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I have always believed that a house is more than a mere house; it is a family's home. To add to this, my current house is one that my dad put a lot of labour into before he died, and my kids see as their place.
It is in the best possible area (in our opinion) in Cardiff, and suits us on so many levels.
But it has its limits.
For one thing, it is quite small. It is a late-Victorian terrace that we have expanded by finishing the loft. Yet even so, the fact that we are a large family means that we are often in each other's way. On top of this, while we are in a very urban environment (and love it), our temptation has always been toward the country.
Anyway, we had to have the house re-appraised for mortgage purposes, and it turns out that it is worth w-a-a-a-y more than we guessed. Indeed, our street has gone through the roof as far as prices are concerned. And so we are in a position to buy a colossal house (for us) out in the country, and I am wondering if we should.
The house in question is North of Cardiff, and in an utterly breath-taking location. It is also something of a dream build, and surrounded by beautiful land.
The question is, then: what would you do? I welcome opinions, and will happily provide more info if it helps with your responses.
From the sounds of that I'd really consider moving, assuming it still works in terms of getting to school and work.
I'd talk it through with my family and not ask strangers on the internet for their opinion.
I’d talk it through with my family
This is a given. But you lot have come through with some excellent advice and thoughts in the past.
You knew that already though.
From what you've said, I'd sell it immediately, buy a nice big (but not massive) house in the countryside and then have some cash left over for some nice holidays etc.
That's just me though.
Seems a no brainer to me. More space in the countyside. Crack on.
Tough decision. If you move away you will probably struggle to to move back should you want to. Cardiff is a great city and the nice bits are very nice. You have excellent city facilities and great outdoors stuff close by. A move to the sticks will be a massive change. Kids ages will be quite a factor
To be clear, we would be selling and buying for almost the same amount.
Countryside living is awesome.
BUT
If you are out in the sticks, everything starts with a car. No just popping to the shop to get milk, no stroll into town on a Saturday. You'll end up doing a school run, with all the headaches that entails.
d, And so we are in a position to buy a colossal house (for us) out in the country
One of the depressing facts of getting old is assessing whether out in the country is sustainable as you get older. In laws live in a village in Somerset, there's no shop, bank or doctors in the village so everything is a car journey which is ok for them at the moment. Also coming from city living can be a big change (we also have a very rural house and the patterns of life are obviously very different) no popping out to the corner shop for a loaf of bread or walking to the cinema
I would do it ,sounds like you've out grown your current place
time to move and make a new home
Factor in the additional maintenance required for a colossal house and especially a big garden.
Make sure that you have the time and inclination for it or it can become a millstone round your neck.
Factor in the additional maintenance required for a colossal house and especially a big garden.
Much wisdom from Perchy. It can eat your life
but you only live once. Remember that your children will only be with you for a limited time hopefully so you have to get your arse in gear if there is stuff to do to before you want to move again because it is too large
what would it do to your commute? Adding a couple of hours onto your day would not be good. also think about the kids getting to things - hows the public transport? IMO living in the country is only worth it if you are also very near your place of work ad can still walk to a shop and a pub
Will you need a colossal house in the future once the kids are at uni, or have left home? You might end up rattling around it. Access to basic amenities should not be taken for granted. Even in semi-rural locations it can be a struggle at times. What are<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;"> public transport links like? </span>
Much wisdom from Perchy.
Not wisdom. Experience.
I have enough rooms for all of SaxonRiders children and a garden big enough to build a pump track
where north of Cardiff?
You can live anywhere within easy reach of the train line and still have access to Cardiff fairly easily for nights out or work. Some lovely places to live, my aunt is up past aberdare right on the edge of the Brecon beacons and it's lush 😉
I have enough rooms for all of SaxonRiders children
Well, theres an offer you can't refuse SR. Sell the hoose, buy a small one, kids to perchy and the rest you can spent over here drinking leffe. Win win
...as long as you don't buy that leffe caractére shit
Big house = big bills even it costs the same to buy you've got to have more to run it.
was expecting a jump but was well out with my estimates when we got a much bigger place
Yep, there's plenty of chimneys to sweep and pockets to pick. Send me all the children. 😉
Living in the country is a pain and you'll end up as a taxi to your kids then in a huge house you don't need when they go. I lived in the country for long enough to be very happy having everything within walking distance now. Madame walks to work, we walk to the shops, walk to dance classes, walk in for nights out and drink if we feel like it.
What are the respective schools like? We would have sabotaged junior's education if we'd moved out of town. We'd have also sobotaged his music as he was able to walk to band practice. And he got more sleep and a bit of exercise walking to school.
What are the neighbours like? A barking dog can ruin what looks like a nice location.
I wouldn’t live “in the country”. Looked at a few such places but don’t want to be tied to a car for all services and social interaction.
Very happy to be living on the edge of a small town/large village where the vast majority of my life is within walking distance but we also have plenty of open space. Best of both worlds.
Depends what "out in the country" means.
We moved from inner-city Edinburgh to rural Fife because we felt it was a better place to bring up our kids. I'd say it has an "out in the country" feel. We've got a house that would cost 3x as much if it were situated in Edinburgh, we're surrounded by farms and fields and woods and hills, but we're feasibly walkable to St Andrews and 20 minutes by car to Dundee. Bus service is excellent and almost every shop does home delivery. I can see me and the missus seeing out our days here. It helps that there's a good primary school here and a new secondary being built within walking distance.
Very happy to be living on the edge of a small town/large village where the vast majority of my life is within walking distance but we also have plenty of open space. Best of both worlds
This. I live at the edge of a town which is itself on the edge of Greater Glasgow, nothing behind me but countryside for miles yet all the services I need on my doorstep the opposite direction
Can you still cycle to work?
Referring just to the house, it sounds as if you have outgrown it. I have moved house a great deal in my life and that sense of attachment and feeling of 'I'm going to miss this place' in reality vanishes when you move on to something new. That house has been with you on a great journey but it sounds like it's time for that journey to come to an end and and for an exciting new one to begin.
But yeah also as others have said you have to consider your circumstances !
Whatever else you do, don't stick with the unsuitable house you are in for sentimental reasons. It's a plain daft thing to do.
I see it regularly in the course of my work and often feel sorry for the people stuck with the wrong pile of bricks and mortar just because of the supposed tie to dead family.
Also, moving out of town needn't mean moving right into the sticks and being car bound.
I'm in a Highland village of <1000 people, takes about 2 mins to drive from end to end. Within a 3 min cycle/ 8 min walk we have a decent sized supermarket, primary school, train station, bus stop, three pubs, Indian, Chinese, ironmongers, butcher - and plenty more.
We lived in a lovely old "character" house for nearly 30 years. Fantastic family home, close to town. We sold it 4 years ago and while we all loved it we have no regrets as it served its purpose at the time but the cash released enabled us to do what suits us now.
And children never leave, so no rooms are wasted. In fact the real reason for downsizing is to put them off coming back to live.
We still live close to town. Spent 6 months renting in the country by cannock chase after selling the big house and didn't like it. We like to go shopping and pubbing and gymming without the car.
Oddly enough, although we live in Stafford, the countryside outside Cardiff is the only other place we'd consider. Except we'd go west. Monknash, next to the Plough & Harrow!
In these days of job mobility keeping a house in the family is usually silly. It’s not like it’s a country estate that provides a living.
North of Cardiff?
Colossal house in country for same price as existing house ... I guessing quite a bit north of Cardiff; Rhymney or Tredegar north??
We were contemplating moving up the valleys too last year; but when you look at logistics, it becomes easy to see why the houses are so cheap.
I'd say go for it .Bribe the older,reluctant to move kids with the promise of their own bed/room(!) in the new house & be prepared to be a taxi driver. 🙂