Money pit-should we move?

[Fleabaneofmylife]

First off I really love our house but it has been an absolute money pit, far far more than we originally thought it would be and it’s just not big enough

We moved in 2 years ago, 2 adults, 3 kids in a 4 bed house. It’s tight but ok but we are just constantly dreaming of extensions, loft conversions, garage conversions, garden rooms, basically anything for a bit more space! We have no where to dry washing in winter and our bedroom becomes a laundry room which is far from relaxing. The downstairs is perfect but the upstairs is just too small.

We also have had roof issues, leaks, driveway dug up, broken showers, leaking conservatory, moth eaten carpets, mould etc to deal with. problems are still ongoing really.

We have decorated the downstairs but the upstairs with so many people feels like a real struggle. But we love the location and the area we are in.

Should we just move or put up with it all?!

For what it would cost to move you could convert a bit of the garage to a utility room and stay in the location you love. (That's what we did).

Can you afford to move? How does the cost of moving & stamp duty compare to doing work where you are? How much too small is it? How old are your children - how long until one moves out?

If you've got a garage you could put a tumble dryer in there, so you only need a small rack for items that can't be tumble dried.

I'd look into a loft conversion if other similar houses in your street already have them, if you can afford it. If the house and garden are otherwise OK and the location suits you, wouldn't it be better to improve what you have than try to buy a bigger house with all the associated costs (which you would never make back)?

We have spent so much money on the house already and it never seems to end! We have already converted a small section of the garage to make a utility room but we have talked about converting the rest into a 5th bedroom to child 3 more space. The kids are 16, 13 and 12

We spent most of our savings on this house but wondering whether it’s just time to cut our losses for something that is bigger without the upheaval of conversions.

Is there not space for a tumble drier and/or airer in the utility room?

We have stacked our tumble drier and washing machine in there with a freezer but that’s all there is space for. It’s not heated as it’s part of the garage so any washing won’t dry out there and the tumble drier is too expensive to run all winter. We use a dehumidifier in our bedroom which only adds to the sense of glamour up there

Heated airer in the garage rather than running the drier all the time? But even the drier would be cheaper than moving costs.

Yeah I know. The washing situation is just one of the things that isn’t ideal. I know it’s cheaper than moving though!

I think it’s not uncommon to have nowhere good to dry laundry? We have a decent sized house but short of heaving it up to the loft I don’t have anywhere either. I just use the tumble dryer. Cheaper than moving.

What are you realistically going to buy that is bigger that doesn't also cost a fortune to repair or maintain? Because NBs and SHNB rooms are generally the size of a postage stamp and cost a great deal more than older homes to purchase for many years after the build.

How about getting a really fancy, highly insulated garden home office rather than a very costly extension? It can be part spillover/relax place and part laundry room/ironing space. I believe you would just need a dehimidifier rather than heating in there for winter to dry the washing, but someone will correct me if I am wrong.

Rememeber you said you love your house. That counts for a lot.

Your eldest is 16, might they move out in a couple of years? If you don’t like the house that’s one thing, but the space issue should ease in the short/ medium term.

Can you do a garage conversion of the rest of the garage for an additional room, and put a heated airer in there next to a radiator? Also could be used as a kids sitting room or office?

It could be reasonably cheap to add a radiator to the utility room? Like a few hundred pounds. Then you could put a lazy susan up and dry the washing in there? Is it uninsulated too? That might cause more of an issue.

Surely 3 kids in a 4 bed is pretty standard...What's the particular issue with this one? Is it unusually small?

Some great ideas here thank you! We get so bogged down and can’t see the woods for the trees sometimes. The utility is insulated but there is only boards for floor and it’s really tiny and no space for any heating unless it’s plug in. I would love a garden room as that may solve some issues with space especially for the kids, I guess we could think about that with a loo? We don’t really want to lose the garage space.

A house has come up for sale near us, it’s about 20 years old and has been rented so it’s empty and you can really see what you’d get for your money. Yes it needs a bit of love but it’s massive and costs far less than ours (I know older houses have a bit more about them) which is what got us thinking. Ours is about 50 years old and is showing its age now (much like me )

You can try moving but it’s the worst market in history for sellers

Yes, it was a 3 bed originally and has already been extended to give an en-suite and another bedroom but the 4th bedroom is tiny and our bedroom is long and thin with no flexibility to move anything around. It doesn’t help that when we viewed it the previous owners had a small double in it, we stuck our king size in it and there isn’t enough room to swing a cat!

Oh really? What makes it the worst market?

From my perspective if you e lost the love for your home it’s difficult to get back as you will permanently be marked by what you are investing in it rather than seeing the reward. So if it works financially I’d say move and give your self some positive headspace.

I think I'd try to move. Life is too short to hate your home.

Within 6 years you could be left with a massive house and space you don't need because all of the kids have left for uni.

If you are in London the cost of moving, including not insignificant stamp duty can pay for a lot of upgrades.

The savings you make on stamp duty would also pay for an awful lot of tumble drying, especially if you have a heat pump tumble dryer which costs a lot less to run.