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.

Same for us. Most people walk to that school next to us anyway. My dc don’t even go to it- we actually have 4 schools within walking distance and my dc go to a school in a village 11min drive away 🤣

I am getting a bit worried I’ll never be able to sell my house given the comments. I do love it though so that’s good.

It’s a detached new build with open plan kitchen, dining, sun room. But it does have a separate living room as well? Does that make it better for the open plan haters?

I’ve a big garden which is now overlooked on one side as they’ve finished the houses there since i moved in. I must admit it doesn’t bother me as much as I thought it might. I’ve a little private area with table and chairs that is private but only big enough for a couple of people while my large garden goes unused mostly.

Someone mentioned a grand designs style house with loads of glass. My brother and SIL bought something like this a few years ago. Looked wonderfully impressive but as soon as summer came, it was like living in a greenhouse. It was built with aircon installed and they quickly realised why - and now spend considerably more on energy in summer than in winter.

they dont seem to regret their purchase - and I admit it looks stunning- but I would hate somewhere that needed air con in a typical English summer.

they

a fixer upper, something with 'potential' to immediately live in and work on for the next 10 years. Would drive me nuts.
Terraced. Where I'm from, those are not even considered houses but flats.
With a million poky little rooms - I love open plan.

I was brought up in an open plan house. I loved it tbh. The kitchen, dining room and family tv room were all together and so as a family we were always together. I'd love to have that again, but this was in Australia where it is more common I think and also generally warmer. DH hates open plan. We are looking to move to Australia in 3 years and he is adament he wants a property as old as possible, and in the Victorian style as much as possible. That's mega bucks though.

...open plan kitchen, dining, sun room. But it does have a separate living room...
Yes, much better.

One with no parking. I have a drive for 2 cars but ideally I’d love one for 5 cars.
Not a new build. Apart from that I’m open to all/anything.
Currently live in a 2 bed bungalow. Only thing I hate about it is the kitchen is at the front I’ve always thought it “weird”

Any property where the bathroom(s) don't have natural light - this is probably my biggest 'thing'.

En suite bathrooms, unless there is another bathroom/loo on the same floor. I do not wish to hear my DH in there during the night (especially as he never flushes) and then have to use it myself.

Open plan downstairs - awful - I don't want to have to make conversation whilst I am cooking or looking at my PC.

Spiral staircases.

One can put walls back, I suppose, but the cost must be off-putting, and I don't understand why you would buy a house and make it open plan in this way rather than buy a newbuild that is open plan. DD lives in a large Victorian terrace. Two reception rooms at the front, with original cornice and ceiling roses and open fires. Kitchen is open plan a previous owner having knocked the kitchen into the scullery. DD has extended over the terrace outside which they did not use much. I like it but the garden is now very small, a grassy area and a terrace below (v. steep garden). Lovely view of the river and park beyond, however. DD no gardener so small garden no loss, I think!

Location is more important than anything else to me. As a Londoner you compromise a lot…

One with a small overlooked garden, no matter how nice the house. It’s one of the things that stops me moving. I can always find peace in the garden and lots of trees at the back. We have an average semi in the south-east suburbs so I don’t think we’d find that type of space elsewhere for the same price.

Oh yes - forgot about the parking! Parking on street would be ok unless it was always busy / had permits. I’d find that stressful and such a pain.

I think age makes a difference too, a lot of younger people prefer space to eat in a kitchen as opposed to a galley kitchen.

I’ve been considering this - I’m currently in a rural semi detached property. Lovely views, huge garden. I’m considering moving into a town at some point in the next decade as I get older.

I wouldn’t want a flat. I want a property with parking and a south or west facing garden. I wouldn’t want a three levelled town house and I wouldn’t want to be on a massive estate. Detached or semi not mid terrace.

No open plan properties.
Id want a hallway not a straight into living room house.
I wouldn’t want one of the tiny new builds that don’t have a proper size lounge or a tiny house with the downstairs toilet in the living room!

I wouldn’t mind a smallish house if it was just me but at least two bedrooms for family/friends to visit me.

Did no-one ever want to be alone? Or to listen to music while others watched TV?

New build. Never have enough storage. No garden and must have side access, a period house with upvc windows / doors

We did exactly this - we have a beautiful thatched cottage opposite us! They tend to be listed as well, so the maintenance of the whole thing is a pain, not just the thatch itself.

I don't think I could go back to on-street parking now, having had the benefits of a decent sized drive.

A semi or terrace. A house where I am overlooked . A house on a corner . Anywhere near a main road, garage, pub . A North facing garden house .

Is that not what bedrooms are for though?

I mean, beggars/choosers and all that - bit given a choice:
Absolute no to a recent new build. Soulless boxes with small rooms, no room for the actual kind of storage people need, not want (how many bedrooms get 'shown' forfeiting wardrobes for a massive headboard and lots of cushions?) They are usually little more than a metre apart if they are detached and the estates become massive car parks.

Open plan - I couldn't have the only sitting room in the kitchen - I like big rooms, but I also like doors!

More than one toilet! I lived in a newish building rental that whilst it was far too small for me and my 3 kids at the time - had 3 toilets. Now my 60's semi that I own only has one - and for 5 people over 10 years, well, you can imagine.

Privacy - I want a driveway and to not see or hear anyone else unless I choose to!

'Crazy' coloured fixtures etc would put me off buying unless I could afford to rip it out. Red gloss kitchens etc... or even tiling in large spaces.

Not that i can recall really. My dad loved classical music and he would have headphones if we wanted to watch tv.

I would never buy on a new build estate or live in an open plan house . Both fill me with horror 😂 we are not a tidy family so open plan would be hell and who wants to look at a kitchen when sitting relaxing !! Also new estates seem to be full of people who judge or make up silly rules imo .

A house with no parking. We only have a driveway for one car at the moment and we hate having to do the car shuffle as it is. Our next house must have a double drive or scope to create one. I cannot imagine driving home every day and living with anxiety about whether or not I am doing to be able to park

Agree with this.

No new builds.
No town houses.
No big glass box houses (think Grand Designs)
Nothing with a tiny over-looked garden.