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Just bought a 1 bedroom house
Comments
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It's grade 2 listed, which means that you need to get permission to make any repairs. Permission = very expensive.
It's got thatch, which as you know is expensive to repair.
It's one bedroom, which means you'll have to move after you start a family. (Unless you're like Boris and abandon them.)
Good size garden, but you don't mention that you're a keen gardener!
Anyway, it sounds like a lovely house, which you can be proud of and enjoy. I think you just have to get into the frame of mind that it's going to cost an arm and a leg to maintain.
As you are single, you presumably don't have other huge outgoings, apart from the house moneypit. Just try to avoid falling in love!
How about looking on the bright side. Thatched cottages are usually very desirable but the larger ones can cost £mega. A small one should sell without too much trouble.
We had a friend who had a small 2 bedroomed thatched cottage in the heart of Devon. When she put it on the market (not long ago) the interest was huge and she sold it quickly.0 -
I don't think should matter. A bungalow is as much like a thatched grade 2 house as a modern 4x4 is like an Austin 7.Crashy_Time wrote: »How much have houses/bungalows dropped in price recently where you are?
The worrying thing to me is that the OP is comparing the two as if they could be in some way equivalent.
As another 'old fart,' I live in a much modernised 70s bungalow and there's no way I could contemplate swapping with the ancient thatched cottage at the end of our field. It has history and original features in abundance, but those are not things I value as much as the amount of light here, the thermal efficiency we enjoy and the low maintenance we're anticipating.
OP must examine his/her priorities to answer the question of what they should have bought, not comfortable words trotted out by others, however well-intentioned. The best thing about their situation is that they're young, so very able to build on this experience in the future.
Good luck with it OP.0 -
It's not as if a traditional roof never needs replacing at some point
Actually, thatch arguably is a traditional roof.
A tiled roof for a small house costs a fraction of £20,000 to replace, and it lasts 2-3 times as long.No reliance should be placed on the above! Absolutely none, do you hear?0 -
There's one in our village that's been marketed solidly for a year without takers, but that proves nothing, except that the owner is asking too much for it.Murphybear wrote: »Thatched cottages are usually very desirable but the larger ones can cost £mega. A small one should sell without too much trouble.0 -
Hectors_House wrote: »First rule of new house ownership - unsubscribe from estate agent mailing lists, Rightmove etc. It’s normal to have a little doubt but congratulate yourself. You have your foot on the ladder and your first home is unique.
We live in a one-bedroom medieval thatched cottage and couldn’t be happier. We are at the opposite end of the process to you - a couple of old farts who see this as the last house move we will make.
Our place has bags of character and two ghosts. The one indoors isn’t too much of a bother but the one outside is a bit scarier.
Just remember to set aside funds for maintaining the thatch. Our place is so small it only cost £4,000 the last time it was replaced.
Oooh, Hectors House, do tell about the ghosts!! :eek:0 -
Oooh, Hectors House, do tell about the ghosts!! :eek:
OK folks this is your ghost story for Christmas.
The ghost indoors is a shadowy figure that comes out of a 1930s wardrobe in the bedroom and just disappears through the wall. We have several large bookcases and a couple of times a year we will hear one of them fall over in the middle of the night. There isn’t a book out of place if we go down to investigate. Sometimes we get sounds from the kitchen of someone cooking (but no smells).
The ghost outside is a bit more disconcerting. We have a frosted glass window in the bathroom extension and will often see someone wearing white go past it really fast. On that side of the building are a series of small gardens with fencing between them. Our neighbours kitchen window looks directly out onto this area and she has seen the figure in more detail and described it as someone in a white shroud rushing backwards and forwards through the fences.0 -
Hectors_House wrote: »OK folks this is your ghost story for Christmas.
The ghost indoors is a shadowy figure that comes out of a 1930s wardrobe in the bedroom and just disappears through the wall. We have several large bookcases and a couple of times a year we will hear one of them fall over in the middle of the night. There isn’t a book out of place if we go down to investigate. Sometimes we get sounds from the kitchen of someone cooking (but no smells).
The ghost outside is a bit more disconcerting. We have a frosted glass window in the bathroom extension and will often see someone wearing white go past it really fast. On that side of the building are a series of small gardens with fencing between them. Our neighbours kitchen window looks directly out onto this area and she has seen the figure in more detail and described it as someone in a white shroud rushing backwards and forwards through the fences.
Install CCTV. You could be famous. No reliance should be placed on the above! Absolutely none, do you hear?0 -
Teen in a hoodie on speed, taking a short cut?Hectors_House wrote: »Our neighbour has seen the figure in more detail and described it as someone in a white shroud rushing backwards and forwards through the fences.0 -
Are you single? The thatched cottage will (probably) get you laid more."Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance" - Confucius0
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