To move house or not...?

[Belinda 1136]

I would stay where you are, sounds like you have enough room and the way I see it we will always remember 'times' over 'things' when you are old you won't think oh remember that lovely kitchen we had but you will remember family holidays and good times - enjoy your family 😀

[Danielle24]

I would make one of the upstairs bedrooms to be a lounge/playroom. We have 4 bedrooms and an open plan living/dining/kitchen. We have 3 children and it's plenty big enough. We do however have 3 bathrooms and use one of the bedrooms as a second lounge for the kids with the Xbox etc. The size of our house isn't really important to us. What is important is having the money to do things with the kids and making great memories.

[WhereIBelong]

Going against the grain here - I would move. You sound like you are not in your "forever" house and there are changes you want to make.

We stayed too long in a smaller house which made it harder to move. Ours had 3 beds and one big lounge diner with a small kitchen - we needed more downstairs space too.

If we had the time again we would have moved to our forever home sooner, as soon as we could since the costs would have been absorbed into general outgoings more quickly before we had the extra expense of kids.

If your house is not the house you want without an extension that you have no room for, then I would move.

You make memories anywhere - and you spend more time in your house than away on holiday.

[Donz23]

Thank you everyone. I know it's our decision but it's so helpful getting advice from people that have experience of it all. Thank you.

[storm]

Stay where you are
1. That way any financial changes for the worst will be something you will be able to cope with.
2. Many people have children with far less space than you do.
3. Small garden, use the local park.
4. Having a family is for some a long heart breaking expensive process, a larger house can be purchased when you reach that point.

[BevS97]

We are doing the opposite.

We moved to our 'forever' home 6 years ago. 4 bed. Large downstairs. Big kitchen. Conservatory etc etc.

On paper we can afford it but it has been a struggle and we haven't been prepared to give up the life we want. Kids can be expensive in ways you can't imagine. It's not just that we like our holidays, but my girls dance and skate and that costs us £100s a month.

We have recently decided to downsize. We realised that we don't use most of our large downstairs. The conservatory is mostly used for drying laundry and while we use both the dining room and kitchen table we could definitely manage with either one. Long story short, we are moving to a 4 bed townhouse. Much smaller downstairs but 4 good sized bedrooms and a ridiculous number of bathrooms. We considered a 3 bed semi or terrace, in fact that was the plan. But they all came with one tiny bedroom and with 2 girls that wasn't a viable option. Ths townhouse actually ticks the most boxes for this stage of our lives although I think we will need to move again as we get older and struggle with the stairs.

[archibald]

When you get old you need to KEEP struggling with the stairs - people move to bungalows and become less active.

[WhereIBelong]

Originally Posted by archibald

When you get old you need to KEEP struggling with the stairs - people move to bungalows and become less active.

See more...

Or you end up living uncomfortably on one floor (bed in the living room) if you are told your hip op is no longer a viable option and you will be left with pain and limited mobility for life. Sometimes moving somewhere more suitable is a better option.

[parisdisneyfan]

Another here with the opposite story. If you don't like the house you are in now being at home with a baby will only make it worse. I hated the 2nd house we moved to, yes it was big but so much else was wrong We moved after 7 very long years to the house we are in now and have been here 17 1/2 years. Although we are looking to move in a few years I will be gutted to move as I love it here, on the whole. Any house will have its downsides, it's just what you can live with.

On the money side, will you dh salary improve/promoted despite your cutting your hours? People who said it may take a while to have a baby, well yes it might but if you are unhappy in your house that might affect you. Finally, if you start to really resent your current house, can you afford the time and money to take enough holidays to make up for it!

Good luck with whatever you decide, it is not easy!

[BevS97]

Originally Posted by archibald

When you get old you need to KEEP struggling with the stairs - people move to bungalows and become less active.

See more...

One straightish flight yes. But I can't see my mother in law making it up 2 flights to our new bedroom.
While we were viewing houses recently we saw a lot of old people with stair lifts. But I'm not sure you'd get a stair lift up these stairs as they have a few tight turns. Regardless I hope that's a long way in the future.