Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Could this be lovely ?

54 replies

Sorrento · 03/05/2009 18:27

And do you think there's enough room for a MIL and DH and I and 4 DC's ?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-17664350.html?backToListURL=%2Fuser%2Fshortlist.html% 3Ftype%3DBUYING%26index%3D30

OP posts:
nancy75 · 03/05/2009 18:31

the house is lovely, i love victorian houses, does your mil live with you? if yes i think i would be inclined to look for something with a more seperate area for your mil, if you are not bothered by that , it could be a beautiful house.

Thefearlessfreak · 03/05/2009 18:33

This reply has been withdrawn

This post has been withdrawn due to privacy concerns

janestillhere · 03/05/2009 18:33

I think it's fabulous!

Plenty of room, plenty to change if you need to.

Lovely.

Heated · 03/05/2009 18:34

It's lovely, great price & could be spectacular. Is you MIL elderly - i.e ok with stairs? Would she want her own annexe/bathroom?

pooka · 03/05/2009 18:35

I like it very much. Only downsides are that there doesn't seem to be much scope for providing private space for your MIL. One option may be to extend the kitchen to have a kitchen/family room. You'll need a hefty table in there for 7, particularly as children grow older.

The children could all have bedrooms on the second floor (though the study may be a bit small as bedroom), with "adult" rooms on first floor (some scope for providing sanctuary/escape - for you all).

Is a lovely lovely house though. Just think that if I was sharing with my mother/mil we would want some way of providing her space and our space. i.e. potential for separate entrance/kitchen(ette)/living space.

pooka · 03/05/2009 18:36

Heated makes excellent point about age of MIL and the extent to which all those stairs would be manageable.

Dottoressa · 03/05/2009 18:43

Could be lovely - and what a complete bargain. Go for it!

Original poster
Sorrento · 03/05/2009 18:44

MIL doesn't live with us yet and every house I have looked at with an annex is out of our price range, this one is just about doable with a massive compromise on the location.
It's not a bad area but is not where we'd choose to be to say the least.
I am thinking we'll have to put in a stanier stairlift when she's older or else I'm tempted to offer her two rooms downstairs and the children have the top floor completely a bedroom each and the study.

OP posts:
noddyholder · 03/05/2009 18:46

i love it it could be fab with a bit of a tweak

CarGirl · 03/05/2009 18:46

Is there room to put on a large conersvatory on the back to creat an extra family room? I think it def has potential.

pooka · 03/05/2009 18:48

Well it's a great house, but I don't think it's going to offer you what you might need if the MIL living with you is a permanent arrangement. Better would be a smaller house but with more space to the side. So you could potentially build an annexe on the side (i.e. in place of a garage). Maybe convert loft for additional accommodation for children.

With the existing nos. I think you'll end up having difficulty arranging everyone to their satisfaction - the house is a bit top heavy when what you want is more space at ground floor level in order to be able to separate accommodation.

Not knocking the house - would love it. But not if was housing my children and MIL/mother.

Original poster
Sorrento · 03/05/2009 18:50

No, you're right it doesn't work for her too does it

OP posts:
MrsMattie · 03/05/2009 18:57

Lovely house. I'd snap it up!

ravenAK · 03/05/2009 19:03

We're in similar circumstances (3dc & MIL) & going for a not dissimilar house - but MIL will have the 2nd reception room as her 'bedsit' (she'll share the house kitchen, probably eating most meals with us, & there are 3 baths inc. one on ground floor which MIL can have).

Dh will then have the basement (self-contained flat, needs LOTS of work) for his music & I'll have a study on 1st floor, so hopefully we won't miss MIL's room too much...

If you can't put her entirely on the ground floor I'd be dubious tbh, if she's likely to struggle with stairs now/eventually. Gorgeous house though!

Heated · 03/05/2009 19:09

Where are you broadly looking? Wirral?

Friends have done exactly what pooka suggested and converted the separate garage into a two- storey annexe with stair-lift. MIL shares the family life/evening meals but crucially the two women of the house have their own space too.

Original poster
Sorrento · 03/05/2009 19:14

I'd prefer more the Bromborough or Heswall side really, we're in west kirby at the moment and I'm happy to move from there, but anything in Heswall is in the £450 ish range, we saw one in Gayton down £200k but on the main chester high road and I have cats I'd like to keep safe.

OP posts:
trixymalixy · 03/05/2009 20:12

Looks lovely and plenty big enough for you all.

£325k for 6 bedrooms seems pretty cheap to me, but I have no clue abou the area.

noddyholder · 03/05/2009 20:17

You need a floorplan or to view it really to see if it will work for all of you.maybe the dining room plus d/s loo or utility could be fore her as an ensuite bedroom if they are next to each other.

lalalonglegs · 03/05/2009 20:19

I thought you were looking at Stratford? It looks a lovely family house but the garden looks quite small and sloping so it would be very difficult to build an annexe for your MIL and it does lack that. Where does she live currently? Could you not suggest - if she is in a reasonably sized home - buying a smaller flat close to you rather than moving in lock, stock?

PaulaYatesBiggestFan · 03/05/2009 20:20

great value ....pretty house and could be lovely

for larger or extended family living i recommend cellars

we waited and waited for a house with a decent cellar to convert to a flat (some time never!) as with a big family you do not want to be on top of one another

pooka · 03/05/2009 20:21

noddyholder right - with a workable floorplan you may be able to use the existing utility/a reception room to provide self-contained space. And then maybe extend to replace what has been lost. To fit a utility out as a self-contained bathroom not especially difficult I would think (though depends where it is in relation to the drains - but could get macerator). Then 1 reception as a bed/sit. 1 for you. Shared kitchen.

But would be all rather on top of each other, and would require work and bug compromise.

Northernlurker · 03/05/2009 20:24

Does MIL have to move in? I love my mildearly but I would be very, very unsure about her moving in!

nowwearefour · 03/05/2009 20:28

wow. it looks amazing. so cheap! go for it!!! sooo lovely already with soooo much potential!!

fruitbeard · 03/05/2009 20:49

How funny - that's one of my 'saved properties' from when I was browsing in that price range to show DH what was available (his firm is seriously considering a move to Liverpool)...

Have you seen this? I love it, and it's got a double-storey garage you could easily convert into a granny annexe - plus it's in a much nicer area... (if you buy it I will seethe quietly as it's the one we liked best in that price range, but as we won't be moving for at least a year if it happens, I don't mind passing it on!).

fruitbeard · 03/05/2009 20:53

I'm so sorry, Sorrento, I'm going insane... that wasn't the one with the 2-storey garage, that was one in North Wales (which is probably not what you're after) - however, it is my fave of the ones I've seen so far!

Swipe left for the next trending thread