To think people can be really snobby/rude about new build houses?

[TheSubtleKnifeAndFork]

Just that really... I know they're not to everyone's taste but since we bought ours we've had some really rude comments about it. One person even asked me outright (with a real sneer) "Why on earth would anyone ever buy a new build?"... We're happy with it, which I know is all that matters, but I'm a bit gobsmacked by some of the outright rudeness about our new home. For example I've never particularly fancied living in a bungalow, but I wouldn't say that to someone who lived in one, or was thinking of buying one!

Don't get me wrong, I love character properties too (our first home was an older house which we renovated) but equally I don't get why buying a new build is so frowned upon? Or is is just my circle of acquaintance where people seem to have an issue with them?

@PrincessDaff How bloody rude of them! I'd be tempted to reply, "I guess people with no character need a house with lots to spare..."

OP, I live in a terraced Victorian house. Lots of character, but narrow and poorly ventilated. My friends live in a new build that's been built around how families live now. Much more comfortable and practical. It's not 'pretty', but they spend most of their time in it rather than looking at it.

I think it's really rude to run down someone's home. Most people buy the best thing available to them and are pretty proud when they move in.

I've had 'I hate tile hung houses' 'I couldn't live somewhere with fences instead of hedges' 'I can't stand lounge diners' (about my 60s terrace)

What's so hard about saying 'lovely, is it working well for you' or finding a feature like 'i bet it's well insulated' or 'it must be great everyone being new on the estate'

I also think that people in their 20s now expect everything new - including new paint job, new furniture etc. They also aren't prepared to pick up a paint brush.

Not true. Bought a 1930's house and have renovated it from top to bottom. Bit unfair to tar us all with the same brush!

All period houses were once new builds.
I live in a C17 house but it's freezing in winter, has uneven floors and draughty windows, I can totally understand why people choose energy efficient, easy to clean homes.
It's rude to sneer at other folks' choices.

From the title, I thought you meant snobbiness in the opposite direction. When my friend was looking to buy a house (it was about 20 years ago) she point blank wanted a new house as she wanted everything to be brand new. She seemed to look down on buying a second hand property in the same way as someone might look down on someone buying from a second hand shop.

YANBU, people should learn to be nicer/keep their negative comments to themselves. I really like some newbuilds but locally they're pretty overpriced, you're paying for something new I guess but they're always out of budget and the ones in our budget are teeny in comparison to other houses of a similar price.

Does a 70's house count? I hated our house at first but now I appreciate its lovely big rooms and its position. We look out on to a cricket pitch and live on a corner. We ripped out all the hideous decor and I love it now. I grew up in old farmhouses and we were always cold in winter. I've got an farmhouse and it's a nightmare what with mice. dodgy electrics and plumbing.

i like new builds,the idea of no one having lived there before,no one has used the bath,toilet,cooked in the kitchen.And best of all the postman does n`t deliver mail for the previous occupier,i have lived in my flat for 6 years and i still get 2 or 3 letters for the people who used to live here

I love my new build home. The rooms are all large, it has plenty of bathrooms, triple glazing, well insulated, so it stays warm on a sunny day without needing to put the heating on. It's also sat on 2 acres so not a tiny plot and the nearest house is half a mile away.
Compared to our last house which was a draughty north facing Victorian detached with neighbours, what's not to love? 

I grew up in an Edwardian town house, and my first home with DH was a Victorian flat.

My dear, the RELIEF when we moved to our current house (was a new build at the time). The smooth walls which you can paint without having to strip off 17 layers of old wall paper (and half the plaster). The reassurance of electrics which work and aren't held together with bits of tin foil. The joy of the modern extras like a utility room, and an ensuite.

The ceilings are low but the rooms are bigger and lighter than in either of my previous homes.

I know they're not considered classy but I really couldn't care less!

New build here - fabulous bathrooms, brand new loo, 2 year insurance on everything, 10 year new builders insurance.
I would love an Edwardian or Victorian property - reality is we are not handy, can't decorate and hate gardening. LOL so a new build for us!

Every house was a new build once! Just ignore them, they’re probably jealous of some element of your lovely new home. As long as you love it, nothing else matters!

Well this thread has proved it, new build bingo! Thrown up, small gardens, cramped, no soul 😂😂 yes some new builds are. Most aren’t. You can find hundreds of thousands of dark, cramped, small old houses with small gardens that are falling apart.
I love new builds, except I wouldn’t live on vast estates iust because I don’t like that huge estate feeling, but I know people who love them! And all the people I know in new builds have big gardens, guaranteed appliances and repairs, ensuites and shiny new decor - what’s not to love!?

Our house is part Georgian, part Victorian and grade 2 listed - a lot of trouble when you want to get anything done and that's quite often as constant effort is required for the upkeep!

I love my home but I can see the appeal of a newbuild property, provided it is well built

I won’t ever buy a second hand house again. I LOVE our new build. It’s detached and has four double bedrooms, kitchen diner, utility, separate dining room that we use as a second lounge, study, spacious lounge with bay windows. The garden is the same footprint as the house which is perfect for us. So no tiny rooms or small garden.

Any snagging (and there wasn’t much) was sorted immediately and moving in day was a stress free pleasure. No crappy electrics, hidden nasties, artex and grotty wallpaper to deal with. I love it.

Oh and our ‘estate’ has forty houses and is a lovely community.

Just ignore them! I love a new build myself - plenty of sockets with USB ports, big kitchens with room for appliances, more than one bathroom, cupboards. Our last house was built in 1902 and though lovely, yeah, it was a money pit. I hate DIY, too. Fuck that. It's expensive as well.

I must say I'm very 'anti' at the moment, not so much about the houses, but about where they're being put/

I live in a tiny village atop a hill, we have one part-time shop, no school and no other businesses. We now have a new development being built which destroys the view from and to the village and changes the entire character of our old farming village.

The new homeowners are moving in, but I wonder if they know how much their estate has upset the rest of the quiet little village. We tried so hard to stop them, so I guess the people must know but don't care.

Theyre very rude to say that to you. Everyone has different likes and dislikes. Some people have neither the time, nor the inclination to renovate a home.

Mine is only about 50 years old but there's stuff in every single room that needs doing, and we can't afford to hire tradesmen, so it's a labour of love that i sometimes would rather not have!

They’re still at the style over substance stage. They’ll get over it. We all do, in the end.

My ‘estate’ has ten houses in it. So not the sprawling metropolis people assume when I say it’s less than ten years old!

We do have a lot of new estates springing up in our town though. But we also have a housing shortage in my area so 🤷‍♀️. They have to live somewhere. There are definitely things builders could be incentivised to do better though.

Some ppl do definitely have a snobby attitude to newbuilds; I've noticed that too. Me and DP are currently in the process of buying a 1990s house (fingers crossed); for us it was the best choice as we wanted a smallish house that made good use of space with minimal maintenance. It's also in the area we wanted, affordable and has a nice garden so what's not to like. I like the layout and lack of weird bits of unusable space. My DSis lives in a 1980s house and I love her house too. Makes me laugh when ppl say old houses have 'character' as a blanket statement....I agree some do but like any house some are not nice or are damp and cramped (we saw some awful ones when we were doing viewings). I think it just depends on the house in question, you can't generalise.

Who cares op, really? I have a huge detached with a big garden and a double garage. It was built in 1996 and it's fabulous. Or I could be freezing my arse off in my poky old farmhouse to satisfy some ridiculous British class rule.

I do agree that it's snobbery.

I personally wouldn't buy a new build because all the ones I know of, the owners lost money on the value and the places were too small. But that is just my experience of them.

I'd never comment on some one else's choice of home to their face.

There was a thread recently where someone asked for views on an 80's house versus a Victorian and people slammed the Victorian, which I don't understand at all! I am partial to old houses, but some people are plain rude regardless of the topic of conversation. I am sure there are plenty of nice new builds for every rubbish one.