Large communal garden and living centrally vs private garden in the suburbs

[hodgepodge01]

WWYD?
We have toddlers and are weighing up living centrally with a large beautiful communal garden with playground across the road and being close to parks and playgrounds, better transport, museums etc, but being in a large flat with a high service charge, that needs at least some renovating. Or a terrace house in the suburbs with a large private garden. It's been updated but not extended and is in a quiet neighbourhood we don't know so well, but seems family orientated. The commute is equivalent as one is better for either one of us. They are the same price.

Oh we used to live in Southfields. It’s just a bit sprawling. It’s too close to central to have anything really going for it. Go properly out and get a good community plus garden. Or go central. You’re probably struggling to decide because Southfields is worst of both worlds really (I was v happy living there but didn’t have kids yet!) Our train station now is 10 minute walk and then 40 mins into Waterloo which works for us.

I think it's a very personal decision. I love living centrally and hate the suburbs so would choose the flat. But as you see on this thread, very many would differ. So only you can decide.

House every time. How often do you go to the museum? Park vs space at home

@hodgepodge01

i have a terraced town house, 4 bed and my combined utility bill for gas and electric is £122 a month. Mine is 20 years old so more energy efficient

We pay £160pm for gas & electricity in a 3 bedroom terraced house and have built up about £500 in credit to offset the winter and price volatility. 400-500 sounds ridiculously high.

And remember a communal garden could be amazing or a nightmare depending on your neighbours. Ball games are often frowned upon due to potential damage, if people are sitting quietly they may not be welcoming to small children and if one runs one way and the other a different way it’s very difficult, contained garden means you can kick a ball around, grow vegetables etc without others questioning it. Some communal gardens are great, mine wasn’t

The house. A communal garden is not really yours.

Central with communal garden is a great option if the access to the garden is easy, ie a 8 year old can walk it alone. Friends of dd had a flat like this with a private balcony leading straight to the communal garden. It was lovely and all the kids would play together.

I'd personally go for the flat and a large communal garden over an average sized garden in the suburbs. It'll be great for your kids to play hide and seek in with their friends and you can just sit and watch with a flask of coffee.

However I would double check about ball games etc in your gardens, as some blocks won't allow them

House every time, for lack of service charge,.plus privacy and better investment. It only takes one neighbour you don't get on with to spoil your day. If you have to share your garden with them you might not even feel like using the garden.

Southfields isn’t the burbs! I know the area pretty well. It’s not soho but it’s got lovely independent shops, decent local restaurants, a great high street and excellent local schools- both primary and secondary options which is like hen’s teeth. Plus you have access to Wimbledon common (knocks Holland Park into a cocked hat), Wimbledon park which is excellent for kids, and other local smaller parks/ recs as well as the garden, there’s a park at the end of most roads, more or less. And you can be in central London in 30-40 mins (district line or walk to Earlsfield). As to the buzz- yes it’s probably more peaceful than where you are now but it is pretty multicultural and you have the tennis plus loads of local stuff. Christmas lights switch one, even a local flower and produce show! I know where I’d prefer to bring kids up (and I used to live in a flat in south Ken, so I can do a fair comparison).

@Heronwatcher what are the excellent secondaries in Southfields?

I can only think of Ashcroft and that's quite marmite

I know people with kids at Ashcroft, St Cecelia’s and Wimbledon college all of whom are doing well. Also some who went to Graveney and Tiffin (obviously after passing the tests). Clearly all have plus and minus points but they all seem happy and progressing to decent unis etc.

Oh, I was thinking of Southfields itself. Yes, you can definitely go to faith & selective schools in other areas as catchments are wider, as long as you pass the criteria of course.

Yes Southfields is still on the district line, but not particularly well connected and feels suburban/quiet to us compared to being near Holland Park and Hyde park. We have 1 year olds. Friends with kids have stayed in the area after looking further out, despite giving up garden space, because they feel there's so much in walking distance that they can't replicate elsewhere and it's so easy to make a community because of the number of families around.

I came here to vote for a central flat, because I grew up, and then lived in these European cities, where you live in a flat not a house, as a rule. Now seeing that you mean Kensington, and a flat with a communal garden there, it’s even more a yes from me! They just seem so lovely :)

St Cecelia’s is slap bang in the middle! And Ashcroft and Wimbledon college are pretty much the next closest schools, apart from Southfields Academy. Having access to that many credible state secondary schools is pretty unusual.

Yep - our 3 bedroom terraced house is about £300pcm for gas, electric and water. 4 bedrooms would be slightly more.

I would go for the house.

No service charge to pay plus no worries about who is sharing the communal garden and what they are like.

The house seems better for the long term whereas the flat is possibly more of a shorter term option but would you want to move twice if you can afford to buy a decent house now?

I agree I’d much rather a freehold. But to add to the complexity I have a recurrent back problem that’s reared it head again today. Not sure I can manage carrying them up and down stairs multiple times a day, they are big for their age!

It won't be long before they happily walk. Mine both climbed up solo and walked down holding hands by 17-8 months. Admittedly I did insist with eldest because I was pregnant with bad pelvic pain, and it took a couple of stand offs, but he was very capable, just liked being carried!

Southfields is very much the ‘burbs IMO.

Is the communal garden accessible without crossing a road? If this is one of those Maida Vale places with the garden around the back of the flats, viewable from your rear window and no roads to cross, I would do that every time. We have something similar and after school in the summer all the children go and play in the garden together - it’s big enough for everyone and only very light parental supervision needed because there’s no access to a road and all the adults know each other. Nobody complains about noise because there’s an unspoken rule that 3:30-5 or so is children’s time, and after that it’s “adults with a glass of wine” time. Works really well.

Private garden any day for me!
My kids are in/ out all day long which we use all year round- rain, hail, snow. I wouldn’t be up for that with a communal garden as you would have to stay out and supervise all the time. You wouldn’t be able to pop in to do some laundry or prepare tea with a communal garden. You can have all the garden equipment you want/ need in a private garden. Also, in communal gardens you never what kind of weirdo is watching you! Your kids would be safer in a private garden.

We made the house choice. It was great when we made it (we moved Nov 2019 - Covid in the flat wouldn’t have been as good). Choice was z3/4 east or SE, or central, Bloomsbury or Islington. Now children are 6 and 3 and we are moving, and now to a different city, but more centrally and smaller garden. Honestly if we were moving back to London now we would pick central. Good schools and I absolutely hate being in the car, and honestly I find the suburbs a little boring with the constant chat about house prices. But I grew up in flats with communal gardens and value that environment.

Private garden every single time. No way would I want to share my outdoor space with random strangers.