looking at Murphy beds - you can get some really nice ones which blend in as furniture which I’m considering for a living room/3rd bedroom situation.

Check our resource furniture - although I don’t think they shop to the UK yet. Expensive but could be worth the money to create a 3rd sleeping solution without compromising on sleep quality and your living space.

Never To Small and 600 Sq Ft and baby have some great design inspiration for small spaces.