New build v old build

donfanatico

katejo wrote: »

And which may have thin plasterboard walls through which you have to listen to loud music and your neighbours arguing. I am not a DIY expert but I have never regretted going for older homes. Is the older kitchen usable ? If so just save for a better one.

But why do you accociate new build with being boxed in to a 'block' of flats, newbuilts take many shapes and sizes. The OP hasn't specified what kind of new build it is, have they?

Lord_Baltimore

makeyourdaddyproud wrote: »

That's fine if you want to live in a shoebox that's destined to lose money and whole swathes of older buyers if you ever decide to sell.

Out of interest, have you ever lived in a new build? Having lived in Edwardian, Victorian and modern properties I can honestly tell you I prefer the latter.

Older properties have crumbling black mortar, poor insulation, sometimes woodworm/dry rot/wet rot, unusable cellars, dire electrics, bigger energy bills and 'features' like ramshackle lean-to's, old drainage, damp and swathes of old wood especially that ghastly tongue and groove stuff. Oh, and there's all that woodchip and polystyrene tiles . Grim.

jonewer

donfanatico wrote: »

Newbuild for me.

Old houses can be a money pit, have a good think about it.

New houses can also be money pits.

I have a victorian house. Its stood fine for 120 years and theres no reason it shouldnt still stand for another 120 or more.

Dont know if the plywood boxes they are building on landfills these days will still be standing for very long.

donfanatico

jonewer wrote: »

Dont know if the plywood boxes they are building on landfills these days will still be standing for very long.

I agree but not all newbuilds are like that. The OP didn't specify

dannim12345

Hi Doozergirl,

I'm in the same position. I work in construction (as a QS, so no skills myself) but I love the idea of buying an older property but new(-ish) properties keep catching my eye.

Ideally I would like somewhere which needs work but everything is liveable so I could work on it over time.

My feeling with new builds is that you can't add value to it (obviously the area could improve and/or house values go up) but there often isn't any way to improve the property by decoration or extensions etc.

makeyourdaddyproud

Lord_Baltimore wrote: »

Out of interest, have you ever lived in a new build? Having lived in Edwardian, Victorian and modern properties I can honestly tell you I prefer the latter.

Older properties have crumbling black mortar, poor insulation, sometimes woodworm/dry rot/wet rot, unusable cellars, dire electrics, bigger energy bills and 'features' like ramshackle lean-to's, old drainage, damp and swathes of old wood especially that ghastly tongue and groove stuff. Oh, and there's all that woodchip and polystyrene tiles . Grim.

Yes I have done and I hated it. I would also remind you of the depressing lack of space, so called master bedrooms that struggle with a double bed, side cabinets and wardrobe, tripping over everything in sight, few cupboards to put things, walls you can't hang things, neighbour noise, barking dogs, TONGUE AND GROOVE wood (i wished) no, chipboard floors.

Add poor quality figments, push fit pipework, and a general sense of claustrophobia.

Yes, there is some dry rot, poor guttering and a leaky basement but it is well worth it for huge rooms and character.

My last property was a new build and never had one older viewer only young couples, one of whom eventually bought.

Where are these older buyers and what are they buying I wonder???

LeafGreen

It's a bit like asking whether car drivers or cyclists are the better road users - there are good and bad examples of both.

Personally, I bought a nearly new build and really glad I did. I have 3 double bedrooms each with built in wardrobes, ensuite to master, downstairs loo, garage which is big enough to keep my car and several push bikes, lawn mower etc in, detached so I don't have neighbour noise to worry about.

I find the layout of some older houses a bit silly. A lot of the victorian terraces round here either have their single bathroom off the back of one of the bedrooms, or downstairs off the back of the kitchen! Not to mention no off street parking and front doors opening straight into the front room! also "feature" fireplaces in almost every room that may appeal to some but just get in the way as far as I'm concerned.

The house I grew up in is 1950s (I think) 3 bed semi, my bedroom was a tiny box room. even my brothers bedroom was only a single. No wardrobes built in, single bathroom/toilet.

Based on the limited info we have on the 2 properties I would lean towards option 1. Do you fancy posting rightmove links for further comments?

makeyourdaddyproud

The space you have sounds exemplary. We have an Edwardian with 6 beds (5 are doubles), plenty of space and 13ft ceilings. All this for the same price of a 3 bed Barratts home in Berkshire.

borkid

Gonzo1987 wrote: »

I'd never chose a newbuild. Must be like living in a rabbit hutch!

Friend's have just moved into a new build and the list of problems they had from lights falling out to the hob being broken before it even got used for the first time, and no one from the developers is willing to help them.

They're not all like that. I live in a new build and the smallest room ( apart from the obvious one) is 9'x 10 and that's a study but easily fits a double bed. Very few problems build wise in fact we were really fussy re snagging. 18 months after moving in there was a very slow drip from the outside tap and we got them to come back and fix it which they did with no problem.

I agree though you do have to be careful with new builds but that's the same with any house you intend to buy.

borkid

katejo wrote: »

And which may have thin plasterboard walls through which you have to listen to loud music and your neighbours arguing. I am not a DIY expert but I have never regretted going for older homes. Is the older kitchen usable ? If so just save for a better one.

The new build I live in has solid walls through out. We saw it being built and the only plasterboard is the covering the solid internal walls. All the other houses on the estate are the same.