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Property/DIY

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Original poster

buying a holiday home in the UK

20 replies

homebythesea · 26/03/2012 12:51

Have namechanged...

We are thinking about buying a seaside holiday home. All I can think about is the sound of the sea as we fall asleep and the nautical themed interior decoration we could do

Please tell me about the reality of second home ownership warts and all - costs, downsides, hassles etc - I think I need bringing down to earth....

OP posts:

jamesmartinspotato · 26/03/2012 16:13

The sound of the sea can often be drowned out by the sound of a gale blowing in in Winter. There's a starter for ten. I'm sure others will follow.

Lizcat · 26/03/2012 19:23

You will not get there as often as you think. You need someone close by should disaster happen like leak. Most insurance says that someone must go in at least once a month and that at certain times the water should be off. I do know someone who found this out to over £40,000 of cost when they were uninsured for the burst pipe in their loft that had been running for 2 months.
We get round this by having the world's most amazing housekeeper who can fix most things. Plus she changes the beds and cleans, because lets face it it is not a holiday if you have to do all the stuff you have to do at home.

Rhubarbgarden · 26/03/2012 19:38

It's a pain. All the maintenance hassles of your regular home are magnified because you are dealing with quotes and tradesmen from a distance. It's bad enough at home if you take a morning off to be in for a builder and then they don't turn up; if you've taken a whole day off, driven for a few hours to get there, and then they don't turn up it's even more infuriating. I'm planning to sell mine in the autumn because I've had it up to here with the hassle factor.

Then I go there and wake up to that view of the sun sparkling on the sea, and I don't want to leave...

Flatbread · 26/03/2012 20:14

Go for it! Agree with others that is a pain. But if you can get so someone to help manage it for you, it can be a wonderful second home. Plus it can be a good financial investment if you choose carefully.

andiem · 26/03/2012 20:16

We got round the maintenance issues by buying a new build. I love it. Can go whenever we want feels like a real break at the weekend from the routine. Friends com down for the day.
I'd say go for it.

Flatbread · 26/03/2012 20:33

Btw, if anyone needs a good plumber/tiled in Scotland, I have a fantastic team redoing a bathroom for me. Very reasonable, ethical, clean and pleasant and really neat work to boot!

Original poster

homebythesea · 26/03/2012 22:15

Thank you we will take all these points on board. It's only 1.5 hrs away so hopefully the distance thing won't be too bad. The comment about not getting there as often as we like to think we would does ring true...so many things to consider my head is beginning to hurt

OP posts:

Jacaqueen · 27/03/2012 11:08

We bought ours 2 years ago and mostly it has been fantastic.

It is 1.5 hours away so easy to go for a few days. I can go on my own with the children when DH is working. We keep basic clothes and toiletries there so we dont have to pack much. I change the beds and do a quick tidy before we leave so it always looks lovely the next time we arrive.

Sometimes the children, especially DS1 who is now 14, dont want to go. Birthday parties etc tend to be held on weekends so the children may miss out. We try and go every second weekend but dont always manage.

DH is good at DIY but when you are only at the house a few days a month it can take some time to get things done. Also as you are in 'holiday' mode you dont always feel like doing it. You have to arrange furniture delivery or tradesmen to come when you are going to be there. That is not always easy.

Since we bought the property we have not had so many trips away. We still have a summer holiday but tend to spend New Year, Easter, Half Term etc at our own holiday home. I miss going to Northumberland, The Lakes, Whitby and Cornwall which is where we used to holiday before.

Swed · 27/03/2012 14:34

Lots of coastal places are a bit rough.

DorisIsWaiting · 27/03/2012 14:55

You'll piss off the local forcing up prices but not using local services so they become unsustainable.

Original poster

homebythesea · 27/03/2012 17:07

Doris - not sure the owners who sell these properties are too pissed off given the premium for front row seaside homes.....

OP posts:

Honu · 27/03/2012 22:29

We have a second home and it keeps me sane! DH is very disabled and, after 3 years of not going away because it is such an enormous hassle (think car full of commode, zimmer, mobility scooter etc and making sure all the disabled facilities are OK...) I gave up my principles of it being greedy to have a second home and we bought one.

Ours is in a totally different sort of place from our main home (seaside and town rather than rural peace) and 2 hrs away. We have duplicate kit there so only minimal packing and easy to go. We go for a long weekend about every 3 weeks (I don't work Fridays) both winter and summer. We wanted a house but couldn't afford it so have a ground floor flat which is in fact much better as other residents put out bins for us and it doesn't have an unoccupied look. It's a change of pace and way of life we really appreciate.

You really need someone nearby to keep an eye on it, bump the heating up before your arrival in the winter etc. Storage heaters are easier to deal with from a distance than a boiler system.

Houses on the sea front are all holiday homes and less likely to have locals around to protect from damage. We are within 150 yards of the front, so an easy walk - no sea views though. We've had it 6 years and are not bored with it yet!

DorisIsWaiting · 28/03/2012 12:21

Homebythesea.

The owners may snatch your hand off, however they are moving and probably don't give a hoot about what happens to those left. Many facilities locallyare struggling to survive, schools struggle, bus routes struggle, shops struggle largely due to the influx of those who want a home by the sea but aren't prepared to slum it on next to nothing wages (locally).

I realise I may be banging on but this is an issue that affects a huge number of people. If you want to come here move or buy a caravan. Yes it's not nearly so brag-able, or 'exclusive' but at least it means the area you love won't become a ghost town.

typicalvirgo · 28/03/2012 13:01

the excitement of guessing how many mice will be in the traps you left the last time you went.

Original poster

homebythesea · 28/03/2012 13:29

Doris- I was being a tad flippant and I do realise there is an issue about second homers in some places. The people we are potentially buying from initially bought the place as a holiday home, used it for many years and retired there permanently 11 years ago. They are now moving to sheltered housing, again locally. It's an issue with no correct answer- I could argue that we would be providing work for local people (it's a doer- upper) etc etc. sorry if I offended

OP posts:

Rosebag · 01/06/2012 08:01

I have only just seen this thread...haven't logged on to this forum for a while. We are celebrating just over a year of having a small flat in West Sussex. I started a discussion here when I was at OP's stage of the whole experience to see what other peoples' views were on the topic. Even though I was criticised by posters with experience of areas adversely affected by 2nd home owners pricing local people out of the area, I went ahead. It's the best thing I've ever done for the family. We love it and spend much of our spare time down there. The neighbours have been friendly and welcoming and the upkeep/maintenance has not been as difficult as I'd feared, i.e. managing it remotely.

We did use local businesses for the work we carried out and patronise all the local outlets when there. We spend time with, and help out the elderly folks in the block (they are mostly elderly) and have been asked to be directors of the residents association (means zipping up and down there a bit more, but hey..).

I wouldn't hesitate...I love it down there, and so do the kids (12 and 14...and even my 24 year old comes down there too...).

Right, we're off there for the Jubilee weekend to celebrate with friends whose family have had their flat in the next town for 40 years!!!!

Good luck with it!

Original poster

homebythesea · 01/06/2012 15:16

thank you rosebag! Do you use the flat as much as you thought you would? We have chosen our location with quick getaways in mind but I have slight collywobbles that life will get in the way and we will not get there as much as we would hope - especially with a teen and a tween who may have their own ideas about weekends and school holidays......

I am currently shocking myself with the amount of stuff a second home needs - you don't really notice all the requirements of life when you have amassed them over a period of time. But to buy it all at once !

OP posts:

Rosebag · 01/06/2012 16:22

Hello homebythesea! Funnily enough I am getting our stuff together to go down there as I type for the Jubiliee weekend. I will post again from there and respond more fully this evening. I know there's a way to do private messages on this site but no idea how...I can go in to more detail that way if you can tell me how to PM you!!

The getting there and back used to worry me a lot, not being the best 'traveller' and particularly hating the London bit of the journey, but I have found a route I like and it's all going well. More later...

Rosebag · 02/06/2012 09:03

Back again...it can be a challenge getting here as much as i'd like. Our kids are a different schools and half terms don't always coincide, for example. But sometimes I , or DH comes down with just one of them, and they could bring down friends to stay. I also come on my own occasionally, I have to admit, just for a quiet time and a bit of space.

It was a real project, kitting the place out...as you say, homebythesea, but i really enjoyed that part of it...what's not to like about spending money? Although we were on quite a tight budget... Me and DH spent a couple of over-nighters down here, dealing with the 'large' stuff...appliances and furniture...all budget ranges and from local outlets. the rest pretty much came from surplus we had at home and IKEA/supermarkets.

And in fact we couldn't do it all at once...i was amazed at how much we could manage without! As our first year here has progressed, we have gradually kitted the place out and added the 'desirables' to the essentials. Our first stay here was with mattresses on the floor, paper plates and cups and no working boiler (it died on the first day!), and we did have to have a new bathroom put in and a fair bit of plumbing and electrical work done.

Feel free to PM me if you like. I've now sussed where the inbox is. Where is your chosen location?

Hayleyktf · 05/08/2014 10:01

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