November, 2018
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After a British summer with better weather than any of us expected – and having spent most of the past few months outdoors – it can feel like a bit of a shock to the system being thrust into a rather chilly Autumn and retreating back inside our homes.
Where our homes seemed bright and spacious during the summer while enjoying the sunshine outside with family, things can suddenly seem a whole lot more cramped when the colder weather forces us back inside, leading to the inevitable conclusion that we desperately need more space.
The idea of looking for a bigger home with more space often gives people concerns about how much it will cost to take on a larger property and whether the benefits outweigh this. While a higher cost is naturally unavoidable when beginning this house-hunting journey, it really can make a huge difference to you and your family’s lives, giving you all that little bit more room to grow.
We spoke to several people who have recently moved into a bigger home to discover their stories and what really triggers that decision to look for somewhere with more space.
Often one of the triggers that most often inspires the desire to move somewhere bigger is having guests come to stay for a visit, especially the in-laws. Suddenly, a home that once felt spacious seems that little bit too overcrowded when it has an extra person or two taking up space.
Software Developer Andrei knew he would have family and friends visiting from abroad regularly throughout the year so the decision to upsize seemed like a no brainer – and he hasn’t looked back since.
“I wanted a slightly larger flat in terms of floor space, to better accommodate family when they come to visit,” Andrei explained. “Being an expat with family and friends living abroad, we get visitors quite often, so they can take advantage of the opportunity to visit London without having to stay in a hotel.”
Each of us have different priorities and visions when it comes to creating our true dream home. For some of us it’s a simple as wanting more storage at home while others dream of having a beautiful garden to enjoy or an extra bedroom. Often the trigger for wanting a bigger property is about giving yourself a fresh canvas to start creating that dream home for yourself.
Customer Service executive Kelly told us all about how moving to a new property gave her the chance to tick a few more of those ‘forever home’ boxes.
“We wanted a forever home and something we could make our own,” Kelly told us. “Our motivation was the lack of space in our flat – the flat we had before was shared ownership so it prevented me doing a loft conversion.”
By moving to a new property and without the restrictions of shared ownership, Kelly is now able to explore the potential for building a loft conversion with the door open for even more improvements down the road.
“We wanted a garden – especially because we have had such a nice summer – and a third bedroom was a must,” she added. “Parking wasn’t essential; it was just an added bonus!”
Having that extra bedroom is probably the most common motivation people have for deciding to upsize, mainly because of the flexibility it allows. The room can simply be left as a spare bedroom for guests or a new flatmate, but equally it could also become storage space, a room to workout in or even a dressing room.
Customer experience executive Izzi told us: “I wanted an extra bedroom as I often have friends coming to stay and I wanted the extra space as a dressing room, so I made sure to focus my search on two-bedroom flats to give me that extra space.”
Sometimes needing more room to grow isn’t always about moving to a ‘bigger’ house in the literal sense. It’s also about choosing a property that has the potential to grow and change as and when you need it to, whether that’s being able to extend and build onto the existing home or converting rooms to fill a different function as and when your life changes.
“We were looking for something with a bit more storage space,” Kelly also revealed.
“Although the house we bought is only slightly bigger, the shape is longer and there is more potential to extend. This was a massive positive for us so we can extend the kitchen in the future.”
It’s likely that all of us, at some point or another, will start to have that niggling feeling that we are running out of space and it’s time to look for something new. While moving home isn’t a decision to be taken lightly, it’s always worth focussing on the positives and not just the worries and concerns we all have when taking that next step. But for our three contributors at least – it was absolutely the right decision.
While everyone’s motivations can be different, if some of these triggers sound familiar to you, it may be time to start thinking about whether now is the time to look for a place with a little more room to grow.
Search for your next home in Gloucestershire HERE
Naylor Powell
Estate Agents l Letting Agents l Property Managers
Cheltenham | Gloucester l Newent l Stonehouse
