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AIBU?

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Original poster

to ask what you would not choose again if moving house

365 replies

chaletdays · 11/05/2015 16:56

Just been reading the open plan thread. When I move again I would definitely not choose an open plan layout, or to buy a place right beside a green or any other communal area where children and teenagers will gather 24/7.

What would be your no nos if moving again?

OP posts:
GERTI · 15/05/2015 05:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

UsedToBeAPaxmanFan · 15/05/2015 06:27

A conservatory. I would NEVER buy a house with a conservstory again.

When we bought our fugly-but-perfectly-located house we thought the massive conservatory on the back would be a 3rd reception room. We had visions of big comfy sofas, plants..... instead it was freeeezzzzing in winter, and a sauna in summer.

Eventually we tore it down and bulit a proper extension.

I would never buy a house with a north facing garden. I grew up in one, and it's miserable. The house was detached, and on a big plot, so there was sun in some parts of the garden, but nothing near the back of the house.

ItsRainingInBaltimore · 15/05/2015 06:29

We looked at an amazing period conversion flat last year to rent out, and it was over a very busy and trendy restaurant with a courtyard at the back and lots of nearby bars. It was a fabulous area, very central, great if you were a young professional with a busy social life but I really think it would have been a massive mistake in the long term. Plus insurance is very hard to get when you live over restaurants and bars. Trying to sleep with your windows open in the summer with the world and his wife having a party downstairs or drunkenly wandering in the street would have been very tedious. I think if you are going to opt for a lively, city centre location you need to be prepared to install air con. Even if you don't need to chill the place it drowns out the noise from the street!

propelusagain · 15/05/2015 06:49

UsedToBeAPaxmanFan

really. I have both a conservatory ( north facing) and a North facing garden.

Both are great. Granted the garden has an open aspect so we get sun from the Horizon from sunrise to sunset - no other buildings shade it from the sun. It has been lovely over the winter, and did a lot of christmas entertaining in it. It is heated so that makes a difference.

sandgrown · 15/05/2015 07:34

I would not live on a busy through road again. I really miss my house in a cul de sac. I loved the fact nobody walked past . Would not have open plan living space and love the fact we have space for a large dining table for all DC,DSC and DGC. Would like a bigger more secluded garden but no big trees. We bought a house with a lovely Poplar tree but it is too big and too close to the house so regretfully we will have to chop it down at some point. Luckily we have a very understanding neighbour who has not complained about it slowly pushing the wall over!

CycleChic · 15/05/2015 07:43

I'd put my foot down over a galley kitchen. I didn't want one when we bought but it was what we could afford. .. 7 years on, I still fantasise about knocking through to the lounge/diner. ..

SugarPlumTree · 15/05/2015 08:02

Thank you for this thread. Gave me a kick up backside to chase council to look about us having direct access to the road now traffic calming measures in place and road speed decreased. Guy came out and thinks it will be ok. No guarantee and we still have to get through planning, but encouraging.

ItsRainingInBaltimore · 15/05/2015 08:13

I once had a house that had a small porch and then you walked into an open plan dining hall with the lounge and the kitchen off it. It looked lovely, but every single person that came through the front door mostly me used the dining table as a dumping ground for school bags, coats, shopping, anything else that really needed putting away…it was a massive, lovely house but it really lacked a decent storage area near the front door to hide all the crap. We did have other storage areas but because they were too far away from the front door inevitably nothing made it that far, and stayed in a pile on the dining table until we needed it again!

Walnutpie · 15/05/2015 10:15

Can you really knock on the ndn's door and have a chat before you buy a property..that is SUCH a good idea, but do people do it? I have truly wonderful neighbours and we have all lived in this clutch of houses for ages, the idea of moving and not having kindred spirits around probably hinders mobility for all of us. I should probably start a thread in 'how to figure out if your neighbours will be good ones, before you move in'.

Dancergirl · 15/05/2015 10:22

And you have to lug bin bags through the house when you put the bins out raining. Ideally the kitchen should be off the hall.

echt · 15/05/2015 11:42

I did this Walnutpie, we had to buy in a tearing hurry and saw the NDN on one side looked, well, scruffy. Also the house we were looking at had not sold first time out. I pitched up on the other NDN side and asked, without giving particulars, was there any reason we shouldn't buy the house. They said had our house been on the market at the right time, they'd have snapped it up.

They were right, our house was the best one of the three. As for the neighbours…Hmm

Eustasiavye · 15/05/2015 16:30

This is a great thread
Gazes whistfully at ndn huge tree looming over my fence??
Then looks at the other side and decides today is not the day to tackle the huge hedge between us.

I have though changed my mind about large, non standard windows, beginning to love mine.

I now know it depends on the stage at which you are at as to what is important.

I loved my downstairs loo in my previous house, now I don't have one i don't miss it. The dc are older so not at toilet training stage.

Crikeyblimey · 15/05/2015 17:48

Just in the process of buying a house with a downstairs loo just in at the front door. I've not shared this with dh but I'm planning lots of coat hooks / boxes for school bags / shoes in there!! Grin

CheesyDibbles · 15/05/2015 20:45

Watch out for eucalyptus trees in gardens (even in neighbouring gardens, if they are close to the property) especially if they are very mature. The roots are massive and can undermine building foundations.

Bearbehind · 15/05/2015 21:15

Can you really knock on the ndn's door and have a chat before you buy a property..that is SUCH a good idea, but do people do it?

I honestly can't see the point.

You could move in then your neighbours could move out the next day,

You won't know if your neighbours own or rent so have no idea how long they might be there so unless youre planning on giving them the third degree I can't see the point in 'chatting' before you commit.

Who you live next to is outside of your control- if you think it might be a problem then a detached property has to be the top of your list.

talkingtorch · 15/05/2015 21:30

Oh no,getting worried a downstairs loo is such an essential for a lot of you.when we are finished work on our house, we will have two loos upstairs.

is it because its better for guests and washing hands after being out in garden?

Devora · 15/05/2015 22:25

It's really not an essential, talkingtorch Smile.

I know a lot of people like it, and prefer not to have guests invading the 'family space' upstairs. I can see it's useful if you're potty training.

I do have a downstairs toilet. It rarely gets used. It would bother me not one jot to lose it.

molehillormountain · 15/05/2015 22:28

I would not buy a property with risk of flooding near by

meadowquark · 16/05/2015 00:36

My next house will have to have separate living room, tiled pitched roof, proper front or even a drive and kerb appeal.

My current house is late 1960s with almost no front (outward corner so only front door and loo window), felted pitched roof, open plan downstairs and has white plastic cladding from outside.However it has a good layout inside, good safe area, catchment of an outstanding secondary, lots of storage including a garage and not overlooked.

My previous house was beautiful but in a rough area and lacked bedrooms and good schools.

NotCitrus · 16/05/2015 09:03

Chatting to neighbours is great (I let MrNC do it - he can start conversations with anyone). We did change our mind on one flat after a 10-min monologue from the neighbour - she gave us the rundown on all residents of the other 6 flats, including lotsof racist insults, clearly kept tabs on them all, and she and her flat smelled horrible. Bought round the corner instead and got yelled at for not moving in next to her, every day on my way to work. Narrow escape!

Current neighbours were clearly lovely and planned to stay for years and were a selling point! 10 years on they are good friends. Obviously people can move but the more info the better.

Downstairs loo vital if you want family to visit who can't climb stairs easily.

1Morewineplease · 16/05/2015 17:09

Really interesting thread!
From previous experience I would avoid the following:-
Shared driveway
Steep steps up to back garden
Galley kitchen
Steep steps up to front door
Flat above shops
House next door to a pub
House next door to a communal space where the council won't deal with their massive tree that grows into your eaves and has roots that grow out of your patio( current complaint!)
Cul de sac
Gosh I could ramble on!!!

Baddz · 16/05/2015 17:31

Agree re ndn.
Within 18 months our neighbours either side had retired back to their hometown!!
We have a downstairs wc and use it everyday.
Don't like wet rooms. I like a bath. It put me off viewing many houses when we were house hunting.

TalkinPeace · 16/05/2015 17:54

marking place

ItsRainingInBaltimore · 17/05/2015 05:10

I think a family sized house really needs two loos and in my opinion it's better if one is downstairs. If you have friends over or the man mending your fridge or whoever needs the loo, do you really want people having to go upstairs unaccompanied, unnecessarily?

Plus it's handier/quicker if you are in the garden, or cooking dinner, or keeping an eye on little ones.

ItsRainingInBaltimore · 17/05/2015 05:11

Yes to steep steps up to any door where you need to lug stuff in and out of the house all the time. Such a pain.

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