House hunting - things to avoid

lookstraightahead

FreeBear said:

pieroabcd said:

mi-key said:

Emily_Joy said:

Thanks - there 3 or 4 of those at the back. I pretty certain the house we live in at the moment hasn't got anything like that. I am wondering if (1) 24/7 access to them has to be maintened? (2) there is no way an extension could be built over? 

They can be in various places, I have two, one is inside the porch and the other in the back garden behind the garage. It really depends where the drains are in relation to your property. 

Really it is better to have access available to them. If you do get a blocked drain it can back up and fill the chamber, which isn't pleasant ! The one in my porch has a wooden cover over it to make it level with the floor, then carpet over the top of that so I can get to it easily if needed.

Building an extension over one can cause a lot of problems !

A few weeks ago I saw a house that had a manhole cover IN the kitchen!
I couldn't believe my eyes.

Got one in my kitchen extension. A very heavy double sealed jobbie. Was perfectly acceptable when the extension was built back in the 1970s.

We have one too

lookstraightahead

Weathergirl_76 said:

This is just my list of what I was avoiding when I was looking for a house,
1) any type of shared access
2) no parking 
3) anything too near a railway or depot 
4) any kind of stream/river or water course too close to the house 
5) listed buildings (i love these but my budget wouldn’t when things go wrong)
6) tall hedges which need a professional to be maintained every year 
7) anything which needs any kind of extensive renovation internally 

So you would dismiss looking at anything with any of these things? I get the big major ones like flooding, but a hedge? 

Sometimes listed buildings can be just part of (I think). Eg, the windows are listed. 

Even with a stream, there may have never been a flood, whereas you can be a long way from a river but still get flooding, eg if your drive is down hill.

GDB2222

A lot of the houses round here are listed, and they are a gigantic PITA. It's not just the cost. You need consent for any changes. 

For example,we were considering a grade 2 cottage with single skin walls. We would like to add some insulation to the walls inside, but the local conservation officer says no, as it changes the room proportions.  

FreeBear

lookstraightahead said: Sometimes listed buildings can be just part of (I think). Eg, the windows are listed.

I think you'll find listed status covers the building and everything within the boundary. Sometimes, specific features of interest are given a mention in the listing.

Weathergirl_76

lookstraightahead said:

Weathergirl_76 said:

This is just my list of what I was avoiding when I was looking for a house,
1) any type of shared access
2) no parking 
3) anything too near a railway or depot 
4) any kind of stream/river or water course too close to the house 
5) listed buildings (i love these but my budget wouldn’t when things go wrong)
6) tall hedges which need a professional to be maintained every year 
7) anything which needs any kind of extensive renovation internally 

So you would dismiss looking at anything with any of these things? I get the big major ones like flooding, but a hedge? 

Sometimes listed buildings can be just part of (I think). Eg, the windows are listed. 

Even with a stream, there may have never been a flood, whereas you can be a long way from a river but still get flooding, eg if your drive is down hill.

Yes I would. That’s my personal choice. My previous house had about 5 hedges to maintain, 3 of which needed regular trimming, I’m not good with that so had to call someone in each time which meant additional expense. If the property ticked the boxes in every other aspect I would possibly consider it, but it depends how many hedges. Overall I would avoid if possible. Someone else who can handle the maintenance might not be put off.  

Listed buildings (ie grade 2) are beautiful but I am aware when any kind of work needs doing it generally costs a lot more than a non listed building. 

For the stream to me its the risk.  

Everyone is different in what they are looking for, what they would compromise on and what they would avoid. Some things are based on circumstances also. 

GDB2222

FreeBear said:

lookstraightahead said: Sometimes listed buildings can be just part of (I think). Eg, the windows are listed.

I think you'll find listed status covers the building and everything within the boundary. Sometimes, specific features of interest are given a mention in the listing.

Round here, features such as kitchen dressers that are original are required to be kept in the building, although they can be moved. 

housebuyer143

Weathergirl_76 said:

lookstraightahead said:

Weathergirl_76 said:

This is just my list of what I was avoiding when I was looking for a house,
1) any type of shared access
2) no parking 
3) anything too near a railway or depot 
4) any kind of stream/river or water course too close to the house 
5) listed buildings (i love these but my budget wouldn’t when things go wrong)
6) tall hedges which need a professional to be maintained every year 
7) anything which needs any kind of extensive renovation internally 

So you would dismiss looking at anything with any of these things? I get the big major ones like flooding, but a hedge? 

Sometimes listed buildings can be just part of (I think). Eg, the windows are listed. 

Even with a stream, there may have never been a flood, whereas you can be a long way from a river but still get flooding, eg if your drive is down hill.

Yes I would. That’s my personal choice. My previous house had about 5 hedges to maintain, 3 of which needed regular trimming, I’m not good with that so had to call someone in each time which meant additional expense. If the property ticked the boxes in every other aspect I would possibly consider it, but it depends how many hedges. Overall I would avoid if possible. Someone else who can handle the maintenance might not be put off.  

Listed buildings (ie grade 2) are beautiful but I am aware when any kind of work needs doing it generally costs a lot more than a non listed building. 

For the stream to me its the risk.  

Everyone is different in what they are looking for, what they would compromise on and what they would avoid. Some things are based on circumstances also. 

I don't disagree.. We have a large laurel and damn is it constant work..I am able now but someone older would find themselves quickly overgrown. They are more work than you can imagine.

KSS1991

Deal breakers for us:
- no driveway
- small garden
- next to council tenants (been there done that - never again!)
- only one bathroom
- north facing garden
- main road/busy road