Should older people move house to make way for the young?

NotSpaghetti

Exactly Norah - just opening up some usable space in the roof space - so much better really than just a small area to walk about about in.

Brilliant use of existing space.

I've always wondered why I see few Mansard additions.

Exactly Norah - just opening up some usable space in the roof space - so much better really than just a small area to walk about about in.

What does it matter what size someone's house is? Different people with different incomes can afford different sized. houses.

Most of those with larger houses have traded up. If like us you are house renovators, we have a big house because we also went for floor area over everything and then put in the time and effort as well as money that could have spent on other things on improving the house. it is what we enjoyed doing - and still do.

Other people make other choices, there is no virtue in either choice.

Witzend

One article I read on downsizing featured a couple selling their family home in outer SW London, for well over £2m, and buying a spacious 3 bed flat overlooking a Royal Park, for something like £1.3m.

How that information was supposed to be much use to the average downsizer, I don’t know.

Oh, and the couple got rid of their dog, since it would not fit into their new ‘lifestyle’, which instantly made me despise them.

No different to someone selling a house £300,000 and buying a nice retirement flat for £250,000.

What price people sell at is irrelevant, someone downsizing , is downsizing and will face many of exactly the same problems with getting rid of stuff, making sacrifices of things they love but have no room for.

Many at every price range are moving from green and pleasant areas to more urban settings, likewise many are moving from an area they know and love aand have friends and intersts in order to be closer to family.

NotSpaghetti

*Allira*, was it you who had added a mansard to your home? I wonder if this is the thing that people have picked up on and thought it must be a grand sort of house?

I just assumed it was opening up some usable space in the roof space - but maybe others didn't?
Maybe some saw it as a bit "French" or a bit flashy? I remember from an early foray into architecture that they once featured as a symbol of luxury.

We've a rear Mansard on our home. The cost was reasonable and we were using "usable space in the roof space". Virtually invisible from the front, cost effective, better roof insulation.

Not at all flashy, merely logical solution for needed space.

Witzend

One article I read on downsizing featured a couple selling their family home in outer SW London, for well over £2m, and buying a spacious 3 bed flat overlooking a Royal Park, for something like £1.3m.

How that information was supposed to be much use to the average downsizer, I don’t know.

Oh, and the couple got rid of their dog, since it would not fit into their new ‘lifestyle’, which instantly made me despise them.

Gosh, they must be struggling in that tiny space!

I'm sure the dog will be happier with new owners 🐕

One article I read on downsizing featured a couple selling their family home in outer SW London, for well over £2m, and buying a spacious 3 bed flat overlooking a Royal Park, for something like £1.3m.

How that information was supposed to be much use to the average downsizer, I don’t know.

Oh, and the couple got rid of their dog, since it would not fit into their new ‘lifestyle’, which instantly made me despise them.

Oh sorry, Allira.
Am confused then.

NotSpaghetti

Apologies if the mansard comment was someone else!

It's Norah (in my ignorance, I didn't know what a mansard is!).

Apologies if the mansard comment was someone else!

Allira, was it you who had added a mansard to your home? I wonder if this is the thing that people have picked up on and thought it must be a grand sort of house?

I just assumed it was opening up some usable space in the roof space - but maybe others didn't?
Maybe some saw it as a bit "French" or a bit flashy? I remember from an early foray into architecture that they once featured as a symbol of luxury.

Norah

Allira

My husband worked 2 years, lived at home, spent nothing, to save our deposit whilst I was still at school. When he was 18, I was 16, we married and bought our home.

An unqualified 16 year old working whatever job he could find on the statutory wage would earn £8 ph, if he could get a full-time job that is. Take out necessary expenses, even if he lived at home, I very much doubt today's child could save enough in two years for a deposit for a house, especially one as large as you say yours is. Added to which, I doubt a 16 year old and 18 year old could get a mortgage nowadays.

In fact, I'm astonished that you did back in the 1960s on an 18 year old's wage.

I suppose most wouldn't quit school as young, today.

School leaving age has changed since we were 16.

I believe statutory wage age 18-20 would earn £10.85 ph, today. Average hours worked pa 1800 x 10.85 = 19530 less expenses.

I'd assume a young person could save £12-15k pa, if they did save not spend friviously, whilst living with parents.

Two or three years to save a deposit. I think it's possible.

We bought a small, old home. We've added a Mansard, a conservatory, our home has become larger as we had children. I don't remember saying our home is large? If I have, apologies, it's neither large nor high end.

I don't remember saying our home is large? If I have, apologies, it's neither large nor high end
Apologies if I misunderstood!
I thought it was quite a large house.

We've added a conservatory and that essential - a utility room over the years.

NotSpaghetti

They could use one of the 0% deposit building society mortgages maybe?

So it would seem.

Allira

^My husband worked 2 years, lived at home, spent nothing, to save our deposit whilst I was still at school. When he was 18, I was 16, we married and bought our home.^

An unqualified 16 year old working whatever job he could find on the statutory wage would earn £8 ph, if he could get a full-time job that is. Take out necessary expenses, even if he lived at home, I very much doubt today's child could save enough in two years for a deposit for a house, especially one as large as you say yours is. Added to which, I doubt a 16 year old and 18 year old could get a mortgage nowadays.

In fact, I'm astonished that you did back in the 1960s on an 18 year old's wage.

I suppose most wouldn't quit school as young, today.

School leaving age has changed since we were 16.

I believe statutory wage age 18-20 would earn £10.85 ph, today. Average hours worked pa 1800 x 10.85 = 19530 less expenses.

I'd assume a young person could save £12-15k pa, if they did save not spend friviously, whilst living with parents.

Two or three years to save a deposit. I think it's possible.

We bought a small, old home. We've added a Mansard, a conservatory, our home has become larger as we had children. I don't remember saying our home is large? If I have, apologies, it's neither large nor high end.

We bought our first house in late 1960s; DH was 30 and on a good salary, I was a bit younger and on a good salary but they disregarded mine.
That was after two years of hard saving but also paying a reasonable rent and all bills.

We were luckier then that rents were more reasonable.

My husband worked 2 years, lived at home, spent nothing, to save our deposit whilst I was still at school. When he was 18, I was 16, we married and bought our home.

An unqualified 16 year old working whatever job he could find on the statutory wage would earn £8 ph, if he could get a full-time job that is. Take out necessary expenses, even if he lived at home, I very much doubt today's child could save enough in two years for a deposit for a house, especially one as large as you say yours is. Added to which, I doubt a 16 year old and 18 year old could get a mortgage nowadays.

In fact, I'm astonished that you did back in the 1960s on an 18 year old's wage.

They could use one of the 0% deposit building society mortgages maybe?

Witzend I do wonder how young people on fairly ordinary salaries manage to save a deposit, or a big enough one. The irony is that mortgage payments for the same e.g. 2 bed flat would often be less than the monthly rent.
Unless they have family help, it’s surely very hard.

Perhaps saving, never spending on any excess?

My husband worked 2 years, lived at home, spent nothing, to save our deposit whilst I was still at school. When he was 18, I was 16, we married and bought our home.

Everyone is different. We're savers not spenders.

Ps that was in reply to Paddyann, the quote was from her post of Sun 12-Apr-26 22:02:23, just to be clear.

MartavTaurus

I don't know Scotland at all, sorry, but if you're earning, say £50k there, wouldn't that need to be around £80k or more in London.
£800 in Scotland a month for a 3 bed house sounds unreal to people in the South East. Where is that? Surely not Edinburgh?
I guess it's all relative depending where you live and need to work.

And here too, on the Welsh/English borders!

It is possible to include flats for pensioners ,in my small town 1960s pensioner houses are being demolished and new ones built to decant the inhabitants into.

So they are demolishing the homes of elderly people where they may have lived for years and decanting them (!) into flats!
We are people, not wine. Presumably against their will, rather like the notorious Pathfinder programme beloved of John Prescott and Yvette Cooper, causing distress to so many.

I like Yvette Cooper but that was a blot on her copybook.

Rents around here have soared in the past few years, so I do wonder how young people on fairly ordinary salaries manage to save a deposit, or a big enough one. The irony is that mortgage payments for the same e.g. 2 bed flat would often be less than the monthly rent.
Unless they have family help, it’s surely very hard.

2 bed maisonettes (Edwardian, purpose built) in a SW London area I watch, were often selling for £90-100k in the mid-late 90s.
The same ones (albeit probably considerably modernised) now routinely go for £500-550k.

paddyann54 as usual writing about a fantasy country absolutely unknown to us other Scots!

MartavTaurus

I don't know Scotland at all, sorry, but if you're earning, say £50k there, wouldn't that need to be around £80k or more in London.
£800 in Scotland a month for a 3 bed house sounds unreal to people in the South East. Where is that? Surely not Edinburgh?
I guess it's all relative depending where you live and need to work.

The price differential is around 30%, so you have over- estimated the London effect somewhat. The salary differential is also around 20% though. It’s largely about the choices people make regarding how and where they spend what they earn..

Might sound selfish but if you are going to down size it should be because you want to for your own reasons not because you feel you ought to or feel pressured by who ever !!

I don't know Scotland at all, sorry, but if you're earning, say £50k there, wouldn't that need to be around £80k or more in London.
£800 in Scotland a month for a 3 bed house sounds unreal to people in the South East. Where is that? Surely not Edinburgh?
I guess it's all relative depending where you live and need to work.