Single / Is 160m2 house too big?

Zack9

I'm buying alone but can afford up to 650k while utilizing max mortgage. I'm recently back from abroad and have saved massive deposit. Hoping to buy in South Dublin/Wicklow area.

I have looked at houses with sizes suitable for single person...nothing really appeals to me. I like privacy of detached houses. Additionally, I feel smaller houses often offer less value for money or bring more risk of being beside council house.

I was looking at a 4bed detached house of 162m2 but couldn't get myself to pull trigger. People(and myself) kept telling me it was too big. Am I mad to be buying house this big and just contributing to Irelands housing issue. I love the idea of a detached house but all are big for one.

I'm in 40s so don't know if I'll have family in it one day.

herbalplants

I think you should buy what you want and feel comfortable in. You can't save Ireland housing issues.

You don't know how life changes and you may have the family to fill the house with.

southofthelee

 Is 160m2 house too big? Yes IMHO if you are not planning on having a family / sharing the space.

Buy a good apartment instead and a summer house (Ireland or Abroad) in somewhere you enjoy visiting. You can then use this as an income producing asset if you wish (summer rentals etc.)

bluestrattos

it all depends on your lifestyle. A room for storage or other stuff, if you've pets you've toys, foods... if you WFH, a dedicated home office is always nice, if you've friends or relatives visiting, they may have their own room, rather an air mattress in the living room, but above all, if you like it and you can afford the mortgage, go for it

Zack9

Thanks for suggestion southofthelee...but I do hate apartments... especially in this Country.

I would try make use of space, 1 guest room, 1 home office for wfh, maybe 1 gym room....1 room to who's function is to collect dust...

Kaisr Sose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119972983#Comment_119972983

Don't buy an apartment!

Do buy what you like, where you like best. 160m2 is a big house for one though. Unless it's very well built and insulated, it will be expensive to heat.

Donald Trump

1700 sq foot?

Would that not be a bit below average size?

Zack9

Really DonaldTrump?, That's below average?, Would not have thought that.

Larbre34

F**k other people.

If you want a decent sized gaff and have the money to do it, why wouldn't you?

If you do want to fill it with family eventually, believe me when i say that having a 1700 sq ft pad under your arse will attract all range of extraordinary woman for you to choose to procreate with!

If you don't have a family in a few years, sell it and buy a beautiful apartment in an amazing location.

Best of luck with your new home.

Zack9

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119973057#Comment_119973057

Brilliant response, thanks larbre

Wildly Boaring

If you can buy detached and prefer detached. Buy detached.

Far superior and main concern when I've bought

southofthelee

Is €650k going to get you a 162m2 detached in a *good area* in South County Dublin/Wicklow? I doubt it.

No point in having 162m2 in a craphole.

Location matters....

Zack9

Yes fair point, maybe I am a bit out of touch with market. I did see properties I was interested in previously but asking prices not end price. I could increase budget to 700k if needed and still be relatively comfortable.

southofthelee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119973271#Comment_119973271

As of today your options are limited https://www.daft.ie/property-for-sale/ireland/detached-houses?floorSize_from=150&floorSize_to=200&salePrice_from=650000&salePrice_to=700000&location=dublin-city&location=south-co-dublin-dublin&location=wicklow

unimaginativeusername

Absolutely buy where and what you want. You’ll be living there and you need to be happy. Personally I’d rather buy smaller if it was cheaper so my financial commitments wouldn’t be as great but if you can manage it, it’s your business. If your financial circumstances change for worse, you have rooms to rent as a fall back or you have the option to downsize. I relate completely to taking on board too much of what other people might think but I’m trying to get better at that and I wish the same for you. Happy home hunting!

unimaginativeusername

Only thing I’d add is be open minded to changing your idea about what is important to you. Your criteria could change as you search and suddenly a terraced home in your dream location is much more appealing, for example.

southofthelee

A small but well (re)designed home in a good area will always beat a large overpriced detached home in a craphole.

dickdasr1234

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119973023#Comment_119973023

Most definitely.

On planet Zog!

Zack9

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119973386#Comment_119973386

Any examples?

NSAman

Buy what you want.

two of us live in 5600sq ft. We like space. In Ireland we have a 1200sq ft house which we both think needs extending. Ok cleaning takes longer on a large house, but it’s nice to have space and not feel enclosed.

it all depends if you like the house, the area and think it’s worth the price.

Still stihl waters 3

There's 2 of us in a thousand square foot house and it's nearly perfect, except for being tight on space for storage occasionally I think another 200 square foot would be loads for us, cheap to heat and quick to clean so it's ideal, but your money op if you want a big house go for it

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119973402#Comment_119973402

And Wicklow it seems too

4-bed detached houses. Some under 1700 sq ft. Plenty over it too. I'd say the average size is more than what the OP quoted.

https://www.myhome.ie/residential/wicklow/detached-house-for-sale?minbeds=4&maxbeds=4

Dante

I'm in a similar position, however I'm looking for something a little smaller in a more central location. Do whatever you feel you want tbh, if you find a house you really like at that size and you can realistically afford it, then go for it.

Zack9

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119973386#Comment_119973386

What size you looking at.

Zack9

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119973468#Comment_119973468

Not sure what your point is?

Is it that 160m2 is average size for 4bed house in Ireland or average house size in general in Ireland?

Either way, doesn't seem relevant to topic, might be missing something but seems like tangent?

2smiggy

just finished building a house, single, thought 160m2 was a bit big but my father convinced me incase i ever needed to sell would be better to have a family sized house. but am glad now. plenty of space for what ever I want to do, and lots of room for visitors and an office. feck living in a small apartment if you can afford something more comfortable

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119974087#Comment_119974087

Because people seem to be telling you it's too big. I'm saying it's not exactly a ridiculously oversized mansion and buy it if you want

Bigus

You’ve worked hard abroad and made sacrifices, so , Buy the big house , get in a designer and knock 4 bedrooms into two nice suites , as others have said you ain’t going to solve the housing crisis on your own .

All the focus is on the size, how do you feel about the mortgage?

If you are maxing out how might that impact other uses of those resources, like pension or earlier retirement say?

deRanged

if the house is in the right condition and area buy it. You can always use zoned heating to only heat the rooms you're using, and leave the others at a good temperature to avoid problems (colder than you'd want to be in, but that won't cause damp etc). The housing crisis isn't yours to solve.

AndrewJRenko

We all need to think about sustainability and impact on the environment. The larger the house, the more emissions that will have gone into building it, maintaining it and heating it. The further away from your workplace or your family you go, the more emissions that will be involved in travel. I wouldn't be mad keen on apartments either. Are there any older 2-bed cottages or townhouses perhaps that might meet your needs?

Zack9

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119974352#Comment_119974352

Townhouses definitely not, because of risk of being near council houses.

I did look at some smaller cottages just always found them poor value.

herbalplants

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119974352#Comment_119974352

He is working from home so no travel involved

2smiggy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119974441#Comment_119974441

is this more an after hours thread ?

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119974441#Comment_119974441

It's your dollar, but that seems like a VERY broad brush dismissal of townhouses.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119974560#Comment_119974560

No travel at all? Does he EVER go to a workplace? Or for a work related event - training or social or client meeting or whatever?

herbalplants

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119975020#Comment_119975020

Andrew for example I go to the office once a month. Maybe same for him. Means you do not need to live beside your office or easy reach.

pinksoir

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119974250#Comment_119974250

I think the same. Similar to OP I have large savings and could get a very high mortgage. However, I've never met a house I'd willingly tether my yoke to for that kind of money and would rather have lower debt and retire early, work less, etc.

But everyone is different and I get the other view of it as well.

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119974352#Comment_119974352

The house is buiot, there’s no extra emissions. A bigger house allows for my Solar panels. He’ll be grand.

For me it’s location location location.

we are currently looking around the area for a 4 bed 125m+ for a family of 5. Our budget is about 800k. There’s very little, what is there needs updating and another 100k at least.

so Be sure to include the additional costs in your search.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119975259#Comment_119975259

You don't get to evade responsibility for emissions for any new product, a house, a car, a plastic Coke bottle, by saying 'it's already built, or made'. If you buy it, you're responsible for the emissions that caused it to be built. In this example, if OP leaves the large 4 bed house for the large family of 5 or 6 people, and chooses a smaller property for himself, that is a more sustainable option.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119975037#Comment_119975037

Or maybe he goes once a week. Or maybe twice a week. Who knows. You can't assume someone doesn't travel because they do some degree of WFH.

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119973023#Comment_119973023

not. My house is a 5 bed 140sqm and there are four of us in it. Huge really. 160sqm is way to big for one person in my opinion. It'll ne a nightmare to heat and just pointless having 3 or 4 spares bedrooms unless you are going to rent them out.

CrookedJack

Last year i did exactly what you're suggesting - I bought a 4bed 170m2 house. Absolutely everyone was saying "You're crazy, it's too big". I even had the furniture delivery guy suggest I was crazy buying a three-storey house as "What if you have a leak on the third floor". As if that made any sense.

After I moved in and everyone came round to visit - they all talked about my lovely big house. I'm the one who has space for entertaining, I'm the one who people come visit because I have room. I've never once looked around and said "It's nice but I wish I was more cramped".

Go with what you like, and ignore everyone else's opinions, they're valueless because they've no skin in the game so

Hooked

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119975973#Comment_119975973

Same here... Wife and I (me 44 her 37, no kids, and no plans to have any) moved to a 3100sq ft (approx 290 sq M) gaff last year. Location was perfect. I got my huge garage. Nice and manageable garden/rear. Was listed as a 5 bed dormer... but in reality has 3 bedrooms upstairs...

We didn't want a HUGE house but it came with everything else that we did want.

So, bedroom 5 (downstairs) is now a home gym. Bedroom 4 (downstairs) is my wife's home office. We've a living room, an old fashioned bar in the other 'living room' and another room for movies, separate TV, in case one of us wants to watch sports/netflix or give the other space when friends/family call.

We had, and still have LOADS of people making comments that it's TOO BIG. Which it is! But 13 months later... we are happy as pigs in sh1t. You're only here for a good time, not a long time!

IWW2900

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119975784#Comment_119975784

I personally wouldnt really care about my "responsibility for emissions" enough to sway my decision.

Ill grow some veg in the garden.

IWW2900

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119976064#Comment_119976064

That does sound crazily big for two people though 😂

BattleCorp

OP, do you intend to have a family some day? If so, if you buy a small house that suits one or two people, it will possibly be too small for a family.

Buy once and buy right. If you plan on expanding your family, go for the bigger house. If you intend to be single for the rest of your life, you can get something smaller. The bigger house might cost a bit more to heat but having to extend or buy a new house will hurt your pocket even more. It's better to have the space and not need it than to need the space and not have it.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119975973#Comment_119975973

what people say who come to visit about how nice it is to visit is not the primary criterion on which to buy a house.

and "I'm the one who people come visit because I have room" - what a weird thing for them to say to you? if someone said that to me my reaction would be 'uh, thanks... i think?'

Hooked

oh it is… no arguments here. but fook it.

we are deliriously happy. Mortgage is very manageable so apart from the cost of heating the monster at the min… it’s just pure bliss living here.

best part? the next door neighbours turned into GREAT friends. So we have the house, garden, garage, (over)size, location and neighbours that we always wanted.

And, it’s only 15 min to work/town/family

fits

I don’t think 160 m2 is enormous. The bedrooms would be small enough if there are four.

Tork

I've seen it suggested from time to time that single people have no business buying a house at all. As if they might not want a garden or have hobbies or people who might want to stay with them...

If you're in your 40s and haven't yet met someone or had a family, I'm not sure buying something too big for you is the way to go. If that part of your life changes, wouldn't it make more sense to buy again with your partner rather than to rattle around a house too big for you in the meantime. You'd be better off buying in a good location and not over-stretching yourself financially. Buying the house and paying the mortgage is the cheap bit. It's the furnishing, maintaining, heating and lighting it that cost the money.

walterking

It's not too big.

I had a detached house in blessington when I was in my mid 20's.

I made one superb master bedroom from the original master and another room and it had a walk in wardrobe.

A downstairs room was a home office. Great kitchen space and separate lounge.

I never thought it as too big.

I'm now in a much larger rural house - just two of us and couple of cats and dogs. Pure Bliss.

At the same time, I have lived "under a stairs" literally! This was in London in the 80's. Nice and cheap. Single bed under a stairs with shelves - but did have access to other parts of the house. £200 a month in 1985.

micar

Gave you thought about buying a smaller house for yourself and an apartment as an investment property.....if your €660k is able to stretch that far