New builds or older properties

lilyflower, you made me smile - our dream was to buy a vicarage and fill it with children. By the time we had 5 children we couldnt afford the vicarage!

When I was married, we had a lovely big detached house. Only 3 bedrooms, but HUGE rooms. It was a new build but was built for American families. That was my favourite house.

I have an oldish detached house (1936) with a modern extension which wraps round the side and back and which was built to the same design and proportions as the main house.

The new bit is warm and insulated, though, matching the rest, doesn't look new. It has a practical modern kitchen and bathrooms.

The older part is lovely but cold. It costs a fortune to heat and I don't have the heating on in the day even in the winter. It needs constant maintenance, and, as we chose to keep the wooden windows, needs regular painting.

However, it is lovely. The room proportions are great, it has period features and the ceilings are about twelve feet high. The garden is the size of a tennis court and are filled with lovely trees and, in the summer, a striped lawn. It's not so near the neighbours that we can hear every word they speak.

I can put up with the drawbacks for the sake of the aesthetics. It is a calm and beautiful house, not quite the Georgian rectory we always dreamed of, but pleasing to be in.

It does amaze me how many people do not have a full structural survey before buying. Admittedly it is not cheap but as a percentage of the asking price well worth the money in my view.
Not only do you have an impartial view but also a bargaining tool should any problems be flagged up.

Daisy boots is correct

Also beware when viewing off plan: pitched roofs seriously reduce your USABLE room space.

Its not just undersized furniture that gets used, also beware of undersized doorways! You wont initially notice a 2/3 sized doorway until you need to move your furniture or a wheelchair or walker in!

Most outragously, one of the most common places to find 2/3 width doorways is in retirement developments!

One to be aware of when viewing show houses that often the furniture is not full size but specially made smaller to make the rooms appear more spacious . In 1985 before the Isle Dogs had really taken off and we had a factory on the edge we went to have a look at at some 3 bedroom apartments for sale there and some had views over the river. The price was similar in price to our then 1930s built 4 bedroom detached house in Pinner. But the rooms were tiny. When discussing this with the saleswoman she did admit that most show homes are fitted out with what they call 3/4 size furniture. Even the show houses at the Ideal Home show had the same smaller size furniture. I am sure it's something still to be aware now. I would never buy off plan either.

Greeneyed girl I have bought more than once on one viewing.

I am very much a "head" not a "heart" buyer, so a property either ticks my requirement boxes or it doesnt.

I pay extra for full surveys and carefully check all the paperwork for problems. And will pull out if any dealbreakers crop up.

I dont need to do lots of viewings to "decide" first, because its not about "feeling" right. Its about my list of requirements at that point in my life

We are in a Victorian conversion to 4 flats and I love it. Am busy researching paint and there are things that will need to be done. Like a new boiler. Which reminds me what would you people recommend? Vaillant?
Also need to get chimney swept and a new gas fire installed.
Have also lived in 1950s ex council houses and they were great.

Another thing that amazes me about buying houses, and I have bought lots, is that often people will have a look round and put in an offer without even revisiting.
I know most have a survey, but building society surveys are quite cursory. I would never spend so much money on such a brief check. I think people are swayed by feeling, and "falling in love" with a house, which can be a mistake in the long run. You need your practical head on too.

nightmare greeneyedgirl, I cannot understand why people get sucked into buying a house like that. They won`t have filtration and the ventilated air has to come from outside so will be full of pollution.

Reading some of these nightmares in the papers and on here, it would put me off a new build too. Really the only new build I would buy is one that is ready built and if not sure about quality then I would get a snagging survey first. Development sales are highly trained in pressure selling and I am amazed that so many people buy before there is anything to see

My last village, there are several very old cob houses ie the space in between walls is filled with any old rubbish and no footings. Last year a wall started to come apart and there was major panic. It cost them a fortune to have that wall made safe and mended. These cob houses were cheap houses thrown up for the peasants. Looked lovely, lime rendered, tiny windows and low ceilings. In contrast I have 3m footings

I love the character and individuality of older houses and I can't imagine ever living in a brand new property. There are many new developments in and around my local area and most of them are awful tbh. They are like toytown with very narrow roads and houses built so close together. No thanks.

He does sound one in a million craftyone. In my experience many builders are out to squeeze as many houses that they can out of a plot regardless of environment.

Near me they have planning application to build 150 houses on a busy retail park next to a park and ride.The application states that they will be have inbuilt ventilation systems because the road noise exceeds recommended limits so should not open windows during daytime!!

oh that post of yours notnan, it is such a lesson to us. Never buy if it isn`t built and if the surroundings are not built. Omg I was so very lucky, someone was looking over me and I was drawn back to this house time and time again. Builder is almost 80 and has his own small band of builders. He said that he only wants happy residents here and I know he has turned down a man he didn`t like. Me and my neighbours are so happy here, we already have our own little community. Builder has given us a plot that he says we can grass over and we can put trees on it, for our community space. Whats the name for someone like this, yes altruistic and one in a million

I love big old houses, but am currently living in a 1980s (so old, but not that old) and it needs everything doing to it. Sub floors are squeaking, radiators banging, old kitchen, crappy windows. I'm only renting so it's not my problem, and I'm now thinking that when we do buy again, it'll be new.
Having said that, my friend who bought new two years ago, is still working through that final to-do list.

We viewed the plans for a new build which appeared to have 3 non allocated parking spaces for 3 houses and a "guest space". Okay, would have preferred 2 each, but the central location would have compensated

They sold off plan.

The houses went up. 3 houses AND A BLOCK OF FLATS on the site all sharing 4 parking spaces. There was a separate sales brochure for the houses as for the flats, both implying the few parking spaces were just for them

I'm reading with interest too. I am glad that so many of you seem to like what you are in!

I like our Georgian house but it is too big for us now so am thinking of moving eventually though I think the space has been good for our marriage.
We can get right away from each other if we want to.

I have looked at show houses and been shocked by how tiny they are, how mean the rooms, no storage space at all.

My friend has recently bought an 1950s ex council flat. It has spacious, sunny rooms and lots of cupboards.

I don't trust most house builders at all. The estate near us has been built on every patch of land, squeezed in for max profit. I wouldn't touch them. Some of the houses face north and never see sunlight and they are expensive.

I would choose a thoughtfully built house whenever it was built.

I'm surprised to hear that posters have had to spend alot on older houses - I agree that wiring etc. might need doing, but they are usually so solid and well built. Our local junior school is an Edwardian building - a proverbial castle, cool in summer and warm in winter and has stood without much in the way of maintenance since 1905. The radiators are original. The nearby 1980's built infant school costs about five times as much to maintain as it seems to be constructed from hardboard, and needs large amounts spent on heating in the winter and cooling in the summer.

As an adult, I have lived in about 12 houses of varying ages, and now live in a new build, not on an estate.
We chose new as we are older and wanted less maintenance, smaller house and garden, and cheaper running costs, and we have this.
It is not necessarily true that older houses are better built. Some Victorian houses don't have foundations! Regarding noise, we lived in a large lovely Edwardian terraced house built of Yorkshire stone, but we could hear families either side of us. We could even overhear conversations in the bathroom, and it was brrr cold.
I wonder if the folk who inhabited these old houses of "character" would, if alive to day, choose to live in them, or in contemporary warm, comfortable homes?
At the end of the day it's an individual choice, and what your needs are, which do change throughout life.
I like my house, but I not in love with bricks and mortar, and would move if my situation changed.

downsizing is hard, I see that quite a few have been through that or are in process. Having to give so much stuff away to now fit a different home which is more suited to personal needs as we age. I went down from eg 12 of every dish to 4 and umpteen casserole dishes to 2 but I suppose it is bend or break and best psychology is to go with the flow and to do the deed while still able.A list of pros and cons helps and also a list of where to economise wrt running costs

I have lived in houses of all ages starting off in a 1897 terraced railwaymans cottage in 1963. 1930s built followed by 1960s and then back to 1930s. Then moved out of London and into a 1970s built detached house built by the owner. Then I fellin love with a 1840 Victorian farmhouse with 7 acres. Unfortunately the farmer had ripped out many if the lovely features but it was stilll a lovely home. Ten years late ex had crashed our business and run off so I was left with the mess. I had an architect designed a bungalow too take the place of the rotting farm buildings. I sold the farmhouse with half the land and built the large bungalow. We lived there for 8 years until we moved abroad. So I like botb olld and new. The house we have here is about 30 years old but we have modernised it to our standards. I doubt I shall move again but at least we have a bedroom and bathroom on the ground floor when I can no longer manage the stairs. In England I dont think I could buy a new build on an estate because they are so small and badly built having seen what some of my grandchildren are buying. But an individual new build by a good builder is something very different.

Can’t do strike through so everything in brackets read as strike through.

I’ve lived in a terraced Edwardian house, a large old detached one with huge garden, and now in a (rabbit hutch) modern cottage, with a (tiny) gem of a garden, front and back, on an (estate) development. It’s very well designed, has two double bedrooms, and a large living room with floor to ceiling windows + patio doors across the length of one wall.
Kitchen is compact, but with built in dishwasher, fridge freezer and washing machine with plenty of cupboards and work surfaces. It’s light, airy, contemporary, and warm inside. Downstairs cloakroom, en-suite and bathroom upstairs.
It’s already developing character. Parking for two cars and no through traffic.
It’s perfect for my needs at this time in my life, as have the other houses been.
I feel very fortunate.

I nearly bought a new build on my previous house purchase until I found out that you cannot reconfigure the inside because once you meet newbuild building regs you cant make the inside non compliant again.

So where the house had a large downstairs toilet you arent allowed to get a shower put in that room, as new build downstairs toilets need space for a wheelchair.

Illogical because a wetroom shower there would have allowed for the option of ground floor living had we needed it..

In an older house that doesnt meet newer regs anyway you can do more like we fitted a shower room and toilet that dont have wheelchair access and that was fine because there wasnt wheelchair access in the first place!

mine is like a modern cottage, rendered warm cream. It has a stone porch and stone cills and lintels. It is a balanced pretty house ie the front door is in the centre between two windows and the two front bedrooms have dormer windows with angled eaves above, I have a chimney. To my right is a garden fence which leads to another neat wall+fence at right angles, to my left is my drive with a big space before my neighbours house. There are roses on each side of the front. I am lucky, my house has plenty of character and I sometimes need to pinch myself, so glad to have settled here

I looked at a big development before buying this, not one of the bad ones, lots more houses on one development and they were nice in all honesty, didn`t look a bit like little boxes. If I were killing time and uncertain of my future, then I would go and see. They are so different to the new builds of a decade ago

This thread is so interesting. I have loved reading everyone’s views on new v old.

I prefer older properties for reasons already mentioned - bigger rooms and windows and non overlooked gardens.

Our first house was a new build which was easy to run but had no character.

If I’m honest this house is too big for us now it’s just the two of us, but I love living here.

We are on a lovely leafy road with other older detached homes and we all have large gardens. The downside is the heating costs. The large windows and patio door do mean that the house would horrify little crosspatch Greta as our fuel bills are undoubtedly higher than they would be in a new build !

We have done as much as we can re insulation though.

I can see the argument for new builds being easier and cheaper to run but so many of them look like rabbit hutches.

We can hear our joined on neighbours loud and clear. Fortunately we get on very well with them and the teenagers thumping downstairs and practicing their musical instruments doesn’t bother us.
We would move if they moved away and we got properly noisy neighbours or with a barking dog.
Doesn’t look like they are going to though fingers crossed