Anyone regretted buying a house that is too big?

Thrugelmir

As long as property is viewed as an investment rather than just a home. People will aspire to living in a home far too big for their actual needs. In the past did exactly this myself. Just two people living in a new 4 bed detached. Separate Lounge, Dining Room. Study and Utility room. Large ensuite bathroom with both shower and bath. Rarely used the dining room, one of the bathrooms and two of the bedrooms. We did rattle around. 

Now in later life totally the reverse. As it's the outdoor space we want rather than indoor. A 2 bedroom property will suffice.  Little point in heating excess space and paying rates , ongoing maintenance etc. More than happy to declutter as well. Surprising what you accumulate that you dont actually need. 

Ramouth

I felt a bit guilty while house hunting as there is only two of us but we were looking for 3 beds minimum.  We both work from home part of the time and live a long way from family so we do make good use of the two extra rooms as study / guest rooms.  I think what was bothering me was that we would be taking up a family home needed more by a family.

Now we are settled I really don’t think we would have been happy in anything much smaller.   It’s lovely to have the space for guests and I really hated working in the kitchen.

housebuyer143

Thrugelmir said:

As long as property is viewed as an investment rather than just a home. People will aspire to living in a home far too big for their actual needs. In the past did exactly this myself. Just two people living in a new 4 bed detached. Separate Lounge, Dining Room. Study and Utility room. Large ensuite bathroom with both shower and bath. Rarely used the dining room, one of the bathrooms and two of the bedrooms. We did rattle around. 

Now in later life totally the reverse. As it's the outdoor space we want rather than indoor. A 2 bedroom property will suffice.  Little point in heating excess space and paying rates , ongoing maintenance etc. More than happy to declutter as well. Surprising what you accumulate that you dont actually need. 

We did view it as an investment as well as  our home. We plan to downsize in older age and then be able to buy our smaller house outright and have a good nest egg. 
BUT it does have increased costs and I see myself rattling around it also and potentially losing members of my family in it LMAO! How long did you live in your oversized house if you dont mind me asking? 

Slinky

At the moment, your new home is full of other people's choices in terms of decor, flooring etc. You are probably still getting to know the 'quirks' that all houses come with. Your old home was filled with your choices and you were familiar with the quirks. Once you start to 'make your mark' (horrible phrase) it will become more like your home and less like somebody elses.

What with covid etc, we're only now having building work done having been in our house for nearly 3 years. It's mainly magnolia walls from when we decorated it to rent it out before we could move here. It still doesn't really feel like our home, but I'm hoping that will come when we finally get it how we want it to be, and less like somebody else's rental.

Loza2016

Give it time, 
We added a large 2 storey extension to our last home that almost doubled its size. 

Felt massive at first but soon got used to it. 

Our old kitchen was over 10 metres and people always commented how big it was but I didn’t feel it was after a few months. 

We’ve been living in a 2 bed bungalow that’s about 70sqm for the last 15 months and I miss my space so much. Can’t wait to get back into a larger house when our renovation is finished. 

hazyjo

I miss my large 4 bed house and there was only me and my ex.

Try to give each room a purpose. One maybe as a permanent guest room if you have people stay, and perhaps room for something you enjoy - crafting? Office space? Walk-in dressing room? I used one as an Office, one as a dressing room (it had built in wardrobes in), one as a guest room, and the master.

My MIL and her partner rattle around in an 8 bedroom ex-guesthouse by the sea. Can't see them moving any time soon, and I'd love to own something like that!

Decorate each bedroom at a time, buy a set of 4 phones, and enjoy 😁

scottishblondie

I bought a 4 bedroom 3 bathroom townhouse as a "single" person (in a LTR but not living together).  Yes it sounded big, but I mainly bought it for the location, outdoor space and private parking.  I also knew that we would grow into it and I didn't want to go to the time and expense of moving again in a couple of years.  It wasn't long before my partner moved in, we got married and then had a child.  That 4 bed house soon filled up.

sammyjammy

I'm single and although I'm not profligate on the purchasing front I am a bit of a hoarder in the "you never know when you might need it" way, I am single and live in a three bed and still crave more room.  I have a bedroom (attic), office and a sewing room/spare room but in my defence it is a 2 up 2 down Victorian terrace so not exactly roomy.  My three cats take up alot of room too 

You will learn to enjoy it x

t1redmonkey

I've actually just sold my current place after 8 years of being here because I felt it was too big for me (it's a large Victorian 3 bed house).  I didn't use most of the rooms and I just live on my own so I felt I could downsize, become mortgage free, and have an easier time of maintaining my next place, keeping it fully heated etc. instead of having quite a bit of empty space I never use.

All depends on your circumstances and life goals I guess, whether you want to have a family of your own in the future or if you need extra space for other reasons, like having a home gym or if you run some sort of business from home.  I've personally just come to the conclusion after owning 2 houses that I'm happier with a smaller place (my first house was a smaller 2 bed house that felt 'just right' to me).

propertyhunter

Having lived in a flat, I missed storage space - I had to store the Xmas tree in a wardrobe with my clothes. If I was single now I'd still buy a house no doubt, even a 3 bed detached, because I learned a lot from living in a flat - and that living in a flat is not for me. I couldn't entertain in a 2-bed flat and I need a garden.