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.

1. One with a flat roof. Cost us a bomb last time with issues and leaks.
2. One on a main road. See above nightmare house - it would shake when a bus went past and was so loud and a layer of black dust stuck to everything inside.
3. One near a factory/works that had the potential for smells. The chicken factory sent a scent of death out once a month. Shudder.

Any property where my neighbour is a retired NHS therapist who used to work in community rehabilitation.

there is a difference between using something as an option to increase daily activity and saying that if you buy a bungalow you risk deterioration because you no longer have stairs......but as I said I retired because I got fed up with talking to idiots....especially ones who imply that I am a liar....that's usually a sign that the speaker has run out of factual argument.

Not too sure why you tagged me!

thank goodness!

@Funnywonder , I meant to @Notthepope .My apologies.

I speak from experience - shared parking at the back of the properties. Behind the garden.

shared parking in general
lots of rental properties as neighbours
Terraced housing
no access to garden
no gas
no mains sewerage
no shop or pub/ services
too remote

@godmum56 , you know all these idiots you were talking to...
there seems to have been a common denominator.

[Taylor Swift earworm]

I forgot the smoking or smells- you can never get rid of it.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/conditions/heart-health/eight-household-chores-that-will-improve-your-heart-health/

First on their list is : using the stairs.

If you do an AI search it explains why exercising the glutes on stairs is so important for overall health.

"Climbing stairs is highly beneficial for health, with studies suggesting that taking the stairs instead of the lift can cut the risk of early death by up to 24% and reduce the risk of fatal heart disease by 39%. This low-intensity physical activity strengthens leg muscles, improves cardiovascular health, and burns more calories than walking on flat ground. "

If you're using stairs multiple times a day it is good exercise.

A house where you’d never use the front door. Parking is round the back so everyone uses the back door. There are houses by us some new build some built in the 80s which have long paths to the front door from any parking.

Anything with a shared drive, or parking bays.
I also wouldn’t want to live in a city either,
I want fields within walking distance.

Nothing open planned
No downstairs bathroom
Driveway
Easy access to driveway - i.e no tight entrance to drive way

A lot of the newer estates have three storey houses now. Bigger houses on a smaller footprint means more money I guess.

Sounds great. None near me unfortunately (SE). Friend has one in Limerick in an 'exclusive small estate and have often thought it a shame there aren't more. Your explanation makes 💯 sense.

Yeah the development only has 4 5bed houses, the rest are all 3 and 4 bed. Mostly 4 bed. The 5 bed plot is slightly larger than the 4 bed one.

I lived in one…the size was good but I prefer a bungalow or two storey tbh. All
the stairs really aren’t great with small children (and there are a lot of young families in them as they’re often in newish estates). Our sitting room was upstairs so not great for get-togethers either as the reception space is separated out iyswim. But it’ll really depend on the family and what they need. Size was much better than a typical semi, one third more, and though it was more expensive it wasn’t 33% more expensive.

Washing machine is in a different room (like a utility bit) and the dishwasher is incredibly quiet, however we also tend to put it on when doing the school run etc rather than relaxing in the evening. That’s the one thing and it’s a positive and a negative - my kitchen is always very clean as I wouldn’t be able to relax if it were messy! But on the flip side… my kitchen is always very clean and tidy!

yes I personally don't understand the issue that oh no, you need to clean the kitchen then! Maybe I'm weird but I wouldn't be able to just close the door and relax on the sofa, if the kitchen was still a mess.

A listed building. Many look really beautiful but you’re so restricted on what you can do to them - even what I would consider general maintenance. And super expensive for the privilege!

Yes, this. Our last house was listed and the local authority people were anything but helpful, they made us wait a year before we redid the roof even though they'd said we must do it,

Our current property is open plan, but not at all draughty. It wouldn't have suited us when our children were at home, but now we're on our own it's ideal, though we do have a separate small room for my husband and his music.

Anything without a front garden. I want a buffer between me and the street. There's so many houses near me that have front doors opening right onto the street.

One that doesn’t have its own parking and a proper drive way. Many new builds only have a one car space.

A house with designated parking, always trouble

A house with a shared garage roof. This caused us a complete nightmare as the neighbour refused to mend her roof.

A house with no hallway and rooms that lead off each other

A house on a main road