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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Serving hatch

79 replies

Namechangedfeb22 · 13/01/2023 07:19

Would you buy a newly renovated home if they had kept the original 1980s serving hatch amongst a modern handless kitchen?

Being unreasonable - no I wouldn’t buy jt
not being unreasonable - yes I would buy it

OP posts:
IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 13/01/2023 07:21

I don't see the problem. I think it would be really helpful! My PiL have one and don't use it because of all the junk that permanently lives on their worktops.

TeenDivided · 13/01/2023 07:22

Disclaimer: I'm not your target market.

Is it functional? As in is it much easier to push food through the hatch than carry from the kitchen to the relevant room?

Ursuala · 13/01/2023 07:23

Come again?

Not to buy a house that would otherwise completely suit me in terms of location style and price because of one feature?!

WTF?

FrenchandSaunders · 13/01/2023 07:24

Not sure. Depends, does it look out of place or ok?

Coffeecreme · 13/01/2023 07:25

why would it be a negative thing?

bigbadbarry · 13/01/2023 07:26

Why on Earth would that stop you buying a house? Even if you have an irrational hatred for the hatch, surely you always do a bit of redecorating or rearranging in a new house, so just block it up?

notforonesecond · 13/01/2023 07:26

I was gutted when my parents filled ours in. It had cute little doors and everything. I’d love to have one in my house - I’m a big fan of a separate dining room.

PuttingDownRoots · 13/01/2023 07:27

Serving hatches are useful. Supervise kids when you are cooking, talking to people.. stuff like that.

Not so useful for serving food

Cantbebotheredwithchores · 13/01/2023 07:28

@notforonesecond me to! I sometimes still go over there to put something through the hatch and faced with a wall! 🤣
I often used to sit at the hatch and talk to my mother when I was little, so I wouldn't be in her way with hot pans etc

BarbaraofSeville · 13/01/2023 07:29

Ursuala · 13/01/2023 07:23

Come again?

Not to buy a house that would otherwise completely suit me in terms of location style and price because of one feature?!

WTF?

This. If you don't like it, it's a fairly minor job to block it up.

But they can be very useful, so don't knock it because it's unfashionable. The current owners probably use it and didn't want to lose it.

teezletangler · 13/01/2023 07:29

I wouldn't. Fine to buy a house that needs a total kitchen reno anyway as you are going to do your own thing and add value, but in this case the buyer would have to do more work and spend more money on an already-renovated kitchen. Despite the comments here, a serving hatch is not a selling point!

The real question is, if you've done a reno, why would you leave the hatch?

BitOutOfPractice · 13/01/2023 07:32

I wouldn’t not buy a house because of one small feature I didn’t like. So easy to change.

Having said that, I think I’d like one!

happystory · 13/01/2023 07:32

We once had one, it was very useful for spying on the kids when I was cooking!

BarbaraofSeville · 13/01/2023 07:36

Serving hatches might even come back into fashion as part of a trend away from open plan living when people get fed up of the increased cost of heating a bigger space. They're ahead of the curve.

Homedeco · 13/01/2023 07:38

Why is this a big deal? Presumably you can remove it and fill it in? People do much larger renovations when buying a home

msbevvy · 13/01/2023 07:42

You don't even have to spend money filling it in. You could just hide it behind a bookcase or something if you don't like it.

SnarkyBag · 13/01/2023 07:44

Hmm I suppose my question would be if this is a newly renovated house and the serving hatch was left I would assume it was because the renovations were done cutting corners to keep costs down. That would make me wonder about the quality of the work overall for the rest of the house. I wouldn’t want to pay over the odds for a lot of renovated houses as when we were searching so many of them hadn’t been done to a great standard.

TheHauntedPencilCase · 13/01/2023 07:46

Interesting! I've just done this bit of my reno and have left the hatch! It looks a mess as itneeds painting and trimming but I love it, so much easier to get things to the dining room or back again, really glad I didn't block it, I think they're great but I'm not someone who follows design trends tbh I like to do my own thing so it wouldn't occur to me to not keep something useful just because the aesthetic wasn't right. Dead easy to fill though if you really won't use it.

Iwantmyoldnameback · 13/01/2023 07:48

I don't understand why they went out of fashion and I certainly don't see them as an eyesore. I've never had one but I can see a lot of advantages to having one.

Patineur · 13/01/2023 07:49

teezletangler · 13/01/2023 07:29

I wouldn't. Fine to buy a house that needs a total kitchen reno anyway as you are going to do your own thing and add value, but in this case the buyer would have to do more work and spend more money on an already-renovated kitchen. Despite the comments here, a serving hatch is not a selling point!

The real question is, if you've done a reno, why would you leave the hatch?

I see that, but why would that relatively minor piece of work put you off entirely from buying the house? You could factor the cost into your offer, after all.

DisforDarkChocolate · 13/01/2023 07:51

I love a serving hatch. It would be a plus point for me.

SalviaOfficinalis · 13/01/2023 07:52

We blocked ours up when we moved in, it wasn’t a big job.

Patineur · 13/01/2023 07:53

BarbaraofSeville · 13/01/2023 07:36

Serving hatches might even come back into fashion as part of a trend away from open plan living when people get fed up of the increased cost of heating a bigger space. They're ahead of the curve.

This! I never really understand, on property buying programmes, why people go into raptures about vast open plan spaces, especially in things like converted barns with really high ceilings. It must cost an absolute fortune to heat, and there must surely be times when one of you needs a bolthole, whether it's to work, read, do craft stuff, watch rubbish TV or whatever.

HikingforScenery · 13/01/2023 07:53

PuttingDownRoots · 13/01/2023 07:27

Serving hatches are useful. Supervise kids when you are cooking, talking to people.. stuff like that.

Not so useful for serving food

@PuttingDownRoots why isn’t it useful for serving food? Friends of ours had one in their recently sold home. It was very handy for passing things through to put everything on the table before sitting down to eat.

Iamnotausername · 13/01/2023 07:56

I'd love a serving hatch! I've always wanted one.

Even if I didn't like them, It wouldn't stop me from buying an otherwise suitable house.