to be fed up with new builds having lounge diners and in built garages?

[mrscog]

We need to move house at some point in the next 12 months. At the moment we're just at the browsing right move stage, although would move if the correct property came up.

We quite fancy a new build but nearly all the ones I see have inbuilt garages (absolute waste of space in my opinion, we'd be looking to convert it in to more living space asap and just keep cars on the drive and 'household detritus' in a garden shed) and (even worse) lounge diners.

Lounge diners are a pile of fucking shit with a toddler distraughtly looks at carpet stained with sweet potato and yoghurt under the antilop. I want a nice kitchen diner which can be a social space and also have an easily cleaned floor. I know I could put a mat under the high chair in the lounge but it makes the room look even messier than it already is and it's harder to hoover. I hate the fact that the lounge is also a blooming dining room as a result we never eat at the table as the lure of TV slob eating is just too much. I thought kitchen dining was 'in', so why are all the developers near me not building them????

Even 'old builds' are somewhat lacking with this issue.

AIBU to feel positively murderous over this?

We moved into a new build in June. Have a lounge and a separate kitchen diner and the garage is separate to the house. sorry don't mean to sound smug. Do you have to buy anew build

Totally agree. And what's with massive ammounts of en suites? Who wants a house with 5 toilets? !

Some designs are better than others, but they seem to be the mist expensive ones of course.

Most of the new builds near us have kitchen /diners , I thought 'sociable' kitchens were the in thing .

Who requires more than a downstairs wc, main bathroom and ensuite? I agree too many bathrooms in newbuilds. The ones I had a nosey in, have living, dining kitchens and a seperate lounge.

YY Turkey I have suspiciously noticed that the most expensive ones have the best layout. Layouts that would still work in smaller proportions. I do think it could be a marketing ploy but if so that makes me even more murderously angry!

ChoudeBruelles no, we don't have to go for NB, but the kitchen diner phenomenon is not hugely establish in the rest of the housing stock either.

I can see we may end up having to buy with the potential for kitchen diner then build one ourselves.

Try looking at social housing new builds! With a few notable exceptions, the ceilings barely skim your head, and the rooms are so small, surely nobody could actually fit both themselves and their furniture in. Kitchen/lounges are frequent (just a living room with one wall with white goods thrown against it). A lounge/diner would be a luxury!

It seems you have to look at older houses to see any decent sized, sensible rooms...

Architects! Planners! Councils! Arghhh!

Oh and YY to the bathroom thing too - I HATE cleaning bathrooms the fewer the better really.

does it ave to be a new build for your family????

Ensuite bathrooms - me also, I don't really get them. Its like poo-ing next to your bed.

I have just sold my house - new build, three years old, double fronted 3 bed detached with separate garage and a HUGE kitchen diner - they do exist

have

id love a en-suite but with bath there all showers,not that i can afford to move

Mines a new build. We bought it Jan 2011. It's a kitchen/breakfast room, separate diner and separate lounge. Garage is separate under a coach house flat.

You can get them!

truestory that is rubbish isn't it. I suspect it pains the architects as much as the purchasers - I bet they didn't go in to their profession to build postage stamps.

Apparently a lot of the blame lies with John Prescott who when in power increased the minimum density of houses on a plot - which is why you get lots of 2 bed flats with only 1 parking space.

Look at older houses and conversions?

Despairing at the planners will get you nowhere! Tis the major housebuilders, and very poor national design standards that are at fault. Not enough housing stock, so very little ability to force a change in layouts through real choice. Newbuilds are crap, generally

I see a few people have beaten me to my pet hate about new builds - why so many bathrooms?? I'd rather have a decent sized bedroom that takes a bed, wardrobe and a couple of chests of drawers with space to walk around than a poky room with a claustrophobic inside bathroom with a tiny shower cubicle

I am currently looking and am gobsmacked at the amount of ensuites going! One development had tiny bedrooms and so I asked if it was bought off plan could the builders leave out the ensuite and I'd have it as a dressing room. I was told no and asked why I would not want an ensuite. I told the woman that taking a poo that close to my bed would surely make my room stink and given that I only had one backside that 1 pot would surely suffice! And given the fact that I would have to walk from my bed into another room, that I was capable of doing the same just down the landing! Needless to say my friend was a tad pink after that conversation! IMO it is more to clean!

Um, sorry, but I much prefer lounge-diner to kitchen-diner. Maybe they're building all the new houses for me?

When I have people over for dinner my kitchen looks as though a bomb's hit it. The idea of tidying it to the point where I'd be prepared for guests to eat in there fills me with dread. Plus they'd hear all the panicking about whether or not things are cooked/dropped on the floor/in any way edible.

One of us cooks in the kitchen, the other entertains in the massive lounge-diner, which is conveniently big enough for kids to run up and down all day wearing themselves out.

Ah, I can see how they're tolerable in a long set up -jean (even though you won't change my mind).

Yes yes! The number of new builds we discounted because every bedroom had an ensuite. Add to that family bathroom and downstairs loo, it's the stuff of nightmares. Cleaning a bathroom is the worst job ever, and the thought of cleaning 5 plus just leaves me shaking. Urghhhhhhh.

If it makes you feel any better, the architects agree with you, but sadly the agents and developers don't. Agents have the misguided belief that a garage is an essential, and as such developers sacrifice living space to accommodate that. They also work to minimum space standards often, which is why you end up with a living/kitchen/diner. If you split that up, the rooms would be too tiny to use. My DH spends a lot if time moaning about how depressing it is to loose quality living space to allow for a car to be put inside...
There is also the thought that people like to be able to "convert" a garage, which seems frankly ridiculous. Surely people would prefer to have well designed space to start with.

Higher end developments (so the more expensive end of the market) tend not to stick to such rigorous space minimums, and so manage to have both better living space and garage.

As for the number and size of WCs sometimes this is to do with making them "lifetime" homes which allow for you to grow old/ disabled and continue to live there. They also often have to have a place that can have a lift installed if necessary.
Other times its just the agents telling developers what sells...

I don't like a lot of new builds, but mainly due to a lack of space. In terms if layout developers spend an awful amount trying to perfect the arrangement to make it as sellable as possible. It is the layout they think will appeal to as many people as possible. The problem is that most developers come to the same conclusion so layouts are all very similar, and if you don't like it there's not much you can do other than not buy new build.

Would love an open plan with more than one fucking bathroom.

Ooh mootime that's insightful. And yes I'd rather not have to fork out to convert a garage, I'd rather just have an extra reception room from the word go!

Well at least we've got a year. I have a feeling this is going to be a tough search! (and yes we're looking at both new and old builds)

It's this one crappy lounge diner which really set off my murderousness :) It's not just the layouts fault though - we're limited on area, budget,schools etc.etc. At this rate I'll be calling Phil and Kirsty!