To ask for your reasons for preferring period properties?

[Derlei]

Sorry, another LLL thread.

I always come across buyers on this programme looking for "period properties". What is it about period properties that people prefer? Is it the charm, is it the potential history associated with it, or is it the way that they're physically constructed? Do they appreciate more in value relative to other types of builds in the same area?

Some of the period properties Kirsty and Phil find are quirky and quintessentially British, but at the same time are tiny and imo don't look very cosy

New builds are very practical, but lack character and plot size is almost also to a minimum.

Old houses cost a fortune to run, but there is a sense of responsibly to preserve something beautiful and historical. I don't think that anyone will ever lament someone stripping out 1970's features!!

Size of rooms and size of garden / plot. Established.

I love period properties, they look amazing but the main downside is the cold. The last one I lived in was always cold, very draughty and damp in places.
We now live in a lovely warm spacious new build. I wouldn't go back.

My reasons are:

1. Location within the town. Everywhere starts small and grows outwards, so the housing nearest the town centre will be mainly period properties.
2. Room sizes. Older properties often have bigger rooms and higher ceilings.
3. Their teething trouble are long gone!

I dont.

Having bought a huge Edwardian pile with period fireplaces and trellises and stained glass...and FUCKING draughty windows/floors, dusty fucking walls and FUCKING never-ending expensive upkeep...I would I've in a new build in a flash.

I've lived in both and they both have pros and cons.
New builds (from say 80s onwards) are getting smaller and smaller plots of land, even for big 'family' houses. We looked at one 5 bed where the garden was literally a strip across the back of the house that was no wider than an arm-span.
Old houses are quirky and interesting, I love finding weird bits here and there. Our house is all higgeldy-piggeldy, there are few straight walls/angles, lots of nooks and crannies and beautiful big fireplaces. It's a bugger to heat and costs a fortune to run but it is beautiful.
I reckon when we eventually move on (not for many years!) we'll go new build for the ease, efficiency and convenience.

I suppose you have to bare in mind that the term " period" covers quite a large array of houses.

Like I said earlier, where I live there's row upon row of old terraces. They have lovely tall ceilings but many have tiny yards rather than gardens and the ones closest to the centre have ugly dormers on top to maximise the space.

Unfortunately the really nice period properties which would likely have been owned by professionals back in the day are in the worst part of the city and have been converted to into flats and bedsits.

New build houses on estates tend to be too tightly packed together, with terrible parking and tiny gardens that are often overlooked.

We are house hunting at the mo.
Our choices are old houses. Victorian etc. No parking usually..pretty to look at but have had one before. Lots of dosh
Houses about 1995 plus. Tiny rooms witn diddy shower rooms everywhere and small gardens.
1970s and80s. Decent rooms decent gardens double driveways and garages and cheaper. Ugly but i figure you live in a house not look at it.i reckon chucking in a woodburner itll be fine!

I love the beauty of old properties. The house we live in costs more maintain but I get pleasure from it aesthetically every single day.
Plus the high ceilings meant I have fulfilled my childhood dream of a four poster bed. Also a "Downton Abbey" style freestanding bath with claw feet which would look silly in a modern house. Giant Christmas tree in the bay window in December. Stripped wood. Real fireplaces. Extra storage in the cellar. Town centre location. What's not to like?
Could you guess I love my house?

I grew up in a freezing old, falling down Victorian house that was beautiful, but my parents couldn't afford the upkeep. They moved to an equally freezing and falling down interwar house just before I left home! They like the aesthetic and features. My dad was an artist and cared enormously about things like that, as well as the light in rooms and the size of windows, etc. So do I, but dh and I have managed to find something that compromises nicely between old and new - a new build in the grounds of a neo-gothic hospital that has been converted into flats and houses. There were quite specific planning requirements for the houses nearest to the old hospital (we are right next to it) and we have high ceilings, huge windows and kerb appeal, but still have double glazing and all the other creature comforts associated with newer houses. We lived in a tudor cottage for a while, which was fun and an experience, but I found it quite creepy at times and it was very damp and cold in winter.

Much better sized rooms and thick walls which insulate sound. However cost a fortune yo heat. Also whete i live they are generally far far cheaper than the teensy new builds that are just glorified sheds.

I just moved from a new build to a Victorian house and I hate it. The only good thing is the room size.

For me it isn't just about 'period features'. We bought a Victorian property with barely anything left except some bay windows, nice cornices and a ceiling rose. Although fire places or original hallway tiles would have been a massive plus.

For me it is about room proportion. Ceiling height but also room size. It is all so much more aesthetically pleasing to the eye and far less cramped. From the outside they also tend to be much more substantial looking and more individual than estates full of 'samey' houses.

Really not sure I could love a modern house.

For me, the room proportions are generally better - I love my house with its huge ceilings and masses of light. Aesthetically they look better and I've found they tend to have thicker walls which are both warmer and better sound proofed. Plus for some reason modern buildings seem to not believe in cupboards. I like cupboards.

And I am apparently the only person who finds old houses warmer. I swear though, I've always been warmer in my lovely period house than I ever was in a new build. We have had new windows put in though.

I would say size wise they are generally bigger, speaking as someone who lives in a tiny new build. My old terrace was way bigger, although it was damp, freezing in winter and constantly needed stuff doing. The new build is always warm and diy free which is the big plus

I love my very old 1700's Mill, as I feel that I am a custodian of a piece of history. But it is really expensive to heat and there is always work that needs doing. Am planning to retire to a lovely new build in a town one day

I love my very old 1700's Mill, as I feel that I am a custodian of a piece of history. But it is really expensive to heat and there is always work that needs doing. Am planning to retire to a lovely new build in a town one day

IME it's the fact that our cottage has really thick walls. It is so warm, so quiet and so, well.... solid.

If we stay in my parents 1960s house, which itself is lovely, the flimsiness of the construction is so palpable to us, coming from a house with 0.7m thick wall. It's so cold there at night, especially in the bedrooms that are dormers. There are only inches between you and the night on three sides!

I would happily do a new build but it would be to a traditional design with THICK walls!

PS I should say that our cottage has been "done" - so it has underfloor heating and a rayburn plus full tanking as the back is built into a hill. It is also limewashed, rtaher than cement render.

I think if you want to be comfy in an old house, having clever heating and walls that breathe as originally intended (chip that cement render off!) is very important.

No idea. We rented a period house. Once. That was enough to put me off for life. Fucking thing was haunted, too.

Character and quirkiness
Beauty - my fireplace is gorgeous
The history - it was built in 1745
Quietness - the walls are two feet thick, I can't hear the neighbours at all
Location

Not for its non existent insulation and heat retaining qualities though. It's hardly an eco- home sadly.

I have a large Victorian end terrace, it has high ceilings, gorgeous fireplaces, a large kitchen, great size bedrooms and a full size traditional 'attic'. I bought it as a fixer upper for about the same price as a tiny 2 bed new build. What's not to love?

History, character, they lend themselves to really modern styling inside whilst still keeping the feel of a Victorian property. They have quirks which I love including fairly pissed walls. By comparison I find 1930s houses a bit too grown up and really don't like the whole housing estate feel of most new builds.