Buying a 2 bed when we need a 3 bed?

watkins101

Also remember that with a proper loft conversion you will need somewhere to put the stairs to the loft so you also lose some of your 2nd story to that.

slipthru

I would wait till you find a three bed, they will have a bigger downstairs area as well as the third bedroom. We have 2 children and i'm glad we went striaght for the three bed, no need for any work or need to move just yet. I know two people who had loft conversations and both had months of hassle while the work was done, not fun with 3 small children.

ognum

I agree with the others that say buy a three bed, that's what you need. don't even look at two beds!

bouicca21

If the 2 beds also have 2 receptions, another possibility is to use the second reception as a bedroom. A lot depends on the size of the rooms - you can be as cramped in a tiny 3 bed as in a similar sized 2 bed. With 3 children (even without one of them being a baby) I'd be wary of planning for any kind of building works.

LondonDreamer

WellKnownSid wrote: »

Seriously? I'd stick with the loft-conversion plan, but start with a 3 bed. That way you could always add a fourth bedroom when money/time allows and never need to move from the house when the third child gets bigger.

No compromises, more options.

I'd agree with this. Your boys will be fine sharing for quite a few years yet but will most likely need/appreciate their own space as they get into their teen years.

If your area has them and your budget can stretch to it, I'd look at places like 1930s 3 bed semis that often have the ability to extend in every direction, e.g. to the side/above a garage, to the back and up into the loft. Gives you the most possible options should you need them.

AlexMac

While I'm sure you've thought of this, another consideration is cost to move ; whether you buy above or below the £250k 1%-3% SDLT (tax) threshold, there will still be many thousands of expense in agents fees, conveyancing, tax, Land Reg and search fees, as well as the obvious costs of removals and the inevitable new curtains, carpets/flooring etc- it all adds up- our last move cost well over £10k. It made sense to move frequently and trade up when prices were inflating at 10%+ p.a. in the 80's, 90's and noughties, but now the market has slowed... ?

DLTAG89

Thank you for all the really helpful advice :beer:

We have only seen a few 2 bed houses we liked but they were bigger than some of the 3 beds we have been viewing (conservatory downstairs and 2 double bedrooms). The 3rd bedroom always seems to be so tiny. If we had 3 boys i dont think it would of been a problem putting them all in the biggest room but with us having a girl it throws a spanner in the works.

We have only just started looking this weekend and havn't found a single house we really like (maybe we are being too fussy) but we are hoping something that ticks all the boxes comes up soon as we really dont want to be renting for much longer.

SuzieSue

DLTAG89 wrote: »

Thank you for all the really helpful advice :beer:

We have only seen a few 2 bed houses we liked but they were bigger than some of the 3 beds we have been viewing (conservatory downstairs and 2 double bedrooms). The 3rd bedroom always seems to be so tiny. If we had 3 boys i dont think it would of been a problem putting them all in the biggest room but with us having a girl it throws a spanner in the works.

.

Remember that you can't count a conservatory as additional space as it can't realistically be used all year round and can often only be comfortably used for a few months of the year depending on its direction. However, the fact that there is a conservatory might mean that there is room for an extension and you should look to see if any of the neighbours have extended.

witchy1066

we have found the same problem as OP , most 3 beds we have looked at are smaller than the 2 beds in actual square footage ,

only you know what will fit for your family, I would say don't disregard anything until you have viewed,

we have been looking for months and still haven't found what we want so don't worry about being fussy, its got to be right for you

fortunately we don't need 3 beds

Dave_the_Ginger_Cat

I would also factor in cost

It can be £50k to convert a loft depending on the construct and area. Is it worth that sort of investment on a house, would you recoup the value in a future sale? If similar converted houses only raise £20k more, then it's not such a good cost. You have to pay VAT on building works too.

I'm with the other posters - hold off for a 3 bed if you possibly can, even if it means waiting and saving for a little longer