New Build or Old But Done Up - Which would You Choose...

Plum_Pie

With an older house you already know what the problems are/will be. This is also true for conversions.

My sister has just bought a new conversion...and a socking great crack has appeared in one wall due to poor drainage. In an older property, the survey would show this up (or you'd see it!)

benood

The way you describe it the old property sounds far preferable to the new one, perhaps the vendor has done the same research - have you snapped up the bargain yet?

dora37

vansboy wrote:

The one we like, late '60's/early '70s style,
VB

But does it have character? A lot of these age houses don't.

Personally for me, I would have to like the look of the house on the outside before I would even consider the inside.

Despite some peoples opinions of New Builds, whilst undoubtedly they are usually on smaller plots, not all have pokey rooms. Our Living Room, Kitchen and 4 (out of 5 ) bedrooms are of an excellent size.

Just like all old houses are not the same - popular to contrary belief, neither are all new builds.

montypython_3

I agree that not all new builds are the same however I believe that the quality of the build and craftmanship in new houses is not as good nowadays?

dora37

montypython wrote:

Have a look at my thread see which you think I prefer?

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=376499

But you said this was your 3rd new build - you can't dislike them that much;)

SuperSaverSue_2

We are moving into a new build next week and I know we've made the right decision. The house we are in at present was built in the 60's, we have spent about 20k doing it up and its still nothing like we wanted it to be.
Our new house is a blank canvas and i'm looking forward to putting my mark on it, something I couldnt do in an older house.

Maybe my taste will change as I get older but at the moment, its a new build for me!

montypython_3

The reason I've gone for new builds is that everything in them is new. I wouldnt have the funds to buy a property and then have the money to renevate, new kitchen, bathroom etc.

Therefore I've bought new properties on affordability. I can afford a monthly mortgage payment but I dont have spare money for renevation and repairs, Unfortunately my current new property I still need money for repairs!

My point however was that I believe the craftmanship and build quality is better on older houses. When people took more pride and care in their work.

Willapp_2

montypython wrote:

My point however was that I believe the craftmanship and build quality is better on older houses. When people took more pride and care in their work.

I think it depends a lot on the developer in question. Our new build was constructed by a medium-scale local developer who (as far as we can tell) do seem to take pride in their work - it's certainly of far higher quality than our current house, which is only 3 years old.

A lot of the bigger developers only care about their profit margins, so they employ the cheapest contractors and make them work to very tight timescales, meaning corners are inevitably cut, leaving the houses in a poorer state than any buyer would want. They then try and cover these problems up and if necessary offer good discounts/incentives to sell.

This is just speculation, but it's probably correct... :rolleyes: