Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Victorian semi or showy new build?

49 replies

CristinaTheAstonishing · 02/07/2011 21:52

Argh, what to do:

House no 1. Fell in love with a Victorian semi. On busy road but dead quiet inside. Garden a bit noisy but park opposite. Near station etc.

House no 2 is in a different area, in a small 'estate' of newish builds. Ticks all the right boxes for number of rooms, garden etc. Very clean and 'proper, a bit bland but I can see why it would resell much quicker in years to come.

Shall we be practical and go for no 2 or go with the one we liked? Any thoughts? We plan to stay 6-7 years at least.

OP posts:

MoreBeta · 03/07/2011 16:13

Victorian definitely. Everyone I ever knew who ever bought new build only did so as a 'foot on the housing ladder' and had no intention of staying there.

CroissantNeuf · 03/07/2011 16:18

I would definitely go for the Victorian one -they have better proportioned rooms, higher ceilings, are sturdier with solid internal walls and generally have character.

New builds become 'dated' looking quite quickly, have a cramped boxy feel and, as someone mentioned earlier, have thin, hollow walls. They also tend to have far too many toilets for the size of house (a friend bought a 2 bedroom one that had 3 toilets FFS). They just lack soul and character IMO.

Fizzylemonade · 03/07/2011 17:42

I think no-one is saying the new build because everyone has slated them but clearly some people must live in them, myself included

I live in a 4 bed detached corner plot, ex-show home so it was very well built. It isn't boxy nor does it have paper thin walls unlike my mate's victorian terrace.

I like the fact that I can fit 4 cars on the drive, 5 at a push. It didn't have storage downstairs but I put some in. We converted the double garage into a whopping playroom. It does not have a box room masquerading as a bedroom.

Every time I watch Sarah Beeny on "Help my house is falling down" I am glad that I don't live in a period property. I don't crap myself every time I strip off wallpaper wondering what the hell is behind it.

My house is not cold in winter, nor does it cost a fortune to heat it with all those high ceilings.

I do love period properties but I don't want to live in one

SirenSusan · 03/07/2011 17:53

Think it's impossible to tell the quality of either from just stating their age. Sarah Beeney's new programme shows that there wear plenty of cowboy builders around in Victorian times too - although to be fair most of those houses have falllen down.

Some new builds are of fantastic quality with beautiful architectural features - some Victorian houses are pokey, dark and damp, choose the house you love.

noddyholder · 03/07/2011 18:05

New builds a la grand design yes but barratt home no. Same as victorian terraces 2 up 2 down dark and poky would be a no but large villa with big windows a yes.

Original poster

CristinaTheAstonishing · 03/07/2011 18:13

I'd written a message but lost it somehow.

Anyhow - went for another look again today, just outside and the area. Victorian semi is still on a noisy road. Garden is 60' but due to noise would be functional, for BBQs etc, rather than somewhere to go with a gin & tonic on a sunny day (FWIW with the English summers). Park over the road is hilly and nice, small but good playground. Some litter and just one spot of racist grafitti. Nearby a council estate. Pub on the corner is a carvery but does good beers and people seemed nice enough (we stayed half an hour racking our brains with indecision). One of the neighbours a builder (van and sacks) but I suppose he'd not have too much material delivered at home and not do the building work on his own house to keep it noisy.

I agree about living in a house we like rather than thinking of selling it on. However, we had a lot of headache selling our last, we'd lived there for 10 years and bought it because we liked it. We thought others would too, but found it was difficult to sell (ex-council at some point in its past), only saved by its excellent location. We've just completed a couple of weeks ago, so perhaps being over-cautious on this point, due to the sheer hassle of it all.

OP posts:

Original poster

CristinaTheAstonishing · 03/07/2011 18:15

Noddy - this one not poky at all. Five large bedrooms, huge kitchen/diner, beautifully done and maintained.

OP posts:

Original poster

CristinaTheAstonishing · 03/07/2011 18:17

I agree about the over-spec of some new build houses. We saw a few recently, designed for gangsters, opulence and bad taste. Or maybe we're just not 'aspirational' enough and don't know what we should be liking :)

OP posts:

noddyholder · 03/07/2011 18:17

I think well done new houses are lovely.

myron · 03/07/2011 18:20

Well, if the plan is to live there for 6/7 yrs, you should buy the one which would be easier to sell on i.e the one with the better location be it nearer an oversubscribed school or a better postcode. This may not be the Victorian house especially if it's 50K cheaper than the more modern build! Location is key and if you have very young children, I vote for the modern house - a cold draughty house in winter is really depressing and high energy bills from Oct - Mar will add to your stress if you have the fix the roof, the pipes, etc...... We are dithering over a period 'dream' property atm because a full structural survey has revealed extensive damp in every single downstairs room caused by numerous leakages in the CH pipework which is set in solid floor under concrete! Vendors refuse to budge on price and quotes have come in at 20K+. If we were sensible, we should walk away.....

confusedperson · 03/07/2011 18:46

New built for me. Already live in a Victorian house with all sorts of old house issues...

mathanxiety · 03/07/2011 19:05

Neighbour a builder in the Victorian ???? Definitely buy. They are therefore solid houses.

I have an uncle (now retired) who had his own rehabbing/construction business in London for several decades and he never lived anywhere but Victorians, loved the solid construction and the features/proportions, hated the flimsy walls and the predictable rattiness down the road of a lot of new construction.

MoreBeta · 03/07/2011 19:11

Having said that. For sheer easiness of living the modern houses we have lived in were best. Not 'forever' houses though.

RollingInTheAisles · 03/07/2011 19:24

Can we see links please? Shamelessly nosey!

LynetteScavo · 03/07/2011 20:35

Yes, we need links!

alliwant · 03/07/2011 20:35

How new is new build? I am just about to buy one that is 10 years old and am starting to feel worried at all the paper thin walls, badly constructed comments..... Having said that I have also lived in a victorian terrace with dry rot and subsidance! Although agreed, the period features and high ceilings were nice.

I am hoping the 10 year old house will functional and easy to live in and we will find our forever home in about 10 years time.

Our decision was based on ease to walk to a good school, park, shop etc, all that counts too imo.

LaGuerta · 03/07/2011 20:37

Another thought: if the garage in the modern house is important to you for putting the car in (rather than storage) do check that your car will fit inside . Whilst modern cars are getting bigger, modern garages are getting smaller...

Islandlady · 04/07/2011 01:14

mmmm would I ever swap my victorian semi detached cottage with 100ft garden for a new build box with postage stamp size garden. answers no of course

minibmw2010 · 04/07/2011 07:51

We live in a new build and have lived in Victorian too so can rate both. I like the new build for ease, easy to keep clean, has good insulation side to side, can never hear neighbours and they say the can't hear us (we have a new baby) but sound within the house is a bit wanting but not the end of the world. It depends who has built it frankly. Ours is Taylor Wimpey and it's been fine, across the road is Bovis and again as far as I know they were fine. Do your homework on the builder and negotiate, tell them you like it but there's another house, 50K cheaper and what can they do for you . We didn't and our neighbours did ... Guess who paid 40k more for the same house . Nethouseprices has a lot to answer for

Original poster

CristinaTheAstonishing · 04/07/2011 08:02

The one we love is here

Apart from the price being higher and overall a bit bland and self-satisfied, there's nothing wrong with the other one (location, garden, quiet, garage, detached, condition, closeness to schools and shops etc). Whereas we are dithering so much on the Victorian semi (esp. noise and parking off main road), despite 50K less and everything that makes it so lovely.

Mini - actually that's a fair point to keep in mind, it is 50K more and we could use that to steady our nerves if we get to negotiating over the price. The last one that sold on the estate was in Feb this year and sold price was 50K less than asking price, although don't know if it had been reduced by then or that's what it was negotiated down to, nethouseprices doesn't give you quite all the answers.

OP posts:

minibmw2010 · 04/07/2011 08:20

Having seen those pictures I'm now going to swap camps and say buy the Victorian, it's beautifully done inside and just lovely

puffylovett · 04/07/2011 09:52

Agree check the traffic at different times. Also go for a walk along the road? We were in the exact same position - detached estate (with swampy garden) versus Victorian semi with huge amazing garden. We've just moved in to the semi, had our first BBQ in our amazing garden yesterday - all our friends kids were having a whale of a time. Best move IMO, am not moving for a long long time!!!!

Original poster

CristinaTheAstonishing · 04/07/2011 14:35

Thank you for all the feedback and stories. It boils down to the fact we haven't got the energy for it. We've had a few tough months recently (on all fronts) and just need something easier to cope with, no potential headaches, which may mean house no. 2. I feel deflated TBH as whichever choice we make the other will seem better in retrospect if things go wrong.

Maybe we should just take some time off viewings and start again. (We should have completed on a purchase last weekend but vendors pulled out last minute with no explanation. DS starting school in September which is why we're moving, DDs haven't got a new school and no time to sort sthg out till September either.)

OP posts:

Original poster

CristinaTheAstonishing · 05/07/2011 09:34

Quick update - we went for neither and just offerred on another one. Doing the right thing with both a bit of 'character' to the house and no worries about location or parking. Lots of other things going for it, including the fact we wouldn't need to move again in 6-7 years for the DDs secondary schools as a couple of good ones nearby. So the stamp duty we'd spend then we can put towards the house costing more now.

Thanks for all your replies, they really helped in the decision. Let's hope the vendors accept our offer.

OP posts:

Flip

1 2