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Original poster

Thoughts on this house please

29 replies

AnotherNameChangeNellie · 26/01/2021 10:14

I posted here a while ago about a house much like this one, but it had been reconfigured and you lot helped me rule it out. I've often thought about the house but know we made the right decision. But anyway, now this one has come up round the corner, without the dodgy alterations
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/77208630#/

It would only be me, DH and our young DD living there, more children aren't an option, so I feel the size would be ok. All of us sleeping on the middle floor and DH working from the top. We don't want a big garden so that's not an issue anyway (loads of green spaces and countryside nearby to spend outdoor time in).

DH and I both tend to get a bit overexcited about houses and don't see the potential pitfalls. Your thoughts were hugely helpful before, so I'd love to know what you think of this one! My only reservation is the open kitchen units, would it be much trouble to just add some doors??

OP posts:
Movinghouseatlast · 26/01/2021 10:20

I think it's a lovely house!

The kitchen is particularly gorgeous , and the open shelves are a feature- they aren't just cupboards without doors! I think you would have to replace them.if you really don't like them, or maybe a carpenter could add doors.

Original poster
AnotherNameChangeNellie · 26/01/2021 10:22

@Movinghouseatlast - I actually like the shelving, except for one word... DUST! Totally ruins those kitchens for me unfortunately!

OP posts:
ComtesseDeSpair · 26/01/2021 10:34

It’s nice. A good, safe choice without being at all bland. Has a quaint and individual appearance from the front even though it’s a new build. You could move in without doing anything. The only bug I’d find is that the only shower is in the en-suite with just a bath in the main bathroom, so everyone in the household and any guests have to traipse through your bedroom to shower, I have no idea why developers think this is a good layout - but that’s easily changed. Kitchen open shelves also easily replaced with cabinets.

I have also just learned that Kettering and Market Harborough are nowhere near where I thought they were. Every day’s a school day.

Onandoff · 26/01/2021 10:42

I like it but the small bedroom is quite small. Can DH not work out of that one rather than take the top floor?

sst1234 · 26/01/2021 10:42

Nice house, garden would be a deal breaker. Are you happy to compromise on the garden

user1493494961 · 26/01/2021 10:44

The house is lovely, I can't see any obvious pitfalls. I like the shelves but they are a dust and grease trap, just see how you get on with them.

ItsDinah · 26/01/2021 10:46

I love it. What's the gate in the back garden for?Is there some sort of shared access or access over someone else's property at the rear to get to the garage or take the bins out? Photos don't show all of the kitchen. Is there enough room for all the appliances you want? Is it electric heating? I don't think any of those would be deal breakers but you'd want to know before you moved in. I like the open shelving but I can see I would wind up with a lot more stuff put in baskets on them.

NeedsImprovement01 · 26/01/2021 10:49

When your dc gets older I suspect they will find their bedroom a bit small, especially for having friends over (obviously plenty of kids have smaller but teenagers don't always think like that when there is a larger room in the house). Would it still work for you if either dc takes the top floor and the study is in the smaller room, or the top floor study doubles as teenage den?

I would also want to view in person to confirm the lounge dinner is big enough to fit a table in. My experience is sometimes these things look like they fit in photos but aren't really practical.

Overall it looks lovely, character and practical storage.

rosierose10 · 26/01/2021 10:50

I really like the house itself, doesn't need much doing to it but the garden would put me off, and the fact it's terraced.

rosierose10 · 26/01/2021 10:50

Love the fireplace though I think that's my favourite thing about it.

StCharlotte · 26/01/2021 10:54

Love it!

antidisestablishmentarianism · 26/01/2021 10:58

I have lived in a house very much like this and in summer the top floor was blisteringly hot, and in winter the ground floor was miserably cold. The middle was always nice!

See how the ground floor feels when you view, despite lots of insulation ours was just so chilly

senua · 26/01/2021 11:04

Have you thought about schools? The local Primary requires improvement and I'm not sure where the Secondary is (I miss the old Rightmove!) but I think that it is a few miles away.

SoupDragon · 26/01/2021 11:08

I think it's lovely. There is the option to switch rooms about if/when your DD outgrows the small one.

emmathedilemma · 26/01/2021 11:16

It's a lot of house for the money compared to the prices I'm used to!
On the surface it's lovely but I wonder if the space is used efficiently?
The open shelving in the kitchen is a lovely feature but all i can think is dust! They appear to be cupboard carcases so it shouldn't be too difficult to add doors if you wanted to. It would probably make the kitchen feel more enclosed but the white gloss should be ok. The microwave being on a shelf suggests to me that there isn't much worktop space.
The main bedroom seems to be a decent size but I'd check what size their bed is if you're king / super-king person.
I understand your logic of wanting to use both the bedrooms on the first floor so you're sleeping close to your DD but I would check how a bed would fit in the 2nd bedroom and there's no built-in storage in that room.
The loft is a bit of a waste of space for me and whilst it's big I wonder if a lot of it will become dead space or a dumping ground for "stuff". You will loose a lot of useful space due to the slope on the ceiling - i suspect the way they've got the bed the person sleeping closest to the wall would have to crawl in and out! It's a pity there isn't an ensuite up there to make it more user friendly as a bedroom although you might be able to fit a toilet and basin into the storage space / dressing room area. It's a lot of space to dedicate to a home office while your DD has what's really only a single bedroom.
A downside for me would also be the lack of space to extend or potentially add value in the future and the comment about primary school above would be a concern.

Twisique · 26/01/2021 11:53

They don't seem to have room for a TV? Maybe I missed it?

Proudboomer · 26/01/2021 12:01

I have no idea of the area so cannot say if it is good value but I like the house.
I would put glass doors on those kitchen cupboards though as the continued cleaning of the shelves wouldn’t be my idea of fun.
And depending on the age of your dd I would have my master on the third floor and the small bed as an office.

peach1234 · 26/01/2021 22:20

Really lovely house cosy looking house.
We lived in a house very similar to this one and the only thing that we disliked was it was a very narrow/thin house and that meant you could always hear the neighbours it felt like anywhere you were in the house you could hear one side or the other, I know you can get this in any terraced but I think it being new build the walls were particularly thin and if it had been a wider house as such you'd not always be as close to the walls and not hear the noise as much if that makes sense.

ZaraCarmichaelshighheels · 26/01/2021 23:38

It’s a lovely house, the owners have really injected some character into it, I personally love kitchens with open shelving I think they look gorgeous but I don’t mind dusting! I also like the fact the front garden is enclosed it makes it look very charming and cottage like, most new houses have open plan front gardens which I don’t like at all. The only thing I would change are the interior white builders grade doors as I think they look cheap in any house but that’s just my personal taste.

CherryBlossomTree7 · 27/01/2021 00:03

A nice house OP.

If I am to be critical, here are some points that I would consider:

  • The lounge-diner is not as modern as a kitchen-diner would be.
  • The lounge space looks a bit of an awkward shape. One of the settees is partially blocking the French doors which I don't like. If you only need one settee, this shouldn't be an issue though.
  • I don't like the open kitchen cupboards but yep, you could easily get some cupboard doors fitted.
  • The garden is small but nice. Patio needs a power wash, mind Grin How old is your DD? Not much room to play but a lot of families don't even a garden.
  • The drawers in front of the window in the master bedroom suggests to me that there's not much space. I'd never put a chest of drawers there. You might not need drawers though as the fitted wardrobes look decent.
  • Bathrooms are not very modern at all, I would want to change them. Also can see exposed pipes which I do not like.
  • The sloping celings would annoy me, having to duck all the time.

So they're my thoughts as a critic and what I would see and think if I looked at this house.

Original poster
AnotherNameChangeNellie · 27/01/2021 10:20

Thank you, lots to think about and check out. I wouldn't want DD on a different floor than us at the moment, but when she's a bit older the plan would indeed be to shuffle things around so that the small bedroom becomes the office Smile
Think we might book a viewing on this one!

OP posts:
LadyBridgerton · 27/01/2021 11:50

I think it's a gorgeous place! My only reservation would be that it's attached - noise from neighbours. But I'm really funny about stuff like that, if it didn't bother you it looks like a beautiful place.

Oddbutnotodd · 27/01/2021 12:01

I think it’s a nice house but the kitchen is tiny. Glass doors would keep the open feeling and would be inexpensive to replace all the upper cabinets. Probably almost as cheap as adding doors. Garden is rather limited. I wouldn’t want to live in a new terraced house either.

There’s a house nearby for sale for 15k less. With a better garden and garage. Not as done up but you could do the extra bits yourself.

Bells3032 · 27/01/2021 12:05

Think it looks lovely. As others have said though bedroom may be a bit small as DD grows up but it should be easy enough to switch the study and her room around as she gets older. I'd view.

QuantumWeatherButterfly · 27/01/2021 17:53

I think it's lovely, but it wouldn't be for me - I would far rather have a kitchen-diner open to the garden than a lounge diner. I'd prefer a smaller, snug-style lounge where the kitchen currently is. I would find it quite difficult being cut off from people relaxing in the lounge while I was busy in the kitchen, and I'd want a line of sight to the garden so I could be watching DC while I was working in there.

However - if the layout works for you, then go for it! It's done very nicely. The small garden wouldn't bother me (ours is much smaller for a similar sized house), and I have never found living over three floors to be an issue.

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