alexleeson

Has any one moved from a really big home abroad to a tiny one in UK?

Has it been a shock for you or is it easy? Have there been regrets?

I really miss the UK and totally bored here, but one concern is that after building a veritable mini-mansion on one acre, what is it like giving it up for what may be a small three bed terrace with a patch of lawn.

My wife says that at least we can look back on our lives and say ' yep we experienced the big luxury home thing and it was nice but wasn't all that fantastic'.

Thanks
Alex

ellimere

People downsize all the time. But I guess it depends on what's important to you - the big house, flashy stuff etc. or your yearning to return to the UK

Not moving countries but my folks in the UK recently downsized....
from large 4 bedroom semi detached Victorian where they had lived for over twenty years to a 3-bed detached 1930s build in another part of the UK (the rooms are *much* smaller than in the Victorian where every room was at least the size of a double bedroom). At first they got stressed about it, how to fit everything etc. but getting rid of a lot of stuff was eventually very liberating and feel much more comfortable in the new house now - they don't feel so "remote" from each other (before it was all walking up or down two flights of stairs to talk to someone - now it's just one) and even the dogs seem more comfortable as it's easier to find where people are.

The kitchen though was too small, so they're extending that as I type this.

Genesis

Don't underestimate how hard it will be. Whilst family freinds and being 'home' are important at the end of the day you will be living 24/7 in the rabbit hutch and the postal stamp size garden (going by your comments) for a looooooooooooooooooong time. I don't think it will be easy. Its a very big reason why I would not return to the UK, my house here is 3 times the size of what I can afford and to buy in the UK coupled trying to emmulate a commensurately fine area would be utterly impossible. Easy for me as my house is very much part of my id and my wish to be in the UK is not strong atall. Unless you are hugely nonmaterialistic people sooooooooooooooooooo happy to be home it ain't going to be easy. Can you imagine saying " I so don't mind living in this tiny abode because being in the Uk is so wonderful"..if that's you you will be fine.

Grayling

It doesn't have to be that way.

the house I had in the UK was much bigger than the one I have here in Brisbane.

The Brisbane one cost a lot more as well.

G

ann m

Think of all the cleaning you won't have to do anymore

We had a large home in the UK, then rented a small home for 5 months before we finally left, and I actually loved it - and if I had been staying, that would have been the kind of home I would have liked (but extended the kitchen and added a utility room). Otherwise it was great, I could clean and tidy the place in no time at all, and it took about 25 mins to mow the lawn. Something to be said for it, certainly.

I would embark on the possiblity of this change by buying the best home you can, even if it seems really small, in the best area you can afford. A three bed terrace in one area is called a cottage (!) and a three bed terrace in another area is straight out of Coronation Street. The surroundings do not compare

Bevm

Not everyone prefers a large home, just as not everyone prefers living in a city, or a village, or on the coast, or in the mountains.

It sounds as if you're not all that keen on your big house anymore. That happens. Just because it seems like a great thing to have and people admire it doesn't mean you have to keep it.

Will you have choice about where you'd return to? If so, you might be able to find a place where larger houses are more affordable.

Bev

livinginreality

That depends how big your ego is!Remember,it does'nt matter how big or small your house is,you can only ever be in one room at any given time!

cricket1again

I notice you're a man. Have you ever done housework? If you have, you'll know the most important difference between a big house and a small one.
A small house means us girls have more time to do the important things. Like shopping.

Tr1boy

You either live in the 19th century or you've been with some truly useless men.

Hang on, wasn't your an ex an Aussie?, point taken

Fleaflyfloflum

We went from a large 4 bedroom house in Adelaide, to a 1 bed apartment in Sydney and we are now living in a 2 bed caravan at a holiday park temporarily, until we move to Sussex. I am far far happier in the smaller places!

Ask yourself this, do you NEED a large house? We certainly dont as theres just the 2 of us now. Ideally we only require a 2 bedroom place, and even then only to have the grandkids sleep over.

Another thing to consider is cost. If you come back to the UK, how much will you spend trying to heat and maintain a large house with large rooms?
I feel that large properties are a bit of a millstone around your neck. You have to spend so much time tending the garden, cleaning the house, when you could be out and about enjoying your life!!

Exile

I think people tend to want to live in a house that is comparable with what's normal for that area, country etc.

We lived in a 34 sq metre flat in Tokyo for a while, with 2 young children, and it didn't have a noticeable impact on our happiness level. That said, when we moved into our 67 sq metre flat, it felt like a palace and I have never been as excited about a move since that one! You could see Mt Fuji from the balcony on a clear winter's day. Pure luxury.

We moved to Perth in 2004 and built a big house. One day I found myself with about 300 sq metres of floor space, swimming pool, home office with ocean views, and a box of anti-depressants in my desk drawer.

We moved to a much smaller, older, tatty house in Perth, but in a nicer established area with a bit of character, and that was much, much better.

We're now in England. It has been hard to adjust back down, I have to say. It's not the size of the house itself that gets to me, but the ugliness in many cases, and the unnecessarily bad design (garages into which you can't fit a car, ensuite bathrooms the size of cupboards, etc). That and the price you pay for it in a nice area with good schools (even after the price falls).

If you can find a house that isn't catastrophically ugly and has been well designed (or you can modify it), then I don't think house size is an issue at all. Definitely no obstacle to a happy life, in my opinion. I think your wife is talking sense.

cricket1again

Spot on TR1boy. Actually I was just teasing the OP but yes, my Aussie ex husband was a firm believer in the notion that kitchen appliances came in white because women got married in white.

In fact I now tell people our marriage ended on religious grounds. He thought he was God. I didn't.

Bermudashorts

I lived in a huge house in Bermuda, on high ground overlooking the ocean, loved it. I moved back to the UK last year to a house with a similar number of rooms but all of them much smaller, had trouble fitting my furniture in some rooms.

At first I found it quite hard, but not for long. I have realised that what matters is whether you have enough room, we had so much space in the Bermuda house that we never really, we could have put up a disco ball and had a dance floor in one half of the living room. We have enough space now, my husband always prefered this house as he thinks it is cosier. It won't take long to adjust.

aasmith1957

We had a large 4 bedroomed house with bar and gamesroom on a 10 acre property until 2 years ago.Built another 4 bed but only use one bedroom as an office and master bedroom.Grandies hadly ever up to see us and the bed room is all decked with their things.When we move back to Scotland buying a 2 bedroom place. Will just be the two of us,so may even buy a flat.Giving kids all the big furniture before we go so it will be easy to furnish something.

Tr1boy

I'm going shopping for some new cashmere tomorrow and having another shirt made. Sounds like his kind of day.