https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 19 May 2026 18:03:52 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2685064 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 12:55:22 +0000 Truth Bombs 2685064@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: agree. We have to have gates up at all times that my younger child is awake. It would drive me nuts if they were in public areas. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2685010 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 11:51:51 +0000 winniebee 2685010@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In this situation, I like it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2685008 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 11:50:32 +0000 littlejoy 2685008@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I kind of like that!! Not my typical style, but I don't mind that split layout in this case. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2685003 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 11:49:01 +0000 ShootingStar 2685003@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wouldn't be able to deal with this kind of layout and my son. It would be a total deal breaker. My kid is a serious klutz. He doesn't pay attention is always goofing around on the stairs even when we're constantly reminding him to pay attention. He also LOVED stairs when he first started crawling.</p> <p>It would drive me nuts to to have to put a baby gate up between common areas of the house. It's one thing to have to gate off the bedrooms. Those you don't need to access very often throughout the day. But to not be able to move between the kitchen and the living room without stairs/baby gates would make me crazy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684998 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 11:46:32 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2684998@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@NCSUchick27: the home &amp; all those windows looks really nice :grin: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684995 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 11:44:56 +0000 lioneyes 2684995@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>wow that's beautiful! it would not be a dealbreaker for me, because it's all so open. you could make the current family room (off the dining, i think?) your play area and then gate off the stairs down to the living room. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684967 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 11:06:13 +0000 looch 2684967@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@NCSUchick27: I know it's a moot point at this time, but given the size of the kitchen and the fact that it can accommodate a table, I would be okay with the layout. I find myself in the kitchen a lot, and it's nice to be able to have the kids in there too, playing or whatever. The thing that concerned me was that you had a dining room in between the lower level living room and it doesn't make sense to "swap" them in my mind. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684948 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 10:48:13 +0000 NCSUchick27 2684948@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just got an email that this house is now under contract. I was pretty sure when we looked at it yesterday (I said today in my original post, but it was yesterday) at the open house that it would be under contract pretty quickly. We just weren't ready to make an offer yet. We don't have our pre-approval or realtor squared away yet (soon!). This was the first open house we had been to.</p> <p>We really liked the listing agent for this house so we got her contact information. We may use her as our realtor for our house hunt. I think there will be similar houses on the market in the same neighborhood in the next couple of months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684943 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 10:41:00 +0000 psw27 2684943@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not a deal breaker for me. We have lots of stairs in our house and they are annoying sometimes, but that is city life in a townhouse! I love the windows/light! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684942 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 10:40:39 +0000 NCSUchick27 2684942@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Yes, the kitchen is behind the dining room, and it is definitely big enough to accommodate a table to eat in there.</p> <p>Here is the kitchen and eat-in area:</p> <p>[attach=3946/17/ok8ovs.600x337.IMG_0487.PNG] </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684940 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 10:39:00 +0000 Mama Bird 2684940@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not a deal breaker for me, and I usually hate places with stairs because I spend so much time running up and down with the kids. It's only a few steps so it seems like you wouldn't have to watch little ones all the time once they figure out they shouldn't just pitch themselves off the top step. </p> <p>And wow, it's beautiful! Those windows! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684939 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 10:36:19 +0000 Canoli 2684939@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think it's beautiful but I'm looking at all those steps that would need to be gated and it would be a hassle to me. But my frame of reference is having 3 young kiddos and my oldest is the only one that can be trusted to safely do the steps independently. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684932 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 10:28:17 +0000 looch 2684932@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The kitchen is where, behind the dining room? Is the kitchen big enough to accommodate a table to eat in there? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684931 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 10:26:36 +0000 mamainthesun 2684931@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not in this case! I think it looks gorgeous with the windows and a great way to separate the spaces while still knowing what's going on. For example if you're having a dinner with friends and the kids are playing downstairs. A bit of a pain when they can't climb stairs yet, but I found it went quickly ! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684927 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 10:22:38 +0000 sapphire 2684927@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The house looks very beautiful. But I hate split levels. All those stairs are such a pain and breaks up the space in a weird way. It'd be a deal breaker for me but I know some people like this floor plan. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684885 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 08:55:07 +0000 PinkElephant 2684885@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I typically HATE split level homes, but I have to say that one looks really beautiful...and the way you would plan to use the space really makes sense. I love being able to see where my kids are playing while I'm in the kitchen, and having a space where adults can eat while kids play in eye sight but not right on top of you is so nice when you have friends with kids over. I'm a mom to three kids 4 and under, and would not look at stairs as a big deterrent/safety issues. It's really only an issue for a short period of time (a few months to half a year I'd think) when you really have to worry about them tumbling down. Pressure mounted baby gates are a quick fix!<br /> My middle daughter lived in a brownstone with CRAZY steep and stairs from 4 months to 2.5 years, and she just learned to climb stairs early &amp; well! We ended up having baby gates up b/c she was TOO DARN EFFICIENT at getting up/down the stairs and destroying another room rather than because we were worried she'd fall. :) You'll be fine! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684872 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 08:40:28 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2684872@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@NCSUchick27: Ok! That makes it nicer. For us we didn't really care about a formal dining room but at least the family and living room are spaced apart. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684871 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 08:36:10 +0000 NCSUchick27 2684871@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@T.H.O.U.: The area above is the dining room, and the area below is the formal living room. The family room is through the arched doorway off the dining room, and it is open to the eat-in kitchen. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684868 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 08:32:06 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2684868@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The only thing that would bother me slightly is that even though the formal living room and the family room above is separated, you really are going to have noise issues between the two. AKA you can't watch TV up in the family room while having a convo down in the living room. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684867 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 08:26:24 +0000 babypugs 2684867@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope, I actually love it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684864 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 08:19:58 +0000 NCSUchick27 2684864@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaCate: We don't have any kids yet. The house we are looking for now is the house we are planning on starting our family in. We are probably going to start TTC this fall. Since I don't have any kids yet so I don't really know how much of a pain it would be. If you gated off all of the stairs you would have gates everywhere, but maybe we could get by with just gating off some of them? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684862 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 08:11:47 +0000 MamaCate 2684862@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@NCSUchick27: how old are your kids? My parents' house has part with a similar layout to this. We are only there a few times a year. It was awful when DS was just 12 months and barely walking and had no sense about being safe around the stairs. I basically just stayed within 5 feet of him at all times. Also they had no baby gates which probably would have helped. Although it looks like it might be hard to gate some of those openings.</p> <p>But we went when DD was 2 and she did fine. If you love everything else it would be a short term pain but not a deal breaker for me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684861 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 08:10:12 +0000 Mrs. Pen 2684861@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think the house is beautiful! I don't think I'd mind that layout at all. Might actually discourage my kid from bringing food into the living room haha </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684860 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 08:02:09 +0000 Smurfette 2684860@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not a deal breaker. Grew up (well one of many houses) in a house like that and have several friends with one like that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684857 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 07:51:13 +0000 Picnic 2684857@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not a deal breaker for me. That place looks gorgeous! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684853 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 07:35:28 +0000 NCSUchick27 2684853@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: We would probably use the living room as more of a second family room. We aren't very formal people. I ❤ the windows. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684852 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 07:34:52 +0000 Mrs. Oreo 2684852@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not a deal breaker. It still has a more open layout than some houses and the windows look great adding all the natural lighting. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684850 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 07:29:08 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2684850@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not a deal breaker. I like how the stairs and railing make the formal spaces separate. How often will you use the living room though? Even with the bank of Windows and light the space looks great as a family room/ TV room. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684848 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 07:26:55 +0000 Ajsmommy 2684848@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not a deal breaker for me. I actually kinda like it. Separate's the spaces... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-this-be-a-deal-breaker-in-a-house-for-you#post-2684847 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 07:21:45 +0000 NCSUchick27 2684847@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We looked at a townhouse today that we really liked. The only thing we didn't really care for was the split level living and dining rooms. You have to go up a few stairs from the living room to get to the dining room, eat-in kitchen, and family room. I can't decide if I would hate it or not.</p> <p>We aren't quite ready to put an offer in on this one, but there are other homes in the area with the same layout.</p> <p>I know all the stairs might be an issue with young children. </p> [attach=3946/17/ok8fo9.600x337.IMG_0480.PNG] [attach=3946/17/ok8fob.600x337.IMG_0481.PNG] [attach=3946/17/ok8foc.600x337.IMG_0482.PNG] [attach=3946/17/ok8fod.600x337.IMG_0483.PNG]