New builds - yay or nay?

[JoanApple]

Just that really...

[Cassimin]

I’d say nay.
There are some being built at the top of my road, they are behind a 7ft sandstone wall. We walked past before and noticed that the front of one of the houses is approx 8ft from the wall! How did no one notice when they were building it?
These houses start at 400k
I think they are just thrown up with no thought.
Friends have bought them elsewhere, parking always a problem, layout is strange, gardens flood, walls crack.
So it’s definitely a big nay from me.

[FTMF30]

No simply because you don't get much for your money in terms of space and, long term, I would find it a bit suffocating. Show homes are always dressed nicely but then, when you look closely, you'll notice things like the fact there is no wardrobe in some rooms and no room to fit them either.

All of the nice finishings in the house usually come at an extra cost unless you get everything basic.

I was dead set on getting a new build afew years back, but when it seriously came down to it, I noticed a lot of downsides. A plot of new builds were under construction during my height of interest. They all went quickly and a lot went up for sale at a fraction of the cost acouple of years later.

They do present beautifully though.

[eurochick]

No. Unless self-built.

Crap quality, small rooms, tiny gardens, usually crammed on to the plot so insufficient parking.

[Alexalee]

From a small local developer.. maybe
From a national housebuilding.... no chance

[JoanApple]

I just like the idea of not having to worry about the roof, windows, heating etc. One I'm looking at has driveway for 2 cars and good layout. I get they might be smaller, but so clean and no fuss?

[ramblingsonthego]

Not for me. I want someone else to do all the snagging and have the depreciation of a new house. I have friends who love them though.

I prefer a bit of character, although we are currently buying a 25 year old house which to me is a new build, and I am worried I won't settle as it has no features. It hasn't been touched in those 25 years though so I can add features and make it a home.

[Nutmegpapaya]

I think it depends!

We're in one now and love it but my "forever home" wouldn't be one.

We like ours now because it has high ceilings, a nice flow, an en suite, a downstairs loo, a garage and a 3 car drive. We were also able to afford it without needing to use the help to buy equity loan.

However the 4 bedrooms are a tad small and the garden isnt huge.

There's pros and cons - and some builders are better than others. For me it depends on housing stock in the area and who the housebuilder is.

[Alexalee]

Housebuilder

[GallusAlice79]

I say yay, but I'm in Scotland and from what I've read on here, new builds are over-priced in England. That's not the case here...if anything they are probably slightly less expensive than a similar sized house.

Also, its only a yay if you can afford a decent sized one. I love mine, 4 bed/4 bath detached...but the 3 bed semi's are tiny and most people are selling theirs and buying bigger. My neighbour said she was sucked in by the novelty but once that wore off she now can't see past how small it is.

[JoanApple]

It's a Bloor house?
Also lower bills, good insulation etc?

[Bringonspring]

We did for our first house. It was great because we used all our money in the deposit so nice not to worry about anything. Do use a snagging expert though!

[Findahouse21]

I think you need to take it on a case by case basis and consider your needs. We're currently buying one - all bedrooms in the show house had full size double beds and wardrobes in. Gardens are a large size and majority not overlooked. All have a double garage plus drive. So the often cited 'pokey and no parking' don't apply. I think it's like any house purchase - it's very individual to you and the house/development.

[Icantfindausername]

Not for me, I like older houses with a bit of character, new ones all look the same. My friend has a new build and she can hear her neighbours having a wee!!

[GallusAlice79]

The insulation is fantastic, our energy bills are tiny for such a large house. I loved the fact that the boiler, windows and roof were brand new...I can't be done with unexpected bills of thousands of pounds.

I love kitchen/diner and my utility room. And lots of toilets!

[JoanApple]

@GallusAlice79 Any snagging? can you hear neighbours?

[Lolaloveslemonade]

We bought our (older) house early 2000s when estates were going up all round us.
The ‘new’ estates haven’t aged well. Most houses have had new boilers, windows and fascias. Some just look tired.
Cheap materials are to blame and it really depends on who built them.
I’ve seen some gorgeous new homes recently.

[ChikiTIKI]

There's a large development near me that's been built over the last 5 years and recently finished. A lot of the homes have now gone up for sale again. I don't imagine I would buy a new built but who knows. The downsides I have heard from a short conversation with someone living in this new build estate are:

Company promised lots of little playgrounds etc and have been hassled for years until finally building them. Several of them are very naff and not something you would look at and think "that's a playground" at all... They've also had to be hassled for loads of other things like planting trees etc.

Narrow roads, parking problems. Whenever I see a parking thread on here I think, here we go, a new build estate I bet! The one near us has a few signs up which frustrated home owners probably made after arguments with their neighbours about their shared access driveways.

It can be nice that everyone moves in together and you can get more of a community feel. But it sounds like often a WhatsApp group gets set up and it's full of people moaning about the building company and posting pic sof suspicious looking people on the estate who are probably just normal people going for a walk.

Tiny gardens with high walls = dead grass and eventual mud bath. The land is often quite boggy as if the land was great for building on, I suppose maybe it would have been built in already.

Small rooms which can only be configured in one way. No storage space. Even radiators have no gap between radiator and wall in houses I've seen, creates more space but you can't dry a towel on the radiator which must be pretty frustrating.

Paper thin walls. They don't use breeze blocks.

Tiny windows. Although it's cheap to heat up the house, I've known people in new builds still have the heating on in May because they're cold. The windows are too small to let in much sun light at all.

[Devlesko]

Nay, everyone I know who had one said never again.

Very pokey, rubble less than a foot under their grass.
Too many rules (estate), lack of privacy, claustrophobic, not able to decorate for ages.
Internally not good quality.

[Itsalwayssunnyupnorth]

I live in one and it largely depends on the developer/builder and your requirements. Mine I actually bought ‘second hand’ (the guy that bought it new put it on the market after a couple of months) and this meant I got a very good deal. Mine has decent proportions and a decent finish (a couple of niggles but they have come straight out to sort when contacted). It’s certainly not our forever home but is doing the job while the kids are little and the location was the biggest draw as it’s exactly where we want to be and was the only way we could get there at the time. Had a 1930s semi before this house and in terms of running cost the new build is much less as it’s well insulated and energy efficient. Also things like for the next couple of years we know we should have minimal maintenance beyond getting the boiler serviced and cosmetic bits and bobs. When we bought the 30s house got caught out on day 2 with the boiler essentially exploding and damaging some of the (old) electrics and it cost almost £4000 to sort.

[FippertyGibbett]

Having bought one - nay.
I’m having a good solid Victorian house next time.

[SansaClegane]

It's not just that they're smaller and crap quality.
They're also usually in massive, soulless estates amongst same-looking houses, have no front gardens, tiny back gardens, as good as no distance to the neighbouring houses (even the 'detached' ones barely have more than a foot between them) and next to no storage space inside.
Unless it's a self-build or a very small (

[pilates]

No

[Cuthbert1]

No for me. I can see why new builds appeal (convenience - everything new - no chain - supposed "deals" making it easier to buy). But you often pay for that in space and build quality. And I'd worry about selling it on in a few years' time when it's no longer "new" but all the negatives are still there.

[SplunkPostGres]

I’m buying one but only because it’s in an area with the very restricted development and this was allowed due to affordable housing units, local housing etc and also a few eco houses. I also need help to buy, as my deposit is currently only 15,000.

Alternative would be to keep saving but I’d need another 45,000 (circa 5 years savings) to buy a house of equivalent value. And I’d be paying rent for another 5 years.

It’s not my dream house but it will get me on the housing ladder. And I’ll keep saving to pay off the help to buy element when my fixed term mortgage ends after 5 years.

[perfumeistooexpensive]

New build every time. Up to date insulation, new boiler, double glazing, fabulous bathrooms and lovely kitchen. Parking. I've had a beautiful Victorian house. Lovely features, but despite putting in brand new central heating, we were cold all winter. The roof had to be completely replaced. The windows rotted. Gas, electrics, plumbing all dodgy. On road parking with my car damaged and stolen.