Balancing house v commute

wersal gummage · 16-07-2018 12:40pm #1

Hi there,

Would be great to hear people's experiences / views in relation to living in a small house near town v living in a larger house a bit further out... 2 full time employees (pressure, long hours etc) and 2 young kids under 5...

Living in town means shorter commute ( walking distance ) and less costs on commuting. Home quicker, easier to make it to childcare on time, more time to spend with kids in the evenings... Lots of local services, school choices etc... But less living space, kids are either in small garden / patio or brought to a park..

Living a bit further out (under 10km on good transport for sake of argument), more space, possibly kids can play on the road / green area with kids, more parks etc nearby... But by time get home in the evenings etc that benefit is really only for the weekend?

So commute Monday to Friday and have public spaces / garden etc on the weekend, or live near work, take away the stress of commuting, and maybe "commute" out to a nice park / seaside etc at the weekend?

Trying to weigh it up and would be great to hear people's views, ideally people who have made a similar decision... Do you regret it? Have I missed any major advantages / disadvantages?

Thoie · 16-07-2018 12:48pm

Friends moved to a more rural area when their kids were young, and have now moved back into town. As the kids hit secondary school and want to start seeing their friends after school, the parents were spending a huge amount of time driving them around the place. Even when the kids were 8,9,10 there was a lot of driving to bring them to football, swimming, etc.

The bigger garden/outdoor space is more beneficial when they're small, but as they get older being closer to "town" seems handier.

Shedite27 · 16-07-2018 12:50pm

We went location over size, 3 bed terrace with a modest garden in Dublin. It's big enough (probably 5m by 15m) to have a BBQ, shed, dog etc, but won't be playing football out there.

For me the commute was a big thing. What's the point in having a big garden to play with the kids if you're not home till 7.30 anyway. It also allows us to cycle to work when we want, and never put out by bus strikes, traffic etc.

Then there's the general upkeep of the garden. Bigger garden means you spend those sunny Saturdays taking care of your garden rather than enjoying it.

And finally, these last few weeks, our kids want to go to the beach/park at every opportunity. However big my garden is, it's not gonna have a beach or full playground there to entertain them.

jon1981 · 16-07-2018 1:13pm

Be careful with the moving out to rural with the plan to move back to city strategy... you might end up being priced out of city locations as the prices will increase far quicker than rural.

For me, reduced commute time leading to quality family time trumps space/garden ...etc. No good having the huge pad if you can't get home to enjoy it or you're spending your weekend ferrying kids 4-6 miles to friends houses, activities, bus stops. train stations...etc.

p.s. I might add that I have my own hobbies and social connections that I'd also like to retain, so moving to a rural situation coupled with a large commute would mean total personal sacrifice on "me time" and I don't think that's healthy. Maybe that's selfish but I don't care if that's how people interpret it.

tinofapples · 16-07-2018 1:28pm

It'll all come down to personal preference but I made the decision to settle rurally and I certainly do see the cons. I love where I live, I do not love the commute to work !!

jonnybravo · 16-07-2018 1:42pm

wersal gummage wrote: »

Hi there,

Would be great to hear people's experiences / views in relation to living in a small house near town v living in a larger house a bit further out... 2 full time employees (pressure, long hours etc) and 2 young kids under 5...

Living in town means shorter commute ( walking distance ) and less costs on commuting. Home quicker, easier to make it to childcare on time, more time to spend with kids in the evenings... Lots of local services, school choices etc... But less living space, kids are either in small garden / patio or brought to a park..

Living a bit further out (under 10km on good transport for sake of argument), more space, possibly kids can play on the road / green area with kids, more parks etc nearby... But by time get home in the evenings etc that benefit is really only for the weekend?

So commute Monday to Friday and have public spaces / garden etc on the weekend, or live near work, take away the stress of commuting, and maybe "commute" out to a nice park / seaside etc at the weekend?

Trying to weigh it up and would be great to hear people's views, ideally people who have made a similar decision... Do you regret it? Have I missed any major advantages / disadvantages?

10km isn't that far away in fairness. I live about 10kms away from work and cycle there and home again in around 30 mins. If it was me and 10kms away I'd take the bigger house. If it was further out (like an hour plus commute) I'd take the smaller house and less commute time.

budhabob · 16-07-2018 1:50pm

Having done the bigger commute for a number of years, its all about location now for me. So settled for a 3 bed terrace house, decent garden, near a large green, and close to 3 - 4 parks. best of all worlds.

jon1981 · 16-07-2018 1:58pm

2 full time employees (pressure, long hours etc) and 2 young kids under 5

To add this , when the kids are sick (it will happen), it's just added pressure for both you to rush home. I think if both of you are working high pressure jobs the last thing you want is commute stress added to your day.

16-07-2018 2:06pm

10km is nothing. Bigger house and more space every-time for me. Not even in relation to the kids but just for myself having more space and a bigger house can't be beaten imo.

That's from the perspective of someone who grew up rurally and only lived in or near a city from the age of about 24 onwards. After 10 years in estates in or near a city I could not see myself settling down anywhere but back rurally.

PlaneSpeeking · 16-07-2018 2:09pm

Gunnar Tinkling Schoolroom wrote: »

10km is nothing. Bigger house and more space every-time for me. Not even in relation to the kids but just for myself having more space and a bigger house can't be beaten imo.

That's from the perspective of someone who grew up rurally and only lived in or near a city from the age of about 24 onwards. After 10 years in estates in or near a city I could not see myself settling down anywhere but back rurally.

Not to come over all Mick Dundee but 10km isn't a commute - 80km is a commute!!

I love the fact that I can leave Dublin in the background and head down the country - Co. Laois.

For what I pay for a detached bungalow I doubt you'd get a room share in the city. The commute is long but tbh it's train/LUAS/LUAS and after nearly 11 year I'm used to it.

Rural and commute for me every time.

TheBlock · 16-07-2018 2:15pm

10km on a 125 scooter is 15 Mins....

wersal gummage · 16-07-2018 2:15pm

Thanks for all the comments.

Just to clarify, there's no rural issue. I'm talking about something like Portobello v Killiney etc... So 20/35 min walk to work v possibly 15 min walk to dart, 30/40 mins dart, another 15 mins walk....

I never used the word rural and don't consider an hours commute on the dart to be rural, or arduous etc!! But the original questions remain the same, smaller house and quick into and out of work, or bigger house with decent garden and double the door to door time each day.

paulieeye · 16-07-2018 2:15pm

We went for location also.

As with most, it was all down to the commute. I really couldnt handle an 2hour+ commute daily and being at the mercy of the M50 constantly. Plus i'm on a motorbike so the added stress of getting taken out on a long commute in heavy traffic wasnt too appealing.

Also having what dublin offers a bus ride away is invaluable. You dont have to be out and about 5 nights a week, its the options that it gives, the spontaneity if allows for, drinks after work with having a military style operation to plan.

The downside is bigger costs and the smaller space you have. But for us the cons out weighed the pros.

edit: oh u meant Portobello v Killiney, in which case...bigger place and get a motorbike...you'll be into town in 15mins

wersal gummage · 16-07-2018 2:16pm

TheBlock wrote: »

10km on a 125 scooter is 15 Mins....

Yes I'll suggest this to the wife and the 4 year old and 2 year old in a side car?!

wersal gummage · 16-07-2018 2:22pm

Rather than quoting people,

Cycling an option in the future when kids can go to school by themselves, a long way off unfortunately. No parking available at work so public transport only. Countryside (Laois etc) not attractive option for us (but can see how it would be for others). I know people say 10km is nothing, and I agree it's not bad, but it's 1hr plus twice a day v a 20 min walk each way.... So it's that sort of thing we are considering really.

GingerLily · 16-07-2018 2:28pm

wersal gummage wrote: »

Rather than quoting people,

Cycling an option in the future when kids can go to school by themselves, a long way off unfortunately. No parking available at work so public transport only. Countryside (Laois etc) not attractive option for us (but can see how it would be for others). I know people say 10km is nothing, and I agree it's not bad, but it's 1hr plus twice a day v a 20 min walk each way.... So it's that sort of thing we are considering really.

10km to work in Dublin CC could be a very long commute, I think some posters over simplify things! Not everyone can cycle to work.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater · 16-07-2018 2:56pm

Somewhere like Portobello v Killiney when you have young kids is a no-brainer for me - out to the sticks (well, relatively speaking!) with you!

If it was a case that you were looking at moving to Kilcock or Navan or similar, that's a different story.

wersal gummage · 16-07-2018 3:05pm

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: »

Somewhere like Portobello v Killiney when you have young kids is a no-brainer for me - out to the sticks (well, relatively speaking!) with you!

If it was a case that you were looking at moving to Kilcock or Navan or similar, that's a different story.

Could you explain why you think that? I'm interested to hear!

My view is one of us can leave work at 6 and be home by 6.30. That's 60 mins before bedtime.... Or can get to Killiney for about 7.15... Which is 15 Mins before bedtime... OK Killiney would be a nicer house, bigger house and a garden etc...

AndrewJRenko · 16-07-2018 3:06pm

GingerLily wrote: »

10km to work in Dublin CC could be a very long commute, I think some posters over simplify things! Not everyone can cycle to work.

10km is very easily cycled -35-45 minutes, depending on your fitness levels. You'll have built your cardio exercise into your daily routine, so no more hanging round the gym at 6am or 9pm.

GingerLily · 16-07-2018 3:07pm

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

10km is very easily cycled -35-45 minutes, depending on your fitness levels. You'll have built your cardio exercise into your daily routine, so no more hanging round the gym at 6am or 9pm.

Not everyone works in am office with bike facilities, not everyone has good roads for commuting, especially in the winter

16-07-2018 3:09pm

wersal gummage wrote: »

.............
Living in town means shorter commute ( walking distance ) and less costs on commuting......................

Living a bit further out (under 10km on good transport for sake of argument), .............

10km commute is nothing unless you are walking it.

wersal gummage · 16-07-2018 3:09pm

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

10km is very easily cycled -35-45 minutes, depending on your fitness levels. You'll have built your cardio exercise into your daily routine, so no more hanging round the gym at 6am or 9pm.

It's a fair point, and I am a cyclist and can cycle 100 plus km without difficulty, so a commute is easy.... But.... I have 2 young kids to drop to crèche and, soon, schools.... So biking not really an option for the next few years.

16-07-2018 3:13pm

wersal gummage wrote: »

Could you explain why you think that? I'm interested to hear!

My view is one of us can leave work at 6 and be home by 6.30. That's 60 mins before bedtime.... Or can get to Killiney for about 7.15... Which is 15 Mins before bedtime... OK Killiney would be a nicer house, bigger house and a garden etc...

7:30 is a very early bedtime for kids at nearly school going age and even if its bed time now it wont be that early for long so I wouldn't be using that as a guide on where to live.

wersal gummage · 16-07-2018 3:14pm

Augeo wrote: »

10km commute is nothing unless you are walking it.

I am grateful for comments, but this isn't exactly well elaborated. I'm asking specifically whether it's worth spending an additional hour (or more) each day (for two people), in order to have a slightly bigger house. I'm really not looking for people's views on how easy it is to cycle, walk, moped etc 10kms... Really looking for any experience people had of living in the city with young kids, was it great or terrible? Is the extra time spend commuting worth it to have a bigger garden etc but not see as much of the kids? Do kids in town find or harder to have friends nearby, are the suburbs more suited with kids nearby etc? Things like that...

wersal gummage · 16-07-2018 3:18pm

Gunnar Tinkling Schoolroom wrote: »

7:30 is a very early bedtime for kids at nearly school going age and even if its bed time now it wont be that early for long so I wouldn't be using that as a guide on where to live.

Thanks. But just to be clear, what are the reasons you'd chose further out? Its still an extra hour plus X 2 (for two people) every day of the week... Its a lot of extra money spent commuting, and I find, while the Dart is great, it can also be frustrating at times and very busy... So a lot of commuting and time spent... V a short stroll home... I'm not trying to be argumentative, but would just appreciate if you could explain your reasoning on why it's worth all that for the bigger garden etc.... Thanks!

TheBlock · 16-07-2018 3:18pm

wersal gummage wrote: »

It's a fair point, and I am a cyclist and can cycle 100 plus km without difficulty, so a commute is easy.... But.... I have 2 young kids to drop to crèche and, soon, schools.... So biking not really an option for the next few years.

Are there no suitable schools/creches close to where you would be commuting from?

Do you and your other half both work together? Both Commute together? We moved from two car to one car family. I drop kids to school in the morning 10 Min Walk and then bike to work. She startsand finishes early and does the ollection from after school.

It really depends on both locations and the facilities around them.

16-07-2018 3:18pm

wersal gummage wrote: »

I am grateful for comments, but this isn't exactly well elaborated. ............

To be fair your OP is brutal and lacking in detail.
You could have thrown in the Portobello v Killiney detail there and then.

Commuting an hour on public transport sounds like hell to me.
so too does living in Portobello and raising a family there, stonesthrow from Dolphin's Barn etc.

wersal gummage · 16-07-2018 3:21pm

TheBlock wrote: »

Are there no suitable schools/creches close to where you would be commuting from?

Do you and your other half both work together? Both Commute together? We moved from two car to one car family. I drop kids to school in the morning 10 Min Walk and then bike to work. She startsand finishes early and does the ollection from after school.

It really depends on both locations and the facilities around them.

Don't work together. Both work City centre. Neither have parking. Neither willing to pay for on street parking or rent a parking space in town. So it's bus /dart /luas etc.... Will happily cycle in a few years but not an option.

I've no doubt there are creches etc in Killiney (I'm only using that as an example, could be Sutton or Stillorgan etc). Neither of us can get to Sutton /Killiney etc for 6pm so would be crèche plus some kind of additional costs then for a nanny.?

wersal gummage · 16-07-2018 3:23pm

Augeo wrote: »

To be fair your OP is brutal and lacking in detail.
You could have thrown in the Portobello v Killiney detail there and then.

Commuting an hour on public transport sounds like hell to me.
so too does living in Portobello and raising a family there, stonesthrow from Dolphin's Barn etc.

They are just examples. Could as easily be Sandymount v Sutton. Same thing. Commuting on public transport for bugger house v a walk to work...

....... · 16-07-2018 3:31pm

This post has been deleted.

jon1981 · 16-07-2018 3:33pm

I use a child seat for the 1.5km trip to the creche and I've two in laws who drop 2 kids each to same creche using a trailer. The creche lets them lock the trailers outside and collect on the return trip home.

Balancing house v commute

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