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Property/DIY

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Original poster

Help me choose!

19 replies

CocoNutter · 22/02/2013 12:52

We are in a quandary over which house to choose.... after much saving, a lucky rise in prices, and another luckily very enthusiastic buyer, we now have to find somewhere to move to. We don't have DC yet but hopefully will in the next couple of years. So... three houses to choose from (all detached):

House 1 is a newish build. 4 beds, 2 ensuites plus bathroom plus downstairs loo, dining kitchen, reasonable size garden, garage. So, house is plenty big enough and we wouldn't ever have to extend, but there is no character. We could make it really nice with interior decor as we viewed one (since discounted) that was given a lot of character this way (think log burner, oak floors etc). It's on a new(ish) estate.

House 2 £5k more. 3 beds, one bath. Kitchen reasonable size but not big enough to eat in (galley kitchen). Beautiful log burner. Lots of character (1930s house) and a massive garden with trees, open lawn, orchardy bit, patio... garden is stunning. Planning permission for extension to make kitchen much bigger but we wouldn't be able to afford this for a good few years. We'd also ideally have an extra bedroom (or study) but not sure about planning for this one. Character is very much our style and there are views of hills from upstairs. Did I mention the garden is masssive? Potential to add value with extension. No garage though.

House 3 is £60k less! 3 beds (but also has study, though this isn't suitable as a bedroom), 1 bath. Nice garden of reasonable size. Kitchen big enough to eat in but smaller than our current one. Could possibly extend this (again not for a while), but definitely wouldn't get planning permission for 2-storey extension. Very light and attractive.

Please give me your opinions!! Thanking ye kindly

OP posts:

MarshaBrady · 22/02/2013 12:55

No 2.
Garden sounds lovely and you love the style. Save up for the extension.

Cocochops · 22/02/2013 14:14

No 2. Sounds like your favourite as well!

fussychica · 22/02/2013 14:29

Not 3. I wouldn't like 1 as I'm not a fan of new estates. No 2 would be my favourite and I think I can tell it's yours

OneHundredSecondsofSolitude · 22/02/2013 14:35

Work out the square meterage to give a accurate idea of size. A new build that has been subdivided into lots of small rooms is not necessarily larger than a house with fewer large rooms

CuddyMum · 22/02/2013 14:51

Number 2! Does it have a decent sized roof that you could convert in the future?

lalalonglegs · 22/02/2013 15:18

2 sounds nicest but how good are you at gardening - it sounds like lots of work. As you are planning children, which is closest to the best school (believe me, this will be more important than anything else in a few years' time)?

Original poster

CocoNutter · 22/02/2013 16:21

Good point lala - they're all in the same catchment for secondary but I've not looked at primary, so I'll do that. Cuddy I hadn't thought about loft conversion - doh! If we could have a naice master suite up there and use the plans that they've got permission for to extend the kitchen it may just be my dream house...

Trying not to get too set on one house though as I don't want to be disappointed and we can't view for another whole week . And I do really like no. 3 - it's the only one of the three we've viewed so far - but we are moving a long way so we have one paltry day in which to view and decide which one to offer on!!

OP posts:

Sunnyshores · 22/02/2013 17:49

You will be amazed at how much more space or different space you need you have children. We moved into a house that seemed massive when there was the 2 of us, 4 years later with 2 children it suddenly shrunk! A couple of years later with active toddlers (and all their junk!) and then school age children, it was the garden that became a problem. I wasnt happy with them playing outside in the cul-de-sac and there just wasnt room for them, their friends, football posts, wendy house, sand pit, trampoline, veggie plot I wanted......
My point is, try to imagine what you will need in a few years time, not just what you need right now. Personally 2 sounds lovely.

Rhubarbgarden · 22/02/2013 22:08

No brainer.

FishfingersAreOK · 22/02/2013 22:12

2....cos we have done this. Massive renovation needed to ours but we now have an amzinf home with an enormous garden....and the plot size and decent roof space offers us flexibility for the rest of our lives.

dododoing · 22/02/2013 22:17

2 for sure - garden sounds amazing - which direction does it face?

Original poster

CocoNutter · 24/02/2013 17:08

Good point dodoing, will check.

Fishfinger do you mind my asking how long it took and if it was horrendously expensive? This one has some planning permission for a single storey rear extension across the back of the house (about 5mx3m I reckon) but I haven't the foggiest how much that would cost or how long it'd take.

OP posts:

FishfingersAreOK · 24/02/2013 23:48

9 months and outrageously expensive. But ours was totally run down. Needed rewire, replumb, new roof, new ceilings and we totally reconfigured so about 3 rsjs needed. We didn't do extension as such as was already an horrific 60s block tacked to the back of the house..but that did mean we ended up nearly rebuilding that too!

jaynebxl · 25/02/2013 05:58

I'm with Onehundred, compare the square metrage of 1 and 2 but then actually I'd be tempted more by 1. We bought our character house with lovely features and a fab garden but are about to move to something more like your number 1 just for more space. Our kids are 5 and 6 and our house is full! We will lose out on garden (new one is still nice but not as big) and character but I figure we can add character ourselves. I also can't wait to get a kitchen diner just for practical reasons. And living some way from the grandparents I'm looking forward to having a spare room with en suite for them to stay in.

Having said that, you could always go for the interesting house now and move if you need to as the family grows.

Timetoask · 25/02/2013 06:18

Number 1 would be the one for me.
But then I like modern houses and don't get this character thing.
Living in the uk, a large garden is not needed, you hardly spend time there because of the cold.
I would much rather have the space inside. Building and extension and all that is very expensive and messy.

MrsJollyPostman · 27/02/2013 15:54

It seems that your very taken with 2, what are the streets like? That is very important with kids. You might also need to look at getting a large shed in the garden to help with storage for various outside toys. Also look into the potential of adding another toilet in future...that's our dream!

LadyKooKoo · 27/02/2013 16:08

Think about finding out that they had all been sold. Which one would you be most disappointed about? That is the one you should go for.

impecuniousmarmoset · 27/02/2013 16:21

New builds tend to have a lot of bedrooms and bathrooms but very little living space. I'd go for no.2 as a total no-brainer. Extending is a pain but totally worth it and if you have a few years to save with that goal in mind and with no kids yet it sounds eminently achievable.

impecuniousmarmoset · 27/02/2013 16:25

I'd also take issue with the 'living in the uk, a large garden is not needed' comment. The weather here isn't that bad!!! We spend most of the summer in our garden and moving from a small to a huge garden was revolutionary for us and esp for our two small children who enjoy digging, running around and playing even in the depths of winter.

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