when is a house too big?

Prothet_of_Doom

Those back up plans make sense, and having a small garden means you can add value with say a kitchen extension and a conservatory, plus having a loft means you can convert it to a room or study (once you find somewhere more permanent to hide the bodies.
Depending on the garden, there might be room for a Garage, Green house, shed, tree house, swimming pool, home office in later years.
Plus you will most likely own the freehouse.

Unlike in an appartment.

On the down side, your back up plan for lodgers and rental is dodgy if you are even slightly OCD. I have rented a room off a bloke whose personallity defects, had me wanting to murder him after 4 days

Mrs_Soup

With three beds you have more options. eg if you acquire a partner and family it would work, or as you say you could rent a room and still have a spare for geusts or your office/study/exercise equipment whatever, or it would let well if you needed to. So if you can afford it then a 3 bed would seem ideal.

DigForVictory

Big houses cost more for rates/Council Tax, water (unless you're have a meter - might be worth considering if not), & heating (just how smart is your boiler? & have you temperature controls on each radiator?)

Then there's maintenance/ cleaning etc. [Argh.]

However, as I live in a three storey house (albeit with husband & three sons), I wouldn't want to live anywhere smaller & Not Having To Move is a real blessing.

zaax

It depends what you can afford in time in cleaning it, some people had 7 or 8 but have a cleaner in.

jonewer

paddyrg wrote: »

Something to add - extra space means extra tidying, cleaning, heating and maintenance!

With only 1 person, the amount of cleaning is never going to be vastly greater unless you live in a vastly greater house. Increases in heating and maintenance are likewise marginal.

I'd always buy the bigger house, within reason, if i had the option.

ceecee1

I'm single and moved into a 3-bed semi a couple of years ago. I love all the space. I have a guest room, the smaller room has wardrobes and storage.

Even though I only have one room downstairs (plus a kitchen) if I have a friend to stay for a few days I don't feel imposed on and still have my own space.

I do find that 3 toilets for one person is a bit too many

seven-day-weekend

Davesnave wrote: »

On the other hand.....

As I was saying on another thread last week, a number of young(ish!) people bought in the same street as I did in the late 1970s, and at least three couples are still there.

These were all 3 bed terraced/semi houses of average proportions, but big enough for many when families came along. Now the 'youngish people' are of retirement age and still enjoying their homes: not too big to manage, but easy if their kids and other visitors come to stay.

Buying slightly large initially can save money through flexibility later on.

I agree with this. We bought our three-bedroom Victorian terraced house in our 20s when we were DINKIEs, stayed there after our son was born, brought him up in it,had a lodger on occasions, then after we took early retirement moved to Spain when the house was lived in by our son and lodgers. We moved back here two years ago and now have the house to ourselves again. We have owned this house for nearly forty years.

My advice therefore is buy the biggest you can afford (within reason), there will then be enough space for any phase of your life and you won't have to move unless you chose to.

Goldiegirl

I always think of it like goldfish growing to the size of the bowl - your belongings grow to fit the size of your house, so it's difficult for the house to be too big.

We are two people who have lived in a four bedroom house for 25 years. Each room has a purpose, furniture and things stored. We like that we have enough room to do our own thing without constantly falling over each other.

Hermoine

I'm single, and I have just bought a house with 3 real bedrooms (it was sold as a 4 bedroom house, but one "bedroom" is an attic with low ceilings so only suitable for small children..) Its a narrow three storey house, so doesn't feel too enormous, and the extra rooms give it more flexibility so that I won't have to move again until I can't manage the stairs (!) - I have a home office for when I work from home, and either a decent spare room for guests or a room to rent out when times get tough. When I was househunting I wasn't set on any particular number of bedrooms - but I did want space downstairs, some flexibility in terms of rooms, and a decent garden, and the first house that came along that fitted all of those criteria (and which I fell in love with) happened to be this one.
I haven't noticed the costs being much more than my previous flat as there's still only one of me using it, but I do turn off radiators in unused rooms and take a slightly relaxed attitude to cleaning!

notanewuser

I bought a 3 bed terrace as my first house. I was 19 and single.

Lived there perfectly happily for 8 years.