What do you think of this house?

[Hello2021bye2020]

Just that really 😊

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-98476601.html

I don't love it. It being so packed full of brown furniture doesn't help, and the pictures looking busy but I'm not convinced by the flow and architecture of the rooms. I wouldn't buy it.

But I agree - as Londoner - its a lot of square feet for £1m.

Very nice. Difficult to say if it's worth the money without knowing the area

Stunning garden and views.
Lovely house

What about the traffic noise? I couldn't live that close to a motorway. I bet you can hear it in the garden.

Look at nearby villages for more peace and tranquillity

I live on the outskirts of London, Tunbridge Wells seems like very much countryside to me, and round here you wouldn't pay much more for a house that size.

Leaving the price aside though, things that leap out to me are

Location - busy road. I'm sure you are far enough back not to get traffic noise but even so I wouldn't want to be on a main road like that.

Plot layout - it's a big plot and lovely garden BUT it's been extended to the limits both sides so to me it feels too close to the neighbours. If I'm buying a detached house I'd want a bit of distance!

Downstairs layout - I'm not a massive fan of total open plan, I like to have a separate lounge with doors, as well as space for table and sofa in/ around the kitchen. So that wouldn't work for me. Also all that op n space would take a huge amount to heat.

Location of the loo - I find it really annoying when downstairs loos are so far from the front door. I like them being either right by the door or under the stairs!

There are not enough bedrooms for the downstairs space in my view, also at least 1 of the rooms has floorboards so I'd have to carpet that.

It's a nice enough house but it doesn't wow me, and certainly for me there would be too many compromises involved. I'd take less space for a 20ft gap either side between me and the neighbours!

Have to say this type of house does nothing for me it’s a good sized suburban type of family house with no wow factor, I don’t like how it’s been extended it just looks awkward in relation to the kitchen which is small by comparison, it just does not flow and looks tacked on, I think a family room extension should be part of the kitchen where everyone can gather if you were cooking in the kitchen you would still be isolated from the family, it’s pretty much still a separate room, not the best design in my opinion.

I really like it. I wish we could get something similar for the money in our area.

@TheBeesKnee

Can I ask how you can tell the spec by looking at the pic? This is not a criticism at all, buy a genuine question. I find it hard to tell, and it's something I want to improve on!!!

And what would you consider a better spec of tile? Thanks (sorry to jump in there).

I like this house im always amazed at what you get outside London, though. Anything called London Road would be a no no to me, so doubt I would have clicked through in real life. Must be incredibly busy.

If I was rich I'd buy that in a heartbeat. I think it's gorgeous.

TheBeesKnee

In short, experience and the detail/finish of whatever I'm looking at. Good quality shines through. It does help that my dad is a carpenter and is a real stickler for detail.

I spent basically all of 2019/beginning of 2020 living on a building site and looking at my options very, very carefully. I went to many showrooms of various qualities and I think at this point I can probably recognise where most things are from order yourself catalogues from deVOL, Neptune, Magnate, B&Q and Wren, you will see quite a dramatic difference as you flip through them.

As the tiles are from B&Q I would consider almost anything an improvement but to answer your question seriously... I can see that they have traditional looking fittings so I would have liked to see tiles more in keeping with that and the tiling itself to cover more of the room, instead of the sad little patches in the essential wet zones. The other bathroom has a random feature wall of ornate tiles when the rest of the bathroom looks very modern so it's jarring and incongruous.

I'll stop there as it is a lovely house and I don't want to come across too harsh about it

I don’t like kitchen or bathrooms and it’s on a busy road. Whilst it seems like a hell of a lot of space for the money it doesn’t hold any appeal for me.

Being from Tun Wells I certainly wouldn't want to buy a house on London Road if I could help it. It's close to the bypass; London Road is busy all the time; there's not really any local or walkable shops so you have to drive to get everything.

The house is ok otherwise. Not entirely my taste and looks a little bit of a mish mash but that Can be changed. Houses are expensive in TW.

I think the outside is lovely but I hate the pillars (assume structural so there to stay) in the living area, cheap looking kitchen floor and the bathroom tiling is awful and i couldn't be bother changing he tilea at that price point.

I really like it, apart from the bathrooms. I would want some luxury at that price. I really like the style, but then I hate modern styles.

Hi that's decent house for the money in Kent. I love the entrance hall.

If you're commuting you can drive to Tonbridge for quick and regular trains. Only 35 min to LB from there. So it is a good commuter House.

Unlikely you walk anywhere for amenities though. Nothing nearby, not even a decent local pub. Traffic noise and pollution could be an issue in that location. For £1m you could buy something closer to town centre and station but not with that size garden

The A26 is a very busy road, as is the A21 so you will get traffic noise from both. If you have kids they will have to go to school in Tunbridge Wells or Tonbridge both of which are a nightmare in rush hour. Also there is a lot of infill building going on there (my friend who lives on the same road nearer to Southborough has had several offers to sell the family home for the land) so it's likely to get busier.

I know the area v well. It's a good chunk of house for the price. But that's because it is on a v busy A road. It is set back from the road but the traffic noise would still be significant.

It is also a bit of a no mands land in between Southborough and Tonbridge. It isn't really in Tunbridge Wells. Southborough common and Bidborough are lovely.

All in all, you would struggle to find a house of that size in TWells under 1 million. Unless it needs a complete refurb.

The garden has the potential to be amazing and I love the garden house.

But I couldn't cope with the road noise, the extension is a bit clunky and the kitchen worktops look like laminate. Have no idea what prices in TW are though - presuming pretty high.

I quite like it. The downstairs is far too open plan for me though.

I love the house and the way they have furnished it but not sure i would live on an A road. Depends where you are coming from - if you live in a busy/noisy place now you might not mind. We live on a B road here but as weve come from a busier and larger town to a small place its not a problem for us.

Thank you all for your comments and thoughts, much appreciated... it might be worth a visit to see how bad the road noise is and whether we can live with it.

@samosamo I somehow tagged myself in the reply above!

Looks great. Good value for money.

I think it’s a lovely house. The decking is atrocious and I couldn’t live with that but apart from that the garden is delightful and I imagine the wonderful open views at the back account for a fair chunk of the price.

House is an A road and it needs a total refresh which is why it’s cheap I guess. I personally would try and get a further discount.

I’d buy it if I had a million, it’s very nice.