We are planning to move in June or July, and we looked at our first possible rental yesterday. Right now I am really torn as to whether we should take it, so I thought I’d ask for some advice. It is a duplex, and it is small, no bigger than our apartment where we are now. It is three bedrooms and our current place is 2, but it’s the same square footage so the duplex actually has smaller rooms.
There is laundry inside, which we don’t have where we are now, but no dishwasher, so I’d be spending more time washing dishes. There is a small enclosed yard, which would be nice cause I could sit and drink coffee and let Eoghan run around back there. The rent is cheap, about the same as where we are now.
The big plus for the duplex is the area; it’s in a great area close to parks, cafes and restaurants. It’s exactly the neighborhood where I wanted to live.
On the other hand, it is small and I was hoping to have more space for the new baby.
I guess the question is, will I really be able to spend much time out and about in the area, or will I be at home all the time with the new baby and not able to enjoy the nice area?
Will your bed, bedroom furniture, and sofa fit inside the smaller rooms?
I had to get a different sofa when I moved where I live now.
I’d like to get a king size bed but queen size is all that fits inside my biggest bedroom.
How big are the closets?
Is there other storage space? More storage space?
There is laundry inside,
That’s a plus with small children.
but no dishwasher, so I’d be spending more time washing dishes.
I’ve had a dish washer for about 11 years. My husband insisted we get one when we remodeled our kitchen. I’ve never used it. He’s used it a couple times.
I wash dishes by hand before practicing music. The warm soapy water is part of my warm up routine.
If you’d be living in a neighborhood you’d want to socialize in and not needing to get there by car or public transportation, I’d interpret that as a big plus.
Take it. I was the stay-at-home one and spent a lot of time out at the local parks. At one point, I installed one of those backyard play structures, but found myself out at the parks anyway because it was more social. Once you get the boy in pre-school (if not already, I can’t remember) you will likely end up with an informal play group to meet up with.
I became an expert in parks, and their locations. I bet you have good ones down there…
Small bedrooms are kind of a drag, but I bet you anticipate visiting relatives and friends. Wouldn’t the third bedroom, with a futon, be something sway yer decision? Or at least to lock away the instruments from the toddler??
I agree with what others have said. One option re the dishwasher…can you get one of those mobile units? (do they still make them?). Back before everyone was getting new kitchens with built-in appliances, dishwashers could be stuck in a corner of the kitchen, and pulled out and hooked up to the kitchen faucet when wanted.
Yeah…I tend to agree with this. I hate the way the washer leaves a residue on the dishes. With my crew (which is just this side of really, really large), I do all my dishes by hand. While it does take a bit more time (seemingly…), it just seems nicer to do them that way. Kind of my “Mom” time because the kids have to leave me alone while I do them
Plus, if you have a yard, that’s a huge deal. In fact, outside space really ought to be factored in with indoor space because kids practically live outdoors in the summer anyway. Our house is tiny for how large our family is, but the yard more than makes up for that. So, yeah, a yard would definitely sway me. Oh, and the inside laundry too…doing it outside the house is a pain with more than one child.
I actually spend very little time at home right now, but I remember when Eoghan was a newborn I was home a lot. People have told me that I will have to spend more time at home after the second one is born, but if I can manage to keep more to my current schedule and get out a lot, then the place should be fine.
The place is small, but there is actually more storage there than at our current place, so maybe we will not be as cramped there.
Beyond anything to do with the apartment itself, the strengths and weaknesses of a landlord sometimes can make a real difference, and in this case it sounds better that it didn’t work out. Congratulations!
