Would You Rather: House Question

How is the weather where you are? That would definitely factor into my decision.

Probably I would choose the larger kitchen though... cooking never stops happnening and I want to be comfortable when doing that... for out side space if it is nice there is always a park around.

I would take the extra 500 square feet of house plus the better kitchen and laundry room. I go crazy in small kitchens and find it very hard to cook if I feel like there isn't enough space.

As much as I love being outside, the inside space is more important to me.

I could do w/o the laundry room and I wash clothes for 6 people.. BUT, I DO value a larger kitchen. We have a medium-sized kitchen and could use more space. I personally don't think a person could have too big of a kitchen... depends how much you cook and how many you cook for, I suppose. I easily cook for 10 on a regular basis, so i could always use more space. THAT being said, I LOOOOOOOOOOVE the outdoors!!! A bigger yard means a lot as well.

So, it's ALL about the kitchen Vs the yard. If I cooked for 4 or less, I'd probably go for the yard:)

Honey... You live HERE.

In the summer (both weeks) the acre will be grand. The other 10 months a year you're mostly going to be inside (unless, like w the apt you're headed somewhere). Even during our brief sunny stints, the giant yard will mostly be up to your ankles in mud since it won't have time to dry out. (unlike parks w wood chips. Either case, a 'mud room' aka laundry room is pretty durn essential.

Big house = LOTS of indoor play. Playdates year round, indoor toys, Kinnect, clean, etc.

Hill for yard = slide!!! (we bought one from a playground supply place and just put it on the hill itself in a similar hill for yard house), and VERY easy to supervise.

I would go with the bigger inside/kitchen and separate laundry space. I NEVER want to go through a 'closet' washer/dryer again. The dirty clothes are constantly piled in MOUNDS in the hall way. Yuck.

Your son is 2? He couldn't care less if you had a bigger yard or the small one. As long as he gets to go outside on it, he won't care at all. Put a sandbox out there. That doesn't matter if it is flat or not. You can always take him to the park to swing. Honestly, you probably aren't going to let your 2 yr old be outside in the back yard without you, right? So just go to the park. It'll be more of an adventure, and you'll get to get out of the house as well.
And on rainy days, you'll have more space inside. :)

If you have inclement weather where you are, I'd go for the bigger house.
If it doesn't rain much where you are, I'd go for the big FLAT yard.

I would go with what is the most convenient for you all to LIVE in.

What works best for your family?
The bigger, flat yard or the bigger kitchen?

With kids, I'd choose the bigger yard for myself. We are always outside.

If we, as a family, never went outside, I'd choose the better, bigger kitchen & stay indoors enjoying the bigger house.

What are the neighborhoods like? Can you walk to the park?Are there other kids?

I guess it depends on your lifestyle. I personally would take more room inside than out. While I do have a nice yard, it isn't huge, but certainly big enough for the kids to play or to host a bbq. I never put a play structure in the yard because I felt it was better to take my kids to the park so they could play with other kids. I also would rather be out and about than spending the day mowing the lawn. I do, however, wish I had more cupboard and counter space in my kitchen. The closet laundry I wouldn't mind because I never actually spend any time in the laundry room. I think the neighborhood is the most imprtant factor for me. We have been in our home 17 years, and we have outgrown it, but I love the location too much to leave.

we have a huge yard and a small kitchen.. get teh bigger kitchen.. you can always go to a park nearby to play.. but you cant cook in someone elses kitchen.. you will be in hte kitchen daily..but you may not be outside daily.. get teh better kitchen.

depends on the size of the family...we lived in wa for years and of all my favoite places was the large kitchen and full W/D and small yard, our other place had a decent yard but couldn't hardly fit in the kitchen and to be quit honest with three kiddo's a LOT of time is spent in the kitchen so a tiny one is no fun! and three kids and stacked W/D would really stink :)

House #1
I would not want a Galley Kitchen.
Ick.

Our yard slopes too. It is never a problem and is actually fun for the kids.
I grew up in a house in which the yard sloped.
No problem.

I assume, the house you are talking about, House #1, the yard slopes AWAY from the house?

I think it really depends on how much time you spend outside. Are you only going to use the outside space on the weekends for 3 months out of the year or are you going to be out their daily. Do you participate in activities that require a larger yard such as gardening, croquet, pond building, etc. Or do you just need enough room for a sandbox?

I also would consider whether you are a neat and tidy person. Do you find it easy to work in the galley kitchen or do you end up with pots and pans stacked on the floor and a cutting board covered in vegetable remains in the living room because you just don't have enough counter space?

If I lived in your location I think I would go with the larger house.

I knew our house was our house when I walked into the backyard. I could envisions what it would look like after I re-landscaped it. I could see the parties and fun.

I picked a house that met my basic needs but had the perfect yard. A galley kitchen is fine (and we cook!)....what makes the galley kitchen acceptable is the giant (200 sq foot deck) and the amazing grill we bought. We live in Chicago and grill 12 months out of the year. Hell, we are outside 12 months out of the year. Are you one of those people?

If you love being outside, do take into consideration the yard. Can you imagine relaxing in it? If not, look for another house.

Speaking from experience, I would go for the yard. We bought a house that people had put thousands and thousands into renovating the inside. Super nice, got a steal. However, the backyard is not as large as we wanted, and it's in shambles. Other then creating a garden, the rest is unusable. I can't tell you how much I regret not going for a better yard. My son loves playing outside, we have dogs, and we can't really enjoy our yard. The house is a little under 1200 square feet. It's fine for the three of us, plus our dogs. Not too small. Our yard, is something we are currently saving to fix. We regret not getting a house we didn't like quite as much on the inside, because it had an AWESOME yard. We dream about that house now. We have an amazing kitchen in this house. Totally renovated. I'd give it up for the house with the yard, in a second!!

I"m all about the kitchen. But definitely take into account the family lifestyle. Can you add stuff to the backyard - play equipment, etc? If so I'd go for the back yard. If you can't make changes then I'd personally go for the kitchen. I like the space of the kitchen and the laundry room - it is why we specifically bought the house we live in now. Also consider the yard work involved. Are you going to be responsible for it? Just something things to think about.

We built the house we did versus the other home for the same price because of the kitchen. Ours is much larger and has much more counter space and cabinets. I can't imagine having it any smaller. Our washer and dryer are in the kitchen area with the cloest type doors, which I HATE, but we'll fix that in our next house.

I'd take the smaller yard, since the kiddo is only 2, and utilize parks more.

Our kitchen sold me on our house! I feel like I'm in the kitchen all day so being wedged in a galley kitchen would be a deal breaker for me. Good luck with your choice. Moving is hard work but exciting too.

My vote is big kitchen house. You use your kitchen every day, big yard maybe not so much. I have a big yard and it's a pain in the behind to keep up with, which we don't so it looks terrible. Yardwork sucks!

Personally I'd go for the bigger back yard. Where is this laundry room? basement (pain in the neck) or main floor(much easier)? Maybe some day you could add something to the smaller house?

If it were me, I'd go with the bigger yard. We can squish ourselves into a small kitchen --at least, I do-- we have a bungalow with maybe two square feet of useable counter space to work in, so I've learned to do bigger work on a cutting board at the table. I also have my laundry in the basement and just sort/fold it on the living room rug. I don't see an adaptation for the yard, however-- and having it fenced in means that it will buy you time in the long run.

ETA: I read Riley's answer and have to give her props-- if the weather is as bad as she says, maybe the bigger house? I lived in tiny apartments for years, so I'm a make-do kind of gal. That said, my kid goes out in all weather!

bigger house- parks are always available.

More outside area usually wins me over. Now, who will be responsible for the yard work? I have never rented a house, but I am sure these things vary, but you will probably be responsible for keeping the yard, I would guess. Anyway, depending on the ages of your child or children and if you are a playing outside kind of family, then that should be taken into account. If you want to entertain a lot, then maybe the kitchen would be important, but then again, with outdoor space, you could always grill and entertain folks outside. The sloped yard is a major turn off for me. Especially with toddlers, all I ever imagine is the baby tumbling down the hill! Hope this helped. Hope that one of these homes is a place you can see yourself in.

Personally I would go with the bigger house if you are indoors more than out.

Well, we moved from a townhome, where we had to do zero outside work to a home where the yard was wonderfully landscaped. We thought it was great. Well, turns out all that landscaping needs work - lots of it to keep it looking nice. I don't mind doing it on nice days, but if it's too hot and sunny it's misery. We're not going to hire people to take care of our yard.

Our next home, no matter how big, will have an understated yard.

I love our great room feel - our kitchen is part of the living space - no separation and we love the feel of it.