Can a house be too big?

[wombleflump]

I am single parent . I’m planing to relocate Edinburgh outskirts or east Lothian. I am debating between a couple of new builds. One in Edinburgh outskirts is pretty big. Will stretch my budget to a mortgage. The other is smaller could buy in cash. Can a house be too big. They are new builds so low maintenance and garden just smaller.
Is five bedrooms and office too big for one adult with two kids? Is it better to buy a smaller place?

I have a job so will still be earning a income

How small is the smaller one ? Would it allow for a bedroom each plus space for visitors ? Will it be big enough when DC are bigger! Do you need space to WFH ?

I’m single in a three bed and it’s a bit too big. Plus don’t forget you’ll be paying more council tax as it will probably be in a more expensive band.

It can be - whenever we've had unused rooms they've mostly turned into dumping grounds for things that need sorting out.

If you've got a mortgage free option, for me to go for a mortgage the extra space would have to meet a key need imo.

It’s the square feet rather than number of rooms I think. With 5 beds you have a spare for guests and another can be used as a gaming room/movie room for teens?

I think the economy is a bit all over the place at the moment and the cost of a lot of things is going up, so I wouldn't stretch myself too close to my limit. Is there option C that's a compromise between the two?

We have a 2 bed semi - mortgage was paid off before we were 50. I'd go for the cash purchase, gives you much more freedom. Could have had what you're looking at but for me it would have been higher council tax and utilities, more cleaning etc, just didn't see why it was relevant.

The smaller is 4 bed but smaller plot and cheaper area I guess so not really small

Depends if you need the downstairs space (assuming garage) and are likely to have guests (friends/relatives/au pair)

The smaller will have guest room the rooms are just smaller like the bigger one has been on a hot wash overall smaller but same number of rooms

Depends what your current house is like - if you're not currently in a new build the smaller new build rooms might feel too small - can you measure vs your current house?

It’s just me two kids and As they are small we only live in a couple of rooms I guess so maybe it’s silly to buy a big house with all on suites etc .
Would be leaving a lot of it empty I guess

We are only in a flat but the rooms are really high as it’s a Victorian building

The bigger one is new build too but the rooms are really generous in size but the smaller one is more traditional for a new build with small rooms

How many toilets do you want to clean? Do you want small children to have access to a tap where they can't always be seen?!

You'll need to factor in heating costs etc. If the bedrooms in the smaller option are a decent size I'd go for that. If not then maybe carry on looking?

Kids grow up fast. When they are teenagers en- suites are great . It’s also helpful to have a bedroom with a desk/ bed settee . When they are studying for exams it’s good if there is space outside the bedroom to use. Likewise if they want to invite folk over. So the extra space may not get used at the moment , but could be a godsend later.
That’s if you can definitely afford the mortgage if the interest rates shot up ( I’m old enough to remember interest rates in double figures)

I actually don’t mind cleaning. But then again my flat is always a mess so maybe I’m deluded

Yes heating is a issue. I think would fix the mortgage for five years and hopefully pay off by then. But I don’t want to move as hoping will be forever family home even if just for three people

Small children grow. You need to think about what your needs are likely to be in 5-10 years. Moving house costs a lot. You'll probably outgrow the smaller property and wish you'd gone bigger.

Decent sized rooms would be important to me. We have technically have two spare rooms - one serves as a home office / gym and the other a family room with Xbox etc. both can be used as guest rooms (friends plus their children) and much easier to accommodate gangly teenagers on birthday sleepovers etc. Extra space does help when DC are older. That said, in the current economic climate I wouldn't over stretch.

You need to think about council tax and utility bills for the bigger house.

Just saw that you'd hope to be able to fix at current rates and pay off in 5 years. In that case I wouldn't hesitate to go for bigger rooms. As others say, it makes a difference once you have teens!

The smaller one is 163m2 does that mean anything to anyone

I am single with four bedrooms. I am about to extend😂

Utility bills may be bigger I think the council tax is high for both