Big house or little house?

[maslex]

As many others have already said.....I would go with the smaller house for now. It's not permanent. And in the meantime, you'll save some money, have a better yard for the kids to play in, a better school, etc.

We're a family of four (2 teenage boys) and live in a 985 sq foot home. We have plenty of room. It's a 3 bedroom ranch with full basement and an acre yard. Our neighbors have the same exact house as ours only with 3 kids (2 teenages, one 10 yr old) and they seem fine with the space (or lack of, depending on how people look at it)

So if it's only going to be 2-3 years before getting into the house you really want, I would go with the smaller house.

 

[Mommee]

I vote bigger house. Remember in 2 yrs all the kids will be getting bigger and older. Privacy issues will be a lot more important to an 11 yr old than a 9 yr old.
If they were all toddlers or preschoolers I might say go for it .
One VERY important thing I didn't see mentioned but with 6 people living there including a teen and a preteen girl is HOW MANY BATHROOMS!!!


I would go for the house with the most bathrooms or the 2 yrs could seem like 20. Also what about other living space? which has the bigger kitchen to feed 6 people? Family room and living room or only 1 that's a lot of kids to and diff. ages to all agree on what to watch.

MY vote is bigger house.

Both houses have the same amount of bathrooms-2.5 (two full baths and one half bath on the first floor)

Just weighing in as we had a similar situation a few years ago. Me, a husband and three kids plus his older son on a limited basis. When we first moved back to our hometown we decided to rent because we didn't think this would be permanent (8 years later......anyway) My mother "found" us this house that a friend just "happened" to be getting ready to rent. Small. Tiny. 2 "real" bedrooms but a third large room that seemed more like a den but they told us was a bedroom. It didn't matter because we had to use it for one. 1.5 baths. I. Almost. Lost. My. Mind!!! The kids argued, we argued, we argued WITH the kids. We finally found a house to buy. Four "real" bedrooms, three full baths. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I do not do "togetherness" in terms of space. I was an only child, only grandchild. Having kids tumbling, fighting, running, squealing, etc... inside is nerve-wracking enough (and FWIW I don't allow it even now) but squeeze it all into a tiny box. OMG, not good.
Two years can be an eternity.

I'm not dissing anyone in a small house or anyone who loves having their kids/significant others with them physically at most times but it wasn't for me. I need a quiet room when I am stressed and I require "personal space" at all times. My 6 yo son even got to where he'd ask me this summer "is this your PERSONAL space?" LOL That is a concept foreign to my kids, like my husband they can pile up like ferrets (he is the youngest of 3 and shared a room with both siblings growing up.) I'm not saying don't do it BUT I would probably try to find something else. And when you say better neighborhood do you mean newer, more upscale, or...like, you can go in your yard at night without carrying protection?

Nothing that drastic. Better as in the residents (and their children) near small house are more like *us*. Regular middle-class as opposed to keeping up with the Jones-es. As in I could take the kids to the bus stop in my pajama pants and no one would blink, whereas I would need to have a shower and full hair/makeup at the other house or risk being gossiped about. That part is a bit shallow on my part, but the parent attitude reflects in the kids, and do I really want my kids learning that it's okay to behave that way? Also, small house's neighborhood has a walk/bike path through the middle of the neighborhood. Access to a community pool in the summer. Plus, the big house is located very close to a factory, so I'm a little concerned about soil contamination.

I would say smaller house. It's a smarter decision financially and you KNOW its only temporary. You just have to promise yourself that 500 will go into your downpayment house fund!

And regarding the kids sharing rooms-- its good for them. My family has 6 kids in it and growing up I shared with a sibling or roommate all the way up until my 2nd year of college! (and now I share with my husband! ). It taught me to cooperate and SHARE space, toys, books, & time. I think it made me a more pleasant person

When I was 15-17 I shared with a 3 year old brother. because my sister (2 years younger) and I were both teenagers and complete opposites, which led to daily screaming matches. Sometimes there really IS a person you can't share with. But trying it out will tell. We shared rooms fine as children, teenagehood was just an awful time in both of our lives

I say if it's only for two years, try the smaller one. BUT...what are you going to do with all your stuff? Storage costs a fortune.

That 500 will go an automatic transfer to the savings so we'll never see it.

So true...I share with my husband and we do just fine

As for stuff, we'd likely sell the extra furniture instead of storing and buy specifically for the new house when it's time. Much of our stuff is getting worn, and we haven't replaced it due to having small children. We've also been busy purging since we know a move is in our future-what we would need to store would easily fit in the basement.

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We're looking at the small house this morning, and will make a decision. Thank you for all the input

 

[golfgal]

It isn't so much about the actual square footage as it is about the layout and storage. Our most "spacious" house was our 2500 sq foot Craftsman house because it had fantastic storage and a great layout. We now have a 3600 sq foot house and the storage is pretty good here for stuff like Christmas decor, etc. but I don't have a good place for the day to day things like mail.

If the storage is good in the smaller house and the room sizes work for what you need, go with that. Bunking beds or using lofts in the kids' rooms helps with some of the "space" issues. Is there a basement for toys? That helps keep clutter down too.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

OP, it sounds like you've made your decision based on your clarifying comments you just added. Good luck!

FWIW, from what you've posted, I'd go with the smaller house. The neighborhood sounds better suited to your family, and the extra savings have a good purpose.

 

[daddey]

Hey, I vote for the smaller house! We looked at it today and the basement is finished.

 

[Mommee]

Hey, I vote for the smaller house! We looked at it today and the basement is finished.

Yup, very pleasant surprise! They're not allowed to advertise it that way because the window isn't code for an egress, but it gives us an extra 600 or so square feet for a play room, as well as an area for the oldest to call his "own", even if he sleeps upstairs. So that "little" house has 2100 sq. feet of living space

The house is well laid out--we both are quite sure now of the decision. Thanks all for the input

 

[disykat]

Wow - you're really lucky it worked out. I was of the opinion that you would be cramped in the small house, but I agree the addition of a basement makes ALL the difference. I don't think where people sleep is a big deal at all, but having a place for a teen to have his friends over, study, or listen to music without the constant presence of his young siblings is HUGE.