OS features in your living space--what do you look for?

esmf73

We're just about to buy a house, and things that I have looked for are
- plenty of natural light,
- south facing garden,
- real fire
- gas central heating
- double glazing
- shower (as well as a bath)
- garden large enough to grow things and to have children play at home
- ceiling high enough to have one of those pully airer things!

But most of all its about feeling whether the house is right. Good luck

Aarons_mummy

Loft insulation/cavity wall insulation would be pretty good to conserve the heat that is in the house. Windows I find that are either low enough to be accessed from outside OR have the function where they turn inside out to allow you to clean your own is useful. Especially if you are looking for an upstair.

I would say an airing cupboard of some kind in the main bedroom to store linen and towels (unless you have underbed storage/divan drawers to keep linen in).

If you already have bought furniture look for somewhere that will be able to suitably fit it in to save you the hassle of selling and having to re buy.

Personally I would say no glass inside doors as I have no heat in the kitchen and it all travels through and is lost. I can't put a curtain up so I have to put a towel over the door which isn't very classy looking!

Apart from that everything else has been mentioned, you most likely will have to compromise on some things so make sure you rank in order what is most important for you and the way you live.

lostinrates

Well, budget is a primary concern, right? To me that would suggest good insulation and Dg beyond all else. Kitchens need to be functional, not large. In our old London flat I managed to cook for dinner parties of twelve in a tiny space, becuase it was well laid out.....i'd choose general storage space over kitchen size in a small flat personally..storage can be made work for anything.....clothes, tins and pans and Tupperware, suitcases.....where as I'd feel weird keeping a suitcase in the kitchen !

Not ground floor...then if downstairs have their heating on and the between flat insulation isn't as you would hope, then you at least get some heat. .

kezlou

I would for these:

combi boiler
radiators - pref good sized ones rather than blow heaters
shower - not all places have space for baths
electric points for items i.e washer / fridge/ freezer/ bread machine
(you can never have too many)
double glazing
worktop space- not only for kneading bread but also a couple of foldable stools and it could serve as a breakfast bar. Whilst the ovens on you can get a warm

if you have a bay window you could place plants and a clothes near it. I do this and it works quite well.
out door space wise, if you can get one with a balcony / indoor space near your front door you could buy a pulley and stretch it along. Also the water from the washing could feed the plants.
Saw some gorgeous set-ups near my SIL's flat in London.Amazing how many plants in pots they had just by the front door alone. thought it was quite ingenious the way they had the washing line set up.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

Older converted flats are often more spacious and have better storage. New build flats are generally smaller, and although open plan layouts initially feel bigger, the lack of walls means less space for shelves, cupboards and pictures. However, old Victorian conversions can be cold and draughty. A flat at the top of a block will probably be a bit warmer, as you'll get the benefit of your neighbours' heat rising up. Avoid electric storage heaters if you can- they are expensive and inefficient.

Check Council Tax boundaries if you can- I moved from a 1 bed flat 5 mins down the road to another and went from paying £40 per month to £94 in another borough.

kim107

Terraced houses are great for saving on heating as you have fewer outside walls and heat will also come in from the neighbours either side. They also tend to have more small rooms rather than one open-plan space so you have the option to only heat the rooms you need. I would also advise against a house where the stairs come down into the living room. Ours does this and the heat goes straight upstairs so our living room is freezing - I'm working on putting up a curtain!

Good luck with the house hunting