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?

I think a downstairs toilet is an absolute must have . What amazes me is how many houses are built with the garden access off of the lounge and no access directly from the kitchen . Must be an enormous pain having to drag wet washing / dogs etc in and out from the garden through your main living area. My other bug bear is shared drives but that's a thread all of its own .

Oh no *Floral. you would hate my house.

No downstairs loo (2 toddlers potty trained without potties )
Garden accessed through Living Room (no dirty dogs though)
Shared drive.

It took us ages to find a house when we last moved !

You sound like one of those fussy types Floral. You need to go on Location Location Location

I love having a downstairs toilet, it is so much more convenient because you can tell the DCs not to use it so you have a clean toilet for you to us have one for visitors without them going upstairs.

I miss having a utility room though, I'd have one again at the drop of a hat but I'd never have a conservatory again - nasty horrible cold things.

Floral we have access to the garden from the kitchen but I still take the laundry out through the lounge because the doors are usually open if it is laundry weather whereas the kitchen door to the garden tends to have the bin in front of it.

My husband is actually worse than me ,unless I win the lottery I'm never moving again ! Fortunately we have a 4 bed detached in a decent area with a reasonable garden so shouldn't need to move .

I would love to build a house. I could have whatever I wanted then. I don't think i have ever been in a house where I loved everything about it.

I am underwhelmed by walk in wardrobes and ensuites.

I'd love to build my own too - it feels like even finding a plot would be impossible before even starting!

Mine is newish social housing which has to be "built for life" standard (i.e can adapt to change if you become disabled,old age etc. So I have a downstairs loo and a wide hallway in case I might need a wheelchair.

So why then do I have a tiny kitchen not big enough to put up an ironing board but a relatively large lounge diner that apparently four people have to eat and live in (and presumably sleep in if it came to it). And yes it has the only door to the garden which leads to a car park. So people frequently park come through the back and into the one living/playroom/diner/TV room/games room/utility room/laundry room whether I want them to or not.

Clearly it won't suit someone infirm so build a normal hallway, a kitchen big enough for a table to work at and a living room to watch TV or invite friends in without apologising for whatever activity is going on.

notthefirst that's the layout of our current house. At one point DH also ran a business from home so our 4mx5m lounge diner was an office, lounge, dining room, laundry and playroom. So depressing as I was on ML at the time and couldn't relax anywhere in my own home!

Sparklingbrook

"I would love to build a house. I could have whatever I wanted then."

Ah, my dream client!

If you have the (limitless) funds, then I would love to design your dream home for you.

Oh no Pendeed the funds limited or otherwise may prove problematic.

I am a bit of a dream client though. When we had a new bathroom i just told them the budget and I wanted white-anything was better than the peach suite we had before.

Pendeen apologies.

Awww shame, I will have to go on hoping.

If you ever do win the lottery, please get in touch with 'Headquarters' and maybe I will be on their sugested list.

Still, at least you got a new bathroom!

If I could design/build a house, I would go for a Roman villa type design.

With the house wrapped around a central open space with a patio/pool in the middle.

And a verandah all the way around - maybe even an opening sunroof over my pool so I didn't have to put so much suncream on and the house wrapped around it would mean I could skinny dip, I even know where I would build it.

Unfortunately I lack the millions to do it.

Unfortunately I lack the millions to do it.

Story of my life.

DP and I are looking into buying our first home. We went to look at a new development on Sunday and this was the show house. Someone please explain to me why a property that size with two bedrooms needs three toilets, at the cost of having no room for a bloody wardrobe in the “master” bedroom.

Precisely Craic.

There's no bloody storage in newbuilds, space is at an absolute premium, so why sacrifice it for another bathroom? I guess it must add value or they wouldn't do it.

We have lived with our ensuite for three years now and I can honestly say we would never go in there if we had a shower over the bath in the main bathroom.

I wonder if developers are selling to people who just don't understand measurements and don't get a chance to walk round ever.

If the bedroom dimensions are given as
3m x 4m
3m x 2m
3m x 2m
2.8m x 2.4m
then surely people like me go "that's a double, two small singles and a cupboard, not four bedrooms".

I've just moved into a new build, it has a huge kitchen/diner opening onto the garden, a reception room we use as teenage/watch the football type room and a living room at the front with a lovely bay window and fire place. The double garage is sort of in the house and sort of sticking out a bit at the front, so it doesn't take house space up. Upstairs there are four big bedrooms with fitted wardrobes and a bathroom with two ensuites. So for me a perfect layout. Its my 3rd house with 4 loos so ive got used to having them now. I've not seen a new build with a lounge diner.

creamy it sounds like you're in a different 'part' of the market to us. I think if you've got more spending power you get a decent layout. It's at the bottom end of the market (3 bed semi ish) where the layouts are hugely annoying and ensuites just take up valuable wardrobe space.

If you get a chance check out Redrow homes. They build for all budgets and seem to include kitchen diners.

" think if you've got more spending power you get a decent layout. It's at the bottom end of the market (3 bed semi ish) where the layouts are hugely annoying and ensuites just take up valuable wardrobe space."

I totally agree with this! Everyone on my development in the big houses (that were all built at the same time) have got really good homes. Lots of space, great layouts, lots of different rooms, light & airy.

Us "poor" people get stuck with the dolls houses!