Hate my new house, how soon can I move?

[Toosoon12345]

Post divorce I rented for a year and then got desperate to buy. I wanted a haven when I could recover and look forward to making my own.

I very nearly bought a new build but they weren’t due for completion for almost a year. I then got talked into buying a 3 bed Victorian end of terrace by my adult children.
Viewed it several times in the glorious warm Spring we had and must admit didnt scratch too far below surface.

Moved in July 2025 and soon as weather turned felt I’d made a huge mistake.

The house is freezing, even with CH and wood burner. My heating bills are huge.
There is virtually zero insulation and although I’m looking into getting a grant that’s not quick.
Sash windows at front all need replacing. Cheap flimsy ones were out in years ago and all rotten.
2 of the bedrooms are in the roof space and I isn’t actually a proper room - it’s more of a huge mezzanine and needs work to box it off.
There is some damp in the front lobby which concerns me as there is no obvious cause.

All expensive stressful work and I feel so overwhelmed especially doing it in my own with a very limited spare time or budget.
really regretting my decision and seriously considering just sticking it back on market and buying a modern house. Just feel so stupid

when I say adult they are at university

You can move as soon as you like if you can afford another move so soon.

In my experience, houses are a long game. The weather is miserable at the moment and everything feels worse.

I would look at the quick wins, but it all depends on your budget, whether you are able to do any of the work yourself, and whether the price you paid took account of the things that need doing.

I would probably start with the windows, at least that way you may be able to minimise the loss if you sell quickly.

Same as you OP. Viewed in glorious Spring, moved in during the hot Summer and cried during Winter. I am absolutely freezing despite throwing £300 a month at just heating.

I've already decided I'm putting it up for sale in March. It's fixable but beyond my purse or abilities.

Can you afford to put it back on the market ? I love the look of Victorian Terraces but grew up in one and can sympathise with how bloody cold they can be.

Deep breaths!

I feel your pain. We moved from a warm, insulated house with an ASHP to a Victorian house with no insulation, huge single glazed sash windows and a gas boiler. The house never gets above 18C in winter.

However, unlike you we love the house, just not the temperature! Here are some things we've done to improve it

Thermal curtains over every window apart from the bathroom. They really help keep the room warmer. You can buy thermal linings to hang separately if you can't afford new curtains.

Secondary glazing over the worst windows. We put ours up in November and take it down in March. We use a magnetic system with perspex. It cost about £100 per window but is totally worth it. I would definitely replace the worst windows if you can l.

A big fleecy throw thing over us when we are sedentary watching TV or whatever in the evenings.

We also wear layers. I've got a pair of wool.slippers which are brilliant for keeping my feet warm, and I wear merino socks. Both DH and I wear merino undershirts - they are pricey but worth it. And you don't have to wash them very often.

The first winter we really suffered but we are now in our third winter in the house and have adjusted.

Focus on what you like about the house, why you moved there in the first place. And think about the costs - all the things I've suggested will cost you a lot less than moving.

I really hope you learn to love it.

Oh gosh … It’s a shame you allowed your young adult kids with no life experience to guide you into buying your current place.

If you can afford to move, do so. Spring is coming, houses will come onto the market. Sign up with Rightmove and start assessing and looking at the market.

In my experience, high ceilings means all the heat rises upwards and your feet freeze! I hate them. Wood burners are useless and rooms in a loft space need to be properly insulated and developed by installation experts.

Try to make an exit plan. Look at buying a second hand new build where everything’s been done like curtain tracks and poles, retro fit alarm, clean carpets, garden sorted out and modern insulation. That way someone else has done all the settling-in work so it’s better value.

Im sorry youre in this bit of a pickle. I hope it all works out.

Sorry to hear you feel the same. Yes mine is all fixable but what I’ve listed is without the all things I would like doing. It could also do with a new boiler and a new kitchen.
All major work

I could make a start with new windows
but is there any point if I’m going to put it back on the market? I’ve had a quote for £15k (whole house Upvc) which might make it more sellable but am unlikely to see it back.

I see how naive I was - I didn't want a project (been there too many times). I want a home that I don’t have to give too much headspace to and can just relax in. I should have been more sensible

I know I should have stood my ground - lots of complicated post divorce emotions (mine and DC) to handle at
that time.

I absolutely don’t blame them, it was ultimately my decision but I did allow myself to be swayed

I once put a house on the market the day I moved in. Accepted an offer the next day and moved out 6 weeks later.

you can do whatever you want to

For what reason?

Was it closer to them? More room for them? Did they like the house more?

I'd advocate for giving it a bit more time. Everything's new to you right now and the weather's grim. Your feelings might change with a bit of time.

Look at it rationally - If you could sell for the same price you paid, which would come out ahead financially? Changing the windows and the boiler or stamp duty and moving? And what if you had to sell at a small loss?

I'm sorry you're in this situation and I can see how it happened. I suggest making a decision and then following through without too much thought. Either do the work needed and stay, or sell up without doing any work. As pp said, do the sums on which would be more cost effective. But don't do a mixture of the two where you slowly do the work but end up selling next year anyway. That's just paying twice!

I bought a house in 2022 that I absolutely hated. It was very complicated and a lot going on beyond my control, I couldn’t see what had made us choose the house. I felt I’d bit off more then I could chew…and we’d moved area to about an hour away and I felt untethered. We had an awful builder that was supposed to be a friend rip us off, a new baby. But the house and the mistake I’d made buying it dominated my mind. Fast forward 4 years and it’s my home. It is certainly not all done (still only half a staircase with no carpet and lots of bare plaster walls) but I just feel like it’s my home. I’ve stopped second guessing. What I’m saying is maybe give it a bit more time—-could you see a summer out and then put on the market in the Autumn? It sounds you have had a lot of emotional upheaval that may mean you can’t see the wood for the trees. Could you sell and still afford to buy?

Given everything you've said I'd stick it back on the market and move somewhere you can be happy. I've just spent two years renovating a Victorian cottage. I enjoyed the process and love the house but it did take two years of my life and I would not do it again. Just as an aside, my house was a draughty, damp ruin when I moved in and with work it's now a snug, warm home.

My tips -

• Wait until spring when the house will be warmer, the garden will look better and the whole thing will look more inviting.
• Clean the house like crazy and make it look pretty but don't spend big money on things like windows, boiler etc. You won't get it back and the buyers might want different things to you.

Stick it back on the market and move on - it'll cost you less to move than the insulation, heating bills and dealing with the other problems an old build causes.

just site you have moved and found the house too big for you on your own

If your windows are rotten and need replacing then surely you would have known that when you bought the house from the survey? Same with the insulation.

Please don't say you didn't have a proper full survey on an old house.

I agree with all of this.

Coming from a new build to a end terraced cottage was a shock to the system. We also moved in Summer and the house was amazing. But come the winter we were shocked at how cold it was. Like @AnnaQuayInTheUk we got secondary perspex fitted to the windows which we add at the end of October and take down come Spring. VERY worth the money and you can't see its there but it makes a big difference. We fitted the whole house with insulated blinds that keep the drafts out in winter but keep the house cool in the hotter weather. They have been a godsend also.

We also have big cosy throws on the sofas, one each, that we cuddle under in the winter by the log burner. And we have invested in thermals.

We also dehumidify which keeps damp at bay and pulls moisture from the air and since we started using one a few years ago the house is noticeably warmer and less cold.

We love our house so we have adapted to it in the winter and manage now and we are fine. You could try some of these things while you wait to see if you can get a grant for insulation. You are almost at the end of the winter so you could try and make some changes over the spring and summer, gradually to spread the cost, and be ready to face next winter. At least you will know what you are up against next year.

Good Luck with whatever you decide to do.

I completely understand how you’ve ended up where you are. Please do NOT feel stupid. It’s a mistake any of us can make, especially with encouragement from loved ones.

This is what I would do. Immediately I would tidy and clean the house and get someone in to fix any easy jobs that would make a difference. Don’t sweat the big stuff, just make the house look lovely. Then sell it. Now is a good time to be putting a house on the market.

You need a newish house that doesn’t require much doing, other than you putting your stamp on it. Newer builds are warmer and require much less upkeep.

I’ve been looking at new builds and I’ve been put off for several reasons.

Good luck.

I would say give it a year. Resist spending much on it over the next few months and see how you feel once things have warmed up. If you're still not feeling it and you can afford to, put it back on the market. There is probably a bit of a premium you paid for the character, that you can cash in towards moving costs.

Friends of ours spent many weekends making good their beautiful Edwardian floorboards to show them off. Hours and hours of stripping, filling, polishing, waxing etc. Covered them over with carpet a year later because they'd been so cold and miserable with the bare floors. Thick underlay, woolen carpet, extra rugs on top. It helped a lot. Thick, thick generous curtains with thermal linings might also help a bit.

to add, I grew up in a house built in 1870 so understand the cold drafts rooms etc, we had thick curtains, sausage dogs, doors closed, etc but it was a cold house

I now live in a 1968s insulated home and its warm, the bill for December was £180 for both gas and electric (electric is about £45 of that) My dd lives in a 2024 built house and her bill for December was £90 for both plus she has the heating set to not go below 18 degrees.