New builds!

[Ohwhere2021]

Anyone with experience if new builds like
Redrow
Cala
Sunningdale homes

Looking for something with the wow factor but without a hefty price tag.

Just out of interest, why do you want a new build?

I know you get more for your money but the build quality isn’t always great.

Avoid new builds at all costs...lifeless problematic square boxes

Our DS has just purchased a new build but not one you have named.
I was always against new builds but if I had my time again I'd buy one like his
in an instant.
4 bed detached, lots of insulation good size rooms and a fair sized garden.
Gas and electric bills are lower than they paid before.

Alive, which builder did he use

Pilates, I actually prefer older but a lot of the older properties need work to get it how we would like and I understand getting building work is tricky and expensive at the moment/foreseeable future. Plus our budget is likely definitely to grow with salary rises.

I've had two new builds and would buy another again. I've also had older properties. I wouldn't buy another old property.

I've bought from Bellway & Elan. Bellway were better. No issues with either to be fair.

Which area of country are you in as quality varies a lot between the different offices of the developer's you've mentioned

Cala is very well known in Scotland but not so much in England

Winchester side, round here it is Cala at Kings Barton, some Redrow dotted around, I’ve noticed Bellway closer to Reading

@uhohspaghettiohh

How did you find selling your new build? Is it a matter of only being able to sell once the developer has completed the site.

[quote Ohwhere2021]@uhohspaghettiohh

How did you find selling your new build? Is it a matter of only being able to sell once the developer has completed the site.[/quote]
We sold once the estate finished. We struggled only because it was leasehold and we backed on to a slip road.

When it was first put up we sold it on first viewing but we pulled out as the house we were about to buy had some huge issues on the survey so we took it off the market for a year. I'd also just had DS.

Second time, took a lot longer due to the leasehold and people put off by the road. We did sell eventually.

I absolutely loved the house and would've bought the leasehold eventually but the slip road was just too loud.

Where we are now, they've not finished the site and someone has just sold up.

The only thing a lot of them say is you can't have a for sale sign out the front.

CALA probably has the higher average selling price of the 3 - known for being more of a premium developer - 5* rating for customer service. You get more included in the standard product then say Taylor Wimpey. You don't say what your budget is? Generally new builds are good if you are 4 bed and above - 2 and 3 beds will feel very small and box like, generally only 2 rooms downstairs - en-suites shoe horned in at the expense of storage or bedrooms large enough for a king size bed. Very much depends on the individual site as to garden size, driveway and parking and how overlooked you are.

@uhohspaghettiohh

very helpful info!

@thatstheloveiwantiwantlove

Budget is around 500-600. We would really prefer 4 bed as we need some study space. Thing is I don’t want to overspend either.

We are currently buying a Redrow Cambridge (4-bed det) but don't move in until Jan/Feb next year.

Originally we were going to buy an older property (when I retire in 3-years time) and than have it gutted to meet our exact specifications but an unexpected work move means we had to look for somewhere much sooner. The idea of living on what will be a building site for 12-months while still working (and doing a 4Hr daily commute) didn't appeal so we decided to look at newbuilds instead.

Looked around the market town where we had decided to settle and found that most new developments were closely packed and not inspiring places to live.
When we drove onto the Redrow development however we were immediately struck with how spacious it is and when we looked in the Cambridge showhome we realised that it ticked practically every box. It looks to be well built (traditional) with high-ish ceilings and being a slightly larger 4-bed there is plenty of room (there are only two of us). The layout of the kitchen/family room, separate lounge plus really good sized master bedroom immediately made it somewhere we thought we could live. Apart from the garage there is a decent driveway plus private access shared between three of us so lots of parking for visitors etc (something rarely catered for nowadays).
Speaking to people who have already moved in (halfway through a 300-home development) they seem happy and while there are snags (it is a newbuild so of course we are getting a Snager in) there don't seem to be any serious issues (mainly cosmetic).
Garden is adequate, being a newbuild it isn't huge but it is in proportion to the footprint of the house so better than most. A plus is that we don't have a road at the front (access via the private driveway) so we have additional green space at the front which we can (almost!) claim to be an extension to the front garden.

I see you want study space.
Many developers (Bloor for instance) have a small study adj the front door but I found them too pokey so we are using bedroom-3 as a shared study / art room with plenty of room for cupboards plus two decent desks

Hi everyone, we’re having that common problem when looking for a new house. We want to be near Bishop Stortford but tbh e houses here are so expensive and are so small. Limited with how far we can move but Haverhill (on the map) seems perfect for us and have found a new development we like and a house in our price range. The only downfall now is that I’m worried about the area. Apparently it had a bad rep but that things are improving. We’re going at the weekend to check it out properly but I’d never heard of it before now. Does anyone on here know and can help me? I’ve got my daughter starting primary school come September and need to get it right for her and for us. But she needs a good school etc and safe neighbourhood. Thanks for any help.

In my opinion, Redrow is only worth it if it’s a premium estate - so mostly 4 and 5 bedroom houses with the occasional 3 bed thrown in, as the people it attracts (young professional couples with growing families) are least likely to move. In a cheaper estate Redrow houses tend to get a lot of turnover or turn into rental properties which does make it feel more run down than it should. For example when we were househunting we looked at two relatively new Redrow estates in Leicestershire - despite being older, it is the premium one in North Leicestershire that has really put itself on the map & attracted investment and even a purposebuilt school. The cheaper one feels like a council estate on one end and a retirement community in the other.

I think if you can find a smaller highly local developer that might often work better in your favour in terms of resale value. Particularly if you’re looking in a rural area as these developers tend to build fewer but larger homes.

Thank you 😊

Thanks Ozanj
Really useful info about Redrow and will keep that in the back of mind.
Cala are building 2000 in Winchester in stages phases where I am looking and they have already contributed towards a new local primary school so maybe that’s a good sign?
I would much prefer the smaller local developer but unfortunately have eye watering prices in this location.

On our estate there are no restrictions on selling your house even while the building work continues. The houses that have been put up for sale seem to take a long time to sell - I think because a buyer would rather buy a house direct from the developer and choose their own fittings, than pay for a one-year old house with someone else’s choices where the seller now thinks it’s worth £10k more. We viewed a 2nd-hand house for £325k but bought the same style new from the developer for £315k, plus they part-exchanged on our old house. I imagine once the building works are completed that won’t be so much of an issue.

I agree with Ozanj, we live in a Barratt house which I know isn't one of the premium builders but our estate is exclusively detached 4-5 bed homes, subsequently every house has at least a single garage, most double, with large driveways (thus minimal street parking), it's nicely spaced, there aren't any estate/maintenance fees and they're traditionally built, so we don't have any of the common issues with new builds. It's a lovely estate, house is extremely well built, it's worth canvassing current residents, our estate had a beloved site manager and all snags (inevitable) were dealt with swiftly. Our house value has increased by nearly 15% in a year. Honestly we've had such a positive experience, I know people are very quick to chastise new builds, but they're not all the same.

I bought on a small CALA development about 9 years ago, we sold again after 18 months to be closer to DCs schools and fortunately we made a reasonable profit so I don't think you always make a loss straight away but we might have been lucky.

The quality of the finish and fixtures was excellent and I was really impressed with their customer service. I think the sales people that were at our development were going to work in Kings Barton and they were super helpful before and after we bought from them. They let us look round at various stages of the build to take measurements and things and they painted everything white instead of magnolia for us. There were a few snagging issues, some smaller like scuffs to paintwork and some larger like the front door not closing well, they were all fixed quickly.

I think it helped that we moved in before the estate was fully complete so the sales team and the project manager were still there. I know it's not everyone's idea of fun to live on a building site but it did work out well for us.

The other advantage I found with buying a new build which I haven't found anywhere else was how quickly we got to know our neighbours. Because everyone was new we all introduced ourselves very quickly as we moved in. I'm still in touch with our next door neighbours.

I still have a CALA mug that they gave us as part of our moving in box, it's now the builders mug as it seems indestructible!

I am in Scotland and I have been looking at new builds for some time.

I went to a lot of show homes for Taylor Wimpey, Cala and Miller homes. Based on our budget, I prefer Taylor Wimpey for their 3/4 bedroom detached houses. Cala homes were very luxurious but out budget with them would only get us a terraced house and we can get a detached or semi-detached with TM for the same.

My advice would be to go and view the show homes. Look on Instagram as alot of people share their journeys on buying a new build.

@Dougieowner

We are currently buying a Redrow Cambridge (4-bed det) but don't move in until Jan/Feb next year.

Originally we were going to buy an older property (when I retire in 3-years time) and than have it gutted to meet our exact specifications but an unexpected work move means we had to look for somewhere much sooner. The idea of living on what will be a building site for 12-months while still working (and doing a 4Hr daily commute) didn't appeal so we decided to look at newbuilds instead.

Looked around the market town where we had decided to settle and found that most new developments were closely packed and not inspiring places to live.
When we drove onto the Redrow development however we were immediately struck with how spacious it is and when we looked in the Cambridge showhome we realised that it ticked practically every box. It looks to be well built (traditional) with high-ish ceilings and being a slightly larger 4-bed there is plenty of room (there are only two of us). The layout of the kitchen/family room, separate lounge plus really good sized master bedroom immediately made it somewhere we thought we could live. Apart from the garage there is a decent driveway plus private access shared between three of us so lots of parking for visitors etc (something rarely catered for nowadays).
Speaking to people who have already moved in (halfway through a 300-home development) they seem happy and while there are snags (it is a newbuild so of course we are getting a Snager in) there don't seem to be any serious issues (mainly cosmetic).
Garden is adequate, being a newbuild it isn't huge but it is in proportion to the footprint of the house so better than most. A plus is that we don't have a road at the front (access via the private driveway) so we have additional green space at the front which we can (almost!) claim to be an extension to the front garden.

I see you want study space.
Many developers (Bloor for instance) have a small study adj the front door but I found them too pokey so we are using bedroom-3 as a shared study / art room with plenty of room for cupboards plus two decent desks

We've just exchanged on a redrow Cambridge- hope to move in, in about 5 months

Cant wait

Good to hear about positive Redrow experiences, I also agree yes it is best to view as many new build types as possible.
A lot of the Redrow houses I like have garages, does anyone have any experience if converting garage to office/library space?

We are in a Redrow Cambridge (5 years now) and love it. Rooms are all decent sizes, ceilings are fairly high and we've had no major issues at all. Pretty much all the various house models on our estate are now selling for at least 20% more than purchase price, and they usually sell v quickly.

A couple of our neighbours with integral garages (mostly Oxfords / Windsors) have converted them to additional rooms, taken the garage door out and put a window in at the front overlooking the driveway.