For those of you that live in a Victorian terrace...

[Wondermule]

Do you regret buying it? I know houses are all different but just trying to get a feel for how high maintenance they are.

And if you do regret it, what sort of house would you go for next time?

TIA

I think a lot depends on the alternative. I used to live in a Victorian terrace, we did it up really nice and I loved it. Now live in a early 1900s semi. However we are in z2/3 London so the alternative would really be a 1930s or 1950s terrace or semi. If the alternative was a detached house with a garage then im not sure a Victorian terrace would be my first choice!

I live in an Edwardian terrace. It's large though - all the 4 bedrooms are doubles. I love the height of the ceilings, the moulding and fireplaces. Stained glass, tiled floors, a lot of space. I am moving soon to a Victorian end of terrace.

Downsides - yes there are some. It's draughty (I don't mind as I hate to be too hot in over heated houses), the halls and landings are dark and it's hard to get things done in the garden without them traipsing through the house. Parking.

It's a lovely area full of very attractive houses with lots of external decoration. And I don't have problems with sound from the neighbours. It's very solidly built.

It's far too subjective to base an actual decision on though isn't it. With all houses you need to decide how you want to live, and what you can and cannot live without/with.

A Victorian house can be anything from a small terrace to a large detached, a new build can be anything from small and boxy to spacious and light.

You need to write a list of things you need, want, don't want and budget.

For me I wouldn't live in a house with a downstairs bathroom, no front and back garden, no access outside to the rear garden, no private parking space. Those things are deal breakers and however beautiful the house was I wouldn't buy it.

We used to live in a Victorian terrace and at the time I was happy with it. We moved to a 1950s semi for school catchment and I now fully realise how inconvenient the Victorian terrace was. Semi has rooms with equally high ceilings, better insulation, better sound proofing to next door (rarely hear the neighbours but in the terrace heard every blooming sound from both sides), a drive that three cars can be parked on, side access to the garden, a big garden that isn't overlooked, a front garden that is bigger than a postage stamp and bifold doors which open from the kitchen/ dining room extension into the garden. The house is better built than the terrace too; stripping wallpaper doesn't result in needing to replaster crumbling ancient walls. I'd never want to go back to a Victorian terrace.

@Wondermule

Thanks everyone. I have lived in Victorian terraces before but some years ago, I love the ‘idea’ of it and also the original features. But where I’m looking, the gardens are very small and there is no garage/driveway. I’m wondering whether the ‘hygge’ (can’t think of a better less pretentious word, sorry!) of living in a Victorian house outweighs the parking/garden issue 😬

Might depend on exact location but most households have 2cars and the width of the house is about 1 car so there’s never going to be enough parking! Noise depends who you end up living next to! Having lived in a range of houses I’d probably put detached with parking above anything else. I’d write out your ‘wants’ list and then put in order of priority, all depends on lifestyle, area, budget etc. Some of the drawbacks you can do more about than others

Having lived in several, the walls are usually much thicker than in modern houses. Pretty much the only noise is going up and down stairs. In 60s semis you can hear a background hum of normal family life including TV, coughing etc.
The main problems maintenance wise seem to be damp (in the outrigger kitchen s) and broken drains/collapsed sewers.

If you drive a car the other thing to think about is how you will charge an electric as it looks like that’s the way things are heading. Is there at least some parking in front?. Or is there a road behind that you could put a garden parking space off. Or the end terrace might give more options

Late Victorian/Early Edwardian house here. Detached, so no noise problems. Massively expensive to heat. Wouldn't change a thing, though - we just wear more vests.

I feel similar to @Chicchicchicchiclana
I live in a victorian terrace conversion flat (so not exactly the whole kit and caboodle!) and there's a lot I love about it and a lot I dislike.

Love: 3m high ceilings. Huge bright light rooms. Gorgeous period details like panelling and fireplaces that give a real atmosphere. How easily they can carry vintage and modern design together.

Hate: bloody freezing! Lots has to be made bespoke to fit around huge skirting boards and wonky corners. Everything has been compromised to fit in to a non purpose built space (ime plumbing runs far too long to have a kitchen in a certain room etc). High heating costs. Not practical layouts. NOISY!

I love period homes so it hurts me to bash them. Next time I'd love a 60s build as they seem a lot more adaptable adaptable family friendly. DPs 80s purpose built flat we lived in before was indestructible! Everythibg was concrete!

We don't regret it exactly (London, so not much choice) but it has some cons. The reason we bought it is that compared to lots of Victorian terraces, it's wide, with high ceilings, and the bedrooms are a good size. We get a lot of light. The dimensions are great (apart from the bathroom which is miniscule).

However- it's a total money pit. It doesn't even have any of the original features (bombed in the war), but something big always needs doing, or is leaking, or damp. It had been really neglected by previous owners who had done a lot of bodging- skirting stuck on with foam filler, dodgy home electrics etc. It's got a 'London Roof' which is a stupid design- they all leak on the street.

It's not noisy or cold though, at all.

I fantasise about a lovely modernist house.

I love it but the parking is crap. DP refers to it as 90% corridor (but his is a boring 1940s semi)

Upsides of my Victorian semi, it has got bags of character, stain glass windows, original fireplaces, large rooms with high ceilings. We looked at a new build detached 4 bedroom house and worked out is has got the same floor space as our 2 bedroom semi! Downsides it can get cold! It can be noisy, there is always something to repair! Personally I love my house but if I was going to move it would be to a 1960s house because you usually get a large plot and I think they have got great character.

Apart from 2 new build rental flats I lived in for a year each I’ve only ever lived in Victorian houses or flat conversions. I grew up in a terrace, moved to a semi when I was 8, lived in a terrace at uni, then rented another terrace when I moved back to London, rented an upstairs conversion, bought a ground floor conversion, bought a terrace, bought a semi and now live in a semi town house.

I love the room dimensions and all the original features, fireplaces, plaster work etc. The walls are sturdy, so much better than the thin walled new builds I’ve seen. If you are tall the ceiling height is better than other periods.

A lot of friends and family are in trades and they often comment on how well built they are compared to new builds. I’ve bought 2 fixer uppers which have needed work- which we obviously knew about, so in that respect yes some need work, but all the others were fine and done up previously and no trouble at all.

Victorian houses are the norm everywhere I’ve lived, I find it strange when people think they are unusual or lots of work.

Ours is really well sound insulated against next door

Hardly hear anything from them

We love ours and will either convert loft or fry to buy another larger Victorian house

I love mine (1900) but it's been badly maintained in the past, and every job you start turns into something else...eg if you start stripping wallpaper, half the plaster on the wall falls off!

Lived in properties of several periods in history - 17Th century (beams, low ceilings, huge fireplaces, small windows, dark, money pit. Victorian and Edwardian - hard to heat, cold, beautiful stained glass windows, deep skirtings, lovely staircases - money pit. 1930's - small garage, huge garden, lovely windows, great woodwork, high energy bills - money pit. New build - purpose built rooms, double garage, large garden, cheap to run, flooded in light - happy now 😀.

Original plaster can be a pain if its the original on laths.

Hard to screw things to the wall and do work without chunks falling off.

I converted a bedroom into a bathroom and had to cut channels in the plaster to conceal pipes behind tiles. Loads fell off.

Previous occupants had had the loft insulated - the installers had laid the stuff over 100years worth of sand/grit/soot/bird muck that had collected over the plaster in the loft.

Difficult to remove as it clogged my vacuum cleaners filter.

But otherwise generally solid houses.

Loved it when I had one but very noisy neighbours both sides. Probably normal family living noise but you could hear every footstep.

Used to. Really thin walls with bedrooms adjoining so thoroughly check out the neighbours op. The house next door to us was rented. To students! Nightmare. Banging up & down the stairs. Really close front doors, and gardens. Overlooked at every turn.

I actually moved because of the noise.

Victoria terraces often equal noise from neighbours. Very poor sound insulation.

I have an end terrace and hardly any noise from our lovely neighbours but I have been in my friends one and you hear everything neighbour does.

I have never in 50 years lived in a house younger than 1890. The oldest was 1660

Any while I am sure there are downsides, the upside of living with all that history are fab.

Our current house is aged around 1800, and yes, expensive to heat etc etc, but so beautiful!

We have a four storey Victorian house with a lovely balcony. Love the high ceilings and fire places etc, hate the dark hallway and especially when kids close their bedroom doors and take any upstairs light. Also no side access which I thought wouldn’t be a problem but I do miss being able to walk around the side of the house . Make sure you view the house with all lights off, lack of light is my biggest gripe.

If you live in a house in London as I do, it's probably most likely to be a Victorian terrace. I love ours, it's double fronted which makes it very light and spacious-feeling.