Victorian Stone Terrace or new(er) build

lincroft1710

Cautious_Optimist wrote: »

Victorian houses were solidly built.
So I think the walls offer better sound proofing than new builds.
I have heard that in some new builds, you can hear your neighbours chatting etc.

Many Victorian houses were badly built, had poor soundproofing and suffered from damp. Slum clearance orders have seen wholesale demolition of the worst of these, but plenty remain which fall short of expectation.

Cautious_Optimist

elsien wrote: »

Communal water and drains at the back. Technically our responsibility, so a bill for £1700 each off Severn trent when they sprang a leak. Until Severn treat then got confused and did it for nothing,:D

.

As of 2012, any drains or piping serving more than one property, is the responsibility of the water company. Even if the problem is on private land.

A rare piece of good news, for the tax paying owner occupier!

The days of splitting costs with your neighbours should now have gone.
But sometimes the water company needs to be "reminded" of its responsibility for such communal / "lateral" drains etc...

elsien

Cautious_Optimist wrote: »

As of 2012, any drains or piping serving more than one property, is the responsibility of the water company. Even if the problem is on private land.

A rare piece of good news, for the tax paying owner occupier!

The days of splitting costs with your neighbours should now have gone.
But sometimes the water company needs to be "reminded" of its responsibility for such communal / "lateral" drains etc...

Thank god for that. I managed to get cheaper quotes, but getting 6 different owners ( including one dodgy absentee landlord who wanted his mate to do it on the cheap) to agree was never going to happen.

Cautious_Optimist

lincroft1710 wrote: »

Many Victorian houses were badly built, had poor soundproofing and suffered from damp. Slum clearance orders have seen wholesale .

One of the worst mistakes ever made by the government / councils.
Resulted in some truly awful council estates. Badly designed layout, encouraged crime.

True, those council houses that were well built and spacious have lasted well and are now still popular.

But the tower blocks and badly designed estates did more harm than good.
Not least because they disrupted communities.
We are still paying the price today...

lincroft1710

Cautious_Optimist wrote: »

One of the worst mistakes ever made by the government / councils.
Resulted in some truly awful council estates. Badly designed layout, encouraged crime.

Demolishing sub standard housing wasn't a mistake. Erecting a different form of sub standard housing was.

AlexMac

My heart is with the Victorians and the first four houses I owned (each for between 7-10 years) ranged in vintage from 1840-1905.

They really weren't that maintenance-intensive. Two needed new roofs but that was reflected in the purchase price. A roof lasts 50+ years, gutters about the same, pointing 50-80 years, and timber lasts almost indefinitely unless there's been rising or penetrating damp affecting structural wood like floor or roof timbers, or historic neglect (for example, if external woodwork like windows has not been painted regularly; even the unpainted 150 year old wood in the sheltered reveals of the windows in one of my houses was still perfect )

So- assuming you're not buying a wreck, the roof and gutters will probably have been replaced at least once and that's the major expense - and cause of damp - sorted. You can tell the condition of the paintwork from a glance and damp is fairly easy to survey.

It either will or won't need a rewire, new boiler and a re-plumb, new kitchen or bathrooms; but then, so can more modern piles!

Ironically, we've spent more p.a. on maintenance since moving to a 1986 construction three years ago- a new boiler, three plumbing leaks and as the woodwork had been neglected, an external paint job. But while I miss the period features and 'feel', I do like the fact that the rooms are rectangular, the floors horizontal, the walls vertical and its less draughty!

So there you are- if you're worried about mantenance, buy a modern box with plastic windows; but even these will only last 40 years or so!

Francesanne

I've got a Victorian mid terrace house and unfortunately you can hear the neighbours very clearly. Despite that it's been a great house and we've loved living in it for many decades. Never suffered with any damp or woodworm. Our immersion cylinder was here when we moved in and is still going strong and very reliable. Have loved my little Victorian home very much but time for a change.

katejo

I have a small Victorian 2-3 bedroom brick mid terrace. The back was painted over at least 9 years ago, probably a lot more. I have just had to pay for all the back to be repointed and painted again and an improved drain to be added all round the back of the house. That cost me 2.5K
That said, I would still buy another period house if I were moving.

verulamium

Went from a new build to a Victorian brick mid terrace, so I've experienced both. Love living here, so no we are not getting the whole we love period features out of our system.

Yes the heating cost is a bit higher, but we went from a one bed flat to a 3 bed house so that was expected. Sound insulation is poor, but doesn't bother us. We haven't done any maintenance work yet as the boiler is new (vendor installed), and the house was last refurbished 12 years ago. Mostly original single glazed sash windows but the upstairs back windows has been changed to double glazed sash.

We are getting new underfloor insulation fitted beneath the floorboards which will help with heating.

I am not against new builds but would only ever move in to one we build ourselves.

Cautious_Optimist

Guess I must be lucky and have quiet neighbours then!?

One point about very new houses:
I think they can drop their value quite quickly...