Having twins - how much of a no is buying a small house with no playroom or basement?

[Anonymous]

Struggling with the pricey market in this area and my price point ($500k-$600k) seems to get me 4 bedrooms and a basement but really ugly home inside and out OR a smaller 3 bedroom home without a basement but with some nice character (aka cute inside and out). After spending $600k, I will not have any extra moolah to upgrade an interior or exterior for a long time, so I would be stuck with a fugly home that mainly has good space and location going for it.

Your thoughts? My heart wants to go for the smaller house that I would have pride in and, as an adult, would love to spend time in. But, worried I will regret not having that one extra space for kids to play in besides the main living area.

[Anonymous]

As mom to a 7 year old boy, I do not know how we would survive without our basement. It has a large completely finished space that serves as his playroom, tv room, friend space. We moved to this house from a large condo where his play spaces were limited to his bedroom and the main room...we quickly ran out of room. So glad we opted for the basement.

[Anonymous]

Where are you looking? I'm in 20910 and that much money would get you a nice, inside-the-beltway house.

Anyhoo, my relative had a 3-BR, no basement house in Arlington and it made them nuts. After a decade and the arrival of kids they moved 100 feet to a house with a basement. For me, locationlocationlocation is the big thing you can't do much about after you buy. The interior is after that. The exterior? Eh. I don't notice how the outside looks anymore and if I do, it can be changed later.

This is a rare case where I think the bigger house is the right choice.

And, yes, the prices here are nuts. Check back in 2032 and we can all chat about how CHEAP houses were in 2012 during the recession.

[Anonymous]

I'd go with the smaller house as I can't imagine not having our basement for storage and other stuff.

[Anonymous]

Buy the house with the basement or your home will look like a playroom all over.

[Anonymous]

I've got 3 year old twins and we have a 3 bedroom house but we have an room on the back that we use as a playroom in addition to our living space/ tv watching room and I couldn't live with out it. You will find that you need a space for you that isn't cluttered with toys. That said, younger kids won't go to the basement without you, so, until they get older, even though you have the basement, they will most likely want to hang out and play near you if you are in the kitchen cooking - but I'd still go with the basement if you plan on staying in the house for a long time.

[Anonymous]

The 3 bedroom-no basement won't be looking so cute when there are toys and strollers everywhere. It's kinda like those really sexy high heels: they look great, but after wearing them for 30 minutes, you can't walk and have blisters.

Get the larger, less attractive house. You'll figure out how to make the interior work for you until you can make the changes you want in a few years. Delayed gratification isn't so bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd go with the smaller house as I can't imagine not having our basement for storage and other stuff.

This doesn't make any sense. Did you mean, "Go for the LARGER house..." because that is the one the OP said has a basement?

[Anonymous]

House with basement and more space. You can always make it cuter, but you can't make the smaller house bigger without $$$.

[Anonymous]

I have twins, and a singleton. You don't mention a yard, but a fenced (or fence-able) yard is critical. I'd buy which ever had the nicer yard. But assuming they both have a good yard, go for the bigger one.

[Anonymous]

We have two boys and a house with no basement and it is less of an issue for us now than it was when they were very small. We do have a decent amount of extra space - a small first-floor playroom that houses all their toys plus a couch, as well as an office and a large dining room that has seen some floor hockey action. And we have some storage in an attic and good closets. As they get older, their toys shrink... legos take up a lot less space than the toddler stuff. In a few years our playroom will be a video game room I'm sure (haven't hit that phase yet) and it will be perfectly sized.

I would like a basement in theory but life without one is not automatically hell, as long as you have other kid spaces. If I had the basement that my friends with million-plus houses have - large and light-filled - I'd definitely want one. But I know a lot of people at our more limited price point whose basements are constant sources of headaches because of flooding. Anyway, for me, all this stuff would be outweighed by issues you haven't mentioned: schools, neighborhood, commute.

[Anonymous]

I have a 3 bedroom house and my two kids share a bedroom, so we use the third bedroom as a playroom for all the toys. They still have toys all over the main floor of the house, but it's much more manageable to have a dedicated space to put toys away. My kids rarely play in our finished basement - they much prefer the backyard. I would never sacrifice my yard with two kids - they are out back every day.

Have you lived in small spaces before? We had and knew we preferred a finished smaller home over a bigger fixer-upper, but not some people really prefer larger...

[Anonymous]

For the first 3-5 years they won't go into a basement playroom without you, so take that into consideration. Toys will migrate to all living areas and you will need to a have a nearby space to cordon them off while you are cooking, etc. That being said, a house is only charming because of the people in it. I'm sure the larger house will be quite nice with your lovely family in it.

[Anonymous]

If not a basement, I agree a second entertaining location where the kids can be sent is great to have and we only have 1.

[Anonymous]

I have 2 year old twins and a singleton. For us, space is critical, especially in those horrible winter months where you cannot play outside. I cannot imagine not having a basement or familyroom. We also have a small yard that is fenced in (tenth of an acre), we put flagstone patio down and let the kids ride their ride-on toys, and play in the playhouse there, and are close to a park. These things have been lifesavers. Go for the space!