To not buy this house?

[phiaaihp]

My husband wants a new build, I’ve compromised as I don’t.

The one we viewed today the end of the garden is the side of the neighbours house (no fence, the house wall is the boundary) with windows that look directly on to said garden. They are frosted but I find it weird.

Husband said I’m making excuses as it ticks the rest of the boxes and I just don’t want a new build.

Absolutely not!

Imagine trying to sell that house on if you need to move. Very few are going to want it so the selling price will be lower than your neighbours.

That's not even counting the potential problems you could have with your neighbour. Also, that soil is very wet looking if it hadn't recently rained, I'd consider that another potential issue.

Your DH must be off his rocker to consider buying that. Fair enough if he doesn’t mind being so overlooked (bonkers, but whatever), you’ll never be able to sell it!!!

Is he volunteering to clean all those toilets?

Yeuch! I wouldn't buy that. You can't even screen it since you then cut off neighbour's light. Insist you don't have a new-build. DD has a Victorian house. Admittedly no en suites but four bed and two bathrooms + cloakroom, huge kitchen, 2 large reception rooms, garage and nice garden, in conservation area. Tons better than a new build, with an established community - very friendly - and within walking distance of town centre. Who wants to be stuck on an estate just for an en suite?

I'd be checking to see if there's going to be any rights of way across the back of your garden for maintenance. There's windows and a flu there! They could also change the windows to be non-frosted and also open outward so you get no privacy. There was another post a few months ago with someone having an issues with this type is set up.

How long is your garden? Could you plant a conifer border a couple of metres back and still get a good sized garden?

It doesn’t really matter. You’re going to be co-owners, you both have to like it. Buying a new build was a compromise, buying THIS new build is a step too far. Has the development got others available?

Or the cheap build quality! Plus hope he never wants to do a loft conversion, as that won’t be possible with the weak roofs!

It would be a big no from me. The neighbours will need access to your garden to clean their windows and guttering, it looks like their boiler flue also protrudes into your garden. Then the lawn going up to their wall. So many wrongs. That's before you even think about the security aspect of the window opening out on to your garden. The lack of privacy is probably the least important problem here.

That set up screams long term feuding neighbour issues because both houses would struggle to resell.

No no and absolutely no! Read too many posts about similar issues and would hate the windows even if frosted. Don’t mind new builds but not like that.

There are houses that don't have windows on all sides. How do you think terraced houses work?

My back garden backs on to another house, but it has no walls on that side. I have no children who might be inclined to kick balls (and the back of my garden is a border anyway), so it causes me no issues whatsoever.
I might have waited until the house was empty to put some vine eyes into the mortar to grow roses against but I am prepared to say they were there when I bought the house!

What makes your DH think new estates are great communities? Mostly they are not. Don't compromise, look at new builds and also older houses. The space and community of older houses ought to win DH over esp as often on good transport routes or within walking distance of town centre etc.

look at new builds and also older houses

This is good advice. Don’t close anything off.

I was like you and had a hankering for an older property. We viewed loads but all the ones within our budget were on busy roads or had some other disadvantage (next door to a pub, needed too much work, etc). My H drove me round an estate of the sort of houses I thought I’d hate and I changed my mind. The lack of traffic was the game-changer for me.

Obviously, that house is stupid but that doesn’t mean all new builds will be. One of the nicest homes we ever had was 10 years old when we bought it: really nice, light-filled house on a quiet cul-de-sac.

Is the house or the garden the one that would be yours? Either way, no, thats horrible. They would need access to the garden to clean the windows or do any maintenance, if you have kids in the garden then they would be able to climb in the windows if open, they would be bound to make more noise than would be liked as they are RIGHT FUCKING THERE.

Is he going to clean and maintain all the ensuite bathrooms? He is being a dick.

OP, I overlook my neighbours (nothing they can do about it either and I think they have no idea that I can see everything they get up to, while we have privacy). It's amazing how much you get to know about your neighbours when you can see so much, just from observation. If you value your privacy, I wouldn't buy an overlooked property.

Ugh no that photo is horrendous.

Windows can be opened...in which case frosted panes don't make one tiny little difference!

En suites are stupid.

Exactly! Most of the people I know that live on these new estates talk about the toxicity of it all. Fall outs all the time….too close for comfort for me. A bit like gated communities just bloody awful.

Minority of one - I think that's fine. I'm not really clear (haha) what people are objecting to?

I've never seen a garden on a new build estate that isn't overlooked. Perhaps if they were bungalows, and you grew high vegetation, but I doubt you'll find those. We live in a Victorian house with a garden that half a dozen houses could look into, without needing to open a frosted-glass window and hang out. If they find our activities that interesting good luck to them!

Absolutely no, our first two homes were new builds, had so many problems with both. Love in a 1960's housing estate now, house is much bigger and the neighbour are nicer.

The objection is that the boundary is the wall of the adjacent house and that the wall has two windows, currently frosted, that look as if they open, which overlook the other garden. This will cause problems e.g. with broken windows and attention to the other house's pointing and guttering etc, since access to the wall will be required; also there may be restrictions on planting or putting up sheds near this wall, as they would cut out light. I have never seen a Victorian house with this arrangement and windows overlooking in this way is usually not allowed in planning regulations since the windows impinge on the other property's boundary. I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole, it will be very difficult to re-sell. OP's DH is barking up the wrong tree if he is looking for a community in new build estates, too.

100% no on that one

I wouldn’t totally rule out a newbuild but the ensuites thing is ridiculous as it means vastly smaller rooms and usually almost no decent space for storage. Ensuite is a nice to have for adults, kids def do not need them

also. Round here at least the parking accomodation at newbuilds is dire. One parking space at the most in an area where the vast majority of families need two cars (public transport is rubbish before anyone pipes up).

Oh and we’ve in three houses, one built 1908 one in 1926 and one in 2007. Guess which has given us most problems. By a country mile.

Thanks @Grammarnut , I'd wrongly assumed it was to do with overlooking

Nope not that one.

This thread shows it will be a struggle to resell.