Buying a larger house than needed - things to be aware of?

Fosterdog

If I had an extra room like that personally if it was big enough I'd turn it into a library, if it was a small box room I'd still do floor to ceiling bookshelves but with a really cosy and comfy reading nook. But I love to read and escaping to my own space and shutting out the world and reading a good book is my idea of heaven. I'd also consider a craft room or possibly using the room for both.

DaftyDuck

"You" will expand to fill it.

Your partner will move in. She, too, will require an office. Yes, she's a lumberjack, but she will require an office. The larger of the two will do. For now.

Then there are hobbies. She'll need space for her crafting, with a good bench for the sewing machine. She'll need a room for that.

Her hobbies will need storage. The attic will suffice. For now. When needs be, you can put shelves up in the garage.

She will have many, many (many) friends, because she's so lovely. Their friends (whom you have never met) will come to stay. They'll need space. Especially since they will bring children! Uggh....

That small bedroom on the back, you can move the double bed in there and it will be so cosy. The light in the Master Bedroom is just so... Turner, so Monet... Now her oil painting is taking off, she'll need her easel in there, along with the paints, canvas, marble and chisels.... for the statues she will make next year, or the one after.

When you are ready, and not too much before, you can make use of those garage shelves, and move your office out there. After all, you had so much spare space, starting a collection was the sensible thing for her to do. And it's so valuable, or will be one day, should she ever sell, which she's not really inclined to do so... not yet, anyway.

In your new garage office, surrounded by boxes of collectables, a rusty sewing machine and a broken easel, you can search on Rightmove for a decent sized property, something with land for the horse, and those sheep. Then, as dawn breaks, you can settle down to just a bit more overtime to save for that .. if it's going to be big enough, now she wants to start a family.


It's why you love her so much, innit?

fezster

Don't underestimate additional fuel bills. Especially if it's a semi or detached house, gas bills can be considerably higher (depending on how well insulated the house is and how old it is - eg. solid brick construction loses heat a lot faster).

TBagpuss

Fosterdog wrote: »

If I had an extra room like that personally if it was big enough I'd turn it into a library, if it was a small box room I'd still do floor to ceiling bookshelves but with a really cosy and comfy reading nook. But I love to read and escaping to my own space and shutting out the world and reading a good book is my idea of heaven. I'd also consider a craft room or possibly using the room for both.

This is what I am planning for my 3rd bedroom. At the moment the books are mostly in boxes but eventually it will be a little office / library

bouicca21

I'm single and I'd happily live in a 4 bed place. My 3 bed is only just big enough ...

daivid

Heating will go up, maintenance time if not neccessarily costs will increase (more windows and gutters to clean, walls to re-decorate...).

I moved from a modern 2 bed mid-terrace to 4 bed 60s detached last October. Previous owner had insulated the cavities and I insulated the loft. Both houses have modern combi-boilers. Last winter only the rooms used were heated. The gas bill went up by about 50%. Insurance is lower perhaps due to lower crime rate (only a mile from one house to other) or perhaps the result of shopping around.

I've not filled the house as such but having considerably more space has let me put off de-cluttering. I will do it, tomorrow...

Also I don't know about the OP but I never intended to buy a 4 bed. The intention was to go for a 3, however in the local area there seems to be a dearth of well proportioned 3s. In almost all cases the 3rd bed was unusably small and there was only one useable living space downstairs whereas the 4beds (exepting for newbuilds) almost always seemed to have good living space and sensible beds - 3 doubles, 1 genuine single mostly.

Red-Squirrel_2

Fosterdog wrote: »

If I had an extra room like that personally if it was big enough I'd turn it into a library, if it was a small box room I'd still do floor to ceiling bookshelves but with a really cosy and comfy reading nook. But I love to read and escaping to my own space and shutting out the world and reading a good book is my idea of heaven. I'd also consider a craft room or possibly using the room for both.

My extra room (I live alone in a 3 bed house with 3 double bedrooms, one is for guests) houses my piano and a few other musical instruments. I can definitely think of loads of uses for even more extra rooms if I had them!

darrensurrey

Nice but unusual? Cheaper than flats? What's the catch?

The only downside I can see is that you will fill the house with crap if you have more space.

CM66

I did this and don't regret it at all.

I was 27 and bought a 4 bed townhouse (it was during the recession so i got it at a really good price) I run my own business so the 'middle' floor is the office, storage and a bathroom.

It really works well that way as i can shut myself off from work on the evenings / weekends.

It is true that you will fill the space, i seem to have filled all the rooms and genuinely don't know what I'd do if i had to downsize :rotfl:

If you can afford it without stretching yourself, then absolutely do it!

G_M

LODGERS (Licencees/Excluded Occupiers)
A lodger (broadly) lives in the same property with a resident landlord & shares facilities. Unlike tenants, lodgers have few rights.

The Housing Act 1988 provides definitions of 'Resident Landlord' & 'same property' (S31 & Schedule 1 (10).

See:

LodgerLandlord (21 tips from solicitor Tessa Shepperson + General information site)

Landlordzone (Various articles on taking in lodgers)

Renting out rooms in your home (Government info)

Rent a Room Scheme (HMRC guide for tax-free income from lodgers)