I want to be a MFW........ LP's Diary

katsu

If not I would take 3 over 1 due to the garage. I am sure a bit of redecoration costs less than building a garage.

My 2p worth, anyway

sarahevie

I'd go for the one with the most potential. We bought our house (as a complete wreck) and had to do it up whilst I was heavily pregnant. I'm talking major renovation such as putting in new walls, knocking down old walls. New bathroom suite. Re plastering throughout. New flooring throughout. So none of them sound unmanageable renovations.

I was still painting the kitchen over my due date. It got finished in time though (good job DD1 was 2 weeks late).

Simple paint job is fine even with three kids. The OH in his wisdom decided to do our spare room (mineral mist -pale blue) before the birth of our second. We didn't know the sex anyway she's a girl. So when she was 6 weeks old we pinked it up. Then DD1 wanted a big girls room for her second birthday the baby was 14 weeks old then so I did that one.

Since then we've re painted a wall in the lounge. Completely my fault wasn't supervising dirty hands and when I tried to wash it off it took the paint off so I re painted it - it was easier. All our house is now replastered deliberately so it's easy to change the colours as we feel.

We've got a garage and it's an absolute godsend with the kids couldn't do without it. Don't put the car in there though but handy for kids toys. Decorating stuff. Furniture etc.

babyb06

Decisions, decisions - I hate making them!

I guess it depends how much you will have to spend on houses 2 and 3 to get them to the standard of house 1. If house 1 truly is your 'perfect' house then yes, it is worth the extra and with 3 kids the lack of DIY required will surely be a big bonus! But if it is just the current owner's style you like and your not shy of DIY, i'd say go for house 2 - you will save money of the purchase that you can use to re-do the bits that are needed to your style and you wiill have a big garden - v important with 3 children.

That is just my view!

LilacPixie

I hate them too, having a night to sleep on it hasn't cleared my head any. The 'ideal' house is the dearest but not by a huge amount in overall scale of things. £63 a month over a 25 year mortgage. I am swaying to the next most expensive one with garage and bigger garden. My reasonings are, garage for bikes etc, maybe tumble dryer and a chest freezer for bulk cooking and whoopsie meat. OH works for a catering supplier and gets a hefty discount but we do not use it much because of lack of storage for 3kg bags of scampi, 3kg breaded chicken breast pieces etc. They also supply the kids icecream tubs, the animal ones. Now the likes of weatherespoons and that sort of chain child friendly pub sells them for £3.95 each, it's 12 for £6.
it's mostly colours I don't like the actual units in kitchen are just white gloss so I think we would be maybe 1k to change colours in the most garish rooms and the splashbacks in kitchen.

Cheapest house of all I think kitchen plus heating plus garage would cost more than the 7-9k difference. Then we would have overall decorating. What is there is livable with but not my taste and I would hate to be doing a helping OH clear his debt, paying a slightly higher mortgage (59 a month more than I currently pay includding my OP) and saving for some major home remodeling when come next summer I will me on maternity pay.

LilacPixie

Plans for this evening......

Budget - OH is on holiday until next Sunday so perfect time to tweak budget
Surveys - time to catch up
Bank account - really not happy with A&L. time to hant about but I don't fancy a credit check when mortgaging possible soon
Savings LLoyds doing a nice juicy regular saver, need to research T&C's

My kids are doing my head in. It doesn't help that i'm in pain but they keep jumping on me, wanting carried or crashing toys into my legs. Went back to bed earlier after taking some codeine and they decided coming in and jumping on the bed was a good idea, They were removed by OH and told that it hurt mummy an awful lot then returned the moment his back was turned to do it again.

Thank god half term is over tomorrow.

cha97michelle

I would go for house 3. Our current house has a huge garden to the envy of quite a few friends, and the luxury of having that space alone, then with the added bonus of a garage would sway me. (If we didn't have one where would i hide the xmas pressies?

LilacPixie

Thats why i'm grateful our flat has an attic, lots of lovely storage. I want a chest freezer

gallygirl

Having just spent the weekend helping DD decorate her 1st home my vote is No. 1. Ask me again when I've slept .

OK - seriously - get an envelope. 3 bits of paper, with 1, 2 & 3 written on them, put in envelope. Draw one out. Ignore result - what did you instinctively hope for?

Alternatively - imagine yourself in 5 years time in each of the houses, then 10 years. Do the whole day - getting up for work/school (where do you all get washed & dressed, eat etc.). Leave the house. Where is the car/s? Come home - where are the kids playing? Where are you cooking? What are you thinking? When they've gone to bed where are you sitting etc?

(;) hee hee, that should confuse her even more hee hee )

LilacPixie

oh Don't Gally. Could you cook in a kitchen with a pink splash back?

LilacPixie

to be honest i'm liking the pink palace best. My reasoning is as Michelle says garden space with kids essential, really really essential in our case, my two are like caged beasts if i'm in alone and trying to do housework being able to let them ito an enclosed and safe rear garden while i do chores is one of the driving forces behind moving (well was until we found out about teapot). Obvipously the more garden space we have the better. Someplace to lock away bikes, scooters, other garden toys that might not be used over winters, a BBQ and garden furniture seems a nice idea. Plus I guess with a garden and hedges we would need lawnmower etc as well.

Size wise it has 2 double bedrooms and 3rd bedroom is a small double/single at 9ft x 10ft but thats not including a built in wardrobe so is more than sufficient for a nursery/childs room.

I think within 10 years we would possibly outgrow all those houses but currently equity and what we are willing to consider mortgage wise means the larger 4 bed houses are out our reach unless we take on a mega project that is basically a wreck or buy an ex coucil house in a debatable area.

Dundee where we are looking is a funny place, it has decent areas dotted around surrounded by council estates some being better than others. We are trying to avoid council estates if possible. Some are ok but we would rather stick with houses build for private ownership KWIM