House questions (again!). Did you end up with a house completely different from your pre-conceived ideal but found you loved it all the same?

[Tinker]

I'm finding myself, gulp, looking at a 70's box and wondering...maybe?

Same dilemma pamina! The period houses ie Victorian are either too small and terraced (Same has have now) or huuuuuuge 5 bedroom jobs which would be fab but £££££££ to buy and even more ££££££££ to heat and upkeep.

You will know "its yours" the minute you walk into it. I never got quite the same feeling about any houses we went to see as I did for the one we bought.

oh definitely - especially with our first house. Criteria were:

Off street parking (or at least road directly outside house)
Attic - decent size
Hallway
Lounge and Dining Room
NOT terraced
In good decorative order

Actual house we fell for and bought:

Long walk up a path to get to the house
Flat roof (so no chance of an attic)
Front door took you straight into the lounge.
Only one sitting room (albeit a decent size)
Terraced
Needed a 'modernisation'.

yeah -

• we wanted 4 bedrooms and our new house has 3 - although there is an annexe bit downstairs wich we are using as a fourth one.

• we also wanted easy walk to shops/school/park and it is over a mile to either of these! so always in car or on bike!

• as for age/style we weren't bothered about that and have ended up in a fifties delight - with original features

TOTALLY ! When we put our previous house on the market I knew exactly what I wanted to move to. Yet the house we now live in is very different to the dream I had (and came so close to owning, but fate wouldn't have it).

Am getting very fed-up of 30s semis...

Oi, Tink - which park?

Actually, to answer this house thread we were set on a 30s semi with a big garden when we were looking 5 years ago. We looked at loads and nearly all had a teeny 3rd bedroom. The Estate Agent bullied us into looking at a Weaver's Cottage - a terraced house, not what we were after at all. Walked into the living room - not that impressed - then walked into the big dining room/kitchen extension with lovely sklylights in the extension roof and we just knew this was the one. It has a small garden and it's straight onto the street - but it had that 'feel' - for both of us.

Town beginning with Ch next to place where you used to live. Park there? Of course you must know where I mean!

I've never actually been to that park - been to the two parks that begin with Br in Ch (would think you were loaded if you were looking at houses there!)

I mean Ch for the county and not Ch for the town...are we being cryptic in case anyone goes and buys your potential house?

Know one park beginning with Br - sadly not near that one. Doubt this one is posh enough to have a name. The lurkers have eyes and will buy said house just to annoy me.

Now, if my choice was between a 30s semi and a Weaver's cottage that would take me all of, oh, 2 seconds to decide on

Absolutely. My dream was of a period propery with high ceilings,fireplaces etc (a bigger version of where we are now) and either semi or detached (currently in a terrace). We are buying a new build terraced 4 storey town house, but it is perfect.

The parks, where your potential house is not, that I'm thinking of that begin with Br. Well, one rhymes with shuntbud and one rhymes with damnsmall.

My Weaver's Cottage is kind of cool, must admit.

I wanted detached with a kitchen you could eat in - as well as a dining room. I got (and love -dh and I just looked at each other and said this is the one) a tiny kitchen (we even had to replace that) and end of terrace - estate agents call it wing of country house !!

What I love is the space (size of rooms) and size of garden - it is not in the middle of nowhere (as would be ideal) but on quite a busy road - again we don't find it a problem.

We were buying when I was pregnant and never thought to look at the local amenities or schools - as i was always going to go back to work. As I didn't - luckily the local amenities are fab and I love the local primary school - although mixed feelings at the mo as ds starts there next week

Hope a lovely one comes onto the market for you soon, tinker.

We were that close to buying an uber-60s townhouse and I still miss it sometimes (hateful vendors pulled out day before exchange and we lost £££). Openwork stairs, massive single-glazed windows, slippery parquet and warm air "heating" and all
Look carefully at 20s semis though - often have bigger rooms. I like ours more than I ever thought I would.
Really hope you find the right abode soon tinker. And where are your plans at right now scumstrel?

um... Not sure really, Marina. My dissertation and therefore course are FINISHED - yippeeeee. And so is Mr Scums' as of today . So next move is finding new jobs and then getting a mortgage and moving... But we are swithering dreadfully about where we should move. We have considered Plumstead, Glasgow, Brighton, staying where we are and buying run down high rise, Streatham- Furzedown end, Bournemouth, Hastings and Walthamstow so far! Doh. (sorry for hijack tinks)

Woohoo for the dissertations and love the randomised approach to househunting