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

Help me choose between two houses - which is the best house for a young family?

82 replies

Cazwa · 19/06/2009 21:43

We have accepted an offer on our house, just waiting for the survey to happen so Im looking online at various places. We LOVE the area we live in, walking distance to the beach etc. but its quite expensive and you dont get things like a garden without paying a fortune. We have 2 young DCs, age 1 and 2 who share a room in a 2 bed house with a living room and kitchen and tiny yard. We want a bigger house and were hoping our next one would be a 'forever' house, however its slowly dawning on me that working part-time and the state of the market mean that Im better off thinking the next house is a 3-5 year one and then when back full time at work aspiring to a bigger better 'forever' house.

OK, ramble over. So, I cant decide between the following two houses, I will of course go and view both once the survey on ours is done, I dont want to fall in love with either just yet by viewing properly.

First house
Second house

The way I see it Im getting an extra bedroom in the first house but no extra reception room. The second one has the extra reception room but no new bedrooms. If you had a young family would you be better with more reception space, or with the extra bedrooms?

OP posts:
buggylovinmummy · 19/06/2009 21:47

I like the first one, id definatly go for the extra bedroom as when the children are older they will need their own space.

Original poster
Cazwa · 19/06/2009 21:50

But how much older? Would we be better off with them both sharing until we'd move again. We were thinking we'd be there 3-5 years, Im worried that by having the 2nd reception room as a kitchen we'd lose a playroom/dining room, which the other house has.

OP posts:
izyboy · 19/06/2009 21:51

Could you have dividing doors across the downstairs reception for first house? It is my favourite purely on looks and extra room upstairs.

poorbuthappy · 19/06/2009 21:52

OOoooo, I don't know if its the photos but the sense of space and light seems to be so much better in the second house than the first!

If you are absolutely positive that its going to be a 3-5 year house rather than the lifetime house then I think that I would go with 2nd house...whilst a 3rd bedroom would be good, if your children are happy sharing...and can do for a few more years...

I can't get over how much airier the 2nd house appears...[hmmm] keep us informed please!

poopscoop · 19/06/2009 21:52

i like the first.

izyboy · 19/06/2009 21:53

We have one lounge, it is a bit of a pain, but you can get big baskets for toys and also storage in a big old dresser. This is better than having 2 share bedrooms.

izyboy · 19/06/2009 21:55

Or, could you pop a conservatory/cheap sunroom on the back if you needed a playroom with the first house?

FiveGoMadInDorset · 19/06/2009 21:57

first one

nickschick · 19/06/2009 21:58

2nd house definitely - its much brighter and bigger the second reception room will be a great advantage and young children only really use their rooms to sleep in.

I was in a very similar situation and opted for the extra room downstairs it benefitted us all and the children never objected to sharing- even on holidays when they could have seperate rooms they chose to share.

Original poster
Cazwa · 19/06/2009 22:00

izyboy, you couldnt put diving doors on without having to take out a whole wall of kitchen units. It looks a lovely kitchen so Im loathe to take it out and put a kitchen in the utility room which is probably where it was originally judging by most of the houses on that street.

So the first seems to be winning apart from poorbuthappy. This is what Im not sure of, they are fine sharing age 1 and 2, but will they be so happy age 4 and 5... I suppose thats when I move, unless prices have plummeted even more!
The only other thing Im thinking of with house 1 is that we could put an extension on the back to join up the kitchen and utility room to create one big space.
This ad from a different agent shows the backyard better, it would fill in the L-shape and lose some yard space.
However Ive no idea how much this would cost, anyone know?

OP posts:
buggylovinmummy · 19/06/2009 22:04

My ds and dd are 6 and 2 and could never share as they like their own little bit of space even at this age.

Original poster
Cazwa · 19/06/2009 22:05

God, Im flitting between the two even more now! I will view them and report back!

Just to add we lost a sale based on our survey coming back with some movement on our house, so I am very nervous about this current sale going through and not viewing anything until we know we are proceeding. Hence the poring over right move obsessively...

OP posts:
Granny23 · 19/06/2009 22:29

With 2 really young DCs I would go for the extra room downstairs and have them share a bedroom. If there was a downstairs bedroom then it could become a playroom/bedroom but you would not be happy having such young children play upstairs unsupervised so I prefer house 2. As they get a little older I would utilise the (totally enclosed?)yard more as a play space with perhaps a playhouse for cooler weather and toy storage - or even a covered patio so that toys/children can stay outside during a shower.

However, IME, you cannot get a feel for a house from a brochure. You usually know if it is right or wrong the minute you step inside.

charlieandlola · 20/06/2009 15:21

2nd house

DeborahBorr · 20/06/2009 15:30

I like both but 2nd does appear lighter and airier. I wouldn't be able to resist a 3rd bedroom though. Could you put a partition wall in bedroom 1 of house 3 - so 2 x 14' x 7' bedrooms? You could remove it whenever you wanted to sell and they woudln't be too small as kids rooms.

bigstripeytiger · 20/06/2009 15:32

1st house.

FabBakerGirlIsBack · 20/06/2009 15:36

The first one looked like the bath would be fun with the kids and the room with the two cots in, looked tiny.

The second house looked bigger except for the kitchen.

We have a four bedroom house for 3 kids but would love another reception room.

On balance, I would choose enough bedrooms or the kids to have their own, even if it meant less living space.

Our next house will be our forever house and I am hoping we can move really soon as I hate living here.

FabBakerGirlIsBack · 20/06/2009 15:37

for the kids to have their own

MrsKitty · 20/06/2009 15:38

Ooh it's a tricky one... The 2 bed has much better sized bedrooms, and yes, the 2nd reception space would be great as a playroom, but I far prefer the kitchen space in the 3 bed (and it has a utility room) and it has all those lovely old fireplaces. The 3rd bedroom in the 3 bed is TINY though.

On balance, I'm thinking perhaps the 2 bed is the most suitable for what will essentially be a short-term (5yrs) stay...

As previous posters have said though, you really can't decide until you've visited and gotten a 'feel' for them - and them visit them again!

MrsKitty · 20/06/2009 15:49

and then visit them again, obviously

jemart · 20/06/2009 15:53

first house.
Much nicer bathroom and kitchen and has lovely fireplaces. Also not much more money for that extra bedroom so better value all round.

LIZS · 20/06/2009 15:59

I'd always go for a 3rd bedroom , is bathroom of 1 upstairs or down ?

pickyvic · 20/06/2009 16:01

i think the first one too! its lovely.

evieb300 · 20/06/2009 16:03

I think you should go and look at both houses and see if you get 'the feeling' on either!

My personal view is that you shouldn't let the bedroom thing drive the the decision - buying a house always involves compromise somewhere and you have to take everything in to account. Sometimes other things you love or loath are not apparent until you start looking at houses (or maybe that's just me!)

My two girls (now 6) share a room and even though we have got a spare room, they don't want to be split up! They are twins but are not identical or especially close, and your DC are very close in age. It's a bit early to call on how they might get on, but i wouldn't assume that sharing will create problems. After all, it's all they will ever have known.

Good luck!

hippipotamiHasLost37Pounds · 20/06/2009 16:16

The first one - but I am a lover of a traditional property. Whilst the second one is a period property too it has been knocked about too much (to give it that airy feel) which for me has destroyed a lot of the character.
Also, circumstances may change and you may end up staying there for longer than 3-5 years in which case you will be grateful for the 3 bedrooms and could always extend out the back for another family / living room.

So the first one for me, all the way!!

Swipe left for the next trending thread