We currently live in a 3 story terrace, 4 bedroom house, been here five years, ok back garden, small front garden, no driveway, one way street with terrible parking, you might get a space outside your house or you might have to drive round the one way system, 2,3,4 times looking for a space as close to the house as possible. To get the kids in the car we have to remember where the car is, drive it to the house, park on the double yellow lines on the other side of the road, and then put the kids in the car one by one. We have three 6,4 and 18 months. 4 year old is disabled, he has a neurological disability which makes him unpredictable and unsteady on his feet, he is generally carried everywhere or pushed in a buggy with his brother. Our house is also a 30 min walk from the beach, school and nursery. It is my responsibility to do school pickup, all the clubs hobbits. And sometimes that involves getting in and out of the car at home 4 times in a day (so parking in yellows, unloading the kids; then driving off again looking for a space)
I have recently been wanting to move to a house with a driveway, that’s closer to school/nursery and I’d really love to live walking distance from the beach.
We’ve found a house, driveway, only 3 beds, semi detached so side access to the garden, 8 min walk to our favourite beach. Walking distance to school, nursery, train station and leisure centre. Much bigger garden with more than enough space to build an office space each (we both WFH), bike storage, craft room, music studio. The house itself is the same footprint as our current house. One less bedroom which I will admit feels like a bit of a downgrade.
We have just got our remortgage and got a lump sum to to the extension on our existing home, once we do the extension we will have hit the limit of how much better we can’t make our house, we won’t be able to build office space in the garden, or extend the bedrooms at all.
we would need to spend the Reno money we’ve just got in securing the new house as it’s a bit of a stretch, so would have no money to extend for a few years.
I would rather move now, go back a few paces, have this bigger potential house, have my life changed in just being able to walk the kids to school and just put our son in the car on our drive instead of faffing with our current situation.
husband says we already live close enough to walk to the beach (which is technically true, but I wouldn’t consider 30 minutes walking distance pushing a double buggy, I can’t just nip there in my lunch time and have a quick dip) he’s not bothered by the beach so he doesn’t get my point.
he thinks stylistically our current house is more to his taste (Victorian, high ceilings) than the other house (30’s semi) which for him is a big factor in staying put.
am I being unreasonable in wanting to move? Is he by ignoring my motivating factors and wanting to stay cos our house will be “cool” once renovated?