Maisonette in nice location with toddler (and potentially another child)

[Portugal1987]

Hi all,
We’re seriously considering buying a 2-bed first-floor maisonette in zone 6 London, and would love some perspective from parents who’ve done similar.

It’s around 75 sqm, with a private garden and a loft that already has stairs up (previous planning permission was granted to convert it into a third bedroom and bathroom, though that would need renewing). The price is around £475k, which feels reasonable for the space and location.

It’s about a 10-minute walk to the station and high street, and then roughly 40 mins into Central London, which works well for us commuting-wise as we mostly work from home anyway. The area is lovely and family-friendly with great primary schools nearby, lots of parks. The lady below (share of freehold) has lived there for 20 years.

We have a 1-year-old and are hoping to have another baby in the next couple of years. I’d love to hear from other parents who’ve lived in similar properties with toddlers:

• How manageable are stairs in a first-floor maisonette day-to-day with babies/toddlers?

• Would we likely outgrow a 2-bed with loft potential fairly quickly once there are two children?

• Has anyone regretted going for a maisonette over a house?

We love the area and the space works for now, but just trying to think long-term before making the leap. We wouldn’t be able to otherwise buy anything in that specific area, and we love it. Any thoughts or experiences would be hugely appreciated!

Thanks! 😊

You will outgrow it. Stairs are fine though. Why dont you look a bit futher out to places like Epsom (quick commute) where you could get a small house (1100sqft) for that price?

I had that similar set up while DC were babies/toddlers and my biggest challenge was parking the buggy. Other than that, it was ok. DC was always very careful around the stairs and I thought them to go down on the bums.

If you will outgrow the property, really this is only up to you. How big are the common areas? Can you workout a better layout? If both bedrooms are large enough, you should be fine. Specially if you plan to add a dormer. In our case, previous house had 2-bed but one of them was tiny and only fit a bunk bed a wardrobe.

A house is always better than a maisonette as you have no neighbours!!! If you can afford it or consider a further away place, It’s much better.

ps: Make sure you have exclusive rights over the roof space if you have intention to add a dormer.

Unfortunately, Esher doesn’t have anything for remotely around the same price! We’re open to it, but we definitely prioritize schools and location over space…

Hey - check out Epsom, not Esher - I think you misread post :-)

Thanks! Yes that is def something we would look into with a solicitor.

Both bedrooms are big enough for a wardrobe and double bed (second one a bit smaller but master is huge). And then we have the potential for a loft for which the stairs is already in place and previously planning granted. However I’m keen to figure out why they didn’t actually convert.

Even if we’d buy a house it would likely be terraced, although I like direct access to garden

Got it! Will have a look at Epsom too! 😆 thanks

would you be happy with the kids sharing a room?

Realistically in a year or two you’ll likely have two children and only one tiny bedroom for them to share. I think ideally you’d have a third bedroom. We bought our three bed before we had one child, and now we have one considering a second i wish we’d gone for four… i know area is important but things change fast once children start arriving and growing.

whats the area? £450k for 2 beds in zone 6 doesnt seem amazing VFM

I think you will outgrow it. And you will really feel the stairs when pregnant or lugging new baby and buggy and toddler and shopping in and out of the home every day.

I'd go for ground floor. What is your budget? Do you have a preferred area? I'd stay within London zones if possible as commuting in from outside gets so much more expensive and relying on two overground trains an hour is a pain, when one gets cancelled frequently. (I speak from experience.)

I don't know what area you are after, but I'd look at something like this cute bungalow with a garden, near a school, tube station and loads of pretty parks. 3 beds for £450k.

Z6 I reckon you could get a small house for that.

Have to agree re: value for money - you could get Zone 2 for that. 9 mins to Blackfriars

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/163514957#/?channel=RES_BUY

We’re looking at South West, as we have family living near and have been renting here for a couple of years, we know that many friends are looking at similar areas in the future, and we love to be near.

We know we can get a two-bed flat closer to central, but this is a two-bed with potential to convert to a 3, and has a private garden, and amazing schools close by.

SW just has that “still London vibes, lots of green spaces and nice village high street” feel 😅 We dont necessarily have to be in zone 1 2 3, but not too residential/suburbia? I think I’d go mental since I work from home.

lol we want it all for a budget of 500k basically

Ok, look at Motspur Park, Worcester Park, Surbiton, Morden - again you can get a three bedroom house for under £500k.

We had one child in a two bedroom maisonette and outgrew it once he started school and wanted play dates etc. If you both work from home, you will want the space.

Honestly I would really urge you to look further afield.

As other posters have said if you go further out in south west there will be options, or South east is also better value and very leafy / villagey, with lots of nice cafes and neighbourhoods nearby, just without the status /price premium of Putney/Richmond/Wandsworth.

The other thing about intending to convert from 2 to 3 beds is that with a short time frame of ownership (i.e. 3-5 years which is definitely what it will be to you given your family situation) you might risk not getting the money back as flats are notoriously poor appreciators. Something to watch out for.

All good points everyone, thanks so much. Will look further afield! I did have a reservation about the resell, as it’s been on the market for a while, and we don’t want to be in the position of being stuck in a chain if we outgrow it too soon.

sometimes you really need other povs! Especially as first time buyers.

Consider how the value of this type of property will appreciate (or not) over time. As when it’s time to move you might not have enough to upgrade to a house that will work for your family.

I don’t understand this tbh. I can be in central London in less than 40 minutes and you could probably get a large 3 bed possibly even 4 bed here for that money.why would you buy a teeny place ?!!

It’s actually harder than you think. We have a fairly big area we’re looking at but also looking at schools etc.

sure you can find a 500k house in north east maybe, but we are not moving to north east. A house isn’t the only factor.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/163173923

this is what you could get near a good and outstanding primary, less than 3 miles from the station where the train take 35 mins to London Liverpool Street.

( it would need some redecoration!)

Thanks for the suggestion but as mentioned, we’re not looking at Chelmsford. A house isn’t the only factor.

We’ll be ages away from family/friends, and we’re just not looking for a small town lifestyle, although I do appreciate it, it’s a beautiful home.

But we’ll keep looking, I agree this maisonette is too small and resell is difficult.

If you're prepared to look north of London,this sort of property is within your budget. It's a 10 minute walk to the station with trains taking 45 minutes into Kings Cross. It gives you vastly more space, a good sized garden and good schools nearby

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/158587337

I've just seen your update saying you're not prepared to go north of London so ignore my suggestion!

My friend lives in a two bed first floor maisonettes and has a lovely large garden but hates she can't open the back door to it. You can't just throw a door open and let the kids run in and out.

And you WFH too? Where will your office be? Sounds very tight on space.

I would keep looking for a ground floor at least.

No worries, appreciate it though!