Home layout with kids

So DH and I just bought our first home and renovations will start in 30 days! I'm very excited but we have a lot of decisions to make right now. The house kind of chose us more than we chose it. We love it but the layout is a bit odd so I'm looking for input from the btdt folks.

Main floor- kitchen, dining, and living room (open to each other), two small bedrooms- one has an attached bathroom. We're looking into switching things so that you don't have to walk through the bedroom in order to go in that bathroom.

Upstairs- Another small bedroom, a large bedroom, bathroom

We currently have a daughter and hope to add to the family soon. Which room do you think we should use for ourselves, dd, future baby, and guest room? I thought I had it all figured out but after walking through again yesterday I just don't know.

Re: Home layout with kids

i have a cape 2 bedrooms upstairs 2 downstairs.

The 2 upstairs rooms are large (there is a rear extenesion on the house) the downstaris room one is a decent size and one is small.

since i knew we would have two kids i didnt want to split the kids and i didnt think it was fair one had a bigger room and the other didnt so i decided both kids would be upstairs and me and DH took the larger room downstair and made the spare bedroom a play room for now. (it will eventually be a guest room when we finish our basement and can move the playroom down there)

so with the layout you described i would probably have both kids downstair and i woud probably take the large room upstairs.

Re: Home layout with kids

I agree with changing the main floor bathroom so you don't have to walk through anyone's bedroom to get ot it - I'd personally make that priority #1.

I have a 3 bedroom cape - my boys (now 2 & 4) are both on the main floor, and DH and I are in the huge master upstairs.

I think it's nice that they are together on one floor, and I like having the biggest bedroom b/c we have the closet & storage space we need, and it's the one spot in the house that's our adult space -

I was 'eh' about being on a different floor than them - but w/ the house, its not really an option - someone was going to be alone, so I figured it was better for them to be together. I never had an issue hearing them (even w/o the monitor) or having to go up/down the stairs in the middle of the night (they went into their cribs the day they got home from the hospital)

it's a personal choice, but it works for us.

Congratulation on your new home!

Re: Home layout with kids

We lived in a cape - there was one bathroom on the first floor that was had access through a BR and another door out into the living room. The downstairs 2 BRs were turned into a large master with attached bathroom. We put in a hallway and closed off the master bath from the rest of the main floor, then put in a 1/2 bath where the old shower was. Upstairs the smaller room became the guest room and the larger room was shared by my two boys.

Re: Home layout with kids

I would definitely make 1 of the bedrooms downstairs a playroom. We have that now and it works out really well to have a self-contained room on the main level for all DD's toys.

Good luck!

Home layout with kids

I would probably put DD in the upstairs room for now so she can be close to you and your dh. Then when you have another baby, they could either share, or once your dd is old enough you could move her downstairs.