Is this mad? V small bedroom

[Twoshoesnewshoes]

I’m looking at a house in a small town I want to move to.
it ticked lots of boxes, however the third bedroom is small - 7’7” by 7’11”
it also just has one living/kitchen space- big enough I think at 28’ by 15’ but we’re used to having spill out rooms.
we would build a large garden room, but also wondering if we have our bed in the tiny bedroom and very little else! Then have clothes, sofa bed, space for guitars, desk etc in the large bedroom.
its just me and DP most of the time, DS2 home from uni in holidays- he would be in the second bedroom, - and 2 adult DC and partners occasionally.
any thoughts? Does anyone do this? Any inspirational pics?

Sounds too small
it will be inconvenient to have no clothes or anything in your bedroom and the lack of living space would be a bother too
a garden room you have to walk to, is not ideal
sounds like too much compromise

This sounds like a very odd solution when only 2 people primarily living in a 3 bed

So what's happening in the other (third) bedroom?

We just had a bed and two bedside tables in our bedroom for years! My husbands wardrobe is on the landing, mine in the bedroom (box room)next door. However, we have an en suite bathroom which has a chest of drawers and dressing table in it so I guess that makes the bedroom feel bigger. Our biggest bedroom is the guest room but we also use it as a music/craft/ironing room.

@Bulbsbulbsbulbs yes that sounds like how we would use the big bedroom.
DS (uni) in (standard size) bedroom 2
i think we could fit a 50vm ikea pax wardrobe each side of the bed with over bed storage and shelves.

my DP likes to play guitar etc in the evenings- we have a ‘snug’ in our current house which he uses for that but in the house I’m viewing there is only one living space.

i had initially thought we can have a tiny guest room/music room but actually I just sleep/watch laptop in bed in my bedroom so it doesn’t need to be big.

@rubyslippers do you mean the house sounds too small full stop?
I think it might be…

You are considering you and your partner having a bed in a room not much bigger than a broom cupboard .

So I would say… yes too small.

Don't forget doors typically open inwards to rooms. Could you even get a double bed in there and still be able to use the door?

Boxroom for the guitar playing, biggest room for you two, smaller room for DS.

Adult kids stay in the nearest Premier Inn or similar. You pay if you want to, but there just isn't room for them in your house. You are paying the mortgage, you get first dibs!

Or.... 😉YOU go to the hotel when the grown up kids visit. Win win!

That does sound too small, imo, @Twoshoesnewshoes. Whilst bedrooms are primarily for sleeping 😉, I'd personally feel claustrophobic in such a tiny space.

That said, we have done something similar, although our rooms are admittedly larger - we have downsized a few times (having begun with a ridiculously oversized 6 bed house for three people). On our most recent move in 2024 the plan was to upsize again, albeit only slightly as we like having a second living space. Our last cottage had just the two bedrooms - one of which we kept available for now adult DS and partner or other guests - plus spacious kitchen with sofa space and also a large living/dining room, but going forward we wanted a TV room and a quieter snug for reading etc.

Unfortunately, buying in a more expensive location than where we sold, we ended up with a smaller cottage...but one with three bedrooms.

We've taken the decision to use the middle bedroom (13' x 9' approx) for us, keep the smallest (10' x 8') for guests and have the largest (15' x 13') as our TV room. Our snug (15' x 14' max) is actually the old kitchen so we've totally reconfigured everywhere!

Why cram yourself into a tiny room when there are 2 bigger ones if the kids aren’t there all time time - this is ridiculous.
gave 2 double rooms, 1 for you, 1 double spare and 1 single spare room but the lack of downstairs living space might also be an issue.
How likely is it they’ll live at home after Uni??
it doesn’t sound ideal really in what way does it “tick a lot of boxes” ??

Thanks @LibertyLily yes maybe it is too small!
@Sohelpmegod25 because we would ideally want a second living space.
there are three houses in our price range for sale (up to £600), the other two are larger but one has a tiny overlooked garden and the other needs a lot of work.
this has character, parking, lovely garden, small but under budget so we’d actually be mortgage free.
but I think it’s too small.
no hurry to move.

Or we have the larger bedroom and add a conservatory type extension off it (downstairs bedrooms) for living space. It’s the only room that is adjacent to the garden.

Actually I think this house sounds ideal for essentially two people! You and DH have the main bedroom with the usual storage and wardrobes. Then one of the remaining bedrooms can be used as a snug/music room and the third bedroom is for DS when he is home from uni. And I'd give him the smaller room as he is only home periodically.
No mortgage, parking, lovely garden and in your ideal location! As a poster further up said, visiting adult children can stay in a local hotel. Why buy a large house for adult children that, as time goes on, will not be staying with you very often and you're saddled with a mortgage and the upkeep of a large house?

Yes I do
the lack of living space and small bedrooms just won’t work
you’re already thinking of how to add more external space outside so you’re already aware it doesn’t serve your needs

Well in that case…. Disregard all 3 as unsuitable.

You and DP have the biggest room, the DS who lives with you in the holidays the 2nd room and put a day bed with a trundle bed under or a fold out futon type bed in the box room for guests or a sofa bed and get a sofa bed for the living space to accommodate everyone when all the DC and partners should happen to visit at once. DP can play his music in the box room until you have the garden room.
Just do a massive declutter before moving and buy furniture that fits for the new place. I downsized from a 5 bed to a small 3 bed during Covid and 3 out of 5 of our adult(uni) kids unexpectedly moved in with us and are still here 5 years on! Our 3rd bedroom is smaller than the one you are considering - 6ft 3 x 6.4ft and my adult son who moved back home manages in there. It is tiny compared to his room in our former home but it works - he has a single bed with drawers under, a set of clothes drawers, some shelves up high, hooks on the back of the door, a fold down desk - it's like a ship's cabin and I couldn't sleep there but he seems fine with it. We have a large sofa bed that has bedding storage under it in the living room that can be used for guests.

Alternatively, the box room could be for the son who lives with you in uni holidays and you could use the 2nd bedroom as a 2nd living space/music room and a guest room (sofa bed).
I love where we live now and it is great being mortgage free as that was such a headache for us every month towards the end after a business failure several years before. The small house is also so much easier to keep clean and maintained and is very cozy. I think locals are surpised we all live here - as a lot of the houses just have 1 or 2 residents but it has worked out fine ( except for husband's resistance to getting rid of books and clutter periodically).

I can't really get my head round a three bed house being too small for two people, and dont understand why you are planning to use the smallest room as your bedroom. While two living rooms is nice, it's not essential is it? For just you and your husband.

So no, I don't think this house is too small, but it may well be too small for YOU if you are used to more space. You may well need to challenge yourself to rethink how the spaces are used, and how to fit in everything you need. Personally I would enjoy that - I live in a two bed house with my kids and our front room is also my study and bedroom - but you may not, and that's ok too.

To me the obvious solution is for you to have the biggest bedroom, and to make the box room your second living room, for guitar-playing, reading, TV watching etc.

I love my bedroom.

it is an extremely light coffee brown extremely light brown walls, crisp white gloss work, ceiling and floor boards. The bedding, black out curtains and the rugs are brown, the king sized bed and small bedside cabinets are pine and there are knobs on the back of the door for the dressing gowns. The only other item in the room is fixed on the wall, a beautiful smart tv. Our bedroom is 7’8 x 7’5. I love it. The big room next to it is our big bedroom which is full of things like clothes, ironing board, an old yet very comfortable two seater sofa which the dog has commandeered, a 50s table and two chairs.

i love love love my little bedroom, its always tidy, welcoming, restful and a peaceful place, hubby, our dog and cat and me!!

Could you use the third bedroom as a walk-in wardrobe?

Yes, I can see why it sounds otherwise perfect @Twoshoesnewshoes.

If you were certain nothing even better is likely to come along, then I'd do what @user1478299641 and @SapatSea have suggested and you take the larger room, retaining the middle one as a snug/music room. Your son has the smallest when he's home. Other guests can stay at a local airbnb or similar.

Weird! Why wouldn’t you have the largest room, ds the smallest when he’s back from uni and the middle is a spare which doubles up as the snug for guitar playing. Add a conservatory - use as dining room and partition off living room which can have a sofabed for when you have all three of them there (how often does this happen realistically?)

I think only you can decide if this is doable tbh, you know how you live day to day and how much stuff you’ve got.

I don’t necessarily think you need to have your clothes in the same room - my DS has a small room with only a double bed and some very narrow bedside tables just big enough to put his phone on and a small lamp, and his wardrobe is in the office next door. It’s no issue. Ottoman beds are great for storage.

I would say the house is big enough for what you want

Bt you dont need to have your bed in the small bedroom unless you want to, as someone says above, it will just be a bedroom and be nice and neat and calm

But I would put a single bed in there and space for the guitars, you have the big bedroom and the second bedroom is the spare bedroom for adult children. Son uses the single bedroom when he come back

The downstairs I would put a dividing wall to have a cosy front room separate from the dining/kitchen area

I would put in a garden room, this could serve as an enteraining space or studio space for people to stay over, whatever you want

I would be very tempted by being mortgage free, its hugely important.

Uni son has the smallest room, put a small double in there. You have the middle room, use the other room as your snug with a sofa bed for visitors.

Thank you, that’s great to know - sounds lovely