Preparing Your Home for a Family

Preparing your home for a family can be a huge commitment. While your newborn might be small and take little space now, they’re going to be a toddler before you know and it eventually a teenager. As they grow, they’re going to need more space, more privacy and more storage. This can be daunting for most parents, so it’s important to plan ahead and ensure that your home is well-prepared for a family.

But what if you can’t see yourself staying in the same home and raising a family? What if you’re currently living in a small apartment with your partner and have no space for your child to have their own room? In a case like this, it might be best to consider moving unless you have enough space to renovate a room into another bedroom. There are lots of things to consider when it comes to preparing your home for a family, so here’s some advice to help you out.

Do you plan to move home or stay in your current one?

Do you want to stay put in your current home or do you want to move? This is going to be the biggest question on your mind because it’s the most expensive decision to make. To make this a bit easier, we’ve prepared a couple of benefits for both staying at your current home and moving to a new location.

Benefits of staying in your current home

• Moving home is expensive and you’ll need to be in a really good financial situation if you want to move and buy a new home. Renting is an option, but most parents would prefer to start a family by saving up for a mortgage and finally moving into another home.

• You know the local area and you’re familiar with your neighbours, friends and family members. If you move to another location, you might have a hard time reconnecting with people unless it’s close by.

• It’s a lot less hassle. Moving home requires you to put your life on hold and you may even need to quit your job to find a new one if it’s impractical to return.

• You need to think about your partner as well. Moving involves everyone in the household and isn’t a decision you make on your own. This means you’ll need to speak to your partner and try to convince them to move as well. Staying in your current home may be the most convenient option.

• Renovating is a lot cheaper than moving. If you do have extra space, such as a study that you don’t use anymore, then you may find it easier and cheaper to renovate it and turn it into a child’s bedroom.

Benefits of moving to a new location

• Moving to a new location gives you more freedom in home choices. You’ll be able to find a new home with more bedrooms, more space and a larger garden. You can think about all of the things that make a great family home and then search for them as must-haves.

• You can start a new life with your family. Many people prefer to move away from their current location when starting a family because it gives them a fresh start.

• You can move to a location with better schools and amenities. If you want the best for your child, it’s a good idea to think about locations that are more suitable for a positive upbringing.

• It can be surprisingly affordable if you choose to rent. While many families prefer to own the home they live in, renting is never a bad idea if you urgently need to move to a bigger home to support your child’s needs.

• Moving to a new home means you’ll be future-proofing your family. You’ll have extra bedrooms in the event you have more children, you’ll have multiple bathrooms for guests and your family, and you’ll even have a much more spacious garden to play in and host events.

How many children do you plan to have?

One of the big considerations when preparing your home for a family is the number of children you have. Moving home with a baby is a lot easier than moving home if you have several toddlers that are already going to school. If you do plan to move, then it’s a good idea to find a home that has lots of extra bedrooms for all of your kids.

Searching for a new home takes time

Another thing to consider is the amount of effort and time it takes to find a new home. You’ll want to look at calculators such as MortgageCalculator.Org to help you find out how much money you can spend, and you’ll also want to ensure that the new home is a good deal so you’re not overspending on a deposit or mortgage payments. It takes a lot of research to find a suitable home, but it can be worth the effort if you’re willing to invest time into searching.

Rethinking your home layout for the future

Alternatively, you could always rethink the layout for your home instead of moving to a new one. If you already have the space needed to raise a family, then you may want to consider re-arranging your rooms a little to ensure that there’s plenty of space for your kids to grow up. For example, you could split up large rooms into smaller ones, use bunk beds or even build an extension into your front or back yard for more living space.

Preparing your home for stress-free maintenance

Lastly, make sure you prepare your home for stress-free maintenance. The more cleaning and tidying you have to do, the harder it’s going to be in the future when you need to look after one or more kids. Try and keep clutter to a minimum and you’ll find that maintaining your home becomes much easier. You’re sure to encounter a lot of mess when you have kids roaming around in the house and having a clutter-free home will make things a lot easier.