An email i nearly sent to a new home builder... but wimped out...

Kyrae

I've noticed that the people who moan about how small new builds are, are usually people who have far too much junk and need a huge house to store it all in Yes the rooms in new builds aren't huge... but some of us who choose to buy new builds really don't need a lot of space to live in! As long as there's room for the basic furniture and plenty of bookshelves i'm happy!

It's nice to live on a little estate that looks nice, quiet location on the edge of town, blank canvas garden that we could do what we wanted with, and it was nice getting to pick all the tiles and kitchen fittings etc. We've had a couple minor problems, and the builders have fixed them quickly and without fuss. So I can see why some people do choose to buy these new builds

poppysarah

Kyrae wrote: »

I've noticed that the people who moan about how small new builds are, are usually people who have far too much junk and need a huge house to store it all in Yes the rooms in new builds aren't huge... but some of us who choose to buy new builds really don't need a lot of space to live in! As long as there's room for the basic furniture and plenty of bookshelves i'm happy!

Define plenty of bookshelves!


Books are not junk!

It's not just junk - it's the ability to have hobbies, clothes, spare bedding, ... Just normal useful stuff. Or even a friend to stay!

Unless you live a minimalist lifestyle you can't exist in some of these houses.

Someone I know moved into a house with a very nice kitchen. It's very posh - cost a fortune but there's no actual room if you want to cook anything more than a pot noodle!

poppysarah

stu20vt wrote: »

At least with a new build detached you will still be further from your neighbour than with an old semi-detached house. Indeed, as you mention, with an old semi you could knock a hole though the wall to shake hands
PS new build detached are similar price to old semi's in this area. Having lived in both I'll take the detached thank you.

Terraces maybe but most of the semis round here you would need to be Mr Tickle to shake hands between semis.

The private ones are closest but the ex-council have tons of space around them - decent gardens!

bclark

We are thinking about moving so popped out and had a look at a few new developments the other day. Firstly we went to see a Barratt development and they were small and a little flimsy and even the show homes looked a bit cheap.

We then went and looked at a David Wilson development down the road (they are the same parent company by all accounts) and they were really large and well thought out houses that seemed very solid and had nice sized plots.

Then we went and looked at a Redrow development which was quite large but the houses were lovely. They were really spacious and well thought out with lots of storage and it all had a very quality feel. The only down side of this development was that the plots were a bit hit and miss with some being spacious and others quite tight. The other main criticsm is that probaly 75% of the development had predominantly north facing gardens for not obvious reason which we thought was a strange approach to take.

So I suppose in summary I would say that it hugely depends on the housebuilder and the development but I was quite impressed and we would be coming from a 3 bed Victorian semi with high ceilings etc.

The one overriding criticism though was that I would say that all of them were probably at least 10% overpriced and that didn't include some of the extras that you would want, I suppose that could possibly be negotiated but as we aren't yet properly looking I couldn't say how flexible they would be.

twirlypinky

I'm certainly used to minimalist living - trust me, i live in a new build (bought by hubby before he met me) one bedroom apartment.

These Abbey homes are poorly laid out and silly small.

Agreed all you need is basic furniture, but in a bedroom i would call that a standard double bed, two bedside cabinets and at least one wardrobe and one chest of drawers. These would not have fitted in these houses if you wanted to be able to walk around the bed.


I agree with a poster above though, not all house builders are the same. I bought a two bed Redrow home in 2004, and that was well layed out with a reasonable sized garden. I'd never buy new again though, i have to say. Not unless our house is still on the market in three years and part exchange is the only option left.

julie2710

Read this with interest as I recently looked at some new builds. I'm not sure if I want to go for new build or used to save work etc.

Saw some Charles Church homes which were lovely. 3 storey town house would suit me really well, as my two boys could have the top floor bedrooms and mine would be on the second floor where the lounge is. There was a kitchen/diner and family room on the ground floor.

Then saw some Bersted homes. The 3 bedroom on two floors was just shy of £300K and there was no window in the bathroom (a pet hate of mine), the kitchen, lounge and dining room were all one room really. Whilst I was searching through the intergrated appliances I realised there was a dishwasher but couldn't find the washing machine! Eventually tracked it down in the cupboard in the hall, between the stairs and the cloakroom! What were they thinking?

Just wondering, as haven't bought new before, can you make offers on the price like you would do on a previously owned home? Thanks

Running_Horse

A search on Rightmove brings up 304 three or more bed houses in Sittingbourne, from as little as £100,000. That's an incredibly high number for such a small town; more than twice as many as Cambridge which has double the population. You would have to be nuts to pay a new build premium in this local market.

SilverSix

julie2710 wrote: »

Just wondering, as haven't bought new before, can you make offers on the price like you would do on a previously owned home? Thanks

Yes.

Tell them what you're willing to pay and what you want included (carpets, tiling etc, other upgrades) as most of it isn't included. Haggle with them.

Also search my threads for 'new build extra's' as I gave a rough listing of what Taylor Wimpey are charging.

The only thing worth buying from the Dev. is the carpets as they are good quality but seriously cheap due to the sheer size of bulk they buy in.

jaxjax123

My friend has just bought a house on a new estate just round the corner from these houses. I said to her when she moved in new bulidsn are tiny.
They moved in and I went round for a cuppa and the house was massive. The smallest bedroom is bigger than our biggest bedroom in our 1970's house. So not all new houses are small.

paddyrg

Housebuilders are much like any other manufacturer, and know that people will focus on a few features when buying, and so exploit those at the expense of others. Number of bedrooms, en-suite, etc are maximised at the expense of views, nice bedrooms, ceiling height, wardrobe space, noise transfer etc. They don't care how you live in the place, by that point they have your money and aren't giving it back! They follow fashion!

Personally, I much prefer older houses with solid internal walls, decent ceiling height, and spacious rooms, but then again I'm renting so building maintenence isn't my problem so much!