Home extensions

Apologies, Home became Hone.

Allsorts I totally agree, my recent house move was prompted by increase in traffic, car parking and hideous transformation of lovely family semis into ‘mansions’ with huge extensions, and high metal fences and gates around the front gardens within which were parked huge SUVs. I couldn’t put up with the constant building works around me anymore so here I am in a fairly new build and it’s peaceful with plenty of space and quiet.

Probably in a minority or too easy going - but live and let live. Two properties in my small cup de sac are about to undergo radical building work, but all the neighbours are quite happy about it.

Developments near me are all 30+ years old and ready for improvement anyway.

I’m interested that you feel you’ve had to move to get away from things - probably the best decision for you.

I dont think it is the future.
But we shall see.

Someone I know who knows about such things, said that large developments are now being bought up by pension companies. And then they rent out the houses.
That the day of private individuals buying houses, doing up their properites, and building their own houses, has gone.

That the future is people renting, as they cant afford to buy.
The housing market being much more like Europe is currently.

I agree to a point but it can be satisfactory.
I live in an estate with the oldest houses being 50 + years old and the later stage 30+ years.
Over time people have extended and altered fronts so that houses look individual rather than whole roads of houses looking identical.
The roads originally had mixes of semis, three bedroom, four bedroom and just half a dozen bungalows so not regimented.
There is just one, unfortunately within my sight which does not conform to the pattern of looking good but that is the only one.
The owners are a lovely couple , just rather odd design ideas.

Georgesgran if you've lived with building sites next door,opposite and within a few houses that has gone on for 7yrs on and off with the noise,disruption, mud and lorries on the roads and the constant dust, try sitting in your lovely garden in Summer to relax while constant drilling, radios blare and shouting goes on you might have an inkling of how bad it was.

fancythat

I dont think it is the future.
But we shall see.

Someone I know who knows about such things, said that large developments are now being bought up by pension companies. And then they rent out the houses.
That the day of private individuals buying houses, doing up their properites, and building their own houses, has gone.

That the future is people renting, as they cant afford to buy.
The housing market being much more like Europe is currently.

Completely disagree. If people could not afford houses the prices would come down.

Yes, some financial institutions see residential property as a good investment - they always have. But on every building estate I have seen, the houses are being sold to individuals.

There were always a large number of people who could not afford to buy houses. That is why, until the 1980s, a third of all households rented council properties.

All that has happened is that public ownership of rented properties has now become private ownership of rented property and the children of many people who were able to buy their council house at a ridiculously low knockdown value, who would otherwise have followed their parents and been in council houses, now aspire to own properties, on incomes, the modern equivalent of their parents income, that mean this was rarely possible, except when people on these incomes were sold properties well below their rebuild value.

I sort of agree that extensions and block driveways don't enhance a property.

Coming from London where everyone does this out of necessity, I fell into the trap of doing something similar here in Devon, and regret it. Luckily I've decided not to go ahead with any more planned works. Less is more.

Good post MOnica, your last paragraph is spot on.

If someone buy a house, it is theirs to do as they wish within the bounds of legalities and planning rules.

tanith

Georgesgran if you've lived with building sites next door,opposite and within a few houses that has gone on for 7yrs on and off with the noise,disruption, mud and lorries on the roads and the constant dust, try sitting in your lovely garden in Summer to relax while constant drilling, radios blare and shouting goes on you might have an inkling of how bad it was.

This is my daughter's life- her neighbours never stop except when they go away on holiday. There ought to be a bye-law preventing this year round torture and restricting buildings works to a number of weeks per year.