New build plot options

berrybum

Hello,
My husband and I are looking to buy a new build, our house is on the market with a day of viewings scheduled for Saturday.  Unfortunately we weren't able to reserve until we're under offer so the plot we had our eye on has already been snapped up.  There is just one plot left of the house type we want but it is North North West facing and will have the side of the next house at the end of the garden (rather than being garden to garden).  I find this really off-putting but my husband less so.  The garden is probably about 10m x 10m. So I'm concerned about a great stonking house in front of the back of the house plus the garden being in shade.  Timing wise this house would fit really well as should be finished April time so wouldn't have to move into rented.

If we don't get this one the next release of plots isn't until March and based on other developments in the area I'm assuming everything will go up £10k or more.  There is a plot which would come up then which is amazing, the trouble is everyone would think that so I've no idea how much more it would be.  If this house style becomes too expensive there is a slightly smaller house with some nice south facing plots.  However these wouldn't be ready until Nov/Dec 2022 so we would have to go into rented and pay storage costs etc.

I'm so torn.  I think it is a case of nicer style of house, not so nice garden now or chancing it and knowing we may end up with a smaller house but south facing garden and have to move into rented.

We've been looking for about nine months and only one other house has come up (expensive area and a finite budget)

What would you do?
We're going to visit the site and the plot on Friday but I think only foundations will be in at this stage so won't be able to get a true feel for it yet.

Thanks in advance!!
Holly

AFF8879

Why is a south facing garden so important? I’d personally go for the existing plot if it’s still available after you (hopefully) get an offer on your current house this week, in a rising market I wouldn’t want months of uncertainty and potentially paying £000s/tens of £000s more just to get a bit of extra sun in the garden during the day.

krusty101

We moved into a new build in March which has a south facing garden. The house is generally very warm anyway, and with the south facing aspect and extra glass in the kitchen it is sooooo hot. So just something to bear in mind. I’ve longed for a north facing garden at various points this summer. 

berrybum

AFF8879 said:

Why is a south facing garden so important? I’d personally go for the existing plot if it’s still available after you (hopefully) get an offer on your current house this week, in a rising market I wouldn’t want months of uncertainty and potentially paying £000s/tens of £000s more just to get a bit of extra sun in the garden during the day.

I was worried as it is a fairly small garden that it will be in the shade for most of the time, especially in the winter.  I think I am also worried about looking out on to another house right at the end of the 10m garden?  I do think you have a very valid point there though about the rising market.

ProDave

I had a house with due south facing garden once.  It is less "good" than you think.  by the time I got home from work the sun had gone from the living room.

The NW facing garden would get the evening sun and might be better for a working family, though SW facing would be my choice.

ALL assuming living room is at the back of the house. 

propertyhunter

It sounds like you're not keen on the new plot. They say buying a house is the biggest purchase of someone's life - so why make compromises that you aren't happy to make? Don't get me wrong, you need to make some compromises when buying a house and be realistic, but if I was in your situation, I would also think this house was second best and the one a bit further down the road was better because you will always compare - especially if you pass that first house everyday. 

I'm with you when it comes to south-facing gardens - the back of the house is always in shade otherwise and I prefer sun there, especially for evening parties/bbqs in summer - but then it's a personal thing as the other respondents have indicated. The overlooking neighbouring house also sounds like it might be imposing, but hard to gauge without seeing it. 

They say if its meant to be, it will happen. That's really annoying advice, but I have to tell myself that after losing out to my 'perfect house' on best and final offers recently. I believe there will be another house, and it will be better. 

TheJP

I don't get the south facing garden obsession in this country, you end up with a garden that you constantly seek shade in and plants need constant watering otherwise they die. We moved to a north facing garden in March and love it, the garden gets the sun a certain points of the day but there is plenty of shaded areas for the kids. Plant live thrives as well. 

koalakoala

Depends where you live! It is certainly never too hot in the NE Scotland!

user1977

TheJP said:

I don't get the south facing garden obsession in this country

Neither do I, really. Surely it suggests three-quarters of gardens are substandard?! I doubt the market really cares about it, otherwise you'd have different house prices on opposite sides of the street.

tooldle

user1977 said:

TheJP said:

I don't get the south facing garden obsession in this country

Neither do I, really. Surely it suggests three-quarters of gardens are substandard?! I doubt the market really cares about it, otherwise you'd have different house prices on opposite sides of the street.

I don't understand it either. East/West is my preference. Assuming a front and back garden there is always sun somewhere. 
My parents had a North/South house. The front of the house cooked in summer and the garden at the back (facing North) had plenty of sun late into the evening. It was a 1930's house and we moved from front to back lounge according to the season. I wouldn't worry about how much sun the garden gets in winter as we don't have the climate for outdoor living at that time of year.

berrybum

Thanks everyone.  I should have said my preference is a house that is going to be West facing but that isn't going to become reservable until late Spring and whilst I am conscious it will be more I've no idea just how much more than the current plot.  That means that if we don't go for this NNW facing plot then we may end up needing to go for the smaller house as the West facing house we really want may be way over budget.  The smaller houses are all south facing.  I've got an East facing terrace house at the moment and it is a real sun trap until early evening when the sun disappears over the top of the house.  So I'm not after definitely a South facing plot at all, I'm just not keen on a North facing one and I think mostly I'm put off by the neighbours house being at the end of the garden (rather than garden to garden) - though I was googling about using bamboos or trees to provide screening (this shouldn't bother neighbours as it is only blocking the side of their house where only have one obscured window).