What type of house would you never buy?

[PinterandPirandello]

Just looking at a thread where properties are being recommended for £750k. One of the houses was completely open plan downstairs which we would hate as a family. Dh likes to sit at the kitchen table and have the radio on (loudly), dc like to game and I like to watch telly in peace. Plus the dishwasher and washing machine on. So we prefer at least a couple of separate rooms. However, I can see open plan could work with small kids but I’d still want private space.

The closest you’ll get is a final fantasy soundtrack will that do? ☺️

One where the rear garden (must be private, not overlooked) does not face south or near enough south. Love all day sun when we have it.

A new build. They are destroying the countryside and farmland, and I don’t want to contribute to that.

I have to have a house (and I've been very lucky so far) that has a garden that overlooks onto open space. I'm not a huge fan of open plan but like spacious rooms.
I am very lucky that I live in a house very much "tucked away" in an urban area, it used to belong to Robert Maxwell and was where he used to take his (ahem) "visitors"!

Listed

Thatched

Listed, thatched, remote. Steeply sloping garden (we have one); a breath-taking view is its salvation. Small rooms, low ceilings, front door opening direct to the street or the pavement.

This feels like a thread that could offend some people, but here goes......

I would never buy a terraced house. Potential of noise from both sides.. And they never seem to have a front garden/are almost always 6 feet from the road,

Although...... The ones that were built pre 1930s are very solid and well built, and some people I know live in them, in Shrewsbury, Chester, and London, and Colchester, and they have been there several decades, and many of them have always been happy. They say they rarely hear the neighbours, and the back gardens are big/long (like 150 feet,) and they love the Victorian feel to their home. Many have cellars too.

A friend of mine bought a terraced house in Shrewsbury in 2012, (2 bedroom house, and quite small.) with a view to moving after 5 years and when they had a baby. But they love it so much - lovely town, everything they need, not far from train station, close to Welsh border, but not far from other big towns, and lovely neighbours, so they have stayed put. I would still not move into one though LOL.

I would never buy a flat either. Not being snobby, I would live in one, but wouldn't buy.....

Anything open plan.... No. For all the reasons listed by others.

A dormer style house (like on this pic.) Pretty, but tiny poky bedrooms that you can barely fit furniture in. Especially wardrobes! Also, the big roof causes endless maintenance issues! (And they often get birds/birds nests, and bats in them.)

Another one, house with a shared drive. For obvious reasons.

Absolute No -
Terraced, Semi, Solid walls, Electric-only heating (e.g. Air Source Heat Pump), Main road (or road off a main road), near a shop or pub, Open-plan, shared drive, plastic lawn, concrete back garden, black/grey window frames and door/garage door, Pebble-dash or rendering, visible/obvious CCTV cameras, "panelled" interior walls, Not on mains Gas, No mains Drainage, Leasehold, Listed building, in a Conservation area, TPOs on trees on the boundary, really big trees within the boundary, near a river/flood plain, on a sloping site, more than 2 storeys, no integral garage, laminate flooring, fewer than 3 toilets.

and finally

anything that someone has tried to ponce up for sale, and failed miserably - bad paint job, botched bathroom regrout, wonky wallpaper...actually, any wallpaper.

That's all I can think of, off the top of my head. 🤔

eta, anything that has had Planning permission and not Building Regulations.
Absolutely no loft conversions, kitchen extensions, garage conversions.

A friend of his daughter, perhaps? 😮

It would be a terrible idea to have more regulation telling people what they are allowed to do inside their own houses. Do you think people in modern houses shouldn't be allowed to put in a period fireplace? Should someone unable to afford to move be forced to live with draughty old wooden sash windows and all their upkeep because you don't like the look of an efficient uPVC replacement?

After reading this thread, I’m worried I’m never going to sell my house! It’s a 7 year old semi, open plan L shape kitchen, living, dining. But….we do have 4 double bedrooms with amble storage, 3 bathrooms, downstairs loo, 2 car drive & not overlooked. I’d love it if I had young children but open plan isn’t fun for 4 adults. Different strokes for different folks I guess. We’re on the market at the moment & looking at Edwardian or Victorian properties, original features are a must for me!

I have got hardwood window frames. 30 years old and still going strong

A house on a main road - not cat friendly!

again, a lot of that can be rectified if the price is right!

No thatched roofs, near a river/waterway, semi or terrace, or with stairs or poky rooms. No grey windows or on a large estate or fully open plan or miles from civilisation! Probably why we’ve never found anything to move to 😁

Came on to say this. I need my space!

Anything that wasn’t detached
Anything with more than 2 storeys
Old and in need of renovation
Anything without a garden and parking

New build is my preference

I would not buy a house with very small cramped living space downstairs. I also like reasonable sized bedrooms and more than one ensuite. Just makes it easier for guests like parents when they come to visit. I would only buy a detached house, really can’t deal with neighbours too close! And obviously one which has a drive to park atleast 2 cars!

A flat or any property that has a leasehold or service charge.
Completely open plan living/kitchen.
A house without a bath.
A house without a garden.
On a very busy/noisy main round Right next to a commericial building like a warehouse/garage / pub etc
It is was attached to a very run down property
And probably anything that required very major renovation

I wouldn't buy a house with bi fold doors again unless there was a window to the side which you could open for fresh air.
We've had both double bi folds and triple bi folds and they look fabulous pushed open but are freezing, effectively a whole wall removed to the elements unless it is really warm .
Our triple ones you could have one panel open, but it was either open and flapping when the wind picked up, or wedged open with a doorstop which didn't look great.
When closed I used to feel like i was living in an hermetically sealed box.
I'm sure the modern "sliding into each other ones" address this though.
I'm a bit "0ff " new houses.
I have always loved the quirky, big mid century 60's UK houses with their mad sloping roofs and huge rooms with usually very generous windows.

Yes - bathrooms must be large enough for both freestanding bath and walk in showers with large windows
Anything not detached

We are just looking at downsizing. My must haves are parking, privacy, detached, utility room, space in the kitchen for both a table and chairs and a sofa. Oh and a downstairs loo. Not bothered about how many bedrooms or sitting rooms.

Upside down houses, the ones with living rooms upstairs and bedrooms downstairs, mid terrace house (noise) converted chapels, even when it's been converted they still look like draughty chapels, ultra modern, souless homes where the kitchen looks like a morgue and the hallway has glossy floors like a hotel reception.

I was brought up in a 60s UK house with mad sloping roofs and a huge living room with massive floor to ceiling, wall to wall (single glazed) windows at both ends. It was always cold, even after my parents had central heating and double glazing installed. I still love the look of it but wouldn't choose to live in it.