Would you buy a house with single glazing? Help me decide which house

[bananamonkey]

I have totally lost all perspective :(

We accepted an offer on our flat, found somewhere we liked, all was proceeding well till our buyers started messing us around and pulled out. We lost the house we were trying to purchase.

Now we have a new buyer and need to find a new house, there's not as much on the market now as a couple of months ago. We've seen 2 houses this week that we like but I can't decide which one I like more.

1. [Link removed at OP's request]
   

This street is not so pretty although it's in a great area, is in great school catchment, has 3 generous bedrooms and just has a lovely feel to it.

1. [Link removed at OP's request]
   

On paper this looks like my dream house but it didn't grab me as much as I thought it would and I just don't know why. DH loves it but likes both houses. This has fantastic living space downstairs (an extra room vs. house 1), is on a prettier street in the same area as house 1, is not in the great school catchment but in a decent one. The small 3rd bedroom and single glazing are putting me off though. It wouldn't have been so bad but the bedrooms had additional plug-in heaters in them and there was black mould in the bathroom which set off alarm bells. Is this house going to be drafty and damp? It's right at the top of our budget so we couldn't afford to get new windows and I'm anxious about the money as it is.

We've seen so many houses now I have house blindness!

[bananamonkey]

"drafty"? Don;t know what happened to my spelling there

[MaggieJoyBlunt]

I did. Huge expensive-to-replace sashes in a conservation area.

Complete nightmare. Always cold in winter; Heating bills huge.

Don't do it.

[MaggieJoyBlunt]

Are they counting the dressing room as a bedroom?

It isn't and it's tiny and so is the box room

[Belleview]

We have very old windows, single glazing, and have never thought about it, they're absolutely fine.

Both houses are lovely. The second one is prettier with a better outlook from the garden! I think. It's quite cluttered somehow which is a bit off putting and makes the first house seem calmer and easier to be in.

[bananamonkey]

I think so, I'm not though, it's definitely just a dressing room/part of main bedroom.

The box room is tiny and is also putting me off.

Thanks, you are confirming my fears about the windows. We currently have single glazing in a conservation area, it's not even that bad in our flat, the walls are super thick and the central heating good so the only problem is a bit of condensation but I still hate it.

[addictedtosugar]

Both really nice houses.
Replacing those sash windows will be ???.
Black mould could just be lack of extraction.
But for the space, ? and catchment, I'd go for house 1: after all, you only see the outside of the house for a minuite or two each time you enter/leave. You have to sit inside for much longer.

[Belleview]

I've never been in a house without single glazing. I guess I have no idea what I'm missing!

[MaggieJoyBlunt]

It would put me off a vendor a bit that they were allowing the EA to misrepresent the bedroom count, TBH.

What else could they be shady/grabby about once you are locked in a chain and trying to complete?

[RiverTam]

Both look lovely. Sash windows are phenomenally expensive to teave if you don't go for nasty upbc replacements, we were quoted £3k per window (though this is in London where both those houses would cost pushing £1million).

[Belleview]

The Gloucester street one contradicts itself, says 4 bedroom in header, then three, in blurb.

It's obviously only 3, and a dressing room sounds a fab bonus.

[senua]

Go for House 1.
It has proper-sized bedrooms. It is a better catchment area. You could always create that extra downstairs space, if you wanted (just copy the other house's design!)

[Belleview]

Heh heh Tam that explains my ignorance about the joys of double glazing. I live in London in an area of 1k+ houses. We all have single glazing!

[bananamonkey]

I get what you are saying about the clutter Belleview - I did find it harder to see myself living there and that's probably the reason for it.

TBH house 2 has had a lot of interest as it's v flashy and this area is really competitive (houses normally get sold in a weekend), I can see it going for at least the top end of the guide and that makes me a bit uncomfortable as it's close to our max budget.

Thanks for all the opinions, we want to buy a house there we can start a family and stay in for a good amount of time so am v nervous about making the right choice, especially as this is my first purchase (DH bought our current place before we met).

[mandy214]

I don't know the area at all, but will give you my input on the single glazed windows. We lived in a very similar house for 2 years - 2 winters and it was extortionate to heat (particularly if you have children) and in one particularly cold spell, we had ice on the inside of the windows. I would factor in the cost of replacing the windows / having some sort of secondary glazing in the long term if you do decide to go for Number 2.

[senua]

The central location of the chimney in the Gloucester Road house is unusual. You don't get that cozying-up-around-the-fireplace effect and have you seen where they have had to put the TV (picture 4)?

[specialsubject]

laughing at the bathroom in house no 1 - half expected to see side by side toilets!

doesn't matter how big the bathroom is, unless you are all on VERY friendly terms it is one at a time if someone is using the toilet. Also that bath is really impractical with all the areas to clean round and underneath it that will be hard to reach.

house 2 looks much lighter although that could just be clever photos.

[VivaLeBeaver]

One option for the house with the mould is to put a positive ventilation system in the loft which will sort airflow and condensation out. Think they cost about 1k, bu then on top of the cost of replacing windows in the future it adds up.

I don't think the box room is that small. It's only a bit smaller than our third bedroom which we use as an office but previous owners had a 16yo living in it.

Which one grabs your heart? Which one would you be most upset about if you were told it's sold? Can you live with the windows for a coup,e of years while you save up?

[SqueezyCheeseWeasel]

No 2 is beautiful but it is largely style over substance. I'd buy no1 and do it to a similar style but with more practical space and layout.

[Belleview]

Harping on about the windows...hmm well. I m a Londoner so maybe I don't know much about cold weather. How cold is Norwich? My solution would be thick curtains and a thermal vest!

About your nerves, it seems to me that both houses are lovely. Neither would be a poor choice.

If I really didn't have a preference between two houses, I'd go for the one that would get my children into the better catchment area. Sometimes a deciding factor to tip the balance is useful!

[SoupDragon]

House 1 gets my vote.

[SoupDragon]

My reasons are nothing to do with single glazing - that is irrelevant I think.

The upstairs layout of house 2 is small and cramped. I guess you could go up into the loft like house 1 but you say it's already at the top of your budget. There really isn't a 4th bedroom in house 2 as it is only accessible through the master bedroom isn't it? Assuming they mean the dressing room.

You can easily change house 1 cosmetically slowly and without spending a fortune. You cannot change the "bones" of a house without major expense.

[SoupDragon]

Bedroom 3 in House 2 is small. Smaller than my box room and even with mine it's tricky fitting a bed and wardrobe in without filling the whole room.

[OliviaBenson]

English heritage have information about the thermal impacts of single glazing. Things like draft-strips and thick curtains can really help, without devaluing the property by ripping out the windows. But if they bother you that much, it's probably not the house for you. I prefer the second house because it doesn't have upvc windows, but it's a personal choice.

[Belleview]

A box room bedroom is a drawback. Who wants it? Nobody.

House 2 ... The kitchen sink is a long schlep away from the cooker, isn't it?

..............

House 1 is in the lead, OP!

[Dinosaursdontgrowontrees]

I like house 1.