It’s hard to deny that large houses have a lot of appeal – most of them are grand, majestic even, and radiate a satisfying sense of spaciousness.
If you’ve lived in a small home for years, then moving into a big house must be a dream come true for you. That’s especially true when you’ve had to put up for so long with all the inconveniences of living in a small space.
Regardless of the exact reasons for wanting to move to a bigger home – a growing family, too much clutter you can’t seem to get rid of, a sudden change in your lifestyle, or just a higher income, you should know that moving into a large house isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. In other words, living in a big home has its share of disadvantages as well.
Now, before you make that all-important decision to move out from your current place, you just have to be well aware of the advantages and disadvantages of living in a more specious home. Be sure to weigh in the pros and cons of moving to a bigger house to do what’s best for you and your family, and to avoid any bitter regrets later on when the move is already over and done for.
Moving to a bigger house may seem like an attractive idea but you just have to think things through before you decide for sure. To help you make an informed decision, here are the major advantages and disadvantages of moving to a big house:
Pros of moving to a big house
Without a doubt, moving to a more spacious home has a number of undeniable benefits, all closely connected to the fact that you’re getting more space as a result of the move.
More space for each family member
Everyone should be happier with more space – you, your partner, and most of all – your children. In general, people tend to feel more comfortable in larger areas as opposed to being cramped in a tight living space.
One thing that is really beneficial when living in a big house is that you get more storage space for your stuff – that’s really important as you’ll have more breathing room around you without having the awful sensation that the walls are closing in on you due to the excessive clutter around you.
Thanks to the move, every family member gets to enjoy more personal space, including your dog or cat.
Spare rooms for guests
One great advantage of moving to a large house is that there will be spare rooms in which you can comfortably accommodate guests. Regardless of whether you’ll be welcoming family members or good friends, you’ll no longer be worried about not being able to have guests over due to the limited living space.
If you’re the kind of person who enjoys socializing with friends, then you’re going to love the idea of being able to invite your buddies for an evening of fun games or stimulating conversations. The truth is that you’ll no longer feel uneasy that your guests don’t have enough room to spend the night at your place.
Furthermore, your children will be able to grow socially as well by being able to have their friends over whenever the circumstances allow it.
Space for a home business
Another serious advantage of moving to a bigger house – a benefit that most people often fail to realize and utilize – is that the extra room gives you an opportunity to start running your own business from home.
In most cases, you’ll be able to set up a home office in a big house. And since you won’t have to make any sacrifices as long as space is concerned, you can set up a large home office that’ll let you have everything that your workplace needs. This basically means that if you’re not required to go to your regular workplace, working remotely from your spacious home office will be far more comfortable and enjoyable for you.
More space for personal projects
Living in a large house gives you the unique opportunity to pursue personal projects or pick up new hobbies thanks to the available living space.
For example, you can turn a house room into a personal gym (the attic works fine too). All you’ll need to do is buy some gym equipment that you’ll be using to stay in shape, and voila – you’ll no longer need to go to a gym in the town and pay to use it. And the best thing about it is that you can visit your personal gym whenever you feel like working out, even during the night if you can’t fall asleep for some reason.
Another idea is to get a ping pong table in a room that’s spacious enough and to have fun playing table tennis with family members or friends when the latter come to visit.
Big outdoor space
Big houses tend to have big gardens or yards that offer enough space for fun and enjoyment. Your children and pets will be especially happy to play in a large yard or garden when the weather is good.
In the summertime, you can have unforgettable barbeque evenings with close friends. Depending on the size of the garden, you can even decide to grow vegetables there as well.
All in all, a large yard can be an amazing place for kids, pets, and adults alike. The truth is that you’re getting that liberating outdoor feeling while staying within the safety of your own home.
Read also: Pros and cons of downsizing your home
Cons of moving to a big house
You should also know that moving to a big house has a number of disadvantages as well. If it didn’t, then everybody would be living in large houses, right?
Much higher costs
When you move into a bigger house, everything will be bigger, including the costs to maintain your property.
A larger home will come with a higher price tag, but it’s not only the monthly rent or the monthly mortgage premium that’s going to increase. When moving into a larger house, the following costs will be (much) higher as well
- closing costs,
- property taxes,
- homeowner’s insurance costs,
- furnishing costs,
- utility costs,
- maintenance costs,
- renovation costs.
And while you’ll be aware of the higher energy bills – heating and lighting a larger home is more expensive, you may not fully realize that maintaining a big yard can be too costly too – suitable gardening equipment and tools, lawn furniture, garden decorations, and so on.
Before you decide to move into a larger home, you just have to do the math and see if you can actually afford to live in a bigger house or not. Maintaining a big house can be rather expensive, so you’d better talk about it all with a financial advisor to make sure you won’t get into financial trouble in a few years.
More maintenance time and efforts
The proper maintenance of a large house is not only about spending more money – it’s also about investing much more time and effort into it to make it work.
Ultimately, you’ll have to spare more time to keep the house and its yard into shape – more things around the home will need to be fixed and the garden will require almost constant care as well. And don’t forget that keeping a large house clean takes up plenty of time and effort.
So, while enjoying all the benefits of living in a large house, you should also be ready for more maintenance work and less free time. And only time will tell whether that’s a fair trade-off for you.
Possible sacrifice on location
Moving into a large house could come with a certain sacrifice on location. Big houses are usually found in the suburbs, in small towns, or in the country. And as you well know, location is often the major factor when choosing a home to move to.
Now, being away from the big city can be advantageous in many ways – less noise, less pollution, less traffic, increased safety, and more green areas, but you can still find your new house to be far from where you work and where you children go to school.
The real problem is that you may choose to sacrifice on location just to be able to move into a bigger house, and that’s a decision that you could come to regret later on.
The thing is that you just have to weigh the pros and cons of moving into a bigger house before you actually do it. Ask yourself if you really need that extra space that comes with bigger homes. If the answer is a firm YES, then find a top-rated mover that will protect and transport your household items to your new home.
See also: What are the benefits of moving into an apartment?
