What do you think of these wooden ceilings and the house in general?

[Whatam]

We are looking to buy our first house. We have not been in UK for very long and have never owned a house. Will really appreciate your inputs on this house? The wood ceilings look very odd to me. What do you all think? I wouldn't like to keep it that way. What do you think of the house as well?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-68886384.html
Thanks a lot.

I think the house is lovely! I can't believe you can get so much for that price but I don't know Reading.

Like you, I'm not keen on the wood panelled ceilings but they are not in every room and i'm sure you could change them over time.

You could also put in another bath or shower room somewhere, maybe an en suite.

It's a smashing house as it is (nothing is ever perfect), with plenty of room and potential, at a very good price.

I really like it.

I love them! The house has a very mid century feel which is becoming very fashionable at the moment. I'd live there like a shot

I really like the house on the inside and am a bit jealous. I'd paint the ceilings (not necessarily white) or restain them but leave them in. A lot of interiors bloggers have very similar interiors and mid century / scandi decor would work well with the house.

Imo, the house is fine. Plain and easy to make your own over time. I don't like the wooden ceilings personally. They feel like they're coming down on you! I'd replace them. Kitchen is a personal taste thing. I'd want to change it in the end but it is perfectly useable in the meantime.

It seems good value for money and anything that isn't to your taste is easily fixable.

I love the house. All of it. Ceilings included.
It's really different.

I really like the house. We live in a mid century modern house too. I love the windows - which are big like those ones. Does get cold in the winter though. We had the same wooden ceilings when we moved in and although we’ve mostly tried to keep the mid century modern look - we did paint them white. It makes the rooms feel much lighter and looks fine.

I’d paint them but you might also want to consider that they may be covering up structural problems in the ceilings that the wood is covering. I remember my dad ‘timbered’ a ceiling that kept developing cracks.

I agree with @SheeshazAZ09 - they could certainly be hiding some nasty surprises... even if they were originally put up in the 70s.

Love it and definitely paint white.

Also envious of the stairs down to the dining area, always wanted a split level like that

I like it .big windows. .looks very light and bright. ceiling not so sure about.,It may make the rooms feel smaller....but that may be different in person. They are unusual!

Yes, the kitchen is too small but the adjacent dining room is massive so that's easy enough to remedy

The more I look at this, the more I love it.

Such potential. I’d look at moving the kitchen into the room marked dining room to make a glamorous eat-in space and turn the current kitchen into a decent sized utility. I’d be paint the ceiling wood white to give a contemporary feel. The upstairs needs rearranging to add an en-suite to a large bedroom and I don’t understand why there is a shower room next to a bathroom - suspect it was originally a large family bathroom split into two to add a bathroom to take the pressure off a family of 5/6?

Yes, it's a huge footprint for the cost. I'd consider it, and get a quote for replacing/modifying the ceiling as you prefer. Would probably reconfigure the kitchen and dining, make better use of the current dining room (which I guess used to be a lounge diner). New carpets throughout too.

There doesn't seem to be any internet access to the games room? Fine for teenagers but I've got young kids so I'd want to look in to that, is it possible to add in a connecting stairway in the dining room somewhere?

internal

It’s great! Nice views. Easy to renovate. Few issues like you’d have in an older property. The wooden ceilings are just 70s fashion. If you don’t like them remove them.

I like the ceilings and wouldnt paint them but would go Scandi style furniture

The wooden ceilings are hideous. I don’t know why people are telling you they’re special and should be kept. It’s not like you’re considering ripping wood paneling off a Tudor banqueting hall.

This is why Victorian original features are so sought after. So many were ripped out as old fashioned when they were 40/50 years old

I would be tempted to open up the kitchen into the dining area or move the kitchen into the dining room and use the original kitchen space for something else

@Doffodils

The wooden ceilings are hideous. I don’t know why people are telling you they’re special and should be kept. It’s not like you’re considering ripping wood paneling off a Tudor banqueting hall.

This is why Victorian original features are so sought after. So many were ripped out as old fashioned when they were 40/50 years old

Exactly what I was going to say. The ceilings may not be in fashion at the moment, but I think they are an integral part of the design of the house.

Wow what an amazing house!! Totally agree Bout the space and the light with all that beautiful greenery outside- I'm sure you could make it gorgeous and very scandi. Add lots of pot plants, good art and new carpets. Quite want to buy it myself (but I'm hundreds of miles away so, don't worry, you are safe!)

The house style seems more 1950s / 60s .

I love the massive dual aspect windows and the big living spaces. The layout isn’t the modern style of big eat in combined kitchen / dining / family space but as the kitchen opens into the dining space, and they flow through, that works well.

It would look great with mid-century / 60s furniture.

The house has a lot of living space compared to bedrooms. What would you do with the massive lower floor?

The ceilings: of their time. You could paint them white, or look at the cost of removing them.

I like the fact that it backs onto woodland rather than other houses.

Does it have a drive close to the front door? Imagine unloading your shopping.

Is there any access to the garden except through the house?

I think the wood was out there to give character to an otherwise soulless place.

I agree that it feels oppressive.

Before going to all the expense of taking it down, repairing the ceiling , replastering and painting, I too would firstly try painting one white to see if it blends in.

As a first home, if I were not planning to live there long, I might consider it but I’d want to know the prices of the houses around it. I’d expect if this house were a bargain because if all the redecoration and modernisation needed, I’d buy. But not if it were towards top end price of the road. I’d want to know that I’d get my money back invested into the house.

Very nice house!