Has this festive season got you wondering if it might be time for something more spacious? Did the kitchen walls feel like they were caving in as you wrestled the turkey into the oven, or did fully-booked sofas leave family members sitting on the living room floor for Christmas movies?
It might be time to start thinking about upsizing. Forget go big or go home – it’s time to do both!
It’s easy to resist the idea of upsizing because you think it will be too expensive, too difficult or too complicated. Maybe you really love your current home and neighbourhood. But just think of everything a big house could bring – not just more space, but of all the ways it could improve your life.
Here are 5 things you could do better in a bigger house.
Grow your family
A growing family is one of the primary reasons people decide to upsize. Got a baby on the way? It’s time for a kitchen that can fit a highchair, and to make a start on that Pinterest-worthy nursery. Are your kids getting too old to share a room? Privacy and the chance to personalise their own space will result in fewer arguments for them and fewer headaches for you. Got a parent or parent-in-law moving in? Cramming them into a box-room in your existing house won’t give anyone the privacy or boundaries they need, so moving somewhere where they could have a whole floor or even a maisonette to themselves would probably be a good idea for everyone involved.
Even furry additions to the family might require more space! If possible it’s good for cats and dogs to have plenty of outdoor space and a room specifically for food, litter trays and beds, especially if they’re big – trying to fit a St Bernard on a two-seater sofa will have you wondering if you should upsize all over again!
Whatever the reason, bigger families need bigger spaces. More rooms, more floors and maybe even additional outbuildings can all make sure you can house a growing family comfortably. And if it all gets a bit too much, a tranquil summerhouse to escape to might be a good investment!
Store your stuff
Maybe the reason your house has started to feel so small is because there’s so much
stuff in it. Bigger houses have more space for cabinets and shelves to store things that may previously have just been shoved in a cupboard or crammed into a corner.
Bigger house also have more opportunities to store things out of sight. Things like suitcases, Christmas decorations and camping equipment are not things you’re likely to need all year round, but they collect over time and the longer you’ve lived there the more stuff you’ll have. Bikes in the hallway, suitcases piled up in the bedroom, dining table piled high with stuff that has no home… wouldn’t it be nice if it all went away?
Buying a bigger property could give you more attic, garage or even under-bed storage, so you’re not constantly surrounded by your stuff. We’d all like to Marie Kondo our living spaces to get the most joy from them, but if you have a lot of treasured and useful possessions and a small home, the only way to go is bigger.
If you’re considering a new build property, these often come with plenty of built-in storage. They also sometimes come with the opportunity to personalise your home to your needs. So if you want more built-in storage, or extra rooms like loft conversions and sheds, you might be able to ask for it before the developers have finished building the property.
Be outside
Bigger houses tend to be further out of the city centre, so you’ll likely be nearer to things like natural parks, walking trails and recreation grounds. This means that although you might be facing a longer commute, your evenings and weekends can be spent getting to know the great outdoors, whether that be long rambles or playing sports – which is even better if you’ve got energetic children who love to explore.
You can also bring nature to your home. Larger, suburban houses are more likely to have big front and back gardens so there’s more space for climbing frames, outdoor seating and even brand new hobbies like gardening and growing your own vegetables. Picture it – relaxing on the patio in the summer as the kids play safely in sight, eating home-grown strawberries with the smell of BBQ in the air…
Discover a new passion
More space means more room for practising your hobbies or starting new ones, and the possibilities truly are endless. Could the new cellar or outbuilding become a workshop to build your own furniture? Maybe you can finally have the music room you’ve always wanted? Could the attic room become an art studio?
You’ve got the chance to finally set up a pottery wheel in the shed and get a kiln in the garden, or start your own business from a brand new home office. Or maybe you’re an avid reader, and have always dreamed of a floor to ceiling library with a cosy reading nook to lose yourself in for hours.
Whatever it is that you do or have always wanted to try, your small house doesn’t need to limit you anymore!
Your new spaces can also be the first step in a more sustainable life. With the space to store fabrics and sewing supplies you could make your own clothes, or you could use the new workshop to upcycle furniture that previously might have just ended up at the tip. Your space can work for you, too – a home gym can mean you save on a gym membership as well as travel there and back, and, if your employer allows it, a quiet office with the equipment you need might enable you to work from home more frequently.
Throw amazing parties
A bigger house will have something that your current home might be in short supply of – social space. Big kitchens, dining rooms and gardens all make hosting easier. Imagine, a beautifully decorated dining table to host all your nearest and dearest. Picture not having to pull out chairs from all across the house to cram everyone round the table. Imagine having the space to cook with ease in a big kitchen, with plenty of space and seating to socialise at the same time.
A bigger home allows you to play host, surround yourself with the people you love and make special memories. Whether that’s summer BBQs that go late into the evening, kids’ birthday parties, friends who crash in the spare room or parents who visit at the weekend, find a home that you can celebrate in!
If these five things have got you fantasising about life in a bigger home, it might be time to upsize. Whether that’s moving from a flat to a house or adding an extra bedroom, a little more space can go a long way.
Just remember that bigger houses can come with higher costs and more responsibility. As well as the obvious up-front deposit, they can require more effort to maintain and utility bills may cost more as well. However, outgrowing a home happens to most people in their lifetime so if you know you need more space and you know you can afford it, it might be time to take the plunge. Especially as a bigger property is likely to be somewhere you can continue to grow in for a long time.
For advice on how to upsize, check out our
guide to upsizing.