New Build Houses - Size and Density

MoneyWealthKnowledge

I love the way in a new build they have tv brackets on the wall, looks cool but only because you have no option but to put it on the wall.

LydiaJ

kabayiri wrote: »

Agreed.

I was out in Canada staying at a house the family had built on a lake front. Admittedly we owned the land already, but for circa $600K we had something we could never match here for similar money if you were buying ready built.

That's not a fair comparison. Factor in the cost of a plot of land with planning permission in a location in the UK where you would actually want to live, and add that to your $600k, and then you'd be comparing like with like with the ready build UK house.

The big advantage of self-build is that you can build what you want to the standard you want, not that it's cheaper, I think. But then you have to put in the effort, which I haven't got time or energy for.

PaulF81

noh wrote: »

The density of housing on a development is dictated by the local authourity not the builders.

It was actually defined by that fat slug Prescott when he was local communities minister.

I wonder if that tw@ still plays croquet on his champagne socialist lawn?

IveSeenTheLight

thescouselander wrote: »

Sage advice I'm sure. May I ask if you have worked out the costs to do this - does it cost significantly more or less that buying a new build on a development?

Quite a difficult question to put a definitive answer on it as it will depend on the area and type of property.

I'm building a house which is significantly larger than close by new-builds, but also significantly cheaper.

All in, it will cost me circa £330k (land, design, planning, project management, labour, bathrooms and kitchens included, utility connection etc) to build a 5 bed property with 265 sq m
Nearby, Cala are building a 5 bed 168 sq m property for £377,500 (down from £387,500)

thescouselander wrote: »

On the parking issue, the houses we looked at yesterday did have a garage and a parking space each but there's two problems with that:

We've included a double garage with parking for 5 cars outside.

thescouselander wrote: »

2) We have a similar setup where we currently live and we find people can rarely be bothered to park in their garage meaning they usually have to leave a car somewhere else.

It's amazing how many people use garages as "dumping grounds"
It's also amazing when you use you garage in it's intended purpose, how much larger your drive would seem for the second car / guests

thescouselander wrote: »

On the newer developments the roads are very narrow and there isn't the room for people to abandon their cars - that doesn't stop them though and everything gets blocked up.

I've seen these type of developments in the past. I am however seeing more consideration from developers on their most recent developments, possibly as a result of the current market.

Sammy_Jo_4

This is all really great advice given. If I were you I'd check with a professional builder. My sister used one of the St. Paul home builders a couple of years ago and they were so cooperative throughout the whole process. Even before she signed anything or paid any money they answered all of her crucial questions like this one. Professionals are the most helpful because this what they do, and if they want your business they will tell you everything you need to know in order to help you make a decision.

Mojisola

Sammy_Jo wrote: »

This is all really great advice given. If I were you I'd check with a professional builder. My sister used one of the St. Paul home builders a couple of years ago and they were so cooperative throughout the whole process. Even before she signed anything or paid any money they answered all of her crucial questions like this one. Professionals are the most helpful because this what they do, and if they want your business they will tell you everything you need to know in order to help you make a decision.

It's a long way from the UK!

exarmydreamer

We looked at new builds when we decided to buy, (2005) and were shocked by the size. We ended up buying a 4 double bed, double bayed Victorian house. Which needed 40K spent on it but now we have done that and are about to add another double bedroom in the loft, it was the best thing we ever did.

My husband has completed most of the work over the last 7 yrs, as he is qualified in electrics and gas but the plastering was a job for the professionals. We also found that there was no RSJ between the living and dining room, so the upstairs bedroom wall had dropped slightly. Apparently the owner at the time took the dividing wall down 25 yrs ago and pushed a bit of wood to make do.

Anyway, if your willing to spend on the initial investment and are a DIY sort of person, an old Victorian/Edwardian house is the way to go. Houses only started getting smaller after the 1940's, so even the proportions are larger in a 30's compared to now. We have a 28 ft living room and similar size again in kitchen utility and tons of character with fireplaces/coving etc. A lot more room compared to the new build sites we looked at recently which were 300K and smaller than my £140K investment.

It made me realize that new houses do not equate to more space or better life style.

kabayiri

LydiaJ wrote: »

That's not a fair comparison. Factor in the cost of a plot of land with planning permission in a location in the UK where you would actually want to live, and add that to your $600k, and then you'd be comparing like with like with the ready build UK house.

The big advantage of self-build is that you can build what you want to the standard you want, not that it's cheaper, I think. But then you have to put in the effort, which I haven't got time or energy for.

It's a fair point Lydia. I can't remember specifics but including the land cost it still worked out cheaper to build from a kit.

Well....in theory it did. Then you find various people want to over-egg the specification. "Only an extra $50K or $100K extra" was a phrase I heard a bit too often!

Self build needs discipline. (In our case, having 2 large kitchens in one property is not showing any!)

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I grew up in a 4 bed, 3 bath detached house with a large garden. A late 70s newbuild- not pretty, or characterful, but a great uncomplicated spacious family home. On a modern development they would probably cram 3 (2 bed and a box) houses on the same plot.

I always forget that garages were originally designed for cars. One half of our double garage was converted into what my parents called a study and what my brother and I called the playroom. The other garage was storage for my Dad's precious treasures; half dried up tins of paint, boxes of nails, broken toys, the old hamster cage etc. The car lived outside.

SandC

An ex of mine had a new build on one of the first estates in our area to pack the houses in (but v popular cos they were cheap and people were getting 'new'). He had a 4 bed detached, the master bedroom was so small you could only fit a bedside table on one side of the double bed and if you were on the side of the bed closest to the door it was closer to get to the 'family' bathroom than the ensuite, which is another thing they insist on putting in to new houses no matter how small the landing is.