New build boring houses

geoffky

how old is a house and still classed as newbuild ?..mine is about 12 years old but its been built as a one off..

Kimmy2309

I love my new build (2005). Not at all intersted in old buildings which can cost a lot to keep/repair. And I don't think the development that I live on is boring at all. Quite charming really http://www.berkeleygroup.co.uk/st-james/the-hamptons

harz99

swingaloo wrote: »

Ive lived in a big old terraced and didnt like it at the time, cold draughty and no wall had a square corner.
Then I bought an ex council house-fabulous.

At the moment Im renting a new house.

I can have a conversation with next door without opening a door or using the phone!

Every stair squeaks!

Every room is like a box! so bland and boring.

The 'large double bedroom' has a choice, bed or wardrobes- you cant have both!

It rains in under the front door!

The path to the front door is like negotiating an assault course because all the flags have been laid so badly!

The bath has leaked and stained the kitchen ceiling (when I say kitchen I use the term loosly)
You never flush the toilet at night as it wakes all the house.

The kitchen has 2 wall cupboards, 2 base units and a set of drawers which have been put in a corner at right angle to the oven so you cant open the top drawer because of the oven handle. :mad: I could have a microwave if I got rid of the kettle and toaster!!!!!

Best of all, its a 3 storey house and the sound carries so much that if anyone farts on the top floor someone in the lounge will apologise,:rotfl:
Give me back my old house- either of them.

Please do share the builder and development with us.............

pixiepie99

Imp wrote: »

We were looking to do a self build, found some land and went around some architects to see what they would come up with. When it came to the looks, the question they asked themselves was "What would the planners want us to build?" The entire design was based on the planners and their desire for bland mediocrity rather than architectural excellence.

And in terms of quality of house, 1960s council houses are reliably good in terms of their layout and space. Victorian and earlier town houses were built with tiny back yards, next to no garden, I think the best houses for me were built between the wars.

What a ridiculous thing to say. Planners are able to refuse planning applications on grounds of poor design, not because buildings are designes well. It sounds to me like you just got very poor architects who used planners as their excuse for only being able to come up with bland designs. I suggest you check out your local council's guidance on design before you believe every thing your architects tell you.

Every day planners are fighting against the bland mediocrity that volume housebuilders are trying to force on the nation.

swingaloo

Please do share the builder and development with us.............

If only I could. Its just a small cul de sac of 6 semis built in 2003 by a private builder.

His daughter had the house in prime position with the best garden and strangly enough she moved out this weekend and has put it up for rental. Apparently she is so tired of noise complaints from her next door neighbour that she has decided to go.

Doshwaster

the_realist wrote: »

I hate those little toytown villages, everything looks the same and some can be a nightmare to find your way back out of again without a gps.

The worst thing about these new developments is that the developers or planning officers never think about local facilities - shops, pubs, schools, parks etc. Just endless identikit homes.

There's a development around here where the nearest place you can buy a loaf of bread is 5 miles away.

I suppose they are fine if you have 2.4 kids and 2 cars but not if you want any kind of life.

harz99

Doshwaster wrote: »

There's a development around here where the nearest place you can buy a loaf of bread is 5 miles away.

Please do share the place and development name with us..........

Riq

Isee your house and I raise you to just shy of £1m for this...

http://www.hamptons.co.uk/en-gb/property-details/?at=true&bc=&br=buy&bt=Watford&cst=&es=false&gsbx=0&gsby=0&gscx=-0.389999985694885&gscy=51.6559982299805&gsl=&gsr=0.2&gst=&gstx=0&gsty=0&hits=10&lbc=watford%3AWatford%3A%28pafposttown%7C%7Cequals%28%22watford%22%29%29%3AWatford-%40-&os=0&qt=Watford&rd=1&rm=pw&sb=gbpsaleprice%3A-%3A2&tr=%28pafposttown%3Aequals%28%22watford%22%29%29&propertyref=RIK100130

Granted it's much nicer, but £1m, seriously?!

spud211

harz99 wrote: »

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.

You're right to be honest - its easy to forget that a national housebuilder will use different contractors around the country and from one development to another, so the quality can vary quite dramatically. I do think that there is a general trend as to how much that particular builder is willing to pay their subcontractors, but its not as cut and dry as it may seem.

I picked out Barrat as an example as i've been to a number of their developments around the country (popped in for a look occasionally) and they have had a consistently poor finish, even in their show homes, but i'm sure that some of their developments are as good as you can get

Thats one advantage to buying later in the build process as you can see the quality of the work already. I actually bought totally off plan, but used the showhomes as a kind of yard stick, which so far has proven to be a good indicator. Clearly you have to ignore the interior design and the upgrades, but the general workmanship/pointing/insulation etc is the same on that house as it is on the others.

You do have to question the location of some of these developments though; the persimmon one I went to look at was behind an industrial estate, close to a busy main road with no corner shops/papershops for miles..horrible area, horrible location..yet somehow the estate was half sold. This was the one in openshaw, Manchester.

Mine is in Waters Edge, New moston fyi.

Mum_of_3_3

Riq wrote: »

Isee your house and I raise you to just shy of £1m for this...

http://www.hamptons.co.uk/en-gb/property-details/?at=true&bc=&br=buy&bt=Watford&cst=&es=false&gsbx=0&gsby=0&gscx=-0.389999985694885&gscy=51.6559982299805&gsl=&gsr=0.2&gst=&gstx=0&gsty=0&hits=10&lbc=watford%3AWatford%3A%28pafposttown%7C%7Cequals%28%22watford%22%29%29%3AWatford-%40-&os=0&qt=Watford&rd=1&rm=pw&sb=gbpsaleprice%3A-%3A2&tr=%28pafposttown%3Aequals%28%22watford%22%29%29&propertyref=RIK100130

Granted it's much nicer, but £1m, seriously?!

That's one ugly house, it's all garage and dormer windows. How on Earth did that get past the planners?