Collaborative post
It’s not something I often touch on as, to be honest, it is not something I think about much in everyday life. We live a normal family life, we have a toddler, we share interests. We travel, we do the washing up. We laugh, we love and we try to pursue happiness. There is, however, a fairly big age difference between Daddy Long Legs and myself. He doesn’t look his age, is young at heart (sometimes too young at heart!) and we are passionate about many of the same things. Despite both being self-employed in diverse industries we are at different levels in our chosen careers. For this reason, he is looking at his financial situation and particularly retirement in a different light than I am. Although it is never too early to start I guess.
HOW MUCH HAS OUR HOUSE MADE US
If you are an avid reader of the blog you will know that we live in a huge Victorian house in South West London. It is a beautiful building from 1896 which was sadly left to deteriorate before Daddy Long Legs bought it. The two lower floors are still very much in need of renovation. Due to water damage in the semi-detached twin house years ago, we also need a rewire which is, of course, costly and a dirty job. Not to mention a new kitchen, wet room and heating system in this part of the house as well. It can make a wonderful home if we invest the time and money. As a ‘young’ family and I use this term loosely we sometimes have different priorities.
We are therefore looking at how much the house has increased in value using this handy calculator. Also, how much it can potentially make if we invest in the renovations. His original plan was to turn our current top floor flat into a rental, for us to live in the downstairs part and therefore help with his retirement. The top floor flat is self-contained so this is definitely an option if we find a way to renovate the lower floors in the coming years.
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
The house is very special to Daddy Long Legs and has been for many years. It is to me as well as it’s where Caspian was born and we’ve lived as a family. Our garden’s beautifully kept and spacious especially for a London property.
At this point in time, we don’t know what the future holds. We haven’t decided if it is best for all of us to stay and make it the best home possible. Or if it is better to downsize and find something more manageable. As the years pass there will naturally be some challenges to overcome with an age difference. Yet, as I also keep reminding him that having a younger wife that can still work is not the worst thing in the world. He is, however, very keen to ensure he has researched everything and knows that we are all in the best possible financial place.
I must admit, I have not thought much about it, I have some insurance but need to sit down and think about more.
This is so interesting! Gaz and I are practically the same age but we have never really thought about our future full stop! We have no pensions, not even life insurance, and I’m ashamed to admit that we don’t even have a will!
I wish we owned a house, what I would do for a massive Victorian house too! Such a shame there is water damage though but if the house is special to you both I would say stay 🙂 I am very sentimental though!xx
Your house always looks so gorgeous. It’s difficult to know what is the best decision to make sometimes, I wish I had a crystal ball to see how it would all work out! Either way as long as you are both happy that’s what counts
My husband and I are almost exactly the same age. We’ve only just bought our own place.We hope to pay it off before we retire.
House are very expensive to live in and even more expensive to renovate. I can understand his eagerness to start thinking about retirement but you also don’t want to live in a house with water damage. That can cause mold that make everyone sick. I learned this first hand years ago so I am with you on renovating the downstairs – or at the very least making sure there is no mold. I hope there isn’t. Maybe if you renovated one thing per year? or per six months? Whatever fits your budget but that will also give your husband the peace of mind of starting his retirement plan or at the very least making a timeline for when he can start.
Oh a victorian house in London! – what a wonderful opportunity to either invest and make it your own or downsize and start a fresh 🙂
my husband and i are also share a large age gap , and i dont know how it never occured to me to think bit deeper about our future , hes ill as well so house is fully adapted
We love Victorian houses! There are so many in London. Yours sounds particularly special and it’s impressive that you are living in the top floor flat, keeping hold of the bottom for when the time is right. There are so many fab reasons that age different couples work so well. Your love for each other really shines through. Enjoy whatever time brings x