New build boring houses

BornAtTheRightTime

F_T_Buyer wrote: »

Edit: Although that looks overpriced compared to others in the area!

Compared to which houses? Very interested as I am selling my 3/4 bed house which is a couple of streets away. Thanks.

harz99

danielley wrote: »

Miller Homes have a very nice new build for sale on a site near me. If I had the money I would be buying it

http://www.morrishomes.co.uk/find-your-perfect-home/edgewater-park/plots/2591/spec.htm

Its still smallish, but they have tried to do something different and it doesn't feel like a box.

At least some of them are trying...

Interestingly, although Morris Homes claim to be an independent builder this exact style and design of home is available with other builders - Persimmon being one.

Comes back to the same thing - most new builds are "kit built"; in other words they are just assembled from a kit of parts and a design which can be available to anyone to buy, from a national homebuilder to your small company which may only build one or two homes at a time.

harz99

spud211 wrote: »

You are safer these days imo if you choose the right estate and the right builder..stay clear of barrat for example due to their shocking finishes, but if you go for someone like Morris or Taylor Wimpey you will probably have a better experience - their finishes are much better, its a different scale.

Anyway its horses for courses - I looked at older houses and could not find any suitable ones for me. I'm happy for you to go and buy an old one, leaves more of the quality new builds for people like me

Spud, whilst I agree with most of what you say; it is not as simple as certain builders being a better experience than others.

A lot comes down to the quality of the Site Manager and their construction workers on the individual development.

To use Persimmon as an example (and I have no axe to grind with them in particular), I have looked at several of their developments with exactly identical houses, and seen hugely differing standards of bricklaying - some have walls that been properly pointed and cleaned, others look as though a 5 year old has been pushing the mortar in between the bricks with their thumbs and left an obviously uneven finish. Same inside, with brush strokes evident on handrails and woodwork at one development and not at others.

When_is_the_reset?

BornAtTheRightTime wrote: »

I just knew that had to be the new houses in Lowford! It's a real shame because if you head north 3 or 4 houses there's a lovely terrace development built 2 years ago which shows what is possible with confined space.

Interestingly, those terrace houses were selling £225k (3-bed) to £265k (4-bed) at the time, which shows that prices have continued to rise in Lowford.

As the 'OP' - I didn't say all new-builds were bad. Just some are very plain and seem to command a premium (probably most actually) surely the people employed by the builders can do better.

I have lived in both and the premium can go a long way to modernising an older more characterful house with, perhaps, a bit more space. I prefer my victorian terrace to my previous 4 bed detached in Park Gate (new build heaven) and it is bigger.

And to BornAtTheRightTime - it hasn't sold for that much money yet and I am not sure it will (Lowford or not!).

googler

Architectural detailing costs money. I'm sure more interesting homes could be built, at a cost, but the Victorian terraces down my way are built externally from blockwork over a foot thick, and have intricately-carved wood detailing to the pitched roofs, along with a host of other features.

Setting aside the availability of similar blockwork today, the inescapable conclusion is that throwing up a load-bearing timber frame and covering it with 'Architectural Brick' (i.e. decorative, possibly synthetic, non-load-bearing stuff) is a cheaper option for the builders.

baby_fuzz

Running_Horse wrote: »

Unlike those Victorians who built such large beautiful homes that would last:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-30256718.html

Or the 1960s homes for heroes with such lovely detailing:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-25503377.html

I never said that old houses weren't small.
Merely that all new builds are miniscule. I have yet to see a reasonably-sized new build.;)

iB1

One thing to remember is that the better quality Victorian housing is the stock that has stood the test of time and is still standing now.

There were plenty of low quality Victorian slums that were knocked down as they weren't fit for modern habitation.

I expect the same will be true in 100 years time from our current new builds. The rubbish ones built out of paper will be pulled down in 30 years or so, whilst the better quality ones will still be standing

neverdespairgirl

danielley wrote: »

Morris Homes have a very nice new build for sale on a site near me. If I had the money I would be buying it

http://www.morrishomes.co.uk/find-your-perfect-home/edgewater-park/plots/2591/spec.htm

Its still smallish, but they have tried to do something different and it doesn't feel like a box.

Those bedrooms are pretty small. Even the biggest is only 14 x 12, while the other two are roughly 10 x 7 sq. feet.

knightstyle

I have to say that SOME new build estates are OK. We have a new house in Gainsborough overlooking the river Trent. The whole estate consists of various designs, some small 2 bed with no garage and several 3 bed designs plus a few 4 bed. Lots of detailing and different colored bricks around windows and corners.
Have a look on streetview, Riverside Approach, Gainsborough. Oh and most houses were under £100,000. Our 4 bed was £142,000 and is worth a bit less now! Not complaining though as we love looking at the river with pleasure craft and working barges going by.

neverdespairgirl

spud211 wrote: »

I don't like the old fashioned look of the majority of older houses. I don't like the amount of work that needs to be done to bring them up to what I consider a good standard, or alternatively the premium you have to pay for one thats already been done for you.

Old houses do have this horrible habit of looking old fashioned (-:

The newest building I've ever lived in is the flat we live in now, which is 1920s. The oldest is my parents' house in Kent, which is 1320s.