Anyone looking for an old house ended up in a new one (and did you regret it)

[GatherlyGal]

After quite a few moves we are looking for a longer term house. Kids are teens and we have a fairly limited search area due to schools, being near town etc.

We are moving out of a Victorian town house with beautiful features and high ceilings etc. To find that character but detached with a garden in the right area is proving very hard.

We've seen a modern (probably 80s) house that is very ugly from the front BUT great inside and lovely garden. I don't know if I will love the practicality (big kitchen separate study, lots of bedrooms) or hanker after something older.

Has anyone done this? Will wood floors / funky wallpaper and nice lighting etc make up for lack of character?

I’ve always had older houses. Current one is 1840s. My style has always been shabby chic, collectible stuff but I am about to move into a house that is thirty years old. It was built by the owner and has straight walls and floors which is a novelty to me. My old style will not suit it at all but I’m excited by the change and feel ready for a fresher, more modern, look.

I love my early Georgian house with a passion I don't think I could ever have for a modern house. It's not nearly as practical as a newer house and takes a lot of maintaining but it's so beautiful that even ten years after living here I still get a thrill whenever I drive up to it.

We went old to 80s house. I like it. Easy to clean and decorate. Essentials like roof in tact and easy to knock walls through to change layout. Easier to heat.

It’s got lots of character which we have developed over the years. It feels like an old friend. Exterior and character can be worked on with time

We made this decision 3 years ago. Really we wanted a characterful cottage or farmhouse, but the few that were available over the 2years we were searching all came with big compromises, like no parking or garden, tiny 3rd bedroom, really difficult access roads. We have small children and these things would have made life tricker. With our second on the way our search was put under pressure. When we compared the unpractical cottages to new builds (about 10 years old) the practicality of nice large rooms, a drive and garage, garden, multiple toilets etc won out. We have just installed an oak floor and it feels really nice, the country cottage style we wanted wouldn’t really suit our modern house but adding quality that will last makes it feel more us. I still really appreciate the practicality, especially while the kids are small, and the novelty of having a drive to park on as opposed to the parking wars on our old street, still hasn’t worn off!! That said, I still do hanker after a lovely open fire and cosy cottage one day.

I live in my first ever new build and it’s amazing. Warm and comfortable and easy to clean. No scary bills. An en-suite for me and lovely family bathroom and downstairs loo. I love it after years of freezing in period properties!

And @Sweetmelody72 I reckon that house could be lovely with a bit of redecorating. Looks like it has a nice feel to it inside.

We moved from 19th century arts and crafts semi with a massive garden to a 70s box with a small garden.
We found 2 houses we liked. One v rural, large garden, character cottage but had to drive everywhere. And the soulless modern one in a village with everything we needed in walking distance.
We chose the modern house. I still don't love it. I still miss our old house. With kids I really miss the garden. However where we are the kids have freedom. Eldest walks to see friends, to school, she can be sent to the shop or go and buy her own junk.
If moving within the same environment, I'd chose character.

I’ve just sold my new build and searching for an old house, viewed a 250 year old house with a beck yesterday in a chocolate box village, bedrooms def smaller and less house for the money. Offered on a slightly newer, just over 100 years old rooms slightly bigger, neither have off street parking which my current does have but it’s the character and surroundings which sell it.

Yes, we did.
Previous property was Georgian and I loved the features (was terraced and walls were very thin so we wanted to move).

Was desperate for a period property for our next house but just couldn't find what we wanted - three decent size bedrooms, parking and in right location.

We ended up buying a 1960s house and, whilst I didn't think it was 'pretty' when we offered and in process of exchange, I now couldn't love it more. We're so much happier in this house that our period property.

Rooms sizes are better, the space works better for us as a family, and I'm focusing on mid century design/decor instead.

I think if a property has all non-negotiables and it's in the right area, you will be happy there.

That said it does very much depend on the house - ours has high ceilings, good sized rooms and nice solid internal doors.

Remind me when I went to see a friend in a brand new build and the ceilings must have been 10ft - definitely higher than period properties of similar size. The house was beautifully finished and generally attractive and I was really wowed.

I moved from a huge five story Georgian terrace to a two story modern house and couldn’t be happier.

The Georgian house was aesthetically beautiful but the cost of keeping it not freezing (note I don’t say warm ) was four figures a month and the stairs were a pain in the arse. It also lacked flow because of the stacked rooms.

I still hanker after some of the period features but it’s so much more practical living over two floors.

@PegasusReturns yes to the four figure heating bills to be not freezing. The literal low point was coming back from a weekend away and the temperature in the bedroom was 6 degrees.

Although I love interior design, really not sure I know how to add character to a 1970s house. Off to look on Instagram...

With work, that house I linked to has everything our family wants and needs, except kerb appeal and character (it’s also on an estate of similar looking houses, mostly smaller). I really want to have that thrill that @Thewhitefoxglove has when she drives up to her house. But maybe that is for the house that we retire to? With a family, maybe practicality has to come first.

My house is pretty bland in the outside, much more than that one @Sweetmelody72. I’ve kept it white and done it in kind of Scandi style with bright modern furniture. It’s been fun!

I love a modern house. It's a shame that so many house builders build entire estates of characterless poor-quality boxes. I've lived in a couple of decent ones but they are hard to find. But older houses can be draughty and costly to maintain. I'd opt for a (carefully selected) modern house every time.

I’ve lived in them all new build to listed and everything basically in between, where as I prefer old and with character, I can quite easily live in a more modern house.

I’d struggle with one which was fugly though from the outside. It would have to be something really special inside or my only choice before I proactively chose a fugly house. You want to come home and feel proud. Not think Christ that’s ugly.

How ugly is the house OP?
80S houses often got it wrong by trying to add in "period" features in a modern house and the overall effect is a bit fussy. As someone said above, fancy coving doesn't always look right. You can change the external look, it's not cheap if you really go to town. The main problem is if it is one of a matching street and no matter what you do, everyone knows that the ugly house is under there!
Would you dare post a photo?

About to move from our Victorian terrace to a 70s ex-council house. It’s ugly on the outside and ceilings are a bit lower... but ridiculously excited by the prospect of a big garden (rather than a tiny yard), garage, storage space and being able to put a picture up without half the plaster falling off around it. We’re hoping to save so much money not fixing the roof, areas of blown plaster etc every year; we can put that money into buying a decent cooker, new carpets etc. In our current house, we spend so much just maintaining it, we‘ll never be in a position to change the kitchen or do any of the major projects we’d envisaged when we bought it.