modern or old Houses!!! advice needed.

nicola1982_2

Alot of new builds don't have dining space. They get around this by saying they have a kitchen/diner however usually this means dining on a cafe sized table! For family purposes I would say dining space is fundamental - children learn table manners at home.

amcluesent

We've not had adequate numbers of skilled tradesmen in the UK for years. Mass market new builds will have been flung together as quickly as possible - do your on research on the real value of an NHBC guarantee.

Buying older properties rather depends on how old. Post war, you'll be talking about construction using softwood joists etc. that will be prone to rot unless maintained carefully.

The downside of pre-war 20th century would be bodged renovations and DIY attempts at fitting central heating, although the basic building would probably be sound.

Pre 20th century need to take on a case by case, I came across a cottage where the damp-proof-course is a layer of crushed glass. But if it's been there for 100+ years...

Gorgeous_George

Some people prefer an old Daimler Sovereign, others a brand new Kia Pride.

Horses for courses I guess.



GG

EdInvestor

Like cars, completely new property will lose value as soon as it is bought and the price will often take time to recover.Not such a problem for older modern (aka 'purpose built') homes.

There is a premium for period property in many areas (not all) simply because supply is permanently limited.Spotting an area where the charms of period property are not yet appreciated - but are about to be - can result in some very useful additional capital gains

reformedEffortMaker_2

I would go for an Older property, I like the sense of history in an older house, finding out from the neighbours who lived their previously, what happened to it during the war, scraping back layers of 'stuff' to find original tiles etc. Its just great!!.

I guess as many have already said, the only (and major) downside is maintenance costs, however I think its worth it!

New builds just seem to be built too quickly to give me confidence in their quality-especially in London!!...

ceegee

Old every time for me! The structure will be as solid as a rock. I live in a 1920s house...yes, we had to rewire, replumb, put in central heating, re-felt and re-batten the roof, new windows and doors, new floor/ceiling joists, replaster throughout, new kitchen and bathroom and so on and so forth. It took just over 20 years. But do you know what....the first time we stepped into the house it just seemed to ooze some sort of solid permanence. It just felt solid and sturdy and welcoming.....as if it was welcoming us into it's shelter!

I adore the place....walls as solid as a rock. New houses just don't do it for me......they always seem a bit "temporary". An older house has proved it's "staying power".

Jonesya

Looking at the new build estates currently being built around here, most of the cons stem from the high density they're being built to. The estates have very little off road parking, the houses are in a town-house style so mainly terrace, with virtually no front garden and the back gardens are small.

You could understand it if this was reflected in the price but they sell for more than 1980's build houses which have more off road parking, bigger, mostly detached, bigger gardens etc. Can't help but think that after the new-ness has worn off the prices will reflect the lower underlying quality.

epz_2

i think you only need to look to your personal circumstances and what you need from a place, frankly theres been numerous threads about people buying new builds and them going down in value. that would concern me in a rising(at least theoretically) market.

i personally want the best quality for my cash and am willing to put up some foibles an older house may have such as odd room shapes and poor energy efficiency(1) because of the advantages they often have.

Firstly because they were built a while ago they are a known quantity, any floods etc will be part of its history and because they will likely be built in a bettor position should be less suseptable to such issues. because labour was cheaper years ago the quality of materials and construction techniques are usually superior to modern mass produced places and as has been previously mentioned they do have more space









(1) i know everyone is on about saving energy but who really cares, so your fuel bill is a bit more but hey deal with it, you wouldnt drive a moped just to save a few quid on petrol.

gabyjane

Hmm theres a lot of negativity r.e the new builds and i can see why but stay with me! we have lived in numerous houses new and old, i personally have found the newer ones better in lots of ways..they have all been rented up until we move into our new build next month but these are the reasons why..
the older houses generally dont insulate very well, sash windows are lovely but are noisy and need upkeep more than new ones, our house now (newish) is soo quiet compared to our old one.
the floors are just as good noise wise as old ones, infact my friends victorian house sounds like the kids are about to come through the ceiling every 5 mins! room sizes again i dont think are overly different in a lot of them..
our new house has pretty good sized rooms, i checked things like the windows to see what they were like, there was digging going on outside as they are still building and we couldnt hear a thing, our dining room is a kitchen diner BUT its big, big enough to get a decent table in and 4 chairs and really that's all they are for right?, our garden is double the size of ours now and has a patio..we have fitted wardrobes that are huuge, big enough to walk into, there are numerous cupboards and storage bits that you don't nomally get with new builds etc..
Plus another big thing is the newness of everything, not having to worry for the next year as everything is covered while we save for it all to go wrong!! I think it depends on the house and maybe builders etc.ours has been almost a year and a half being built not sure if thats good or bad but still cant wait to get in there!!

gabyjane

Oh and as for the parking, well ours has garage, car port and drive at the front...and 2 bathrooms..it's only 2 bed and i think we are getting lots for our money! as you can tell i love new builds, it's a town house and i also think it looks fab aswell..each to their own i guess!!