I'm obsessed with housing estates

[Namechangepleas]

I'm going to struggle to put this into words. Over the past few weeks I've become obsessed with new build housing estates.
That sounds ridiculous I know but just thinking about the makes me cringe but I also can't stop. I've been driving around new build estates in my area just for the sake of it to look at them and also searching for them on rightmove.
It's more the estate its self than the individual houses. I feel like I'm in the film vivarium when I'm in one.
I know this makes absolutely no sense but has anyone else ever thought this?/

All these people commenting that they wouldn’t live in a housing estate PLEASE tell me where you live and why your house isn’t classed as on a “housing estate” please I’m dying to know! I guess you all live in 6 bed mansions in the country side with no neighbours for miles? As that’s the only thing that wouldn’t class your house as a “housing estate”

I can't think of anything worse! The layouts make no sense unless you live there and I say that as someone who lived in one for 10 years and only recently moved! The one we lived in was small and the most recent built here are absolutely huge so I dread anyone i know moving there and me having to find their house 😂

Oh yes!! I get this completely. I had to deliver some leaflets last year round a huge one in my area. It was fascinating. Like a maze. With all these odd cul de sacs and a bit eerie in its perfection. There was very few signs of life there either. No people, no sounds of children playing. Nothing. I couldn't live there.

God this. So much blimmin snobbery in many cases.

The road I live on has about 100 houses, all built at different times from the mid 1800s to 3 years ago.
There are clusters of similar houses, but most are individual and for two of the houses of a very similar 1970s design, they are at opposite ends of the road.
I'd struggle to regard it as a housing estate (although I have no snobbish reasoning - I don't really care what it's called). In my estimation, for somewhere to be a housing estate would suggest it was a designated residential estate, all built around the same time and in a similar style (what the planners call "the vernacular")

😂

Seaside town in the SE. My road is a mix of giant 4-storey Edwardian detached houses, 30s 3-bed semis, Victorian 2 up/2 down terraces and 60s/70s maisonettes. A pub at one end and a church at the other.

So no, not a 'housing estate' if you're classing that as houses of a similar style, built by the same company at the same time, on roads also built expressly for those houses, which is what is usually meant by that phrase.

It's not necessarily snobbery if you don't actually live on a housing estate some of us choose not to, is all.

We're in the process of buying one, albeit the estate is very small and is extremely well-located (it's a 5 min walk through a park to the posh village on the outskirts of a nice city). I've lived in some amazing houses in my life but after spending the past 10 years freezing my tits off in a massive, draughty and dusty crumbling old Victorian I'm looking forward to being in a cosy, easy to clean, well-insulated home where everything just works (hopefully!).

Bless you op.

After poundberry I'd recommend an architectural walking tour of the Barbican!

I'm drawn to very densely packed urban areas where there are layers and layers of housing of all different styles and periods on top of each other. No idea why, but just looking at it, say from the train window pulling into a city, makes me feel really safe and happy. Even better if it's dark and there's thousands of windows all lit up. I like walking in these areas too but don't do it for fun as it would be too weird.

I understand OP! I love walking the dog through the new build developments lol and when I was looking to move a good few years ago now became obsessed with the plans layouts etc.

anyone interested in modern development should check out the new ‘suburbs’ they built for expats in Dubai. Row after row of identical ‘villas’ with courtyard gardens. It’s wild there’s one I can’t remember the name of but it one a prize as a photography image as it looked so surreal.

Won a prize* even!

Found it - the photo is called ‘Surburban Dystopia’

The lovely Burnham-on-Sea. 2001 and no social housing on this estate.

Mumsnet Bingo

I get it. And I live in one, very similar in appearance to OP's photo.

I don't mind it - it's well insulated, easy to maintain, and the corners are still mostly square as subsidence hasn't yet had much effect. The 'boxiness' does feel a little odd, though.

I previously lived in Georgian terraces and a Victorian cottage. They were built on the exact same principle - rapidly developed housing for workers - and were similarly despised by some in their time. They feel different to us because of details like decorative mouldings, and because time & long use have endowed them with character. Give it another 100 years and expectations will have changed again: maybe our double-glazed, wall-insulated, stain resistant, brick boxes will seem charming. And they'll definitely be a little less rectangular!

😂Every time!

Yes, all those poor families with social problems should have their own ghetto of inferior homes somewhere on the edge of town, where they won't bother decent owner-occupier types. 🙄

I have ADHD and often grab a concept and have to find out more about it. I've never done this thing in particular but can imagine I might one day. I'd not be interested in the people who lived there just the design and structures.

This morning I've been searching about the English ladies football team. Triggered by Mary Earps winning SPOTY last night and I didn't know who she was. My mind ends up down all sorts of googleing cul de sacs.

Eventually I have something else to do, get on with that, and my obsession stops. Until the next thing that triggers my curiosity.

I'm also quite useful on a quiz team! I'm sure this is why.

Google "sonder". It's like, looking at all those identical houses, but inside them are people's lives. Their dreams, arguments, ambitions, tragedies. All neatly presented in a sterile estate. Just like a 3D print of a plan, with living subjects put inside, probably all quite different once you get past all the white Audis.

I get this a bit, but mainly for the sort of retro/vintage eighties and nineties liminal spaces, rooms or street scenes. It's artistic, it's a break from thinking of stuff that matters. Going on Rightmove aimlessly IS a legitimate hobby and I'll argue with anyone who says it isn't 😅

Field absolutely yes but quite often there's sneering comment's about all looking the same, soulless that kind of thing. Which is a bit snobby.

Yes, I live in a Victorian terrace. I know what you mean but I did clearly say that it is the orange brick housing estates of the 80s-now that give me the horrible fear feeling. I don’t know why but there’s probably some long buried childhood memory involving one that’s done it 🤷🏻‍♀️ Before the Victorian house I lived on a small 1950s cul-de-sac off a main road. Seriously ugly houses and I wasn’t keen on my house but no shuddery feeling. Like I said, it’s irrational.

@LakieLady Are you feeling okay?
You have made a lot of assumptions there. Nowhere did I say all people in social housing cause issues? I know for a fact as I am one of them!
But it is a fact there are more problems on them. I live in one, lived in others and work in different ones as a support worker. It is a fact my friends had to move out each time because of the social housing tenants planted in the middle of bought houses. And I hate it because they give us a bad name.

@Namechangepleas Were you a 80s/90s/00s child, OP? Did you grow up watching Brookside? Did Jimmy Corkhill's recent demise hit you hard?