Kitting out a 4 bed new build house

PasturesNew

If I were kitting out a new 4-bed then I'd want flooring throughout, curtain poles up, basic beds/wardrobes, fridge/freezer/washing machine, sofa. My initial budget would be £5k, but then I've never yearned for "the best", nor expected it.

Things I'd be seeing if the developer could sort out would be: built in wardrobes, a shower over the bath, hardwood floors throughout and carpet on the stairs.

The availability of some extras depends on the exact progress of the site at the moment you buy; sometimes you've "just missed the wardrobe guy" for example.

Then there's the outside space - it'd be nice if a basic garden front/back were in place.... and not just churned earth.

AdrianC

Mojisola wrote: »

Although it's nice if you've got the money, you don't have to start in a new house with everything new. Prioritise the things you really want to buy new like the oven, mattress, etc, and see what you can find second-hand or free for the rest of the house.

You can then replace the second-hand stuff as the money becomes available.

^ THIS.

But also get to local auctions and the like - you'll be amazed at the prices for really lovely antique furniture, compared to the ticky-tacky flimsy crap that the national sheds tuck people up with. If you really want all-new, then IKEA or smaller local retailers tend to be MUCH better value and quality than the "as seen on TV" "oh-look-we've-got-yet-another-sale-on" chains.

olias

As someone who has had a new build for the last 6 years, I would say a prority is to upgrade the carpets to the best quality you can afford, especially if you plan to stay a long time. The carpets most developers put in, are the cheapest they can get away with (and the cheapest underlay). The result is that they look amazing when you move in, but very very quickly look tired and worn with flattened pile, particularly in high traffic areas like stairs, hall and lounge.
Changing them at a later stage is also a huge pain, as you will have to strip all the furniture out of the room and put it somewhere while a new carpet is laid.
As I said, we have been in our place 6 years and the carpets look truly dreadful (and there are only two of us!)

Olias

Mojisola

AdrianC wrote: »

But also get to local auctions and the like - you'll be amazed at the prices for really lovely antique furniture

Auctions are great places to get good quality furniture very cheaply. So many people want everything brand new now that you can get real bargains.

getmore4less

MoneySaverLog wrote: »

Will probably go wireless :-)

Still get the cables run and a distribution box somewhere min gigabit standard.

wireless won't cut it and power line is currently costly for decent kit.

AdrianC

Mojisola wrote: »

Auctions are great places to get good quality furniture very cheaply. So many people want everything brand new now that you can get real bargains.

We were at one a while ago, and watched a _beautiful_ top quality pale oak matching chest & wardrobe, slightly Deco in style, go for a tenner for the pair. We weren't expecting them to be anywhere near that cheap, so were caught on the hop - and unfortunately, the auctioneer missed seeing my last-second frantically waved number...