To not understand the appeal of new build homes?

[GreenEyeGopher]

I was looking at the proliferation of new build estates yesterday and wondering who buys homes there.

I don't think I've ever lived in a house that's much less than 100 years old.and would find it hard to imagine living in a new build. Or actually, I could imagine living in a new build home but not on a new estate - somehow they don't feel quite like 'real places' to me, everywhere I've lived has had a long time to get established!

So I'm just curious - if you live in a new build, or would like to - what is the appeal?

I don’t doubt that is true for some. But the point I was making is that new builds are all designed and built with very small gardens which just aren’t ideal for families with children.

I don’t doubt that is true for some. But the point I was making is that new builds are all designed and built with very small gardens which just aren’t ideal for families with children.

Land is at a premium, most new build estates come with some outside communal play space. Not all new builds have small gardens, it depends on your budget. But for many it's a reasonable compromise, and if it's not they look for a bigger plot (be that new or second hand)

I'd love to move into a brand new house, where everything is sparkling and new! Modern and easy to maintain and clean.

My garden is massive. So are my neighbours gardens. so not all new builds are designed with very small gardens. Don’t generalise if you don’t know what you’re talking about

I have thought about it because I fancied lower maintenance but I can't afford to buy a top end one, just a normal semi detached. I decided I wouldn't buy one because I have concerns about a) build quality and b) noise levels. My rooms are big compared to the new build floor plans I've seen and, of course, it's not boxy. My heating bills are similar to my friend in her 20 year old house and I definitely put the heating on more than she does.

Some aren't freehold either, no way I'd consider that.

I will be moving next year. I would consider something newer than my current house but not anything built recently.

As for estates, I grew up on one. A large estate means more people, more kids, fireworks, barbecues, etc. More noise. It doesn't matter how nice the people are, that's a fact and I don't want that.

We bought a new build because of the help to buy scheme, it made buying a house affordable for us.
I really love the house! We’ve had no big issues, and it’s so much better than the older house with damp issues that we used to rent. It’s easy to clean, the kitchen is modern, and we have loads of storage room.
Neither me not DH are DIY minded people so low maintenance with no need to ‘do things up’ is ideal.

All houses were new build at some point and no doubt sneered at by people living in older, 'better' houses.

Well there's your answer OP.

Any home with neighbours is not going to have total privacy.

Where I live the terraces seem to all have a right of way across the back of neighbours' houses to take bins etc through. The route goes straight behind what would have been the outside privy (now normally the ground floor bathroom) so possibly a night soil route.

Our house, bought from new 17 years ago, has been adapted and extended as our needs have changed. In an older house these changes would have been far more expensive and time consuming to achieve.

I bought a new build and before that we were living in a 1900s terrace that was :

Impossible to heat
Had damp

Next house was detached and 10% bigger but much cheaper to heat!

And the huge plus for our little estate (30 houses) were appealing to young families so we now have friends living next door that our children play with

We seem to get a post like this every few months. In our case it didnt need any work, was in budget, survey didn't throw up any issues, a 4 bed detached home, was well insulated compared to older homes, away from a main road, quiet estate, separate dining room, our bedrooms all have fitted wardrobes and are a great size, even the box room is bigger than average. We have a reasonable sized garden but it is overlooked from several houses, another downside is that if we extended at the back we'd lose too much garden so will move at some point. We are the second owners which I quite like. When we arrived to see it the house was flooded with light and was the first in about 20 we had seen that I knew was right for us.

The old terraces are terrible for damp as they normally don't have any sort of damp proofing. Anything built before the advent of central heating is also likely to have woodworm.

We renovated a 1930s bungalow. DH ended up having to replace many of the joists and all of the floor boards to get rid of the woodworm damage.

If we were to buy an older house we would do it on the assumption that it would need a full rewire, re-plumb plus structural woodwork and damp proofing would need close inspection.

I'm in Australia where it's common to build your own.
We built around 15 years ago and I still miss that house,
We picked everything - windows, tiles, carpets, kitchen, bathrooms, even the type and colour of roof and external walls.
Lots of storage and huge rooms, our family and dining room alone was 11m long.
It was energy efficient and easy to keep clean.
Now live in a much older house, which us the same size but which costs much more to heat and cool and needs pretty much constant maintainance.
It also needs bathrooms replacing.
And the garden is a neverending battle.
So, when we downsize, it will be a new house again.

@tiddlyipom I am very envious of you being able to build your own home though sad for you that you no longer have it.

I think there is a naive assumption that older is inherently better. Old building methods aren't better just because they are old.

Old designs of houses reflect how people lived at the time when the houses were built. 'Original features' reflect the needs and aspirations if the time.

Picture rails had two purposes. One was to hang pictures off and not risk damaging plaster (no polyfilla to patch damage). The other was to end the wall so that expensive wall paper could be hung between dado and picture rails rather than covering the whole wall.

Dado rails made a neat stop to the hard-wearing wall covering which went up to waist height. It needed to be hard-wearing because of all the smoke and dirt which was generated by open fires and local industry.

People who grew up since a lot of towns and cities have cleaned up don't realise just how dirty earlier ages were.

I would never ever live in a new build. I rented one for a while. It’s so not me. But I don’t understand why you can’t get that other people love it? We are all different. My brothers new build is stunning. It’s not for me, I love rurally in a 250 old house. But I see why it suits my brother. I’m glad we are all different.

I wanted an old house. Ideally that’s what we would have bought.

But when we were looking the newer build house we looked at had everything we needed; utility, downstairs toilet, en suite, office space and ultimately I had to suck up not liking the fact that every house on the street looks the same because the benefits far outweigh that.

I can see why people like new houses - each to their own.

New build flats, OTOH…
When a dd was looking to buy (in a non-smart area of SW London) I was startled at the difference in value between a particular block of new builds - 55 ish sq m on a busy road with no parking or outside space, plus hefty ground rent/service/maintenance charges on top, compared to 72 ish sq m of several PB Edwardian maisonettes, on much nicer roads, with parking, outside space, similar distance to tube etc. and minimal or peppercorn charges - both for roughly the same price.

Absolutely not the case, most cottages have very very low ceilings

I live in a cottage that's over 300 years old. I completely fell in love with it the minute I walked through the door 25 years ago but omg it has cost us a small fortune to fix everything that is wrong with it. It's changed our future because it's taken so much money and it's still completely impractical to live in! I often think when will I be ready to leave it and I suspect the answer is never as it almost feels like a family member (I appreciate that sounds a bit odd). I love the history, love that hundreds of different people have been born, lived and died in it. Love the character, big inglenook fireplaces, wiggly stairs etc. It's got low ceilings, can be very dark, costs a fortune to insure and heat and there are days when I think a bright, light new build would be a lovely thing to behold. Maybe one day, but not quite yet.

Tis hard to think that someone 'can't understand' someone wanting to live in one though, that is very patronising.

New development built as I got divorced , great location, fixed price so no offers over stress , great plot , I know everything around me so no surprise new developments , walk in and no diy to think of , I love it

Bought ours five years ago - its only 3 minutes drive from our old house (which was an 80s build). We bought off-plan. It is detached and has a decent sized garden and all the 'upgrades' that we wanted like a double parking space, double bedrooms for the kids, a study (aka my sewing room) and a kitchen big enough for us to eat at the table. Massive double garage. Not directly overlooked. (houses in distance can see in the garden but its relatively private otherwise) Walkable to the shop.
The attraction is that we are not DIY people and this one came as a part exchange so it was a relatively simple process without the worry of finding a buyer for the old house. There were snags - but they were resolved relatively quickly. Yes we could have gotten a bigger 'old' house for the same mortgage - but this was the best solution for us, so we took it. Do not regret it.

I live in a house that is 120 years old. I had a tradesperson round yesterday to give yet more bad news because it’s never good news with a house of this age. We’ve replaced the windows and boiler on this house and it’s still got an EPC of D. I live in a semi-detached house and so when the neighbour had mice they could get into our house because of all the tiny gaps in a house of this age. I had to pay a fortune for doors internal and external because nothing is a standard size. Nothing is straight. It’s one, never-ending list of maintenance and I’m dealing with 120 years of people tinkering with it, bodging it or doing what was appropriate at the time but isn’t up to standard now.

We are hoping to move shortly. I’ll be moving to a 17 year old house on an estate. I’m looking forward to being able to walk DD to school when she gets there, having a park on my doorstep. I’m excited to have a manageable size garden. The new house has an EPC that is a B. The only thing I need to do in the new house is decorate. I can get it looking nice within a couple of months there rather than 8 years later and we’ve done half the house and still have half the house to go. I’m looking forward to being able to buy standard size doors, for the walls to be straight. I’m looking forward to if my garden gate blows open, that my dogs will be on a quiet 20mph street. The front of the house doesn’t get much sunlight but that means we have a south facing garden and during the summer the front of the house will be a cool place to sit. The floor plan is more conventional and there is more than one toilet (something I’ve realised is very important when you all go down with a stomach bug). The reason we didn’t go for a new build is because the ones round here are known for doing a shit job and we can’t afford the more reputable ones. They also aren’t including parking spaces. I would be more than happy to live in a new build though, something that is just done as you move in, something that requires very little maintenance.

We viewed quite a few old houses before buying this one, we saw hobbit doors. Bedrooms that could only be accessed by another bedroom. Garages collapsing. Kitchens that have been moved to the living room. Random walls knocked out to make bigger, weird shaped rooms. Circle windows. They can be full of character but that also tends to mean costly to maintain and renovate.

After the tradesperson delivered more bad news yesterday I said I was never living in an old house ever again.

Well, clearly the definition is open to interpretation. I’m a chartered surveyor, in my 17 years practicing I’ve never seen a new build with a decent sized garden and id bet my supper I’ve seen more than you so I suppose we have a different expectation there.

Snap. Its so refreshing being warm and cosy in every room of your house all with ter, cool and fresh in the summer, small bills, everything works, luxury bathrooms , awesome layout for modern life, light and bright, double glazed, quiet...

Would take a lot to make me move back to old houses now! Grew up in Georgian and Victorian homes and just never knew anything else
Modern homes are amazing.

Just going to have to agree to disagree then. I’m not outing myself by posting photos of my garden - I saw plenty of plots looking for my house and gardens come in all shapes and sizes even in new builds.