Really confused about what I want :(

bouicca21

"This sounds like people had chldren when they clearly couldn't afford them"

Or maybe they prized family over material comfort.

danlightbulb

hazyjo said:

Perhaps your compromise is the neighbours. Not like there's a law against it.

My next door neighbour plays the trumpet professionally and plays/ practices for >14 hours a day sometimes. Admittedly, they now have a garden room he uses, but occasionally it'll be in the house and the missus bursts into operatic scales now and again. We don't mind at all. Quite proud of it.

Unless you play like Les Dawson, perhaps it's not as much of a problem as you're predicting.

I don't think it would be right to buy a house, or rent one for that matter, knowing that I'd immediately be making a hell of a lot of musical noise. I would like to be considerate to my future neighbours as I would hope they would be for me (yes I appreciate many aren't).

bouicca21 said:

OP is just looking for excuses to stay in his existing safe little bubble.I mean it's not like a room would have four walls, only one of which would be joined onto the neighbouring house, or that he has actually checked how sound would travel. And certainly none of the residents of any of those houses that fail the piano test would ever have music or TVs.  And all their children would be seen and not heard ...

You may be right on the first point, however as I said above I don't think that knowingly making a ton of noise for the neighbours is the right thing to do. A piano is a loud thing (and I do want a real one not a digital), and even if its not placed directly against the shared wall its going to create a fair amount of volume. In a room away from the shared wall, i doubt it would be audible very much unless it was nighttime. Just because other people have their TVs on or their kids shouting, doesn't mean I'm happy passing noise to them. Obviously for true separation a detached house is needed.

MFWannabe said:

So when are you viewing the property then? 

I might call up Monday, but I don't want to waste people's time so I need to have a serious think about whether I want a smaller house that needs no work or a larger house that would be more of a project. I could go either direction and I'm not sure which is best for me still.

Just to also say i appreciate all the replies here over the past couple of days. I realise I have some strange entrenched ideas and thought patterns, and I struggle making decisions for myself. It has all been useful in bringing me back to 'ground level' as it were and giving me some things to think about. I can't help wanting something which has a little something about it, and I don't think Im alone in that really, but it needs bring back to reality.

bouicca21

OP you go out to meet friends at the pub, I think you said twice a week. You go mountain biking/camping, you like to work on your car. Presumably you also have a job?  Just how much time do you think you will have to play this non-existent piano?  Do you actually know how much noise a piano makes?  Had one for my children, noise did not carry.  Neighbours had one when I was younger. Noise did not carry.

You need to face up to the fact that you only think you want to buy.  You prefer the fantasy to reality.

janoid19

I might call up Monday, but I don't want to waste people's time so I need to have a serious think about whether I want a smaller house that needs no work or a larger house that would be more of a project. I could go either direction and I'm not sure which is best for me still.

Go see them both!! Your not wasting time if you go to view and then decide its not for you. It'll at least help you make a decision over if you want smaller and no work or larger and a project. 

I viewed as many houses as I could when I was looking to help narrow down what was important and what I could live without. Its the only way you'll figure it out. Its not wasting time!! its the way its done and until you realise that then you're going to put off viewing house that could potentially be the one.

danlightbulb

bouicca21 said:

OP you go out to meet friends at the pub, I think you said twice a week. You go mountain biking/camping, you like to work on your car. Presumably you also have a job?  Just how much time do you think you will have to play this non-existent piano?  Do you actually know how much noise a piano makes?  Had one for my children, noise did not carry.  Neighbours had one when I was younger. Noise did not carry.

You need to face up to the fact that you only think you want to buy.  You prefer the fantasy to reality.

Im divorced, single so I have loads of hobbies to try and give my life some purpose. I can already play the piano, Ive had a fairly high end digital for 10 years and its time to upgrade. Ive restarted my lessons again as of a couple of months ago. Yes I also work full time. I go mountain biking normally twice a week, bit less in the winter, and I play my piano every day. I go to the pub with my oldest friends (since teenagers) normally once a week, sometimes extra days for special occasions. I don't watch much tv.

MFWannabe

Well within budget and a project: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/85889884#/

Lovely bungalow, live in condition but scope to make it your own. Detached! and a garage: 
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/99227663#/

Very nice house with massive outbuilding whichever you could turn in to a really nice music room! 
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/98254577#/

getmore4less

Why does the piano have to be on the ground floor?

Hobby/office room upstairs would keep the living space for living, having people round for socials. 

Would make those places top heavy with integral garage more balanced. 

hazyjo

getmore4less said:

Why does the piano have to be on the ground floor?

Hobby/office room upstairs would keep the living space for living, having people round for socials. 

Would make those places top heavy with integral garage more balanced. 

We've gone through this a few pages back.

He wants it on show so he and visitors can see it (and admire it I suppose).

Which I guess rules out a music room at the bottom of the garden too...

MFWannabe

hazyjo said:

getmore4less said:

Why does the piano have to be on the ground floor?

Hobby/office room upstairs would keep the living space for living, having people round for socials. 

Would make those places top heavy with integral garage more balanced. 

We've gone through this a few pages back.

He wants it on show so he and visitors can see it (and admire it I suppose).

Which I guess rules out a music room at the bottom of the garden too...

The massive outhouse with a snooker table in would be a great place to have visitors over, could be a great entertainment area imo 
But something tells me with the OP we are banging our heads against a brick wall 🤦‍♂️

NinjaTune

To be fair, the OP also wants it somewhere easily accessible to encourage him to play/practice.  If it were upstairs or in an outhouse then that would be less likely.  Also, you wouldn't keep a piano anywhere that may be subject to damp/humidity or extremes of heat/cold so an outhouse would be a terrible place to keep it (ex piano player here!).