Buying A Home
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no dining room
I really like this house but it has no dining area. It is a galley kitchen so there is no place to eat in the kitchen either. The house is updated and the yard is HUGE. It would be a great place for my boys. The living room is not huge either. Is this something you could overlook? The only other issue is that there are 2 bathrooms but no master but that is easy to fix with closing off one door and making a new one.
http://www.redfin.com/CA/Stockton/2314-Porter-Way-95207/home/19822913
Re: no dining room
What's the weather like in your part of the country? Are the kids going to be spending tons of time outside? Is it warm/sunny enough for many days outdoors? Or, will there be a fair number of indoor play days?
The yard looks really nice for boys, but I'd be concerned that they wouldn't have the space they need for some inside activities on days they couldn't be outdoors.
Also, not having an eating area or ample living space might seem great now, but how will you feel after 6 months, 12 months, 3 years.......
It looks like there's room for a small table in front of the windows that are to the left of the kitchen cabinets. The listing says there is a breakfast nook, I'm assuming that's what they're talking about.
We're building a house now and won't have a dining room, but we will have an eat-in kitchen. I would need someplace for a table for eating.
Personally, I would have a very difficult time with no dining area. I don't need a formal dining room, but I would feel like not having at least a decent sized kitchen table would be a sacrifice for our lifestyle.
That said, I like PPs suggestions of a table with fold down sides. Truly, what matters is what is important to you in a home! The house looks nice, and if it is something you can overlook, that is what should make your final decision
Looks like space for a small eating area in the kitchen corner (near the window)
Is there a basement?
This is similar to the house I grew up in in Florida- my mom has lived in it for 26 years without a problem. I agree with pp on the "nook". That could work depending on the size of your family.
It really comes down to what works for you. If your family is really into formal sit down dinners, it probably isn't the best house but otherwise, it looks great.
There looks like enough room for a table in front of the window. If there is not, that would be a deal breaker for me. It would be too hard to feed toddlers and a baby without a real table.
Even a bigger deal for me would be the small living room. As someone mentioned, is there really adequate room for 3 boys to play inside on rainy days? Without a real dining area, I'd be concerned about where they would do homework when they are school aged. I imagine the bedrooms are small given the size of the house and the fact that there are 4 of them, so I don't see this as a house that would suit a larger family as the children got older and bigger.
That area by the windows is smaller than it looks. I want to go back with a tape measure to see if a bench table would fit there. We would have the twins share a room, the baby get a room, our room and use the 4th bedroom as a play room. We are in CA so you are only not outside December/Jan, maybe March if it is rainy and Aug when it is 105+ so outside is important and will be used.
All meals are eaten as a family. BUT if we could get a table in there or in the living room I dont think it would be bad. Im really torn though and REALLY attracted to the yard/lot.
Family meals are really important to us, so I would have to have a place to put a full size table that could also accommodate a few guests (grandparents at holidays, etc.).
My Valentine Bookends (2~13~13, 2~15~09)
The yard is great, but as someone who grew up with only a sister and we shared a bench at the kitchen table in our first bungalow, I think it might be tight for your boys as they get bigger. I already have dreams of how big my teenage boys will be and how that will impact our house needs. That nook looks too small to me.
Unless you are open to bumping out the back in the future for a family room/family dining room addition I think it would be too tight for a family of 5.
I agree. I don't need a formal dining room, but I do need at least one space that is big enough for a real table for the whole family and a few guests, and can be used this way 365 days per year. There are a lot of things I could compromise, but this is not one of them.
Given that the house has a family room and a living room, I could imagine using one of those for meals, but it would depend on the layout of the house.
How long have you been looking? That's a pretty small home for a family of five, even disregarding the dining area.
Nope. I LOVE dining rooms. To me, a formal dining room is a must. I know this is not always the case for most people. It is to me, though.
We did not have an eat-in kitchen growing up (though we did have a formal dining room), so we had a "kitchen table" in part of the family room.
ETA: I actually would be way more concerned with the house being under 1400 square feet. With 5 people you are going to want to kill each other in short order.
40/112
Seems to me like the overall house itself is too small for 5 people. You spend so much time in the kitchen and the living area I would be especially concerned about those two rooms... I agree with PP that I don't need a formal dining room, but I want enough space to have a full size table.
Is there a basement that is usable? Our family is big on using basements as rec rooms. When I was a kid, I had a whole big section of our basement as my play corner. Maybe that could compensate for the smaller living room.
~Benjamin Franklin
DS dx with celiac disease 5/28/10