Dilemma big house with small garden vs small house with big garden

zagubov

Gardens are a bit of a conceit and require hard work. Get the bigger house. Plus it's brick so easier mortgage.

People might moan about wanting a bigger garden but they're more likely to put up with the hassle of moving if it's to get a bigger house.

antilles

I've lived in a Wimpey no fines house and my girlfriend owns one currently.

Like you say they have huge gardens but they are fraught with issues - the main ones being they are very cold and expensive to heat. Also, you'll have tremendous fun trying to drill holes in the walls to hang anything, the walls have a tendency to fall apart. Horrible.

A lot of their stock in Liverpool (ex council houses) had exterior insulation fitted to them which makes them much warmer, but I believe most of them don't have that.

I'd avoid buying one personally - they are sometimes difficult to sell on too as some mortgage companies won't lend on non standard construction.

Mickygg

I'm one for saying a bigger garden is more work. I have a fair sized garden and I want a small one. The work I do on the garden by mowing, cutting stuff back, sweeping up leaves etc far outweighs the odd time I sit in it and enjoy it. I would also never buy a concrete house.
Easy for me I'd go for bigger brick house and smaller garden.

zagubov

Have a look at these houses in Harlow. They've a small footprint, parking spaces, a courtyard, a balcony. Now that's going a bit far even by my not-much of a gardener standards, but here in London there are loads of low-level houses with wasted land disguised as gardens that are more of a waste of space than you're seeing in these houses, which make a sensible use of their land.

magn8p

Wow! Thank you all for sharing your thoughts - I didn't realise this topic is so engaging that I have 25 responses already!

As they say, a picture is worth thousand words, I thought I would add the pics of both gardens.

House 1 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByzZtpskPzlFaWt3Rld3ZWFyRE0/view?usp=sharing

House 2 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByzZtpskPzlFZlZITl9uRUotSFU/view?usp=sharing

Thanks for all those who shared your concerns about the concrete build - like I mentioned, we initially had our concerns, but the house has a very good EPC rating (73) due to its insulation and Halifax has agreed to offer mortgage for it. I wouldn't normally prefer a concrete house the cost of housing in Cambridge is beyond reason. On a positive note, there were 4 houses which went on sale in that area and all 4 got sold within 3 months and this is right after Brexit. It's probably down to a very popular school/college in walking distance.

House2 is also in the same area as House1.

But as @SuzieSue said, House2 with a bigger garden would've probably been beyond what I can afford.

ognum

magn8p wrote: »

Wow! Thank you all for sharing your thoughts - I didn't realise this topic is so engaging that I have 25 responses already!

As they say, a picture is worth thousand words, I thought I would add the pics of both gardens.

House 1 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByzZtpskPzlFaWt3Rld3ZWFyRE0/view?usp=sharing

House 2 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByzZtpskPzlFZlZITl9uRUotSFU/view?usp=sharing

Thanks for all those who shared your concerns about the concrete build - like I mentioned, we initially had our concerns, but the house has a very good EPC rating (73) due to its insulation and Halifax has agreed to offer mortgage for it. I wouldn't normally prefer a concrete house the cost of housing in Cambridge is beyond reason. On a positive note, there were 4 houses which went on sale in that area and all 4 got sold within 3 months and this is right after Brexit. It's probably down to a very popular school/college in walking distance.

House2 is also in the same area as House1.

But as @SuzieSue said, House2 with a bigger garden would've probably been beyond what I can afford.

I know the Cambridge market well and agree it is expensive. However, these houses are only selling because supply at the price is short. If there is a change in the market and lender criteria changes the concrete one will be the last to sell and could become a white elephant.

Look at your neighbours, are the concrete houses all rental properties, these are homes that investors by because the return is better because they are cheaper and those renting don't care as long as the EPC is OK.

If the area is the same, (is it really, most concrete construction houses are ex council and there for grouped with other ex social housing) my choice would still be the crick house though I would be worried about the flat roof extension.

magn8p

ognum wrote: »

I know the Cambridge market well and agree it is expensive. However, these houses are only selling because supply at the price is short. If there is a change in the market and lender criteria changes the concrete one will be the last to sell and could become a white elephant.

Look at your neighbours, are the concrete houses all rental properties, these are homes that investors by because the return is better because they are cheaper and those renting don't care as long as the EPC is OK.

If the area is the same, (is it really, most concrete construction houses are ex council and there for grouped with other ex social housing) my choice would still be the crick house though I would be worried about the flat roof extension.

I agree with your points about concrete houses. If we had a choice we wouldn't have gone for it, also when compared with other recently sold houses in that area, we felt that it was rather well maintained. We decided to do a Structural Survey (most expensive one) along with the basic Valuation to find out anything that our naked eyes have missed.

House2 doesn't have a flat roof, the extension has a gable roof.

harrys_dad

No contest for me, brick house every time.

fairy_lights

Those gardens look the same size to me!

karcher

I'd go for the brick built house and I prefer the smaller garden anyway, though the way it faces would also be a decision maker too.