To think 'character' properties aren't all they're cracked up to be?

[LellyGreen]

We live in a Victorian house. Its cold and drafty, we've had various issues with damp and leaks, the ceiling on the landing collapsed three years ago, we got it fixed for it to happen again last year and we had to have the whole roof replaced. There are weird alcoves in the lounge on every wall that has stopped us from being able to hang the TV on the wall like we wanted to. Solid wood floors in every room that haven't been maintained well by previous owners and dons hard hat I've wanted several times to tear up and chuck carpet down because they're in such bad state. The room sizes are very generous, but they're too big and apart from a few more sensibly sized rooms they feel cold and empty. Our hallway is 5mx5.5m!! Who needs a hallway that big? It just looks like a big empty room. Anyway.. it's just been so much hassle. We go to do one small job and it turns out it's actually a huge job, every time. I've always vowed to never buy a new build because "they have no character" but I've done it. I've gone to the dark side. I have bought a new shiny new build and I couldn't give a toss about the character I'm losing and I can't wait to be in a house that is warm, and doesn't feel empty all the time! I get a lot of it is down to developers, I've heard the persimmon horror stories of paper thin walls and box rooms.. but I'm firmly in the new build camp now. Pick a good developer (ideally a small/local one) with a good build quality and generous room dimensions and don't look back!! Character is a pain in the ass and over hyped. You can add character to your beautiful new house that isn't full of hidden problems.

AIBU? If you're avoiding new builds purely because of these reasons everyone goes on about.. I highly recommend viewing one for yourself. You may be pleasantly surprised

Did you have a full survey done on your character property before you purchased it, OP?
We have a 1940’s house and opted for this before committing, as dry rot present, or roof replacement required, or plumbing issues Etc. would have been a deal-breaker.
Old houses are great - as long as you find one that hasn’t been allowed to deteriorate, or has been fully restored by a reputable builder. Sorry you had such a bad experience and hope your new house brings you joy.

We moved three years ago from a four storey Edwardian house to a new build (small, well regarded developer) We love the warmth and the freedom. The Edwardian house had all the original features, which were beautiful, but I don’t miss the large heating bills and the cold air blowing through the cupboard at the side of the chimney breast.
There’s a quote stating an old house is a hobby and it is totally correct.
Enjoy your new build, you will have more money and time!

Our own house was built in 1837, and is fine. We haven done anything major to it. The last rental abroad was built in 1774 and was fantastic, and warm.

I love our Victorian semi. We’ve been here 20 years now and have rebuilt the horrible leaky extension and conservatory and have put in a lovely new kitchen, bathroom and ensuite. We have a good boiler/central heating system so it’s not cold, although I do like to light the fire for added coziness on occasion. I’m not a fan of massive televisions and am happy with ours on the alcove unit. I love the larger room sizes, high ceilings and ornate plasterwork you get with Victorian architecture.

I see it as a class thing. Those who identify as or aspire to be upper middle class gush over "character" properties and show conplete disdain for new builds.I honestly think it's to do with the fact some new builld developments had the Help to Buy scheme and had social housing. Subconscious classism

I’m not sure. My last house was a new build, my house before that Victorian, the house before that, nineties, and so on. I think folks like character because it’s generally mor attractive than the blank canvas of a new build. It’s why the cost is higher generally. But there is character and there is character. A propert being old doesn’t mean it has character. Lots have habe the character ripped out, and not maintained well, it really is about the individual house.

Not sure it’s as simple as “class” remember reading an article saying people are either Victorian types or modern - too many Sunday nights dramas and a feel for history makes older houses appealing to some and others love the fresh modernity of a new build. No right or wrong it’s a subjective thing.

I love original features and character but would be reluctant to live in an old house again after 2 attempts. 3 story Victorian terrace first was a few years of cold and damp. A few leaks, multiple plaster jobs, issues with water pressure due to old pipe work and extortionate utility bills. Tried a 1900s semi next with some lovely plaster work and fire places but uneven walls and floors, damp issues, garden/drive pulled up due to pipe issues and big bills. Moved to a lovely new build 7 years ago and have no intention of going back at present, tiny bills in comparison and energy efficient. luckily a small local developer so decent size rooms and good finish with only minor snags. If I had bags of money and a less busy life maybe I would do a beautiful old character property but I would go in with a view to need to potentially insulate/damp proof/reroof/replaster/restore floorboards etc. I think lots of people take on old properties just thinking about the cosmetics (I did) when often these are the least of your worries. 100+years of potential amateur DIYers and botch jobs before you is a lot to put right and a build in an era of no building regulations.

I’m with you OP! I’m not British and it astounds me how people here are so keen to buy/live in a chilly, old, rickety house and are so sniffy about new builds or living in flats - no matter how nice the flat. I know there’s probably something class based that I’m missing here, but it’s so weird to me

Argh pressed post too soon - I would take warmth, functionality and general safety over ‘character’ (wtf does that even mean) any day of the week

I’m with you OP! I’m not British and it astounds me how people here are so keen to buy/live in a chilly, old, rickety house

Well they are old by definition yes, but it does not mean they are chilly or rickety 😂

@LellyGreen

Bubblesgun

• *@LellyGreen**

Did you do a full survey before buying?

I have always lived in period properties and although there were a few issues, they were all flagged on the survey and we had no other issues. Only the usual bits you need to do for maintenance.

My husband bought this house just before we met, I moved in after a few years together. He said there were issues on survey but all things that seemed manageable. If he'd known of the severity of the damp, hidden cracks and general hidden damage there's no way he would of purchased. Someone had sorted the damp and replaced ceilings just before he moved in. Which we've now done ourselves twice and replaced entire roof only for it to reoccur! So many things that they claimed were minor but have turned out to be anything but. I'm just worn out with it. He is too. I'd never of bought this property due to badly maintained wood flooring and annoying alcoves alone to be honest. Though before living here I always said I'd only ever buy an older character house. I've definitely changed my stance”

Oh I m very sorry to hear that. But dont be put off. Maybe that was just bad luck on this one? There are some awful vendors around but luckily not everyone are like that.

Could you repair and move?

@workhomesleeprepeat

I’m with you OP! I’m not British and it astounds me how people here are so keen to buy/live in a chilly, old, rickety house and are so sniffy about new builds or living in flats - no matter how nice the flat. I know there’s probably something class based that I’m missing here, but it’s so weird to me

Blimey. Our cottage would probably survive a nuclear bomb. Nothing rickety about it.

@Bluntness100

I’m with you OP! I’m not British and it astounds me how people here are so keen to buy/live in a chilly, old, rickety house

Well they are old by definition yes, but it does not mean they are chilly or rickety 😂

Glad you find my general observations so funny

Maybe you and your friends have nice old homes that are lovely and warm, but the lovely old Victorian homes I’ve seen bought by friends in recent years have been so draughty and seem to cost a lot of money to make marginally warmer

An old house isn't for everyone. A lot of old houses get botched repairs or "damp-proofing" that just make things worse. I find our old house just wants to be constantly 10 degrees. It's great in summer, lovely and cool! We don't have damp, but that's because we fixed the roof and make sure we get plenty of air circulation, no furniture up against external walls etc. Heating is affordable and most maintenance is stuff we can do ourselves. We lived in a new build before this and it was cheeply built, creaky and expensive to keep warm (didn't hold the heat). Having said that, we'd like to build our own house one day, I'm just not a fan of development houses in my experience.

[quote Bubblesgun]***@LellyGreen*

Bubblesgun

• @LellyGreen*

Did you do a full survey before buying?

I have always lived in period properties and although there were a few issues, they were all flagged on the survey and we had no other issues. Only the usual bits you need to do for maintenance.

My husband bought this house just before we met, I moved in after a few years together. He said there were issues on survey but all things that seemed manageable. If he'd known of the severity of the damp, hidden cracks and general hidden damage there's no way he would of purchased. Someone had sorted the damp and replaced ceilings just before he moved in. Which we've now done ourselves twice and replaced entire roof only for it to reoccur! So many things that they claimed were minor but have turned out to be anything but. I'm just worn out with it. He is too. I'd never of bought this property due to badly maintained wood flooring and annoying alcoves alone to be honest. Though before living here I always said I'd only ever buy an older character house. I've definitely changed my stance”

Oh I m very sorry to hear that. But dont be put off. Maybe that was just bad luck on this one? There are some awful vendors around but luckily not everyone are like that.

Could you repair and move?[/quote]
Oh I'm very much put off! I appreciate some people get lucky with period properties but far too many people have stories like mine and I've no interest in ever doing it again. I'll take my new build and never look back, snags and all!

@Thirdlifecrisis

An old house isn't for everyone. A lot of old houses get botched repairs or "damp-proofing" that just make things worse. I find our old house just wants to be constantly 10 degrees. It's great in summer, lovely and cool! We don't have damp, but that's because we fixed the roof and make sure we get plenty of air circulation, no furniture up against external walls etc. Heating is affordable and most maintenance is stuff we can do ourselves. We lived in a new build before this and it was cheeply built, creaky and expensive to keep warm (didn't hold the heat). Having said that, we'd like to build our own house one day, I'm just not a fan of development houses in my experience.

Thats the one thing we would both love to do, if we move again it would be a self build if not a new build. Thats our dream but with toddlers it's too impractical when the new build is just so easy and convenient.

I hear you OP. I grew up in freezing old houses, so when the time came to buy my own I went with my heart instead of my head.
I would dearly love an old character property, however I now live in a plain 1960's brick semi which is really practical, warm and cheap to heat. It doesn't tug on the heart strings but it was the right choice for us.

My house was built in 1835. The original structure is fine, it's inappropriate modern treatments which have caused issues (being rectified). The only room which is irretrievably cold though is the bathroom - a 1980s extension. It doesn't actually cost me that much in energy (£60/month, dual fuel). I intend to install both underfloor heating and a wood-burning stove - I hate radiators.

The back garden was used as a rubbish dump. This was common practice until the '50s for most of the country - the dustmen would take your ash, the rag and bone man would take anything of value and the rest would be dumped in the garden. It's not too difficult to sieve out broken pottery, glass, rubble and bones (it's an interesting archaeological exercise, I even found a toothbrush made out of bone), it's the more recent crap which is more of a pain - fragments of plastic, dumped there long after councils started household refuse collections.

It's cost me a considerable amount already but I wouldn't change it for the world. Someone said upthread that an old house is a hobby. They're right.

Aargh that should say I went with my HEAD instead of my heart!

My first property was a new build. It had loads of issues. It was functional, and boring. I'd never live in a new build again.

I have lived in victorian or older houses ever since and love them despite the hassles.

The three houses I’ve bought have been: big four bedroom semi detached and two Victorian mud terraces. The windows in this current house are wooden sashes with a wooden surround so have needed restoration and maintenance but I wouldn’t live in any much newer unless it was architect designed.

Our house is Victorian and nice and warm, except the top floor (sloping ceilings) which is hot in Summer and cold in Winter, because it was made, I assume, before proper insulation. We do have to have a top of the range boiler though to pump the hot water around 4 floors.

I have no objection to modern, we lived in a modern house before as our first home and I loved it. The problem is our 12 ft 6 ceilings. Other people's houses feel quite oppressive in comparison and the sense of space is lovely. Never seen a modern house to do that. And behold the glory of our skirting boards! (Dvd to help with scale).

@Janegrey333 there is absolutely nothing classy about being a roaring snob who corrects stranger's minor grammatical errors on an anonymous internet forum.

You do get a lot of 'survivor bias' about very old houses (those which are hundreds of years old). The less well built ones (which were probably the majority) have already long since fallen or been pulled down.

I grew up in a 1920s house and was in an Edwardian terraced house as a student. Both houses seemed to have been built when the builders' set square was somewhere else.

At one stage the 1920s house had to be re-foundationed (you know, foundations, those things you put in before the walls).

The Edwardian terrace was worse - wringing damp and freezing cold. Had a man coming door to door selling cavity wall insulation. Had to explain to him that he was unlikely to get many takers as the houses in the terrace were single skin.

There is a romanticism around old houses but the truth is that an awful lot were not craftsman built. They were built at a time before building regulations, indoor plumbing, electricity, central heating. Adding these in later disrupts the structure of the house. Sometimes the impact wont be seen until many years later (eg the impact of wood joists drying out through central heating being added).

lifted the floor in the lounge to see it was built straight onto dirt!

Very common. Ours is 400+ years old and ours is too. Which is why we have carpets.