New Build or Older Home?

Waterlily24

doryprevin wrote: »

Personally I am also considering buying a new build simply for financial reasons. I know a couple of people who bought new builds recently and haven't had any serious complaints (probably 5-10 snags each, the main issue for both was construction delays).

I have read all the horror stories, but quite frankly house prices in my area (near Southampton, close enough to London that prices are jacked up) are absolutely ridiculous for both new and old houses. So I'd be paying about the same as for a new build, but then have to pay for all the renovations on top. Not only that, but I'd need a much larger deposit which is the real crux of the matter - for those of us who don't have that much in savings, HTB is the only option and that means new builds...

I also can't seem to find any of these mythical 1960s or older spacious houses that everyone recommends - they all seem to have rooms fairly similar in size to new builds, and as another user mentioned, they only have one bathroom, many not even a downstairs loo. Not to mention they look incredibly dated and probably are less efficient to run.

From what I've seen around here you only really get spacious rooms if you're willing to spend a fortune or buy anything with more than 3 bedrooms (and therefore also spend a fortune), and for childfree people that just seems like a waste.

The new house we bought was near Southampton (Locks Heath) but it was about 30 years ago. Bovis were building a lot round there but hubby wasn't too keen. We bought a Bartlett Gilbert one in the end. There was a new shopping centre there only a two minute walk for me, I don't drive so it was very convenient.
Doctors and school nearby too.

It was a good sized house compared to the Bovis ones and cheaper. That was a long time ago no and I often wonder what it's like there now. There were estates going up all the time we were there.


We've found older houses ie 1930s to be more spacious but you are definitely right about the one bathroom and even just one toilet.

FreeBear

Doozergirl wrote: »

We are on Day 10 today and laying out the blockwork of the footings. Our house is made of SIPs and will be airtight too.

Photos please or it didn't happen

I'm sure others would be interested in how the build goes, as would I.

PokerPlayer111

Newer house with newer building technology all day long for me.



Old house can = damp, asbestos and older building technology, no thanks.


Not sure on buying a brand newly built house but would still likely favour it vs old house.

TamsinC

doryprevin wrote: »

I also can't seem to find any of these mythical 1960s or older spacious houses that everyone recommends - they all seem to have rooms fairly similar in size to new builds, and as another user mentioned, they only have one bathroom, many not even a downstairs loo.

we have just exchanged on a seventeenth century house - three bedrooms, four bathrooms.

Smodlet

TamsinC wrote: »

we have just exchanged on a seventeenth century house - three bedrooms, four bathrooms.

Congrats, you jammy, jammy... I am sure you worked very hard for it. Oh, go on, show us your heating bills!

Seriously, TamsinC, good for you; I bet it's beautiful.

TamsinC

Smodlet wrote: »

Congrats, you jammy, jammy... I am sure you worked very hard for it. Oh, go on, show us your heating bills!

Seriously, TamsinC, good for you; I bet it's beautiful.

Oh I'm sure there will be down sides and many of them - and it's in glorious Wales so fairly cheap for what it is and we pay for the beauty of the house in rain :rotfl: - not sure what the heating bills will be, though can't be worse than the mid century single skin MOD quarter we are in at the moment. 'A' rated oil fired Rayburn for the heating system. Two foot thick stone walls also tend to be fairly insulating.

But the point was that an old house doesn't necessarily have only one bathroom - we do feel the four we now have is a tad excessive given the number of bedrooms.

NaughtiusMaximus

Quizzical_Squirrel wrote: »

Just to address an earlier point: admittedly I've only done it once, for three years in the 90s, but my experience living on a new build housing estate was positive.

Everyone moved in at around the same time so by definition there were no long established cliques and rivalries, no secrets and gossip and no bad history between neighbours.
It was a new community with a blank slate and everyone was on the same footing. You were nervous about making friends, so was everyone else.
And we did make some really good friends on that estate, had some wonderful times and we still keep in touch with two couples to this day.

Sometimes when I catch myself thinking negative things about housing estates, I remember that was a really good time in my life. Yes, maybe the house wasn't all that great, comparatively, but overall, living there was a good thing.

On the other hand, when you first move into an established community, you're always on the back foot, you're always the new girl trying to break in to groups and catch up. There's a lot of history there. Takes work and a long time to get past that, to find your place.

I can see your point but the other side to that is in a long established area you can visit at various times of the day and maybe knock on a few doors to get an idea of what the area's like and if there are any possible problem neighbours, with new builds it's total pot luck.

Hillwalker11

We have never bought a new build. We live in a road of about 20 detached houses. All are set well away from immediate neighbours with plenty of space either side.The houses were built in 1976 and we overlook a green with mature trees, which we can walk onto from our drive as the road runs the otherside. In summer when all the trees are in full foliage it is like living in a park.At the back we overlook farmland.
Just out of interest we looked at some new builds in a village close by. Beautifully done inside but step outside and you were overlooked
by 5 or 6 houses and at the front overlooked by the houses opposite. The difference these days is they try to cram as many houses as possible into an area. If our road was built now I am sure there would be many more houses squashed in,and certainly no green with trees.

ReadingTim

Some people prefer them for the same sort of reasons they prefer coffee to tea, dogs to cats, or like marmite.

Others don't.

Smodlet

Hillwalker11 wrote: »

We have never bought a new build. We live in a road of about 20 detached houses. All are set well away from immediate neighbours with plenty of space either side.The houses were built in 1976 and we overlook a green with mature trees, which we can walk onto from our drive as the road runs the otherside. In summer when all the trees are in full foliage it is like living in a park.At the back we overlook farmland.
Just out of interest we looked at some new builds in a village close by. Beautifully done inside but step outside and you were overlooked
by 5 or 6 houses and at the front overlooked by the houses opposite. The difference these days is they try to cram as many houses as possible into an area. If our road was built now I am sure there would be many more houses squashed in,and certainly no green with trees.

Sounds like my idea of heaven...