Victorian or 50’s?

[bebeboeuf]

If two houses fitted the bill and were the same price, the only difference being that one was Victorian and the other one 50’s what would you choose?

Which one do you like better? Does one have

• brighter rooms
• larger rooms
• more storage
• better parking
• better overall build quality?

Whichever one I liked best. Neither would be without problems with damp etc both can be either bright and spacious or gloomy. The victorian house probably has higher ceilings.

Victorian.

The one with the SW facing garden.

Ok so it’s not exactly the same.
I like the Victorian one better but it’s not got as much on paper as the 50’s and I’m wondering if the character is worth the sacrifices

They both have parking

Victorian pros -
High ceilings
Lovely large rooms
Well built
Massive garden
Downstairs much better space than 50’s
Room to improve

Victorian cons -
No porch
No garage
No downstairs wc

50’s pros -
Garage
Porch
More practical bathroom

50’s cons
Small garden
Not pretty (could be improved)

From your list, Victorian, you would probably regret it if you bought the 50s house purely based on the living space downstairs

Victorian - it has a bigger garden and you can improve.

We moved from a Victorian to a 1950s place. I miss our massive garden so much!

Can you get round the cons of the Victorian? Put in a downstairs loo? I personally wouldn't want a house without a downstairs loo. Not having a garage doesn't bother me. I don't know anyone who actually puts their car in one so if it's outside storage you want, just put a large shed in the massive garden. Funnily enough I would see high ceilings as a con though - bugger to heat.

I’m surprised that there are Victorian houses with good sized gardens.

If there’s room to improve the Victorian property, does that mean you could add value? Maybe go with that? And they definitely are prettier than 50’s houses.

Victorian. A bigger garden is a must for me

Victorian. And your update it pros and cons confirms that.

Jojo - I agree it’s quite unusual for a typical Victorian house, most have tiny gardens when in the city or town.
From what I can tell about the area is it’s a former row of farm workers cottages so the gardens are longer (100ft approx) than what you would expect.

There is a large shed in the garden at the moment which we would think to renew at some point which would be a suitable alternative to a garage space.

Victorian house although it has no garage has space for 2 cars side by side but the 50’s house is an in-line driveway in front of garage.
It looks like a lot of people have converted the garage.

The Victorian one is suitable for loft conversion and rear side return. (The only way of adding downstairs wc)

Victorian one is semi detached, 50’s is terraced.

Victorian is walking distance to town but although the road is 30mph it is busier

50’s is out of town but culdesac

Also - the main thing for me at the moment is the Victorian one has a kitchen just big enough to eat in.

The 50’s has tiny kitchen and can’t improve that unless converting garage

Square footage is pretty much identical on both but the 50’s has smaller room and has squeezed in a box room upstairs

You actually sound as though you’ve already decided. But for what it’s worth, I’d go for the Victorian one

Victorian but very biased because I own a Victorian and love it

I think I am decided but I didn’t want my heart to rule my head as I’ve always lived in older properties and not too sure if I’m missing anything that’s more practical about the 50’s

I don't know why you're torn. The only thing wrong with the Victorian one is no downstairs toilet. Maybe you could put one in somewhere. Otherwise it's gorgeous.

A driveway with space for two cars side by side is so much more practical than tandem parking where one car has to move to let the other out all the time, that would drive me mad.
Although I don't know if you even have two cars!

Victorian, without a doubt. all of your 'cons' can be overcome. Plus it's got a huge garden and it's semi detached rather than terraced. Absolutely no brainier for me.

I like living in 50s houses and found victorian v v expensive to maintain, but of your two the victorian sounds best.

Depends! There are lovely 50s houses and lovely Victorian houses!

I probably generally prefer 50s as like more open plan, square shaped rooms and big windows.

But on your list, I would go for the Victorian.

You can add a nice porch for like £10k later.

Downstairs WC can be expensive but you probably can get one in.

Garage not needed if space for large shed in garden.

With the extra information, the Victorian house would be a winner for me. 50s houses aren't the most soundproof, so being in a terrace makes it quite unappealing. And you'd need to rely on your cars more than in the Victorian house, which sounds ideally placed for accessing a lot more on foot, which you'd appreciate if you had older kids.

From that description I'd go for the Victorian. You can probably add a downstairs loo under the stairs and extend the living area into the bg garden.

I din't know they did terraced housing in 1950s. Thought it was all semis. We moved from a Victorian terrace to a 50s semi and I was stunned by the massive increase in sunlight and how easily the furniture fitted when you didn't have to squash it in around redundant fireplaces. So usually I'm a fan of 50s more than the typical Victorian terrace.