To ask if all new build estates are awful

[stellartuesday]

We moved into our house 2 years ago. We weren't really looking for a new build but there was nothing on the market. The house itself is lovely. Fairly spacious as new builds go and no major snags but the estate - MY GOD! It's a dump.

It's still a complete building site. There's loud construction work going on most weekdays, then in the evenings/weekends large groups of kids loiter in the cul-de-sac, often screaming their heads off until 10pm, kicking footballs onto our drive and dropping litter everywhere.
Today I came home and someone was parked over my drive and it just tipped me over the edge as it seems no one has any respect for eachother!

I've previously lived in 2 major cities before I moved to DH's hometown, so I'm used to living in close proximity to others but I can't get a moments peace here! It was quieter living in a city centre.
I visited a couple of friends at the weekend and it was pure bliss. I could actually sit in the garden and hear nothing but the birds tweeting. It was very disappointing to return home to a digger parked outside my front window, loads of litter near my drive and 8 teens screaming whilst taking turns in pushing eachother round on an office chair, which they have now dumped outside.

I noticed houses on new build estates always seem to be up for sale. Are they all horrible or am I just unlucky?

Yeah I'm not sure why what you describe would be related to the fact it's a new build? (Well except the digger and constructions noise!) we live on a beautiful new build estate (well 6 years old now, and finished, we bought about 2 years from the end, it was a bit noisy in the first year) now it's quiet, they're all detached with their own driveways so not issues with parking, we are personally in a small cul de sac so we don't have any footfall which helps, but most of the kids hang out in the park which is close enough for us to use without being so close it encroaches on our own peace so bare that in mind when studying site plans in future.

I think it entirely depends on the estate. Some friends recently bought on a smallish, completed development that is on the edge of a town and uses the land well. It’s lovely. I’m envious of their house.

Friends who’ve bought on large, incomplete estates that contain nothing but houses have struggled. It’s hard to chuck a load of people together when half the land is a building site and there is no entertainment and expect ‘community’

We bought our house about 1 year into the phase (12 years ago) - it took another year or so for the rest of the houses to be completed. Tbh if you've bought on an active site, which you would have known when buying you have to accept the building noise, traffic & dust etc. So whilst it's frustrating it's part of the course of being on a development that's being developed.

The antisocial behaviour however, no, not got anything like that. Ours is a very quiet small estate. Most noise comes from a few neighbours with motorbikes.

How long until the estate is finished?

I moved in to a new build that still had about 50% of the construction to finish after we moved in. But aside from the construction noise, I can't relate to anything else in your post. For context, we moved in to a development of about 115 properties (mostly houses and a few flats) in a city. The development is a mix of privately owned and housing association. All of our neighbours seem nice enough, and I am only aware of one noisy party in 3 years that has got out of hand.

There has been a lot of car crime, but the district we live in has a high incidence of this so I don't think that is anything to do with living in a new build.

Technically our phase of the development is finished and we've started paying management fees for the upkeep (which is another bone of contention).
The machinery is there because the only green space apart from outside our house, is outside the showroom and the developers don't want diggers etc there, so they've been plonked by us. I cross my fingers that they will move once they have finished laying the roads but that won't be any time soon.

To be honest, the construction is the least of my worries but it's just one part of constant noise from 9am-10pm.

We had a beautiful house in a housing estate. Lived there for four years. Absolutely adored the house and still do.

Massive building works ongoing but far away from us. Huge estate. I found all the problems that you did.

No one spoke to each other. Everyone drove in and out and you rarely saw anyone of a weekday. At weekends, there were lots of visitors and it was loud. Not a lot of privacy. Felt very soulless.

We financially crucified ourselves to buy a house in a beautiful village. Wholesome community feeling and my children love it. I don't love the house but it suits our needs so can't complain.

Having privacy, a supportive community feeling and space is a tremendous feeling. Can't walk down the street without bumping into someone walking who stops to have a chat.

Aside from the building element, new build estates - in my opinion - go downhill one way or another. When we moved, we noticed that houses were going on the rental market on the estate. So glad to have gotten out when we did (although I still secretly miss the physical house!).

We had the opposite in terms of community that the pp discusses, the great thing about a new build estate is you're all moving in around the same time which makes it easy to connect and talk. We were completely new to the area and everyone was so friendly, someone created a Facebook group that's still regularly used to ask for help etc and we actually know all our neighbours names here! Fell into a group of friends too and great to know the parents of the kids ours are playing with.

Mine is beautiful, it now has lots of trees and I back onto open countryside.
i got to pick all my fixtures and fittings etc and to give a landscape gardener my plan for the garden (included in the price). I have solar panels and tiny fuel bills, my house is never cold and I have so much storage.

Mine is fabulous. We are still in the building site part, but work is roughly 8am to 5pm weekdays and Saturday morning so bearable. Neighbours are lovely and friendly. The houses are built to a really high standard with lots of gorgeous little extras you wouldn't normally get. The estate is set in beautiful countryside with great walks and yet walking distance from the station.

It doesn't really sound 'awful' tbf, yes okay it doesn't sound idyllic but very few of us get to live in our dream home and location. When you describe kids loitering, is it teenagers and antisocial behaviour/vandalism, or mainly schoolkids playing out on the light nights? We're a childfree couple who bought in a new development (just pre-Truss, rates rocketing etc) and I am grateful, because had we not moved then we'd probably be stuck in our old too-small first home, but yes I find the noise of the children annoying. For example the 10 foot trampoline right up against our fence, the shrieking early on weekends, the outdoor birthday parties, but it's part and parcel of having neighbours. I also find our childfree neighbour with her loud barbecues and outdoor hot tub annoying. And the parking! Yes, very annoying. But I used to live in a bit of a rough area and the flat below me would have loud parties multiple times a week going on until 4am, so you have to count your blessings. Personally I like the fact everyone drives in and out and I don't have to get to know people too well. The parents all seem to chat and hang about, I prefer to keep myself to myself.

I know everyone on the thread is going to great pains to say that their estate is lovely but the unfortunate fact is that certain new build estates tend to attract the Turkey teeth brigade.

I wouldn't say those examples are necessarily part and parcel of having neighbours, but rather it's part and parcel of having neighbours who are inconsiderate, entitled, and don't give two shits about how their behaviour might be affecting others.

I know everyone on the thread is going to great pains to say that their estate is lovely but the unfortunate fact is that certain new build estates tend to attract the Turkey teeth brigade.

Maybe that's us

It's fascinating to me that new builds are looked down upon in the UK. In the US, new builds command a premium price.

Ours is quiet now but for two and a half years I had awful construction noise and dust - seems to be a lot of older couples relocating as the area is popular rather than kids which is a big plus , none of our immediate neighbours have children so weekends are much nicer in summer

Yep! Can relate to all of this and I have never known noise like it.

I live on a new build council estate, in an area that doesn’t have the best reputation!
never been happier, everyone is respectful, we have kids screaming in the day but they are 10 and under, doesn’t bother me to much, they arnt causing trouble just playing. I’m happier here than when I lived in a posh town that was full of trouble!

In the US, new builds command a premium price.

They do here as well which is why the British snub them, we do love our reverse snobbery here

In my experience it's far less common to have neighbours who are considerate. We all have our things though, like we have a dog. Some neighbours probably hate the fact that she occasionally barks, or that she poos in the garden (we do pick it up ASAP). Maybe we're the nightmare neighbours to others with young kids who don't understand why you'd move in here with no kids and not socialise.

New builds here go for a premium too, but the problem is if/when you're selling them on. The second buyer doesn't get the benefits of choosing the tiles, flooring, garden etc so you can lose money.

Slums of the future.
People who buy new builds have no souls!
From an estate agent I know.

In my experience it's far less common to have neighbours who are considerate

And therein lies the problem.

my first new build we lived in, the building work was going on all around us. We quite enjoyed watching it all go up although didn’t appreciate how long it took to tarmac the roads and complete the play park. However it was a lovely estate with no issues once all sorted. I’m in another newish estate now (ten years old) and it’s lovely again. It’s much smaller (only 20 houses compared to over 200 in the old one) and has green space, a stream and protected trees all round it. I think location is your issue not the new build possibly. I do agree re the maintenance costs though- v annoying

Some of what you are describing is construction continuing which is hardly unexpected on a partially completed site.

My parents moved to a new build estate when I was three and I loved playing out with a whole gang of kids. My mum still lives there and has lots of friends.

I live on a new build estate (having previously lived in a cold draughty house) and I love it.

Really awful. We made the mistake of buying one but we are looking to move as soon as we can. We could go tomorrow but we don't want to fuck ourselves over, so we are foregoing car purchase/holidays for the next year. We don't want to scrape by. It's everything we hate tbh. Full of dickheads who seem to hate each other. Inconsiderate parking, a bin tips over, they just leave all the rubbish all over your land. The houses are too small and narrow. I could go on.