Buying a larger than necessary house

[Deecizions]

After much searching have found a great house in the area I want. Price seems good compared with others similar though it has some issues like dodgy parking which doesn't matter to me. Only issue is it's a large house - 4 beds - and there's only me and the dog.

Realise I'd need more furniture and would be heating rooms rarely used. Also council tax. Yet I'm unlikely to find another house that ticks my boxes in this area which I'm set on as a smaller version doesnt exist and property rarely comes up.

Theres also the feeling that it's somehow wrong for one person + dog to live in such a large space. I'm fortunate thatcI can afford this and the ongoing costs but would I regret a decision to buy such a large house? Anyone in this position?

If you can afford it I don’t see why not. There’s absolutely no reason why you should buy a small house just because there’s only one of you! Also it is hard to find smaller houses with big living spaces.

We've just been quoted over £150K for an small extension that'll add a small room to our terrace. Buy that house.

Why do you have to furnish rooms you are not going to use? In terms of heating, you don’t have to heat them in the same way as the rest of the house, just turn the heating on occasionally to keep it flowing ( if water filled radiators) or if there is serious danger of inside freezing ( we must hope not!) . Air thé spaces regularly but otherwise keep the doors shut.

eduted to say : personal experience speaking.

Get it if it’s the right house, most houses are going to be the same size and you may find that the extra space is useful once the option to have it is there.

Bedroom, separate dressing room, guest room and use the other bedroom for a hobby (storing sports equipment, home gym or sewing, painting, whatever floats your boat). If there is no utility downstairs then having a separate room for drying clothes will be lovely. (I mean use the 4th bedroom for that, not the dressing room).

I have a separate dressing room, kitted it out myself with IKEA wardrobes and it’s such a great luxury not to have clothes in my bedroom. (Well, my clothes, my husband keeps his in the bedroom as the dressing room is MINE.)

And having a permanent room for guests is so classy too. Can you host gatherings at Christmas etc?

If you want it and can afford it: buy it. I have a house that's too big - plenty of rooms that don't really get used, but in winter they just get closed off. I love having the space and flexibility.

I bought one, so I could have an uncluttered living room I could invite people into, plus a study, a sewing and laundry drying room (aka guest room), a box room and a utlity room. Flat roof so no loft.
I used the space to put up a 90 odd woman discharged from hospital and her son and have no space now just clutter.
I don't know why people think single people don't deserve space.

Ah yes, that’s a good point, if you ever wfh then you can have a dedicated home office.

I’d do what @HotCrossBunplease suggests; make use of the rooms.
Also in the future if you wanted or needed a lodger it gives you that option.

I bought a house " too big" for me. Mostly because I loved the size of the living room and the kitchen. Like others have suggested, I used the 2 "spare" bedrooms most days. One as an office for WFH and the other as a laundry drying room which can be quickly turned into a guest room.

If you can afford the ongoing costs of a larger house, I totally say buy it. How you use the space is noone else's concern, although some folk may question it.

As long as you can afford it without over-stretching yourself then go for it. No need to live somewhere small just because you're on your own.

It's really nice having a permanent spare room, space for drying clothes and hobbies. No need to heat (or barely heat) or furnish rooms you won't use.

Double check the council tax. Because it's based on property values from the 1990s and the actual amount per band is set locally it's really variable. I've lived in a number of areas and am in the largest house so far but am in a lower band and paying considerably less council tax than I did for a smaller house in a different part of the country!

DH and I have a house that is 'too big'. We have a bedroom, a hobby room/office each and a spare room (also used for drying washing).
Downstairs is open plan which works perfectly for just 2 of us.
The house was on the market for over a year, so if we were depriving a family of it, they had plenty of time to get in there first!

"I don't know why people think single people don't deserve space."

Do they? I've never heard this?

I live in a 4 bedroom house with my two cats, and I don't really like it. I have no choice as I'm a member of the clergy and am required to live in the house the church provides for me. It wasn't an issue when my DS was living with me, but now he's up and away, I do feel the emptiness of all the space around me. I have a one bed flat which is my own, and I feel much happier there. It's a very personal thing, though. As I've got older, I find I prefer smaller spaces. I can only be in one room at any given time! That might be something to consider, OP, if you've not previously lived on your own in a big space.

On a more practical level, yes, it does cost more to heat a bigger house and although you don't need to heat unused rooms to the same level, a bigger house just isn't as cosy in the winter.

We have a love-hate relationship with ours.
Costs a fortune to heat and maintain and is loads of work. But it has allowed us to do things that have enriched our lives:
-be able to put up random guests at a moment’s notice
-have lodgers, most of whom have been lovely and interesting
-host a Ukrainian family for 2 years
I think if you don’t hate having people to visit it’s easier to find positives that will offset the negatives.

I typically advocate for people to rightsize their housing - leaving larger homes for other families who need the space.

But ultimately, it's your money. If you can afford it and all of the future bills and maintenance (be very certain on this) then go ahead. Don't take offence when me and others ask for homes to be taxed on their value - instead of Stamp Duty and existing council tax. That might hit you personally but I'm really not targeting you personally! Best of luck.

There's nothing amoral about buying a big house. If it meets your needs and you can afford it, then crack on. Enjoy your home.

Do what works for you, nobody else!

Big houses :

Can cost a lot to run.Generally are less energy efficient if older often with huge costs to upgrade. This may significantly affect their value in the future.

Are generally on big plots with larger gardens. The gardens can be difficult to maintain.

Can be targets for crime.

Can be difficult to get around inside if you are disabled.

Are obviously harder to clean and maintain, both in terms of cost, physical and mental effort (organisation of services).

I mean if having a big house floats your boat then fine. What you spend your money on is your business. I would not feel guilty about it. But there are a lot of big houses out there falling into ruin because their owners are either financially or physically incapable of maintaining them.

Really appreciate all your replies. Not made an offer yet but this house is seeming more and more right for me despite having that 'too big' feeling. I'm accepting that come winter time it's going to need some significant heat to keep it cosy but I can also be practical and wear extra layers and decide upon which areas get the heat and there's no need to pack it with furniture.

Go for it OP.

You will more than likely make use of the extra space anyway.

Laundry / drying room
Gym room (if you are that way inclined)
Sewing room
Painting room
Etc

We are 2 adults and one child in a big Victorian five bed (plus pets). Yes, it costs more to heat and maintain but:

• we have a home office each and can shut the door on work every night. This my favourite reason and we didn't know the extra space would be needed when we bought
• lockdown was way easier with a big garden and space
• we can host family events and have people to stay so lots of happy memories
• weirdly, it stays cleaner probably because you're spreading the dust out over a larger space. Our front room is always ready for guests
• our only child has space for friends to play and hangout inside and out so they are always around
• at some point we'll downsize but for

Go for it. It’s a 4 bed, not Saltburn!

I owned a 4 bedroom house when it was me and the dog. Now I own a three bedroom house with 2 kids (and the dog) because I moved to a more expensive area. Things change. I loved my big house though. I had an office, and a spare room, and a room for hobbies. It was more space than I needed upstairs but I wanted the living space and it came with the bedrooms.

Oh 100% go for the house!

There's two of us (but DH travels so much for work it's basically just me). 5 bed house with all the associated space! We love it. No reason for us to live somewhere smaller (which would end up so cluttered with all our belongings) when we can afford a larger space 😊

Heating in the winter is more expensive, but that's far outweighed by the benefits of having so much space and being able to decorate / use the space as we wish to (which we wouldn't be able to do in a much smaller house).