Unsure what I want, plus couple of houses opinions requested

danlightbulb

Kiki_2298 wrote: »

Have you found a house yet?

Not one thats fitting my main criteria no.


I'd have gone for bungalow one if it wasn't for the difficulty in building a front driveway.


Would probably go for bungalow two if it wasn't so elevated.

Tiglet2

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-87530267.html

Worth a look?

danlightbulb

Thanks for searching. Its not really what Im looking for. Loads of space inside, good for families. Im looking for something with more traditional styling. I know im awkward. Perhaps it will be my downfall.

Smodlet

danlightbulb, if you really want to be an architect or an estate agent perhaps you should do that, you have posted so many impressive-looking floor plans.

Other than that, I can only echo what other posters have said: Either rethink your expectations, increase your budget or be patient and go to view properties as quickly and as often as you can. As already mentioned, the reality rarely lives up to the photos; estate agents lie for a living.

Fwiw, I think you are absolutely correct that the lack of another person is a barrier to what might be practical. How do you know any future partner will share your tastes in anything unless you already have a similarly specific list of requirements in mind?

You have reminded me of just how difficult it is to make major decisions when you are single; I thank whatever powers there are I have not had to do so for quite some time. I wish you luck and think you have done well to ask on here. Please let us know what you decide; we so rarely get the end of the story on this forum.

danlightbulb

Yeah its horrible not having anyone to bounce ideas off, have a shared vision with, or provide reassurance on big decisions.

Ive been playing with possible driveway layouts. I'd like to maintain an aesthetically pleasing frontage so having walls still bordering between the driveway and road enables a degree of separation and privacy.

Here is my first option. I sketched it up yesterday and posted it on another forum but no-one replied. There would be a 5m opening between two walls at the boundary. The car would pull on and swing to the larger area on the right as you can see and there would be some steps up to the house level on the left. I think I have a realistic turning path for the car here. This design attempts to leave the far left side completely intact as thats where the drains and services are most likely to be.






The only other option I can think of is doing away with the boundary wall altogether and attempting to park square on. Its very tight though.

MysteryMe

Reverse in and park parallel to the pavement. You also avoid reversing out onto the road.

danlightbulb

Yeah good idea. Still wont get 2 cars on but thats ok. Would look nice done right, just dont know if its too big a job for doing myself. Its the excavation and retaining wall, if it was flat Id have no problems having a go but 2 to 3 feet of retaining wall close to the house is rightly concerning.

Doozergirl

The front boundary wall is utterly pointless.

Question is. What kind of car are you driving?!? That one is weird.

Your steps can also start nearer to the house. Sometimes a professional can help...

danlightbulb

I used an online landscape planner, the car shown is 5m x2m like mine.

Dont you think a partial front boundary wall makes it look nicer rather than being open to the road?

How can I get a professional advice when I havent even bought the house and im not intending to use a contractor due to the cost? Purpose of posting here and on diynot is to get ideas and determine the best solution.

Doozergirl

danlightbulb wrote: »

I used an online landscape planner, the car shown is 5m x2m like mine.

Dont you think a partial front boundary wall makes it look nicer rather than being open to the road?

How can I get a professional advice when I havent even bought the house and im not intending to use a contractor due to the cost? Purpose of posting here and on diynot is to get ideas and determine the best solution.

You're not going to bet the 'best' solution. You're going to get a range of opinions and nothing else. It was you that produced the drawings of the driveway. If you think that's getting the best ideas then you're only asking for people to agree with you.

Driveways are there to be driven onto. If you have the luxury of being able to forget that handbrakes exist and then create nice little walls and/or shrubbery that's great, but it is far from essential and you're indulging yourself with these ideas if your car is 5m long (that's a big car for one person) and the driveway isn't.

Considering that your budget can't find you near to satisfying the near unending list of things that you want - and given that you'd make offers if it weren't for the things that would otherwise make them more expensive - then suggesting a dwarf wall at the front of the drive is a bit of an insult to people's intelligence after 120 odd posts.

If you don't like something after this much conversation, don't buy it. Hooray for the people prepared to indulge your ongoing interest in something you aren't interested in.