Moving into a newbuild

Put most of your possessions in store for a while, till the carpets, at least, are done? Having arranged dates for them beforehand.

When we bought a new build, we bought carpets through the builder and didn't have to pay VAT (it was a specific allowance for new builds but I don't know if it's still valid).

The builder had them laid between exchange and completion, after we'd paid the deposit for the house but before we moved in.

We've bought new builds before - one we had the carpets laid after we moved in which was a problem and the other they were in with the purchase so laid before we got the keys. I'd check with the builder to see if you could arrange to have them done the day before if possible - maybe negotiate a price to include them?

Get permission to get the bungalow measured up before the sale is completed. Once you have a firm completion date arrange for the carpet supplier and fitter to come in the morning of the day following day to fit them. Chase them in the run up to completion to ensure that the carpet is in stock, they can do the job and will be there early in the morning. Have the furniture delivered the day after that. Your furniture and belongings will be in store for only a day or two so the cost of storage should be minimal.

When we bought our new build the builders were quite happy to let us go in to measure up for carpets and curtains. They even let in the carpet fitters too. Everything was ready for us to move the furniture in when it was signed over.

We had ours fitted shortly before we moved into the new house. How much would a couple of nights house contents storage cost?

The first thing we had to do was to go to B&Q and buy some mirrors. Bathroom fittings were in but no mirrors at all.
We were camping in our new house for a few days as our furniture was in storage down in Essex and we were in Cheshire and it was the August bank holiday weekend. Our children were due to start their new school a few days later.

We have moved into 2 new builds in our married life, the first time as nearly newlyweds so everything was new and we camped out for a few days which was quite exciting for us( we were very young and foolish then) and everything ,furniture carpets curtains etc were delivered in the next couple of weeks which we took off work.
The second time we had a 2 year old but again didn't have carpets fitted until later,the house was fitted with good quality "Marley type " tiles and the old curtains fitted so we made do until we knew what we wanted.

In our case the builders were happy for the carpets to be fitted the day before completion. It worked for us, but be careful if you go this route to make sure the builders are also happy for you to check the cleanliness of the floors - ours were filthy. Otherwise as has been advised, arrange for the carpets the day after completion, you may find your remover will simply keep your furniture etc in a van, or vans, and charge relatively little extra. Good luck and enjoy your new home.

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.