On houses, and whether this is our ‘Family Home’.

This post has been written by me about a subject I wanted to write about. It also includes a link that I have been compensated to include but I hope that will not detract from your enjoyment. More information on this can be found on my Disclosure for Readers page.

I love our house. It’s just over six years since we first walked through the doors and looked past the cold empty house with the horrific decor to see what it really was. Our first house.

When I walked around that day I saw it as just that. The first house we would own together. Where I could finally put down roots and stop moving from rented place to rented place. I imagined the two of us living here, relaxing, having fun, spending time with our friends. What I didn’t imagine was the children that would also live here. In those six years we got married and had two children and our belongings and our family have grown and grown. Some days it is a little tight in here.

I love this house but it doesn’t feel like it is meant to be our family home. It felt like the home of two people, not of four. When I picture my kids growing up, coming in and out, going to school, having their friends over this is not the house that I imagine. I don’t see it as our ‘Family Home’. I know how lucky we are to own our own home but this house can be quite impractical in its current state. The carpet in the lounge diner is ruined and we need a wooden floor. If we are going to do the floor we should do the hallway too. But if we are going to spend all that money maybe we should be thinking of our long term plans. Are we going to stay here? We will need to replace the glass lean-to soon. Should we get a conservatory? Or just think about building the extension we have always wanted. I think this house would work so much better with a kitchen diner instead. Oh how I long to be able to be busy in the kitchen while people sit at the table. But it is so much upheaval. How do you live with a building site in your house with two children?

So then we think. Maybe we should move? It is definitely time to discuss our mortgage, but do we think about moving, spending more or do we remortgage to make this house work for us? I dream of a space to sew where I don’t have to pack everything away every time we need to eat. But that isn’t a good enough reason to move. Are we really done having children? If we did this house up and then had a third child we might have to move anyway.

All of this comes from thinking of replacing the lounge carpet. Some days I wish my brain would just consider and answer one question without making it so much more complicated!