New builds are "shamefull shoeboxes"

ess0two

I live in a victorian property,whilst the rooms are larger with high ceilings etc,the killer is heating the place in the winter.

puddy

pinkteapot wrote: »

Of course not, but as has been said on this thread, in many cases where people buy new-builds they could buy considerably larger older houses for the same money.

Some people just prefer brand-new. As someone has already commented, if these houses didn't sell they wouldn't get built. They're not my preference but there's obviously enough people who like them.

i see what you mean, the square footage is more expensive?

pinkteapot

puddy wrote: »

i see what you mean, the square footage is more expensive?

Exactly - there's a price premium for buying a new-build rather than a second hand house. Same as with a brand new car.

It's why people shouldn't buy new-builds unless they plan to live in them for a good amount of time. New-builds always drop in value for the first couple of years, simply because they lose their new-build premium. If you live in a new-build for 2 years say, you're pretty much guaranteed to lose money on it, unless the market has sky-rocketed ridiculously.

ruggedtoast

pinkteapot wrote: »

Best new-build estate ever is going up near us. Check out the exterior design of these bad boys:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/new-homes/property-30708808.html?premiumA=true
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/new-homes/property-26936641.html

The estate is next to the Colchester General Hospital site, and the hospital looks like this:

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/132835

It appears they designed the houses to look like the hospital buildings.

Errrrr, why?

Bedroom 1 in the first house linked to above is exactly the same size as the master bedroom in the 2-bed flat I used to live in.

My other list of bug-bears about new-builds is the postage stamp gardens. Even if you manage to get a south or west facing one, it'll be shaded all day by the house built right behind your back fence.

Excellent, I was wondering when self assembly flat pack houses would come along.

iB1

C_Mababejive wrote: »

One only has to view any construction site to see that modern construction methods are cheaper and quicker. It usually involves nothing more than laying a concrete slab,assembling some pre fabricated wooden framework,some vapour barrier and insulation,and surrounding the lot with brick or block. The internals? well it will be timber framed and plasterboard.

They then do some window dressing by laying some nice lawns and calling it something evocative like badgers sett or throstles nest.

These houses are over priced rubbish. dont buy them...simples.

A couple of months ago i trotted round a construction site in the verge of High Peak in a desireable area. The site had shut down and construction stopped simply because they werent selling.

A peeked through the windows of some almost complete properties..in particular,a row of four mock Georgian three story "town houses". I was shocked to see that you could see from one house into the other as the partition wall had not been finished but that it was being constructed of timber frame!!!

You would be far better off buying a stone or brick terraced home or a semi...Either way,make sure its made of brick!

Hmmmm... sounds like an STI

starsandmoon

ess0two wrote: »

I live in a victorian property,whilst the rooms are larger with high ceilings etc,the killer is heating the place in the winter.

It is a killer isnt it? I went into shock when I moved from a small new build to my house. Ive got a new boiler and double glazing and my rooms can be shut off to keep heat in and Im still freezing. BF is the same. He shuts himself in a tiny front room in the winter as the main living room is just too cold and is an open kitchen/diner.

iB1

pinkteapot wrote: »

The 2-beds remind me of Butlins style holiday homes:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/new-homes/property-26936632.html

I think it's the primary colours they're painting them in.

11'7 x 8' is an appalling size for the main bedroom. The second bedroom in my 2-bed flat was this size! They've tried to make both bedrooms a similar size but a couple would really struggle to get all their stuff in that room.

However, the country is more crowded than it was 40 years ago. My work has a Hong Kong office and one of the guys here spent 6 months out there. Apartments out there are absolutely tiny because they're trying to fit a lot of people onto a small island.

En-suite bathrooms wind me up :mad:

OK - Fair enough in a 4/5 bedroom house as there could be a bathroom rush hour that could be alleviated by having an en-suite in that case.

But c'mon WHY does a 2 bedroom house need an ensuite in the master bedroom???? So you now have 2 bathrooms to clean and a chronic lack of space in the main bedroom because of it.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

starsandmoon wrote: »

It is a killer isnt it? I went into shock when I moved from a small new build to my house. Ive got a new boiler and double glazing and my rooms can be shut off to keep heat in and Im still freezing. BF is the same. He shuts himself in a tiny front room in the winter as the main living room is just too cold and is an open kitchen/diner.

I live in a draughty Victorian flat with rickety sash windows and no carpets. I invested in a hot water bottle and some attractive thermal underwear. Plus you can have fun pretending to be a dragon as your breath steams.

C_Mababejive

pinkteapot wrote: »

Best new-build estate ever is going up near us. Check out the exterior design of these bad boys:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/new-homes/property-30708808.html?premiumA=true
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/new-homes/property-26936641.html

The estate is next to the Colchester General Hospital site, and the hospital looks like this:

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/132835

It appears they designed the houses to look like the hospital buildings.

Errrrr, why?

Bedroom 1 in the first house linked to above is exactly the same size as the master bedroom in the 2-bed flat I used to live in.

My other list of bug-bears about new-builds is the postage stamp gardens. Even if you manage to get a south or west facing one, it'll be shaded all day by the house built right behind your back fence.

Yes..these look like Boklok homes as sold via Ikea and pioneered by a Swedish company. They might not of course be Boklok but the same principle except at rip off prices. These are simply factory made kits. The most expensive bit is the land. Anyone who pays a quarter of a million pounds for that needs their head examined.

http://www.boklok.com/theconcept/

They can sell rubbish to the Brits all day long. Non of our europen neighbours would live in these hovels.

shortchanged_2

shar46y wrote: »

3-bed townhouses with low ceilings, tiny plots with postage stamp gardens, narrow roads and insufficient parking. But they were a 'premium development' because they had solar panels on the roof.

Oh, and 2 en suite shower rooms on the top floor, a family bathroom on the middle floor and a ground floor cloakroom. More bogs than bedrooms :eek: and at the expense of bigger room sizes or better storage??!!

However, people buy these properties despite the price premium, so why wouldn't the developers continue to build them?

It's usually because people are suckered in by the shared equity schemes and other 'incentives' to buy an overpriced shoe box.