3 storey house with a dog and child

[Greentiles67]

Hi

After a year of house hunting something has finally come up in our village that ticks many boxes. My only doubt is that the garden is accessed from the ground floor but the kitchen/diner and living room are on level 1.

With a dog and a child, I'm wondering if we will not find the layout practical?? Anyone live with this layout?

The price will not leave us with much to make alterations. Floor plan attached.

Apart from this, the house is lovely. We have until Monday to decide.

The downstairs bedroom is a bit odd. Will you use it as a bedroom?

If the bedroom next to the garage isn't needed , you could turn it into your daytime family room/playroom. Thus being close to the garden for the child and dog?
Then move to upstairs for your dinner/evening. Just a thought X

I don’t know what your dog is like. But mine constantly asks to go in & out of the garden ( we have French doors from the living room). I can’t imagine having to keep taking him up & down stairs every time he wanted to potter in the garden. But perhaps your dog isn’t as garden obsessed as mine?

Like others have mentioned I would use the downstairs “bedroom” as a snug instead with TV & children toys (& access to garden) & use the upstairs room as a more formal living room to use later in the day.

I wouldn’t say a 3 storey house is ideal for your circumstances but as you’ve been looking for a year it seems compromises need to be made (or widen your search area).

It would annoy me, how old is the child?

Plus lugging all your shopping - and furniture up those stairs !

That will only work if the downstairs bedroom becomes a family room. I suspect it might get pretty annoying very quickly.

In nice weather the dog loves to just lay outside but in winter he's a sofa surfer!

I've looked at this layout recently and with cats and young kids have discounted it - in summer they are in/out the garden all the time and it's good to be able to be in the living space and watch them / It's not practical for a young family and more of an older family space

I can't make out what that small room is on the ground floor? Is it a bathroom? If it's not and there is no access to a bathroom on ground floor, it would get annoying quickly having to go up to 2nd floor for toilet etc. Does the utility room have a sink? If not, once again having to go upstairs for a water sourse would be a pain.

That’s a good point. We have a big garden and I tell the kids to stay where I can see them when I cook dinner/prep meals etc.

DD is 6. And wants a trampoline in the garden. 🫠
The current owner has teenager in the downstairs room and she likes the space when she has friends over. I can imagine that's great when they're older.

There is a shower room with toilet on ground floor next to a utility space with sink

I can’t see a toilet on the 1st floor! If there isn’t one then I think that would get annoying especially as the kitchen and lounge are there. Be interestin* to know why the people are moving and how long have they lived there for.

This.
Wanting to live in the moment but not wanting to move again for us!
The area has gotten so expensive and this is in our budget, probably because it doesn't tick a growing families boxes.

Long term it would be good to convert the garage and rear bedroom and you could have a big family room down there or move the kitchen down there and you could have your own first floor lounge space? Not sure I'd bother if I just have the one child but I have 3 and dream of having a bit of space for me to hide 😂

My sister has a similar layout, but no garage it's two rooms on the ground floor. The back room is her office, one teen is on the top floor and the other teen in the other ground floor room. In the summer she has the utility and or her office French windows open most of the time and her dog comes and goes as she pleases.

Are you planning anymore children? A 6yo would be fine with the stairs etc.

We have a dog and recently moved to a house where you can’t access the garden from the kitchen. I regret it massively.

There is a townhouse with this exact floor plan in one of the most desirable spots of my town. It has been on the market for well over a year, despite being lower priced than neighbouring 4 bed properties.
I think the floor plan would put off anyone with a dog and young children. A family with teenagers it might be ok.
I am in your predicament too.
I have considered it many times but decided it would need to have the garage converted to a reception room and kitchen moved downstairs to make it work for young family life.
Think also about how long it may take you to sell again in the future, although I note you said it’s only just come on the market.
Let us know what you decide :).

Is there no toilets on the lower level? So if ok back yard person needs to go up 3 sets of stairs to use the loo?

We have just moved into a 3 storey house that's almost identical in layout apart from we have a separate garage and two bedrooms on ground floor. We are using one as a bedroom for my teenager and the other as his gaming room/ teen snug. We have a small dog and have put a dog flap in the back door so she can easily access the garden through that ( which like yours is via the utility which is great.). We absolutely love the house and chose it because the layout works for us, but I do have two teenagers rather than younger children.

TTC but that's a whole other thread!
So trying not to over think it but I'm going through every scenario 🫤

I do think in this present layout then this would not be an easy house to sell on but I guess that doesn’t matter to you if it’s a long term house. However I always think buy a house that everyone wants to live in as then it’s always an easier sell. I guess if the house has lots of other advantages t like being in a very sought after area then that is the compromise to make.

It's fine. In time you could put french doors on the upstairs lounge and build a balcony/ steps down to the garden.

I would make the downstairs room into a playroom/den/lounge. In the day you can spend time down there, especially in the summer so have a sofa, toys etc down there. Then the lounge upstairs will stay tidy(or tidier at least) and can be your space to relax in the evenings or host guests etc. There are enough bedrooms upstairs for you all.