In the four years since we first put our house on the market, we've sold it twice, viewed more houses than I can count, considered finding a house to share with our elderly parents, toyed with the idea of renting and even thought about relocating.
Yet, here we still are, living in the same three-bedroom Edwardian semi that we bought back in 2012 as a complete wreck. Granted, it has been totally transformed since then thanks to an extensive extension, renovation and remodelling process that took around five years, but in the years between, our needs have totally changed.
Why haven't we managed to find a new house?
I'm not denying that my husband and I are amongst the most indecisive people I know, but this alone is not why we haven't managed to find a house we both love and moved on.
When we first put our house on the market back in 2021, we sold it for just over the asking price within a week. We then spent an entire year searching for a new house, even popping letters through doors of houses we loved the look of. We viewed so many houses – honestly. But none of them were 'quite right'.
Sometimes the garden was too small, other times the road was too noisy. A few needed too much work to make them liveable, while others didn't need enough. One that we really loved turned out to have terrible subsidence. Ceilings that were too low, overlooking, schools next door – you name it, we've seen it.
Eventually our buyers would get fed up with waiting and the whole process would begin again. The ironic thing is, during the periods when we didn't have a buyer, we twice found houses we fell head-over-heels with but had our offers rejected on the basis that we weren't proceedable. What makes me feel a little better is that, according to Kelvin Elliott, property expert at Property Sale Watchdog, we're not alone in our fruitless house hunt.
'For families who currently live in desirable locations, with children in popular schools and close to transport links and amenities, there may be limited options to choose from when searching for a larger home within the same catchment area,' says Kelvin. 'Not only may there be fewer properties on the market, but the competition between buyers means the properties sell incredibly fast, and can often end up selling above the asking price. Extending removes any insecurities of finding a bigger home in the right location.'
Kelvin is an established expert in the property business who has had success in the industry from all sides – as a top performing mortgage advisor, as an estate agent working at one of the UK’s flagship branches, as a property developer working with £1m+ properties and as a nationwide property dealer buying and selling all kinds of homes.
What made us decide to stay put?
We have always loved our house. The pretty little village is both rural yet well-connected to several beautiful towns. We have friends all around us – and so do the children, who have done all their growing up to date here.
The house itself has such a 'good feel' (even guests comment on it) and it has become the hub for all of our two teenagers' friends to gather, despite being smaller than many of their homes. The garden is a really good size and the views are to die for.
In the last year or so, we began to toy with the idea that perhaps there was a way that we could stay in our house by extending, and make changes that would mean it meets all our current needs. It seems we are not alone in deciding to stay put either.
'Extending or renovating makes perfect sense for homeowners who love their area but need more space,' says Liam Gretton, founder at Liam Gretton Estate Agents. 'Right now, in the current market we're in, with higher interest rates and a slower pace of sales in some areas, we’ve seen more people choose to invest in what they already have. It’s a way to add value, avoid stamp duty, and sidestep the stress of moving home.'
We have found it hard to find a property we love with a garden of the right size – I harbour ideas of having a little swim spa one day in the future
Liam Gretton Estate Agents is one of the leading independent Wirral estate agents. The brand has been built on the back of a successful track record of delivering high-quality bespoke services and results to Wirral home movers.
Why did we want to move in the first place?
Yes, we love our house, but it has started to feel really cramped lately. Having one bathroom upstairs (there is a shower room downstairs) is a constant source of frustration with two teens, and we have no guest room for family to come and stay. We both work from home and there is no home office – plus we have pets and no utility room.
On the whole, the ground floor is pretty spacious, but you have to walk through the living room from the entrance hall to get to the rest of the house, which isn't ideal and makes it feel like a throughfare as opposed to a cosy, self-contained room.
It is upstairs that is the real problem though. The landing is like the central aisle of an aeroplane – and a small one at that. Seriously, two people can't pass without getting all touchy feely.
The ground floor is way more spacious than the first floor, where most of the work will be carried out
What changes are we planning on making?
When we decided to take the house off the market, I admit I breathed a sigh of relief. The years of manically tidying up for viewings and the constant disappointment of unsuccessful bids had begun to take its toll on us all.
We already had some rough ideas of how we could add space, but asked a couple of architects to come and assess the house and give some suggestions.
One said it wouldn't be worth the cost and effort for the value we'd add and the space we'd gain. However, the other was really positive and came up with some ideas we hadn't thought of.
In short, we plan on going up over the flat roofed kitchen extension to add another bedroom upstairs, turning the bathroom into a guest bedroom and stealing space from two existing double bedrooms to make an en suite and family bathroom. We're also considering using the airing cupboard as a little shower room en suite.
Downstairs, we'll reroute the hallway – so that we don't have to use the living room to access the rest of the rooms – and then build onto the side extension to square off the house in order to give us the utility we crave. There'll also be a fair bit of internal remodelling going on to give us the home office we need.
Sound simple doesn't it...?
The living room is accessed directly from the entrance hall meaning it feels more like a corridor than a room at times
The next steps?
While we are nowhere near breaking ground on the project, it feels good to have made the decision to stay put and expand on what we already have.
Before applying for planning permission we are going to speak to our neighbours on either side. In the case of our attached neighbours, we'll need to discuss a party wall agreement – and it just seems courteous to have a chat with the neighbours the other side about the plans. Thankfully we get on well with both (hopefully that will continue as things progress!)
Next it'll be onto the planning stages, as well as working out a budget for the work and timescales.
Exciting times ahead then – and I'll be sure to keep you posted on the progress so that, if you too are considering extending your home, you can see what's in store.
FAQs
Is extending a better idea than moving right now?
If, like me, you have been struggling to sell your home and buy a new one in order to gain the extra space you crave, I have some advice from the experts I spoke to that might just help you come to a decision.
'Ultimately, I always advise clients to look at both the emotional and financial return,' picks up Liam Gretton. 'Will an extension truly give you what you need? Will it add genuine resale value (and this is a huge factor to consider), or does it just suit your current needs? Equally, if you sold, would you realistically find something better within budget and the market conditions?'
'The cost of moving house is far from insignificant, when considering the estate agent and solicitor fees, stamp duty, surveys and even the price of moving companies,' adds Kevin Elliot. 'Added together, the sum can end up being thousands of pounds, which, instead of being used for moving house, could be invested in the existing property and put towards the cost of an extension.'
'In some cases, the smart move is staying put and extending,' summarises Liam Gretton. 'In others, no amount of building work will give you what a new home could. That’s why it's important to assess both routes carefully.'
If you are struggling for space but keen to avoid upping sticks and moving, there are extension ideas for every budget to consider – you might find you have been sitting on the space you need the whole time.
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