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.

An open plan layout, a three storey, a house where the front door opens into the living room, or where the front door opens directly onto the street. My ideal would probably be a detatched bungalow in a quiet cul de sac with a small, easy to manage garden and parking.

couldn’t live in any of the above
You could, but you wouldn't choose to.

I live in a parking permit area. It's fine apart from the CFs who park about a metre away from a dropped kerb. They usually have long cars so take up the space of three small hatchbacks.

Double height lobby - what a waste of space and energy
A house with really narrow rooms. I saw one the other day where the living room was 9ft wide. Like living in a corridor.
A house where the bathroom or utility backs onto the garden. Our first house was like this and it was brilliant with small kids - bathe them and keep an eye on dinner at the same time. But now they are grown I want doors onto the garden. It's such a wasted opportunity to block the best view.

I would never think of going to the bedroom to listen to music. All our records and CDs are in the living room with the stereo, and I wouldn’t want to keep them in the bedroom. If one of us wants to listen to music and the other wants to watch TV, then they would watch TV in the dining room.

Also who cleans all that glass? That’s all I can think about!

When we were looking for our current house the main non-negotiable was that there had to be on-drive parking. And a second loo.

However, you might be able to fit in a second loo somewhere but you can't do anything if there's only on-street parking. So the parking is the main thing for me. Which is a shame because a lot of city centre terrace houses have no parking but are lovely houses.

I would never think of going to the bedroom to listen to music

I grew up in a house with a big kitchen & two separate reception rooms. I still went to my bedroom to blast my music as did my siblings.

We have friends who have like a cathedral style ceiling and most of it is glass. A seagull shat on it the first week they moved in. It's supposed to be 'self cleaning glass' but its really NOT. And as they live opposite the beach they have seagull poo more often than not. I really feel for her as it upsets her alot and it was meant to be their dream forever home.

One with no utility room or downstairs/second loo. Laundry in the kitchen and the noise of the washer in the sociable space would irritate me. Once you've had a downstairs loo you don't want to live somewhere that doesn't.

If I saw a lovely house I would forgo the off-street parking. I live in the house, not the car.

Definitely need a utility room! Spend more time in mine than I do in the lounge.

Would never have doors/windows directly onto street or common areas.

A flat. DH and I bought a beautiful Edinburgh flat 35 years ago. Soon after everyone in the block was given bill of £Kseveral to replace the roof and repaint the stairwell. We were young, broke and couldn't afford it!

Leasehold.

But do you want to now? Kids playing loud pop music in their bedroom was a thing (and I played loud Handel etc) but to socially listen to music one wants the equipment downstairs. In which case at least one room needs to be separate.

Major no:
Terraced
Victorian or Edwardian
Located in a 'leafy suburb'
Located on an urban road of identical houses
Located on a busy road
Overlooked
North facing garden
Small garden
No garage
No driveway
No downstairs bathroom

A house where the front door opens into the living room. Stairs in the living room. Lived in a house where the stairs were in the living room and it was so difficult to get the living room warm whereas the landing was always lovely and warm.

Any house that is not really really light. Hate small windows and dark houses. Could never live in a house where you have to have a light on during the day. DH's parents living room and dining room were so dark they always had the light on and I found it so depressing

Not a chance.
I also forgot to add - lack of kerb appeal.

Thatched, no parking, north facing garden, open plan kitchen-sitting room, no utility room, v small windows

A modern house. (Grand designs type modern houses MIGHT be OK, but I wouldn’t be able to afford the house or the upkeep, and a lot of them have huge open plan areas downstairs which I don’t like at all.) I like Victorian or Edwardian houses - highish ceilings and reasonably sized rooms. When I got divorced, everyone said to me, oh you will need a modern house because there’s so much less upkeep, so I looked at lots of them, and they seemed to be sold by the square inch and I ended up in my current house which was built in 1901 - lots needed doing, but I love the fact that it has a decent sized garden and wasted space - there’s a bit at the top of the stairs just for nothing where I have a big chest of drawers, for example. I’m sure anyone buying my house would take a bit off the end of the landing to make an en-suite, but I love the light from having a big window each end.

Another vote against open plan. Apart from the noise etc. Where do people go if they want a quiet 5 minutes? In a house with separate kitchen, dining room, living room there's normally somewhere to go for a bit of peace. I assume people go to their bedrooms but I wouldn't always want to do that. Or the loo?

An ancient, listed, money pit type house. I grew up in one and my mum still lives in one and my brother rents another from her. Any work you need doing takes an age cos you have to get planning permission and the right sort of council approved builder/contactor etc. It cost a fortune cos it was so old, something always needed doing, no holidays, luxuries, treats cos all my parents money was poured into the bloody house. I am all for character and period pieces but for the love of God don't buy a house that is always going to need some kind of work. We were lucky in a sense as there was a local builder who specialised in old buildings and we used him for everything and got to know him very well. When we wanted to remodel the top of the garden to create a parking area we had get a small sample wall made so the planning guy could see what we planned to do and make sure it was the right kind of stone and lime mortar and we were told he had to reuse as much of the existing stone as possible so taking the existing wall was a nightmare as we had to at least try to preserve the stones to be reused in the new wall.

They have lounge areas on other floors of the house - problem solved and fabulous views to enjoy

I live in a detached house with parking. The council have put in a cycle lane which includes great slabs of concrete in the road, either side of my dropped kerb (now wishing we had paid to extend this). It's a busy main road (price of living in a large Victorian house) and to get out of my house I must now throw my car into the traffic, halting both lanes (and even my intrepid driver sons will not reverse in for any money!). Previously I could edge out and position myself beside the kerb so not stopping anyone much. Also, one of these days I may rip off the exhaust. Almost no cyclists use the cycle lane, some who do ride in the wrong direction of traffic and last night an idiot nearly ran my dog over (on lead, under control, little white dog) riding on the pavement with no lights and wearing black.
Council is not very popular on this road - and don't get me onto the bollards!

One with a water meter.

Townhouse
anything not detached
anything listed
anything without a garden
anything where the garden is overlooked
anthing where the front door is straight onto the pavement

anything without my own easy parking and room for a visitors car
anything without an ensuite and a family bathroom

I am getting to the stage now where if i do move, I won't have stairs either.

and yes I am lucky to be able to be so choosey

Anything leasehold.

love my water meter, it has saved me a fortune