KK's last "which house?" thread? Probably not!

kunekune

OK, so those of you with a memory are almost certainly completely fed up with my threads where I muse over one or another property. Especially once we added the complications of poor old parky hubby and his possible redundancy, and the limitations on price that meant (rest assured: I'm not horrible, I just make bad jokes sometimes).

Anyway, what we were looking for was:

• good school zone, preferably not faith school as at present
• four bedrooms or room for a study and a BIG living area for a sofa bed
• a garden
• a lovely big kitchen
• community
• downstairs toilet
• preferably a downstairs shower as well but preferably a walk in shower somewhere
• not too many stairs
• somewhere nice to sit outside

It's a strange thing, isn't it, how when you like something you decide there are compromises.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-24260951.html?backToListURL=%2Fuser%2Fshortlist.html%3Ftype%3DBUYING

Perhaps that isn't much to look at (it's the garden side) but this is a lovely village. The house is next to the school. And has the friendliest neighbours in history. On our first look-see we were let through next door so we could get into the garden and get a proper look, and I had a long chat with the other next door today while waiting for the EA (we probably know more than we ought about the reason for selling and the vendor's financial situation). (Oh, and please don't vendor be on MSE!!!! ). Yes, MSE peeps, I GOT AS FAR AS GOING TO SEE IT, LOL. And with DH's blessing.

There is a very good chance we'll make an offer, OH is talking to the bank on Wednesday. It's not big. Actually, despite the number of bedrooms, it's distinctly dinky (not much hall/stair space). A fair amount of living space and the bedrooms aren't bad, though we don't have any wardrobes at the moment. We'd need to declutter. A lot. I don't know whether a stair lift could be fitted, or rather, fitted 'cheaply'. If it can, there is enough room in the bathroom for a proper shower, even if there isn't one yet. But, more importantly, what I do know is that it is a fabulous place to live, with a 100 ft garden (currently a completely blank canvas), lovely neighbours, and a CAMRA/Cask Marque pub just 2 minutes walk away. For children, there are lots of little girls in the 'street'. And, from mummy's perspective, it's in North rather than West Yorks so DD could go to Skipton Girls if she passes the 11 +, and Skipton also has a good special school for DS. And in the meantime, the primary does have a before and after club.

If this is what OH wants, could I dare stop him? Especially if I like it too. Many years ago, we spent a very happy year in a cottage in Witney in Oxfordshire. Small might need discipline, but it's also quite fun, I think.

poppysarah

Can you afford it? Is it too small for your furniture. Whats the road like?

silvercar

I don't like it (sorry).

The back garden is in the front, the front door with letter box drops straight into the kitchen. Where is the access to the rear (or should I say front)? Or is the window cleaner and gardener and bin men walking through your house?

4th bedroom looks nice but the ceiling is a bit low. Are you going to have this room? Will OH always manage two flights of stairs? Are you happy to sleep on a different floor to your children? No bathroom on the same level as the 4the bedroom:(.

hethmar

It does look lovely, well renovated but you do seem to be not just compromising but throwing your wish list to the wind. Apart from the stairs and the low ceilings, is OH going to manage doing a large garden? ( I dont know your story, but there seems to be an element of a problem there?)

Not putting a downer, as its smashing and seems ideal location wise for you - Im always slightly worried about neighbours who jump in too quickly to be honest - what may be friendly on a viewing could turn into a pain in the butt every day - but only you can gauge that.

Cant you look for a decent modern bungalow?

Strapped

Am I the only one who loves the look of it then? I wouldn't buy it if a stair lift won't go in though. And 3 floors? 2 lifts, or would hubby mind not being able to access the 2nd floor long-term? Oops, I'm talking you out of it now. I think you're probably paying quite a premium for the attic bedroom - which works out quite expensive for a study (as I assume you'd sleep on 1st floor?) although it's big enough for study/spare room. Garden at front doesn't seem too much of an issue (says the woman who lives in a house with only a front garden!) as it looks like there's access at both front and rear? Mind you, that close to a school, you'd have to contend with the daily influx of "mad mothers" in 4x4s!

Strapped

PS:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-22525751.html?pageNumber=3&backToListURL=%2Fproperty-for-sale%2Ffind.html%3FlocationIdentifier%3DREGION%255E6990%26minBedrooms%3D3%26maxPrice%3D220000%26radius%3D3.0%26index%3D20&locationIdentifier=REGION^6990&radius=3.0&maxPrice=220000&minBeds=3

In Skipton, lovely views to Moor. No onward chain. Not as pretty as the stone house but meets your brief? (with some basic rearrangement - bedroom on right should become lounge, and lounge could be divided to form bedroom + study). On for £205k.

kunekune

To answer the questions (yes, it's good keeping me on my toes).

1. The garden isn't really at the front, it's quite common around here to have the "front door" entrance on the wrong side of the house. There's no road on the garden side, at the bottom is another garden.
2. The street at the real front consists of about 8 terraces, which share a private access road, the mums take it in turns to sit out and keep an eye on what's going on. It was resurfaced recently (they all clubbed in) and is used as a kind of communal play area for the children - there are bikes, bench seats, plants, etc. It isn't used for school parking.
3. I've looked up stair lifts and I can't see why one isn't possible from the ground to the first floor, although it would be the more expensive 'curved' type. And an interim solution of double bannisters (even that's not needed for some time) would be easy to fit, as there are walls on both sides of the stairs.
4. The attic would be our daughter's bedroom for the foreseeble future, with some communal storage in the eaves. The study is the small fourth bedroom, which is big enough for our spare bed and a desk and some built in shelving over the bulk head. She doesn't mind not having bathroom of her own. My son would have the other first floor bedroom, which is much bigger than what he has at the moment, he currently has his clothes in our room.
5. The garden space currently is a big lawn and a deck. We would turn the bottom half into a vegetable/fruit garden. That's my project, not OH's. He's happy to sit on the deck!
6. It's not that small, really. All the furniture we have in the current house will fit in. We have two two seaters in our living room but there's a three-seater sofa we couldn't get in, sitting in the garage, along with the large tv cabinet. The Cononley house has room for a three and two in the living room plus the book cases and the tv cabinet, and if we swapped our awful glass table for a circular or extending pine table (second hand) there is definitely room for the other two seater in the kitchen.
7. What would possibly have to go is the 'spare' fridge freezer, I could get the spare freezer down in the cellar. I'd have to get rid of the 'spare' dishwasher, and cull some clothes and books (if buying new wardrobes, don't want to buy too many!). There's lots of cupboards in the kitchen, and I'd have the same food storage space I have right now.
8. Keenness of neighbours .. I get that point, Hethmar! You do need to know your neighbours in this style of house, as there is access between all the gardens (gated, though). On both sides there are older people with grown up children. I think they don't like having somewhere empty between them, they didn't like the seller (he was single and out to make money, and not very considerate with parking), and are worried because he might end up renting it out.

I'm not sure myself, but looking at my checklist:

good school zone, preferably not faith school as at present - YES
four bedrooms or room for a study and a BIG living area for a sofa bed -YES
a garden - YES
a lovely big kitchen - YES
community -YES
downstairs toilet -YES
preferably a downstairs shower as well but preferably a walk in shower somewhere -NO, but bathroom is big enough to swap bath for a shower at some stage or even have both, not sure why renovator didn't put both in
not too many stairs - well, it's less than we have at the moment, where we have three lots
somewhere nice to sit outside - YES

It is smaller than the others we've looked at, true, but it has enough rooms (some of those didn't have the fourth bedroom) and it is in a much nicer area. We don't want to pay nearly 200K but wouldn't, we thinking of an offer in the 160s.

Finally, Strapped's find (which I do have bookmarked). The problem with Skipton is that the good housing areas are about a mile from the railway station and there is no local bus service or local shops. I don't drive, so access to public transport to get to and from work is really important - Cononley has a railway station and it's a slightly shorter trip. There's no guarantee that it will continue to have a village shop, but that isn't such a big deal. We already get all our food delivered, and still could.

kunekune

Two other thoughts. OH is currently perfectly fit and mobile. When I worry, it's about several years in the future. And the other is that this is a very motivated seller.

silvercar

More reasons why I don't like the house (and please don't take offence).

If this is a forever house then it has to be practical if your OH has mobility difficulties in the future. A cellar and 2nd floor bedroom would be out of reach, this is a big negative.

From what you say the house is smaller than you would have liked. Once you have installed your personal belongings it will feel even smaller. Coping with mobility issues takes further space. OH had family with MS and Parkinsons, you don't notice when you are living with it; but as an outsider walking in you notice these things: a zimmer frame in the corner of the room, a very upright chair positioned centrally in the room, the stair lift taking space when parked at the bottom of the stairs, mobility scooter in the porch. In a small house these things take up proportionally more room and if space is already tight....

Add to that teenagers take up space, as do their clutter and their friends!

Sorry to be negative, but better that you think of these things now - even if they don't effect you for 40 years.

kunekune

No offence at all, Silvercar. But one thing I'd disagree with is: "Once you have installed your personal belongings it will feel even smaller." I tend to think rooms are small when they are empty. When I check the room size against our actual furniture using floor plan software, there's quite a lot of room - this is a bigger living room and kitchen than in a lot of other houses around here, and the bedrooms are bigger than what you find in new builds. The children would both get double bedrooms (well, one would have some limited headroom, but it's a cool room, I think). The smallness comes from the absence of wasted space, eg, not a big landing or front hall.

My sense that the stairs were narrow might be a trick of the layout, because they have walls both sides not an open bannister - measurements haven't yet been taken.

This isn't a case of me going off on a frolic and ignoring what DH wants - this is the house HE wants in the location he wants to settle in, and I like it. Incidentally, we do plan to replace the current deck with a conservatory and patio, which will add quite a lot more space, and having a sofa in the kitchen is just until that happens.

(Though the mobility scooter bit scares me as there's definitely no room for something like that. I will probably ask the people on the PD forum what they think.)

GDB2222

Location is very important, and this sounds like a very, very nice community. OTOH, you are clearly compromising on the accommodation.

Are you certain you are not being taken in at all by the new refurb? After a couple of years, it will look as dowdy as anywhere else.

You say it's next door to the school, but I hope that's not literally true?