Owning your own home

can someone explain to me what OBS is

I assumed it was a typo of OSB

We've been having this exact conversation here tonight and as much as I was keen to stay put, the numbers say move if we want more space, and that's ignoring the multitude of other ways in which the house is failing us. Not sure I want to live through a loft conversion either.

Sounds like a clear candidate for Kirsty and Phil.

Have you tried 'have less stuff'?

I'm trying out not being a hoarder. Frankly I'm fucking amazed at what I've managed to squeeze into this flat.

Have you tried 'have less stuff'?

Ridiculous suggestion. People just keep giving us new stuff, literally pouring it through the door.

I'm fucking amazed at what I've managed to squeeze into this flat.

It writes itself.

Don't! My wife would fucking love that.

@hippy that's a work in progress, but it's more having somewhere for visitors/parents to stay that's not the floor and a dedicated WfH safe space free from marauding toddlers.

Again, could spend (10-20k?) On a plush home office but it's throwing good money after bad in a way (still no 3rd bedroom).

Yeah a typo of OSB.

Round us there's a noticeable price jump from 3 to 4. Plus we only have one bathroom housing our only indoor toilet. So extra bed, bathroom and wc would pay for itself. But a rear extension, or loft+extension wouldn't.

Plus I'm fine with a functional but ugly loft. I think I'd struggle to hand money over for a shit extension, and a not shit one will be bucks!

Yeah, we fixed that problem by never having guests or toddlers :)

Personally, I would prefer to modify rather than move. Moving house means you get all the new bugs you've already sorted in your current place, fuck paying this government more stamp duty so they can shuffle it straight into their mate's pockets.

I'm looking at dual purpose options for things like this - sofa beds, futons, stuff that can turn an office space into a spare bedroom.

The problem is rarely stuff but people. My house would be perfect without a wife and two kids.

never having guests or toddlers

Living the dream, right there.

You know what you need to do...

Just to chip in on the move vs improve debate, the needle has defo swung in E17. Cost to add a loft and a modest extension is around 150k (and thats on the cheap really). Factor in all the disruption and hassle and moving looks more appealing, he says with a loft being built literally arms length away.

There is also the fact that you might be buying a genuine 4 bed, with potential to add a 5th later, rather than buying an already extended 3 bed. But there are not many actual 4 beds around E11/17 from what I've seen.

buying a genuine 4 bed

You have to be looking at what, ~1.5m for a genuine 4 bed* anywhere in London?

* As in not extended up or back, and 2 beds not converted to 3 on the first floor.

On this move-for-an-extra-bedroom chat, I should note that I'm up north, and houses on our terraced street that already have a loft done are about 20-30k more than those without - with a range being 250-300k or so depending on overall finish/condition of the house.

edit: oops/soz, didn't realise i was replying directly

Nowhere near those amounts south of the river

Problem with buying an over extended (original 2 bed) terraced house common to E11 or E17 is that whilst you might get a decent sized house at the end of it, you cannot change the size of the garden (which normally is fairly small at between 15-30 feet on average).

I had to move to wanstead/aldersbrook to get what I wanted as a decent sized family garden (80ft+). I'd have happily have stayed in my last house at 1250sq ft but the garden simply wasn't a sustainable size at 20ft.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/133778738#/?channel=RES_BUY

This house is a classic case in point. It's almost been extended every which way apart from to the side yet the garden is absolutely laughable for a 5 bed 3 bath house.

Great example, and yeah, my garden isn't massively bigger than that...

Fuck the garden it’s the garage and side access that you want. Solved in the same way though; you have to move.

A big garden is a burden. Kids play in the park.

Its like one of they lego houses, with extension and extension.

though that's easy to say when your house actually backs onto a park.

yeh but then you have to take them to the park and that is a faff in and of itself.

having a nice sized garden was non negotiable when I was house hunting 18 months ago. garages are great if you can get one - next to noone parks their car in one now tho so they are just for storage.

I have a 12ft x 6ft shed in my garden which nicely houses all my bikes and the lawnmower. no need for a garage, although I did also want off street parking. I spent too many years watching in bewilderment as neighbours used to put wheely bins out to reserve car parking. it used to get very tedious watching it all and life is too short to fall out with your neighbours over such things.