New builds

[WBWIFE]

Has anyone got a new build? Thoughts please?

Anyone gone from an older house to a new build and love it?

I've had 1960, 1950 and 1930s houses so far and rneoavted each one in last 5 years top to bottom and I just want something that I can move straight into!

i've rented a new build but I'd never buy one. they often have v limited storage and cheap fixtures & fittings

I lived in a Victorian tenement and now live in a new build. We were lucky to get a bargain (in relative terms) on a larger 4 bed, with decent sized/large dining kitchen, living room and bedrooms. Having seen the other (smaller) houses on the estate, I wouldn't have been happy in one of those. Most of the bedrooms are tiny, and living rooms can take like 1 corner couch.

But assuming you see one you like, the pros are:

Everything is new, so limited outlay for first 10 years (only decoration).
Energy efficient
Low energy bills
Plain decoration so a blank canvas to start from scratch
Basic rectangular garden which I like as easy to design

Our estate is close to great amenities
Extra WC/bathrooms
Large dining kitchen (unlike most Victorian houses)

Cons
Sound proofing is definitely an issue
Snagging/poor building: not a problem for us personally but clearly a possibility
Living on a building site for X years

That's about it for us. We were lucky that our house was already built so came with loads of extras, however it meant we couldn't choose anything.

We are super glad we did it, as we didn't want unexpected bills for windows or a boiler.

@parietal

i've rented a new build but I'd never buy one. they often have v limited storage and cheap fixtures & fittings

Yup. Works for some that don't want the hassle of going through the renovations process.

Swings and roundabouts I think, the first home we owned was a new build and it was an absolute nightmare. So many snags, and although they obviously fix them for free it was so disruptive, they even more or less admitted that their priority is to get people in and they can then sort stuff out not done to standard once people are in and report it . The soundproofing was rubbish, also in the summer it was blazing hot, unbearably so. Selling was also a nightmare as there were several identical houses also on the market, plus a few plots for a near identical estate nearby, although admittedly over time it would probably be less of an issue. If you think you might sell for some reason fairly quickly though, definitely something to consider. That said, some people love them, I would rather pay slightly less for an older house and set the money aside for new windows etc if/when needed though, I find the building quality better and usually the gardens; plus there's not loads of toilets and additional bedrooms are usually bigger than the legal minimum. Just my experience, obviously builds and developers vary, and some people love them.

We bought a new build 3 years ago. We have decent sized rooms and 9ft high ceilings. We also have a decent sized garden and lots of storage so have avoided a lot of the issues people have with new builds. Few snags in the first year but these were dealt with by the builders very quickly. Love that the only thing the house needs is decoration. Also love how cheap it is to heat!

Other plusses are plenty of loos and plug sockets.

We had a one year old when we moved in and we didn't have the energy to do something up so this has been perfect. We will probably go for an older house when DS is older and we have more free time.

We are buying a used new build. Rooms bigger than many of the older houses with better layout and more storage than the older houses we have looked at and feels nice and solid. I even jumped up and down upstairs whilst my partner was downstairs to see how the noise travelled. There was less noise and shaking than in our current house built in the 1960s.

The one we are buying is detached but a relative lives in a semi detached new build and has no issues with noise. The soundproofing standards are meant to have improved.

Many of the older houses we looked at were not priced to account for renovation, and we were willing to replace kitchens, bathrooms etc.

The location is also better too.

Works for us.

Yes forgot to mention that the soundproofing in our semi is fantastic. Can't hear a thing from the neighbours.

Went from a cottage built in 1849 to a new build. I love how easy it is to live in compared to our old house. We have good sized rooms and high ceilings. Yes, the garden is small but it is actually fine as it means we can just enjoy it rather than having to spend lots of time tending to it. I will never live in an older property again.

Forgot to add that our last two properties have had medium to large sized gardens (depending on what you class as large). The new build has a good sized but manageable garden. I'm really looking forward to being able to relax in the garden and read etc rather than spending all my time in the garden mowing the lawn and weeding. Gardens can be a lot of work.

I viewed a new build last week on a site that is still ongoing and has some people living on-site. Lots about having a new build is appealing as listed above and as a single parent I want a low maintenance home but what has stopped me putting an offer in is that the three bed I looked at only had one parking space. Which obviously is mostly fine for me as a single adult, but it will mean that when the other homes are occupied the road will look like a car park. And it may become impossible for me when I want visitors.

I came away thinking it was really short sighted not to provide two car parking spaces for each property. So look out for issues like that that might not be apparent until everyone moves in.

@Fantasisa legally any new build has to provide an appropriate number of parking spaces.
I'm not saying that people won't park on the road, but near where I am now there are empty drives and cars parked on both sides of the road and these are old houses.

@Zebrahooves, I probably should have pointed out that the houses come with a garage and one parking space. So perhaps that gets around providing appropriate parking spaces? But in reality, no one parks their car in a garage anymore.

We are currently in the process of buying a new build and there were stark differences between what we saw of different home builders.

The house we have gone with is lovely, the same price and sq footage as other older houses on the market but with a layout that works for us without needing any renovation.

I think the feel can also depend on where on the estate you are, a couple of streets on our estate have brick road and no pavement, that would have been a no for me as those feel quite cramped but our street has a normal road and large pavement so feels nice and spacious and we will get onto our street easily from a main road so no going through a maze!

On a similar note the builder we went with builds houses that have shape to the outside rather than being a box, and has two parking spaces + for most houses. Some estates we viewed were sooo depressing, just cramped with boxy cookie cutter houses and cars on top of eachother everywhere, I would never consider a new build like that. It's worth noting ours was priced the same as other new builds like this.

I'd also recommend joining the Facebook group of residents already living there, we did and snagging is sorted very quickly on our site but sites seem to vary tremendously on this!

After inhering a nightmare of an established garden I did not have the will, skill or time to maintain in my current house I am excited to have a green square but everyone feels differently about that!

Basically I feel like new builds are similar to older houses in the sense they are not all the same, just do your research and find one that works for you.

Another thing we noticed was some home builders don't build so you'd have access to both sides of your house, i.e. your wall would go to where the neighbours drive starts. These felt soooo cramped, whereas on our estate houses are nicely spaced with access to both sides, again priced the same as the cramped houses!