New builds - love or loathe?

[CharlotteSometimes2020]

I currently live in a 5 bed new build.
Everyone that visits says how lovely it is etc
And it is nice and practical- double garage, etc
But I hate it!
I can't put my finger on it. I crave a normal street.
With New builds I always find they are on 'estates'. Everyone knows everyone's business, parking always a nightmare. I feel I'm surrounded by houses.
The only good thing is that with new builds is that you can make friends easy because everyone is 'new' to the neighbourhood.
What's other people's opinions about New builds vs old houses?

I don’t like new builds, that’s just my taste though, plus I wouldn’t like to live on an estate

I didn't use to like them but after staying in my friends new built apartment on an estate I love them. So so quiet and she isnt involved with neighbours.

I wouldn’t want to live in one, they are a bit soulless and all look the same. Although I can see the attraction as you do get a lot for your money.

I love my new build house.

Not had any issues with neighbours or parking, mind you I was careful about which development we wanted to buy. We don't have any houses opposite us.

I wouldn’t have one. Like you say OP; they’re estates and are so soulless to me, 5/6 different house types and they just seem so lifeless and dull. Yes they can look lovely inside if the chosen kitchen & interior is nice but you get that with new decor and kitchen etc in any house

How long have you been there @CharlotteSometimes2020?

Maybe give it time. Perhaps it still feels too clinically new to feel like home. Put your own stamp on it and make it your own.

I love the 90s new build estates in my area as they’re the ones now in nice established areas with outstanding schools. Anything newer than 1996, including the Redrow estates, has just turned into student rentals / unofficial council estates

I find them soulless.
Each time I’ve move into an old house that needs something doing, which involves back breaking work, or days freezing whilst new doors & windows are fitted I say to DH “next time I’m buying a new build” but I know I never will.

I really hate these snobby threads about new build houses....

Dislike, same reasons as you with the close neighbours, soulless gardens.

We've just had a major revamp amd extension at home so feeling the pain of cracks and snags, but still got the lived in look

Very practical houses (although small plots / overlooked / smaller rooms), like minded families to make friends with, cheap to run as no maintenance, easy to decorate / improve as walls are all straight, usually square boxes etc, usually have to include some form of green space etc.

Our first house was a new build (well about 7yrs old when we bought it) and was perfect for us when we were just starting out - bills were fairly cheap, no maintenance costs, made lots of friends.

I get why people don't like them - they don't have much character and with "estates", you can feel on top of one another, not much privacy and certainly for us, you needed to go everywhere in the car - it was just slightly too far on the edge of town to walk to many places.

I love them!

Personally I don't like new homes but obviously lots of people do

Not once have I ever lived in a house where everything is new and perfect. Always lived in older houses. One period house, it was cold, the layout wasn't great, not all it's cracked up to be.

I used to LOVE the thought of a new build. All fresh and new. Now I really really dislike them - I live in a house that is 10 years old. Tiny garden, very very overlooked and soulless boxy rooms.

Give me a 1930's character semi anyway!

In one now and HATE it. Can't wait to move in the future

Our first house was a 18 month old new build, it was great in as much we didn't have to do anything, and we actually had a good amount of space. When we were looking 3 years ago, we found that a lot of the new builds were very small, a 4 bed detached had a smaller footprint than our 3 bed detached. Tend to pay over the odds as well.

Saying that I don't understand the 'houses are all the same' argument, I live in a 1960's house and there are about 4 or 5 different house styles. Obviously they have now 'matured' so don't look identical but the properties are the same. My MIL lives in a 1920's terraced house - all exactly the same.

Think it depends on the new build and the size of the estate. We have a large detached 5 bed, 3 en-suite house that we have had from new. It faces into open country wide. The estate is small and is comprised of only 3 cul de sacs. We have a private garden and only one house has one window that would be able to see into the garden.
It’s deathly quiet here and we love it.

Like you it's the estate location that I don't like - but then my no. 1 priority in buying a house is ensuring that I wouldn't have to drive every time I wanted to go anywhwre, whereas lots of people's top priority is parking for their car! I don't actually have anything against new houses; they've just built a little group of three houses on what was the site of a garage near me and I'd happily live in one of those, they've been done really nicely - but they're in the town centre. It's location not the house that puts me off so I wouldn't want to live in a 60s remote suburb either (or a tiny badly connected village, no matter how chocolate box-y, for that matter).

When we were looking 3 years ago, we found that a lot of the new builds were very small, a 4 bed detached had a smaller footprint than our 3 bed detached.

We did find this when we looked at one (about 6 year old) new build when we were buying a new house at the start of this year - it looked lovely from the outside but it had four bedrooms and, ridiculously, five bathrooms on a footprint that should have only had three bedrooms, so all the rooms were tiny and oddly shaped. But I have seen big, spacious new builds - but only in middle of nowhere estates, you never seem to get space and a good location, presumably because the land is at too much of premium in those places so they cram them in.

It depends on the price point and which developer.

We are in a new build on the edge of a small estate with lots of green space that they cannot build further on. It’s a very good build with a big garden (bigger than some older properties).

Parking isn’t an issue on our bit but is further down, mainly because people don’t want to use their garages.

Our neighbours are lovely and we’ve made friends with them. We relocated not knowing anyone here so it suits us really well.

I’d happily live in a new build again, particularly as we got a great deal and wouldn’t have got anything like this for our money in an older property.

We live in a new build and I love it, it’s nice not to worry about expenses of things breaking when you’re just starting out. We have lovely, similar aged neighbours and live opposite a nature reserve with a lovely pond. Actually dreading moving as know we’ll never get as good a plot. I love old features in a house but you need the money spare to fix things when they go wrong.

I live in a new build in a village so it doesn't have that estate feel. I never thought I would live in a new build but this last year has been so stressful and I'm really thankful to live in a low maintenance beautiful house. I ❤️ my home.

My friend lives in a new build which is so warm and light. There are lovely Victorian terraces nearby but the parking is dire there, all the newbuilds have drives.

It's all location, location, location dependent.

@MaverickDanger

It depends on the price point and which developer.

We are in a new build on the edge of a small estate with lots of green space that they cannot build further on. It’s a very good build with a big garden (bigger than some older properties).

Parking isn’t an issue on our bit but is further down, mainly because people don’t want to use their garages.

Our neighbours are lovely and we’ve made friends with them. We relocated not knowing anyone here so it suits us really well.

I’d happily live in a new build again, particularly as we got a great deal and wouldn’t have got anything like this for our money in an older property.

I feel like this too. We've been in our house for 5 years, first owners. Good sized garden, large green space in front of the house that cannot be built on so a big area for children to play together. And it's so toasty and warm, which is a really big plus for me.

However. The builders do things as cheaply as possible so things are breaking and fixing them isn't easy. I hate hate hate the drywall with no wooden studs so putting up curtain rails and toilet roll holders is freaking difficult, especially for DIY idiots like DH and me. And the rooms are indeed small, though ours are bigger than most.

I'd live in a new build again, but only if I had direct input in designing it.