You are reading a single comment by @NotThamesWater and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
NotThamesWater
Rambling ponderpost alert:
We've had an offer accepted on a three bed mid-terrace in Kentfordshire which needs a lot of work.
It's got that weird bathroom accessed through one of the bedrooms thing so that will need knocking through turning into a big bathroom, essentially reducing it to a two bed before we convert the loft to restore the third bedroom. We can only put roof windows at the back due to planning restrictions so we're probably limited to making that one room.
So we spend a few months and £££ re-modelling and renovating to end up with a nice three bed with two big doubles, one small double two receptions and cellar man cave. Pretty happy with that on the face of it. I like being able to get it exactly how want as well.
The niggling doubt I have is that allowing a safely generous budget for the work, we end up at about the same bottom line as if we'd just bought an already converted and immaculately finished four bed semi a couple of weeks ago. And that had bigger rooms, a bigger garden and side access. And needed absolutely nothing doing. I know three beds is fine now but if we have another kid we’ll be straight back to the r-1 situation we’re in now. I’d love to be able to walk into house for life, have enough guest rooms to have family and friends stay over.
My missus however is mad keen on this terrace and insists that we don't need a house the size of the one that got away. She points out the cost of heating a four storey, four bedroom house is worth considering given that we'll be on one salary for the foreseeable there's only two people and a baby in it right now. This is true.
She thinks I'm pining hopelessly for dream-house and claiming that the cost it went for it was a fluke and that I should move on.
In return I think it indicates that there will be other properties of that ilk that fall into that price bracket and I'm worried that she's rushing into a huge renovation project that will deliver something less than ideal because she's worried nothing else like the previous one is coming up. The market there is very odd. Very little comes up and when it does it get pounced on but I'm tempted to pull the emergency brake and wait.
On the other hand I do like her plan because the terrace could be a great little house. It's in a great spot on a nice street and it's ours to do with what we want. There's also good opportunity to save a lot on money on the mortgage if we're a bit smart with renovation. No small consideration there.
I dunno, I'm just reluctant to let go of the big house and garden dream. We've looked at 4 bed detached properties in budget. Buying a 3 bed terrace with a small garden that can't be extended beyond 3 bed due to conservation area status, feels like bit of step back. But perhaps it’s the sensible thing to do.
I can’t seem to settle on how I feel about it and what the smart thing to do is.