Where in London - 1.5 mil budget

[Eriana]

DH has just been offered a job in London, massive pay jump so can't really say no.
We have a 2 year old and a Newborn.

We are looking for somewhere safe, family friendly with a garden. Not too far out, 4-5 beds (5 bed preferably 4 bed could work) as we will both have WFH days and family visiting lots. We need good state schools and ideally it's somewhere we can stay for a while.

We've looked at Dulwich and that's done nothing for us just don't like the feel.

I will be commuting to Westminster, DH to St James area.

Budget is 1.5 mil, little leeway if needed but would rather not go over it by much.

Any ideas?

We’re in kingston (Norbiton) and have a 4 bed, detached with decent garden for 1.3. Schools are great, so worth a peek? I love it.

Commute nearer 45-50 minutes to Westminster though.

Having space is super important, we host Christmas etc.
Think we will end up in East Greenwich as DH has rightly just pointed out we need to be living in catchment for October, as DD starts school next year (I forgot about bloody catchment areas and application timelines).
The rental we will be in is either Meridian or Halstow, both non uniform I believe which DH won't like but I believe good schools?

Abbeville village - right by CLapahm COmmon, good primaries and easy commute (change to victoria line at Stockwell)
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147722813#/?channel=RES_BUY

CAmberwell - think this might have Boris and Carrie's old pad - rught by the park. Walk to Stockwell for VIctoria Linehttps://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147660560#/?channel=RES_BUY is in the catchment for the amazing Stockwell Mums email group....

Stockwell/Vauxhall - a lovely area with an active residents association and plenty of children (also in the Stockwell mums group area) https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/142000172#/?channel=RES_BUY

Very imposing Kenninton townhouse and you could both walk to work from here. It is on quite a busy road though https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146348513#/?channel=RES_BUY
and another one https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146360723#/?channel=RES_BUY
and another - one of the best addresses in Kennington, and a lovely garden backing onto a park. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147660566#/?channel=RES_BUY not such an easy commute though

Have a look at Nunhead. Trains into Victoria and Blackfriars and a walk from Peckham or New Cross Gate if all else fails. It is a nice area full of families.

EG https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/149650397#/?channel=RES_BUY

Hmm, Greenwich is only really possible if you work right nextdoor to the station, as long as the childcare you're dropping off at is super close to the station too. Realistically aren't you going to have at least a 5-10min walk to and from the stations? Are there even any primary schools that close to the stations for Breakfast clubs? You'll need to allow at least a few minutes for the Breakfast Club handover too, I've been that mum waiting patiently outside at 7.30am, to expect to actually be leaving the Breakfast club at 7.30am after dropping off is a bit optimistic. Is it OK if you're a bit late for work? Even with that, at the very least you're definitely going to be compromising a lot on the garden. I think it's unusual for parents to both need to be in central London for 8.15am, so this just isn't a problem faced by very many. Those that do have this problem, probably need a nanny.

I'm biased but I love Blackheath.

Chiswick and Putney are fantastic too.

If you're getting a 4 or 5 bed house then consider getting an au pair to support with school/nursery drop offs and reducing your overall childcare bill. I'd not ever consider leaving small children in the care of an au pair day in, day out for very long periods but it's a relatively inexpensive way of doing wraparound care and getting a bit of help at home too (e.g. prepping an evening meal and kids' breakfasts, light cleaning duties, collecting groceries etc.).

The children can share a bedroom when they're little meaning that even in a four bed you could have a dedicated guest room/office plus a room for an au pair.

@Hayliebells

We have the benefit of friends in Greenwich. For the 1 day a week we need breakfast club I'm sure they'd be happy to help and technically afterschool is only needed right up to the cusp one day too (on Monday we will need it until 5 as DH works from home, Friday he finishes at 3 and the other 2 days I finish early)

I still think it’s bonkers to have a £700k mortgage ontop of a £800k deposit just to host Christmas? We used to host in our zone 1, 1 bed flat for years. You can still host in a regular nice 3 bed.

You are in a luxury position of having a huge deposit. You could buy something for more like 1.1-1.2 mill somewhere. And having a £300-400k lower mortgage would mean you don’t have to worry about commutes being so tight as you could both drop 1 day work, then have a nanny 3 days. And still be better off.

That's fine. Space matters to us, not up for negotiation.
My mum will stay with us 4-6 weeks out of the year to help with childcare. We have friends and family from australia and I love to host.
I'd rather make the commute work than compromise on space it is really important to our family.

You sound as if you want to spend as much time as you can with your girls. My advice would therefore be to live as close in as you can so Kennington/Stockwell are a good bet. You could walk or cycle to work - plenty of people do as there are good cycle routes into town. Slightly less chichi areas than Chiswick or Richmond but you get a really interesting mix of people living there in arts/architecture/media/politics/law and the City. A lot choose the area because they want a family life so there are lots of children and children's activities. If you pick a conservation area not only are the houses beautiful but they tend to have good residents associations that organise concerts/revolving dinner parties/Shakespeare productions in the garden square/fetes etc.

Not the point of the thread, but possibly thread-adjacent

Fox Primary in K&C, which is easily one of the 10 best state primaries in London is a non-uniform school. I wouldn't let that put you off an area if you're interested otherwise.

Not nitpicking but would your friends help you every week? Would it be a reciprocal arrangement? Just make sure you have other options in case your friends help isnt always available or the arrangement falls through.

I understand some people feel space is non nego but the commute setup sounds a bit precarious and overoptimistic. All the posters telling you 30 mins are 100% not speaking from personal experience going into Central London.

Luckily it is only 1 day a week but just make sure you have planned it properly rather than assuming a best case scenario where you sprint like Usain Bolt, your trains work perfectly (this is London!), there are no crowds, school lets your kids out on time, etc. It helps if your employer is ok with some lateness too.

Turnham Green/Chiswick?

You must have one hell of a deposit if you’re going to pay a mortgage on a £1.5m house plus two in childcare on that income?!

Have you considered West London? West Ealing and Hanwell are well connected to central London on the Elizabeth and Piccadilly line. Several outstanding primary and secondary schools and close to Heathrow if you have family flying in

Definitely look at Southfields OP. It has a lovely feel for young families with excellent primary schools. On the District Line it's 23 minutes to St James' Park and 26 minutes to Westminster. Very easy.

E.g. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/149539952#/?channel=RES_BUY

If you have friends in Greenwich but want space to host Christmas etc, I think somewhere else in SE London is going to suit you better. 4 bedroom houses in Greenwich aren't very big houses. They will likely have a loft conversion so are quite top heavy, with not much downstairs space in the grand scheme of things, and virtually no garden so little scope to extend. If you can find a solution for that Wednesday morning that's not Breakfast club, tbh I'd just accept that the commute is what has to be compromised on, and live further out. Around Beckenham or Chislehurst are good options imo.

A few cracking houses here OP in Wimbledon area- Wimbledon is incredibly well connected and has lovely big family houses and a lot of options if commuting- both train and tube plus lovely Wimbledon village and park on doorstep- and a proper town centre

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/145320239

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146475527

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/148265855#/?channel=RES_BUY

This house has oodles of space in Chislehurst:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/149680610#/?channel=RES_BUY

This one is sold STC - but this would meet our needs perfectly more or less

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/148698935

Same for this

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147420728

We are renting in that area so might end up stuck there if that's where we are when little one starts school.

Might have to check Wimbledon out - haven't looked around there

Sure they're lovely, if you're happy with the room sizes. But be mindful that estate agents photos always make rooms look a lot bigger than they really are.

We have friends in these houses more or less so know the room sizes well.

Not directly relevant to the area search as my commute is to Liverpool Street, but just adding my perspective - we have 2 small kids and DH and I both work full time and I cannot tell you how valuable an easy, quick and reliable commute is. Mine is 25 mins door to door (Elizabeth line).

It makes a huge difference to my stress levels and our whole family’s quality of life that I can eg drop dc1 at school without having to use breakfast club and still be at my desk before 9.30, stay “late” to do calls but be back quickly before bedtime etc etc.

It benefits us day in day out in the way that a spare bedroom would not. We also have a nanny which makes a massive difference. We will likely move further out to a bigger house and different location for a good secondary school, but at the moment when kids are small (6 and 3 atm) the time is much more important than the space.

I appreciate this and maybe we will feel the same. Right now I'm think 1 day of difficult commute but allowing us to have family stay well at least 6 weeks of the year probably more makes more sense.
The other days couldn't be easier with work from home.

DH is going to email his new manager and see if late working Tuesday and Thursday to be able to start at 8.45 and finish at 4.30 will be possible - I think that will be telling as to if we pick closer or further.