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Original poster

Are you living in your "Forever Home"?

48 replies

Milliways · 22/06/2010 22:41

Was watching "Location Location" this week, where someone had a £1M budget! We were talking about what we would buy if we were given £1M and HAD to spend it on property.

We both agreed that we would not want to move, but could spend a LOT of that money on really improving our home & getting the garden professionally done. Neither of us wish to move unless DH loses his job again & we cannot afford it - I would not starve myself/family for ANY property.

So - have you found your forever home? And if not, what would make it for you?

OP posts:

ThatVikRinA22 · 22/06/2010 22:43

not by a long way.

i dont want much really - a utility room and a home that is finished. including garden. in a nice area.
sigh.

JaynieB · 22/06/2010 22:46

I hope not...I'd like a nicer garden. Ooh, and a utility room too and a room for DP to have all to himself for his climbing gear, piano and vast collections of toot.
I live in a nice area though which makes the shortcomings of my house much easier to live with.

ILoveDolly · 22/06/2010 22:48

What I have found is that the forever home gets messy and dusty and quickly becomes like all your other houses - there is no such thing as the perfect house! Try to enjoy your own, big houses are a bloody pain.

Frizbe · 22/06/2010 22:48

No, I need a bigger garden that doesn't back onto a main road! the house is an ok size, but the garden really niggles me.

cat64 · 22/06/2010 22:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

brimfull · 22/06/2010 22:51

I have given up on the forever home. Used to peruse property section with hope but don't anymore.
I would love a bigger house , bigger garden but not the bigger mortgage.

TheNextMrsDepp · 22/06/2010 22:53

I think so, but our budget wasn't £1m so compromises had to be made!! Our house is pretty big, and in a lovely village, but it's no looker and still needs a fair amount of work. That Georgian rectory in 15 acres of garden will have to wait.

CoinOperatedGirl · 22/06/2010 22:54

Well unless we win the lottery then I'm guessing yes. We live in a 3 bed semi council house. We are lucky though as it is in a nice area where 90% of the houses are private owned. We have a decent sized front garden and a large back garden (which is overgrown and a pita atm).

The bedrooms are average sized, a reasonable bedroom and 2 smaller ones, although the third bedroom isn't too bad, not a box. Quite large front room and a reasonable kitchen, which has just been refurbished as it was minging before. Short bath though which isn't a good combo with my fatness.

I'm happy,could be much much worse, can't see any reason I would want to move/swap from here.

I do dream of winning the lottery though and going house shopping, I want an indoor pool the most .

ILoveDolly · 22/06/2010 22:57

of course COG, but make sure you win enough to pay a man to clean it

maktaitai · 22/06/2010 22:57

Yes. We live in a 2 bed mid-terrace which has quite low doorframes and ceilings, causing my v tall dh (and eventually my ds) to weave his way up the stairs in a sinuous manner, but i love where we live so much i sometimes feel quite panicky at the thought of leaving it. I very much hope that when I do finally drop off the perch I can be laid out exactly where I'm sitting now

Flum · 22/06/2010 22:57

Mmmmm would like bigger and simpler garden (just grass and odd apple tree and room for trampoline) would like one more bedroom so girls don't eed to share and can have spare room as well.

Havign said that I find our house too big for small children as can't hear them from kitchen as is a tall family house and playroom is very dark and should be a dining room really so guess need one more reception room too. Need used in the lightest possible sense.

Would like a drive so could park car right outsde too not up dark cobbled up hill path, v. precarious on dark winter evenings carryign sleeoping children

Original poster

Milliways · 22/06/2010 23:02

Our house is not big, but it is well detached with a large garden - which we love but really needs a garden.

We have just had the hallway tiled, but really need new carpets (have lived here 11 years now & they were old when we moved in), and the bathroom has a coloured suite! However, it works!

There is not many rooms, but they are big, but it is very old & so needs a bit of TLC. We went all out to buy it & have not had spare money yet, but are just beginning to start on the list of jobs now, and I would love to think my grandchildren will visit us here one day.

OP posts:

CoinOperatedGirl · 22/06/2010 23:04

God I dream of a garden with just grass,our back garden has a greenhouse, 4 trees, an area of roses, a tree stump with plants all around it, hedges down the side of each fence and multiple other flower beds.

I AM NOT A FECKING GARDENING TYPE PERSON!!!! I just want grass and grass alone . It looks a state at the moment because I don't even know how to tackle it, I know nothing nada about plants. I have a lawnmower and roundup, it will be used shortly

Quattrocento · 22/06/2010 23:07

We've been in our present house for 12 years. Which seems like a long time but it doesn't feel like it.

I think the key to staying in a house for a long time is to have a property that is flexible and grows/changes/adapts with your changing needs

Forever is a long time. We will move when the DCs leave home and we stop working (touch wood). If not before.

In the meantime, the DCs want a tennis court. But to find enough room for a tennis court, we would have to move. And really, how much longer will they be living with us? And I have no personal use for a tennis court, being incapable of hitting a ball (or if by some chance the racquet hits the ball, the ball flies off in an unintended direction, usually out).

teta · 22/06/2010 23:27

We have quite a large house on 3 floors - but the 3rd floor is just for guests as my 4 dc's will not sleep up there by themselves as they are too young [and frightened].So we are squeezed into 3 bedrooms.This is my forever house - i love this house.It is not just any house to me but its certainly not a palatial palace - tis very messy and full of toys and junk and bits of food!.CoinopGirl thats sacriledge - how can you not like flowers?.

CoinOperatedGirl · 22/06/2010 23:32

I like flowers teta, sure I do, and a lot of flowers bloomed this year despite our ineptitude. I just don't know what to DO lol, I don't know a weed from a plant or even the most basic of gardening thingys.

I have 3 small children and a house full of crap, I do not need to spend hours tending a garden too.

Poledra · 22/06/2010 23:37

No - it might have been, but then we decided to have DC3! Also, DH and I are currently dreaming of a move back north - I'd be looking for an 'until the children are grown' house at that point.

TheNextMrsDepp · 22/06/2010 23:45

CoinOperatedGirl - don't worry about gardening when the dcs are small - wait until they are a bit less high-maintenance and you'll find more time. And buy a gardening book!

We had no time for gardening last year; too much renovation, putting in a utility room (hooray! ), downstairs loo, re-wiring, replastering, new kitchen and so on. Just got the upstairs to do (our bedroom plus the most disgusting en suite you've ever seen) and then I can see us staying here at least until the dcs push off. All the space we need.

But in my dreams? I'd be back in the Midlands in rural bliss.....

MrsFeathersword · 22/06/2010 23:50

Hate that phrase. Wonder how many people find their "forever home" and then split up a few years later? Or lose their job/get sick or whatever?
[bitteremoticon]

TheNextMrsDepp · 22/06/2010 23:54

I think for me, "forever home" means "phew, don't need to move house again for a good few years"

bibbitybobbityhat · 22/06/2010 23:59

In answer to your question, no, but I'm afraid the phrase "forever home" makes me want to barf.

CMOTdibbler · 23/06/2010 11:17

No, and I can't imagine saying for a very long time that we would stay in a given house till we died/went into care.

But then I don't have a huge attachment to houses

helyg · 23/06/2010 11:22

Yes.

Of course there are some things that I would like (a 4th bedroom, a larger garden...) but they aren't realistic. Our house is a newbuild in a nice area, we are surrounded by friendly neighbours, the school is fairly good and within walking distance, it is safe for the DC to play outside. I can't imagine we will move anytime soon.

WideWebWitch · 23/06/2010 11:38

Yes, it has everything I want although it needs decorating and a new kitchen and bathrooms but we're going to do those. Bliss!

ditavonteesed · 23/06/2010 11:45

I loe my home, could see myself here forever, I look around every day and think how lucky I am, is a 3 bed terrace with a lovely little garden (neighbour is a bit of a nightmare so hoping hers isn't her forever home). Love where we are, 2 mins from park, 15min walk to school, 2 mins to shops, love everything about my house. Ok am gushing in a vomit inducing way now.

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