New build homes in the UK are a bit depressing

[Glasgoow]

I want to move somewhere with better insulation than my 1930s house. Looked around a few new build places and they are just depressing.

They pretend to be all unique by craming different designed houses all on top of each other but its just a ploy to allow them to pack loads in.

The gardens are tiny and either back onto a road or are overlooked.

Looked at one this morning and for a 4 bedroom house they had crammed in 5 toilets, bathroom and two ensuites. I guess if it was a mansion that would be handy, but it wasn't and the bedrooms were tiny with little wardrobe space. It had its own gauarge but this was as part of a "coach house" where they build 4 garages and then a flat on top for someone else to live in. If I was coming back late at night I wouldn't want to use my garage as someone is living on top of it. Drive space for just one car and parking would probably be a nightmare when people come round. Its just cramming all they can in and presenting it with small beds and tables to make it loom bigger. The pictures were very deceiving, they must of sunk the camera into the wall to make it look as big as they did. The windows were all on the small side too.

Just a shame, I want a new home, but a quality one designed to be good to live in not to just maximise their profits.

Glasgoow, I love my new build house! You should look on my estate, to the north east of Glasgow. All of the rooms are spacious, drive way has two spaces, the garden is a decent size. I never fancied a new build before seeing this one. Other benefits are that there are loads of kids form my DCs to play with, the roads have speed bumps and are designed so that drivers would find it very difficult to speed on them. The finish is really good too

www.propertypal.com/school-house-college-green-college-avenue-bangor/246568/photo-2

Nice 4 bed, IMO.

I've lived in a victorian semi. It was huge but freezing! I love our warm new build. The bedrooms are a good size (3 doubles) and we have 3 storage cupboards. I thought I'd want more living space but in reality it is fine as it is.

On the odd occasion I have looked at new builds I always come away thinking I could have designed it so much better given the space they have to work with. Why are the hallways so large and the reception rooms so small?

I have just finished the remodelling of my current once 2 bed 1 bathroom pokey 1950s dormer bungalow with separate overly large garage of which only 1100sq ft was actually usable space. Without extending it is now a 4 beds 2 bathrooms semi open plan bungalow with games room and gymnasium and has now got 2000 sq foot of usable space.

No idea who designed my house originally but we fully or partially knocked down every internal walls in the place bar 4.

I like the idea of a close knit community of young families that all move in at the same time, in reality we'll probably all hate each other

Yes my first home was like this. I am still best friends with one of the neighbours despite us both having moved a few years ago. There were babies born in that development all a few months apart so my DS had lots of friends the same age and as they were all "starter" homes they were the first babies in most of the familes so no older teens misbehaving (as happened in my next home). There were some familes that clashed of course as happens when kids fall out but it really was lovely. I have to say though i love my current neighbours even more. They are generally older people with no children living at home, apart from one younger family. But they are all really friendly and always giving my DC sweeties and crisps. And taking in my washing when it rains!

The only thing that annoys me is a few of the semi detached don't have windows which is ridiculous. There is still this Insistance on making corner ones thus losing the light. Apparently they sell first as people prefer the element of privacy they feel this design gives

And even more gobsmacking is people ASK for windows not to be put in downstairs bathrooms at all of their are windows in the plan.

i would hate that! Are the houses like dungeouns? They must be. The lighter the better IMO. I love large windows and loads of light.

The only part of new builds that impressed us was the design realisation that a separate kitchen/dining room is old hat, and that most houses would benefit from a large kitchen 364 days a year, offset by a squeeze for guests 1 day of the year.

Oh, and MrsLH has just reminded me of the outfit (Barratt) whose muppet salesmen put the disabled parking bay the other side of a gravel drive making it impossible to push a wheelchair across to the sales centre. To be fair the salesman did come across the car park to speak to us ....

I've always been one for period properties but my friend has just moved into a house like this link below and it's amazing. It's knocked my views on new builds out the window as its huge, all large double bedrooms and has a really large garden. I like it so much we are looking into there next development phase.

m.barratthomes.co.uk/new-homes/somerset/H656201-Horsehill-Meadows/plot-84

There were new builds near us with what looked like bricked up windows. They couldn't have a window there because the stairs would have abutted the window. The houses didn't look balanced without something there as they were otherwise symmetrical - like a child would draw with 4 windows and a front door. So they put in a bricked up window and sold it to gullible people as a design feature based on people historically bricking up windows to avoid window tax.

I love that one you've linked girls, that estate is very similar to the one I've linked up thread.

Surly that's lovely, exactly what I'm hoping for. We've seen loads of houses and the neighbours are either retired or have teenage kids, I love to think my little boy will grow up with lots of other kids close by, I had that and it was brilliant.

I have had three new builds, ranging from the tiniest Barratt semi to the 3000sqft we live in now. They have all been sensibly designed and fitted our requirements perfectly.

Our very first house was a beautiful character Victorian terrace. It was damp poorly laid out and any attempts at improvents revealed layer upon layer of bodged DIY. It cured me of coveting old properties.

Angelina, is that house a thornbury design?

Me and my dh put a deposit on one down in the south west. We went in one midway through the build stage. If you have any questions about the house you can pm me if you like.

When we put our house on the market it was worth more than we thought so we changed house styles 6 months before we were due to move and we got a cambridge design in the end as we felt the layout was better for us. The thornbury is a lovely house and the kitchen dining room is fantastic. We have Been here just over 2 months and we love the house. It is so warm, they are fitted with smart meters. The builders and sales team have been amazing.

I've had a look at the site plan and your gardens look about the same size as ours.

I'm not a fan of new builds for a lot of the reasons noted. A few things though:

• A lot of the time planning requires a certain density of housing. I have known developers knocked back at planning and told to put more houses in. It isn't just the developers trying to make a fast buck (though of course they try and maximise their returns).
• If you are paying say £300k of course an older house will in general be bigger than a new build. You are paying for it being new and not having to do anything to it.
• Whilst some work can be shoddy, Building Regulations are far more stringent than ever. Energy efficiency in particular is so much better than houses built even 15 years ago.
• The old houses that we have now are the ones that have survived. Crap ones will have been torn down.
• People are a lot more accepting of things not being right in an old house, e.g. creaking floors, walls not being straight.
• The layout of a lot of older houses is terrible. I lost count of the number of 30s semis we saw where they had two massive bedrooms and a box barely capable of being used as a nursery. Room sizes in general might be smaller but new builds tend to at least have bedrooms that can be used.

Scooby yes, we would've loved a Cambridge but can't afford it. I don't like not having patio doors from the kitchen to the garden so I've taken some convincing on the Thornbury but having seen the show home a few times now I'm much happier. And compared to our tiny bungalow it's a palace!

That's great about the smart meters, I was planning to ask that - we've got a meeting with Barratt this weekend and I've got a massive list of questions . Keeping the place warm is a big deal for me, I've lived in an extended semi which had a lovely big kitchen diner but we couldn't use it in the winter because it was impossible to keep it warm.

We thought that at the beginning too as both cambridge and thornbury didn't have reserves on them but they reduced the price of the Cambridge by 10k so we went for it.

The homes are so warm and efficient, we have 15 radiators in this house. on the house you've picked the utility room is fab and it's got a door you can close to hide the mess and you've got a exit to the garden so it's great. We have 2 sets of patio doors but we haven't got a key in one set as its too much to lock up every night.

Ask away to the sales team we found them so so helpful, I'm going to miss them when they go as they always pop round to check everything's going well. If you want to know prices for extras there really up form and will look the prices up for you. We looked at 2 Taylor wimpy sites and they were so vague on basic questions about extras and upgrades.

It's great they have a show home of the design you've chosen. That was our main downfall, we had to use google and because of the wide angle photos the rooms seemed a lot wider than in real life.

I would never buy another. Lost shitloads of money on our previous two homes, both of which were new builds. You never get them in really desirable areas, so they just don't retain their value as well as a more established property. I think it's fine if you plan to be there long term (i.e. 10 years +) in order to make back the builder's premium. Loads of practical plus points for modern day living, but just too difficult to break even when selling, never mind make a profit.

Ours is a Cambridge! Love it.

This is what DP and I want: cdn-redrow-cms-co-uk-theraft.netdna-ssl.com/-/media/redrow-co-uk/files/properties/w/the-windrush-v2/19112-the-windrush.pdf

Trouble is, they're massively overpriced for the area, and the gardens are pretty tiny. It's a lovely house though.

I have this real weird issue where some houses feel the wrong way round to me and staring that one is one of them. I wouldnt feel comfortable in that house. The kitchen utility, and family room should all be on the other side. (I am aware this is totally my issue btw )

I think some of them are mirror images of this one, Surly.

Bringthenoise - why would they do that?

It reminds me of the houses sold as 'architect designed'. Even if they are mass produced, it would be nice to think that all houses have an architect involved in the original design. But I have my doubts.

People are a lot more accepting of things not being right in an old house, e.g. creaking floors, walls not being straight

You see to me I adore things not being straight, I can't stand rooms that are box like with everything totally straight and flat.

So for me it would be a case of thinking things are right if ever so slightly mis aligned.

starling that house does look nice.

Yes i would be good in the mirror image of it. I think its due to the house i grew up in. Living room, kitchen, utility all to the right of the front door and good room to the left.

It is a lovely house BTW.

Oh that's interesting, I was really relieved when I found out my house was opposite to the floor plan.

My kitchen, utility etc is to the right of the house on entering, I was uncomfortable with the concept of it all being to the left.