AIBU to ask why so many £1m houses....

[Locationvshousevsgarden]

..have very old bathrooms and /or kitchens and need updating ? We are house hunting and I am genuinely perplexed by the amount of houses in this bracket that still need money spent on it ! I would have thought that a lot of houses in this bracket would be immaculate and only require new flooring or one bathroom or painting throughout but no.... out of the over 15 we looked at over 10 of them require significant work and updating. It just baffled me and I suppose I thought at this level and price most places will be in excellent condition or move ready.

People may have bought them a long time ago & some do not price correctly.

This. In my opinion.

It's perfectly fine for me to raise it on this thread. It's hugely relevant. Excessive consumption (constantly renewing kitchens and cars and decor) is a huge issue.

Is it? Can you link the stats which show that renewing kitchens and decor are causing an environmental issue? Cars I will give you, but the rest? You are reaching, for your own agenda.

The properties in my part of london over 1m that are shifting are the ones that have been renovated/decorated. The fixer uppers are sitting there. The market has changed somewhat with higher interest rates & the cost of work.

Because most brand new bathrooms are incredibly naff?

A lot of people buy beyond their means and can’t afford the upkeep

I'm not. All excessive consumption is problematic. How to you think the kitchens and bathrooms and furnishings are made? How do you think they are transported? It all consumes vast amounts of energy and resources.

It's accepted good practice founded on solid science that you should reduce how much you buy, reuse things as much as possible and then recycle whats left.

Inflation.

my terraced house is worth £900k

@Normallyinthepoolof all the things to whinge about, a decent kitchen that works for the family is not it

Indeed. But replacing them frequently is deeply unnecessary. We 've lived in our house for just over a decade. Our neighbours have replaced their kitchen and bathroom 3 times in that time

If you are considering selling, you won't add as much value with a new kitchen or bathroom as it costs to do. Probably because it would lose the "new" feel after a few months and wouldn't be to a purchaser's taste.

No proven stats then? Just “accepted good practice” By whom? Where is the “good practice” research around keeping a kitchen for decades? It doesn’t exist.
And “founded on solid science”? Please do link it. I agree with FSC timber but there is no science or research around new kitchens or decor.
Personally I go with the buy once methodology but we are all different. As you were…..

I must admit that most of those Omaze houses seem to have every once if character sucked out of them. How do they find so many where all the period features have been removed?

I find it staggering you don't already know about reduce reuse recycle and the science behind it.
Reducing consumption is the number one thing we can all do

I shall leave you to learn about it at your leisure.

I find it staggering that you can be so vehement and not be able to produce the stats to support your rhetoric.
Perhaps you could learn to do that? At your leisure. Of course.

I dont need to. It should be palpably obvious that replacing an entire kitchen is worse for the planet than just keeping the one that is already there. Its not rocket science

Location and plot size/layout are the 2 most important things I would say. Decor can be changed, extensions added, but you cannot change the location or plot

We bought a detached house which needed work over an immaculate semi, as with a semi you never know what neighbours you might get

But again, it’s not science that you can quote or is actually researched is it? You have precisely zero dated and named studies to quote. Smith and Jones et al have never published a study on the environmental effects of a new kitchen or new decor. That is what is palpably obvious. It’s your agenda, good for you, but it isn’t “science’. Even you have to admit that? And, this thread would have you believe that no one buys new kitchens anyway. So, like I said, as you were…..

This isn't a university essay. I dont need to quote sources and at 11.30 at night I am not about to indulge you
But you would have to have a Trumpian level of brain power to not realise that replacing a kitchen is worse for the environment than retaining the one that is already in situ

It feels like people have forgotten that reducing consumption is the most effective way to help combat climate change. I am not sure if it's because it's an uncomfortable truth or just due to lack of education. Perhaps a mix of both

I don’t need to be “indulged” as it isn’t me pushing my agenda here! It’s you. Keep indulging yourself, by berating others. I hope it makes you feel better.

There are quite a lot near me like that. And lower priced ones. The owners are deluded. I’d never pay that much for a house which hasn’t been updated in decades. Especially when ones of a similar price have been

Location and size are much more important than the aesthetics when valuing a house. A house is rarely priced at a price equivalent to move in condition minus work needed.

How done up a house is often helps it sell faster - but only compared to those "in the middle houses". People either want done up,.modern nice decor or untouched, needs everything doing. The Inbetweeners of done up in 2010 and now somewhat dated but not enough to want to spend them money on it are the harder to sell.

In the last couple of years the cost of renovation has gone through the roof. A really nice large fitted kitchen (e.g. 6m x 6m) can cost 100k.

Oftem the people who own these homes either bought them for less, or have huge mortgages to pay off, and dont actually have the money.

Also in my area (posh london commuter belt) property prices are falling, so theres a real risk you spend a massive amount on reno & it doesnt add enough value to the property to cover what you spent.

You can repaint a really good quality kitchen & it will look like new