New Build Houses - Size and Density

the_flying_pig

moneyinmypocket wrote: »

Shame on them then, families need good housing with front and back gardens

front gardens are just about the worst waste of space ever.

mustang121

Personal preferrence and its all down to advantages and disadvantages. I looked at new builds and was alarmed by the sheer high price and the smallness of rooms. Although on the plus side it did have modern day requirements of safety and a new boiler etc.

In the end I went for a 1900's three bedroom terraced which had been well looked after and slightly modernised. The rooms are far larger and the cost was far cheaper. Disadvantage, is that some minor work will need doing.

End of the day you get what you pay for and every house requires maintainence, overhaul and repair.

wymondham

In answer to your question about how can builders sell these houses, it's simply because people buy them - they love new houses and seem to completely overlook the lack of space they are buying - dazzled by the schemes open to them that 'help' them out.....

If people didn't build these shoeboxes then the builder would be forced to build decent homes instead.... Then again, with Newbuy etc the Government is actively encouraging people to buy these types of houses over ones which are older and infinately more suitable, with rooms for families by having decent sized rooms and gardens.

LydiaJ

I went for a house built c1970. I found that was the way to get most space for my money - not paying for newness or for period features. The previous owners had upgraded in in some ways, and I put in a new boiler and improved the insulation.

Not far from me is a little development of 10 houses built with what seems to me insanely high density, impracticably small rooms and unreasonably high prices. 8 of them have sold within a few months, though.

wymondham

MacMickster wrote: »

We need substantially more properties in the UK.

We can achieve this by building smaller, higher density properties on brownfield sites, or by building on far more greenfield land.

Take your pick.

I diagree. Building smaller, high density proprties is a policy that has been proved to be disasterous (aka high rises of the 60's). Cramped housing causes social problems.

We need DECENT sized and priced homes, otherwise there is no point.

Watering down the quality of homes is not the answer.

wymondham

LydiaJ wrote: »

I went for a house built c1970. I found that was the way to get most space for my money - not paying for newness or for period features. The previous owners had upgraded in in some ways, and I put in a new boiler and improved the insulation.

Not far from me is a little development of 10 houses built with what seems to me insanely high density, impracticably small rooms and unreasonably high prices. 8 of them have sold within a few months, though.

Precisely. If you buy the older property with the space, everything else can be dealt with - if you have not got the room in the first place you're stuck!

We've got a 70's semi. Our main bedroom is larger than the living rooms of most newbuilds around here....

Regarding the 8 properties that have sold, it will be interesting to see how long the people stay there, how much they paid and how much they sell for!

mustang121

Is it just me or do new builds seem to have incredibly large windows? Which makes one feel on constant display to the outside world.

I think some people, particulary younger ones, are turning out to be snobs and just buy new 'shoebox' builds simply because it is new.

mustang121

wymondham wrote: »

Precisely. If you buy the older property with the space, everything else can be dealt with - if you have not got the room in the first place you're stuck!

We've got a 70's semi. Our main bedroom is larger than the living rooms of most newbuilds around here....

We have a 1907 end-terraced and everybody is surprised on how large the living room is, how high the ceilings are and how much space we have.

So long as the houses are well looked after and maintained, they are perfect. We just have to make sure that we keep the house in perfect condition.

wymondham

mustang121 wrote: »

Is it just me or do new builds seem to have incredibly large windows? Which makes one feel on constant display to the outside world.

I think some people, particulary younger ones, are turning out to be snobs and just buy new 'shoebox' builds simply because it is new.

bigger windows give the impression of a larger space.... builders are clever people! showroom furniture is also smaller than normal i once heard???

wymondham

mustang121 wrote: »

We have a 1907 end-terraced and everybody is surprised on how large the living room is, how high the ceilings are and how much space we have.

So long as the houses are well looked after and maintained, they are perfect. We just have to make sure that we keep the house in perfect condition.

I think FTB's are put off older properties by the maintenance costs. This is vastly exaggerated. Our 70's house is not expensive to run or maintain. Indeed when we purchased a new Wilcon house in the 90's we spent a fortune in filler and paint from poor decoration/preparation and putting in a decent heating system (the builder used a cheap system).

One other aspect about older properties is sound proofing. It's non existent in new properties with their thin walls and close proximity to other properties - this aspect is second in line to the size of the properties in whats wrong with new. I recall being able to pin point which plug socket next door was switching on in our new house....