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Would you buy a house with a dark kitchen?

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  • KaratePigeon
    KaratePigeon Posts: 277 Forumite
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    It's this house

    http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-70411649.html?premiumA=true-

    It doesn't really look like the photos as they must have used a wide angle lens and a bright flash! but the floorplan is there.



    I know it needs some work, new kitchen, redecorating, turf put in the back garden. Actually on 2nd viewing the kitchen didn't look at dark as I remembered it (though they had all the windows/doors open which probably helped) but it looks a bit tattier than I remembered it! Definitely needs some work though hopefully just cosmetic.



    Saw another couple of houses which were much nicer but this one is much better location for the kids school etc.
  • Norman_Castle
    Norman_Castle Posts: 11,871 Forumite
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    Is picture 6 the study/dining room? It looks unused. Removing the wall and adding a dining table, small sofa and tv could be good.
  • shortcrust
    shortcrust Posts: 2,697 Forumite
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    My kitchen’s quite dark - east facing but with a steep hill so you only get a few rays of sun peaking at mid morning in summer. I’ve got a load of warm Philips Hue lighting in there with a motion sensor. It’s never bothered me. It’s just one of the compromises that come with having a limited budget.
  • FreeBear
    FreeBear Posts: 14,631 Forumite
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    suki1964 wrote: »
    Do you really spend enough time at the sink to be daydreaming away looking out the window?

    Isn't this why we have dishwashers?

    Have you tried to find good quality kitchen staff lately ?

    They either want way too much money or are not prepared to work long hours.
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  • gwynfil
    gwynfil Posts: 99 Forumite
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    The house looks fine. I found this link.

    http://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/SN5/Ryan-Close.html
    Think it is the same street/area. The good news is that people don't seem to move much in that area which suggests it is a nice place to live. House prices have gone up lots. However, the sold prices in 2012 are quite a bit less it seems. Is it a bit overpriced? It may be that prices really have gone up that much. I know a house is more than about making profit, but it's good to get it at a fair price.
  • m1kjm
    m1kjm Posts: 1,264 Forumite
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    I don't have a problem with that kitchen at all, it's the room with all the plates on the walls that I find odd.
  • KaratePigeon
    KaratePigeon Posts: 277 Forumite
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    Thanks. Yes house prices have gone up loads in the area so it's actually quite a good price now for the size of the plot. It was listed at £340 originally. It's just not pretty :/
  • kerri_gt
    kerri_gt Posts: 11,202 Forumite
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    KaratePigeon wrote: »
    Thanks. Yes house prices have gone up loads in the area so it's actually quite a good price now for the size of the plot. It was listed at £340 originally. It's just not pretty :/

    Pretty is in the eye of the beholder. Look at it as bricks and mortar and decide if you can make the amdjustments to make the property work for you.

    The one thing you can't change about a house is location, conversely, you can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear.

    You clearly like the location, from your description the kitchen was gonig to be a dark galley which it isn't from the photos IMO (seen worse even with windows) Main question is, can you make that space work for you in the long run?
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  • KaratePigeon
    KaratePigeon Posts: 277 Forumite
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    I've slept on it and just can't decide. The other option (with the nice kitchen) is a 5-bed a mile away, but it's on a road (not a super-busy road, but a through route). It's a nice enough area though.



    This house is a cul-de-sac which would be so much better for the kids (my 4 year old's favourite thing to do is play on her bike outside and I'd feel so bad if she couldn't do that anymore. They could also still walk to school and play with their friends at the nearby park. I think it could be nice but does need a lot of money spending on it. Though it's 35k less than the other one so maybe I could get it looking nice for that.



    A weird thing yesterday when we viewed the house, the vendors had the heating on. It was a really warm day and they were sat out the back with all the doors and windows open but the radiators were boiling hot! What's that about, could they be trying to hide something/prove the heating works/is there something wrong with it and it doens't turn off?! Also they locked us in, purposefully locked the door behind us when we came in and made a show of letting us out when we'd finished. That's odd right?
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741 Forumite
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    There's scope there to open up and make it into a proper kitchen/diner, taking light from the now seperate dining room, which looks like it was originally part of the garage. If you are going to replace the kitchen anyway this might make sense.


    For a kitchen, with 6 doors in it, it's always going to be a compromise design .
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