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Original poster

Do town houses work with young children?

51 replies

MilkyChopsKid · 11/04/2008 15:24

By town houses I mean the ones with a integral garage, a kitchen on the ground floor but the reception room on the first floor. How can one keep an eye on the kids unless the kitchen is big or one has a conservatory?

I'm not about to buy in this market but opinions would be gratefully received for when things look better.

OP posts:
MrsBadger · 11/04/2008 15:27

we're in the process of buying one but the ground floor kitchen/diner is big.

Friends have one that works but the ground floor is garage / utilty room / bed 4 so all the living space is on the first floor.

[blissfully ignores state of market and clutches offer letter from CASH BUYER]

Original poster
MilkyChopsKid · 11/04/2008 15:44

Thanks for the feedback MrsBadger. Do your friends make good use of the garden assuming access is from the ground floor?

Good luck with your move.

OP posts:
MrsBadger · 11/04/2008 15:49

actually they barely use the garden at all - good point

hifi · 11/04/2008 15:49

i would say its ideal, we have similar set up, garage is playroom/study. we do stay downstairs most of the day,dd watches tv in sitting room while i cook dinner, shes 4 so i have no problem with her wandering, if you want a closer eye on them fit stair gates.
i think you do need to be a bit more organise with clothing etc as if we forget anything we have 2 flights of stairs. when she was younger i kept nappys wet wipes etc on all floors, also a potty on each when training.

MrsBadger · 11/04/2008 15:50

oh and a phone on each floor too

Anna8888 · 11/04/2008 15:51

I am so glad to live in a flat.

My parents used to have a town house of the type you describe - kitchen and dining room opening out onto patio and garden, then living room and master bedroom/bathroom on first floor and three further bedrooms/bathroom on top floor.

They moved just as soon as their first grandchild was on its way .

southeastastra · 11/04/2008 15:52

plenty of children in the ones round here

hifi · 11/04/2008 15:59

badger we do but they all end up in my bedroom, can never find one.

hifi · 11/04/2008 15:59

lots of things get thrown downstairs, like laundry.

littlerach · 11/04/2008 15:59

We lived in a townhouse when we had dd1, and most of th eitme it was fine.
But cooking could be tricky if she was being clingy, or was busy in the lounge.

My friend had her kitchen in the basement, so similar probs, and she finds it pretty hard now that she has 2.

Dropdeadfred · 11/04/2008 16:08

We are moving to a townhouse nex month. It has the kitchen/garden/conservatory/playroom and study on lower floor (with garage at bottom of garden) and the lounge upstairs with the family bathroom and two bedrooms and the other two bedrooms with ensuites on the very top floor. I think it will be fine as dd3 can play in the playroom whilst I MN in study keep busy in the kitchen....

evenhope · 11/04/2008 16:26

We live in a townhouse with kitchen/diner on the ground floor and lounge on the first floor. We have phones on the first 2 floors (not on top floor because I don't want to be disturbed if I'm asleep- MILs favourite trick).

In lots of ways it's a pain. I can't go down to the kitchen & leave DD in the lounge. We had to have stairgates before we would ordinarily because the stairs down are right outside the lounge door. Most of our neighbours move out once they have a toddler.

We also have a problem with mugs.. doesn't matter how many times I clear the room of mugs there are always loads. People can bring them up here but not take them back down

MrsBadger · 11/04/2008 16:28

my plan is to make the kitchen/diner so nice (possibly with a sofa) that the (small poky) upstairs sitting room doesn't get used too much...

Original poster
MilkyChopsKid · 11/04/2008 16:32

I'm a bit of your large town houses - the ones in London all seem to have just the kitchen and garage on the ground floor.

I hadn't thought that two flights of stairs means one needs to be more organised, I guess it keeps one fit though!

OP posts:
titchy · 11/04/2008 16:43

Keep a tray upstairs - all mugs, plates etc go on it when finished with in sitting room, to be brought down next time me as usual dh goes down to make a cup of tea.

hifi · 11/04/2008 16:44

we also have the rule of, you never go up or down empty handed. we do have a child free sitting room, always tidy, to retire to in the evening.

chonky · 12/04/2008 07:37

We live in one - are just having to sell because our dd has cp, therefore multiple flights of stairs is impractical. We love it though. We have kitchen and dining room knocked through, and then another downstairs reception room, so haven't had the problem of being downstairs whilst dd upstairs IYSWIM.

I love them (but I'm biased as I grew up in townhouses, my parents seem to be addicted to them!)

MrsJohnCusack · 12/04/2008 08:20

lol, I am remembering visiting chonky in said townhouses! very fond memories of them

edam · 12/04/2008 12:03

I live in a house like this and it was bloody irritating when ds was a toddler. Not so bad now he's four and I'm more relaxed about being on different floors. Pain in the bum having to go downstairs if you want a cup of tea, though.

Think the size of the kitchen is key - ours is just big enough for a table, and we've got a conservatory too.

chonky · 12/04/2008 15:33

Ahh - MrsJC, but your parents had a veritable townhouse complete with 'dangerous room' and utility room with gigantic freezer stashed with rum and raisin ice cream .

ThingOne · 12/04/2008 16:14

We lived in an old four storey house and it was a nightmare with two and with potty training. Sitting room/playroom was on lowest floor, kitchen on next, loo on same floor as two bedrooms, third bedrooom/office on fourth floor.

34 steps from sitting room to loo. We ended up having a potty on each floor (had always had nappies on each floor) and it took ages in a new house to presuade DS1 that wee/poo should be done in a loo and not stinking out the rest of the house.

A modern townhouse with a decent size kitchen/diner with enough space to swing a cat may be a different thing. We had room for a table in our old kitchen but no room for turning it into a joint kitchen/sitting room.

We have moved to a house with a sitting room, playroom, large kitchen/diner and a loo all on one floor. Life is so much easier. I can cook tea without a riot.

I never went up or downstairs empty handed but it was still annoying. I wouldn't do it again.

MrsJohnCusack · 12/04/2008 22:38

lololol at 'dangerous room'

that house really was cool, so tumbledown. remember the cruddy old sheds and garage, and the next door neighbours who took wigs up to the Swiss chalet at the end of their garden wearing WW2 gas masks?

the people who bought it after us completely redid it in naffola pale wood and laminate flooring etc. and totally ruined it IMO.

Sixer · 12/04/2008 22:50

Nop, nor with mum. Far too many stairs, cleaning was a right pain in the arse. If the kitchen is big (ours was kichen, loo and a small bedroom on ground level), so a fair size, we lived therein the kitchen. the lounge on 2nd floor was used after 7.30pm. and didn't feel homely due to not being used during the day. We also found "once we were down, we were down" iykwim. Pain in the .... would much rather live in a bungalow where more gets done, and running isn't a problem for boys!

CountessDracula · 12/04/2008 22:58

we lived in one when dd was born until she was about 1

It was fine as the kitchen was at the back and opened onto the garden so when we were in the kitchen she was there and when we went upstairs we took her with us!

However the kitchen was big and had a table in etc

If it was a galley kitchen I would think it would be hard

chonky · 13/04/2008 10:34

The garage was great - I remember we were only allowed up on it when your mum wanted some elderflowers/ berries picking, the rest of the time it was distinctly out of bounds.

Oh crikey, the next door neighbour wig makers.

They did have their uses though:

By Appointment to HRH MrsJC - Suppliers of Finest Wig Hair for Fake Pony Tails.

Sorry - gratuitous and tangential thread hijack.