What’s best / worst about your house?

[TomorrowIsNow]

Viewing a property tomorrow. DH is already in love with it and I’m close behind! We know the area well and love it.

I want to make sure we don’t get carried away so ask, what should I remember to think about? What are you glad for in your house? What do you wish you’d thought about?

Not structural, but more like where to keep the hoover, or too far from sink to cooker.
Thanks!

We didn't realise that there is a noisy road at the end of the garden. There is one house behind us but it's not for much garden and when they got rid of a lot of trees, we have had more noise from the road and had to spend lots of money planting things ourselves. Also, there is an alleyway off our street that I did not know about and it brings lots of random people through a street that looks like it leads nowhere. When I buy another house I'll check Google maps satellite view.

There's not enough light in the hallway as there's no window on the landing. Not really any other surprises except it needed far more than cosmetic updating and has cost us a fortune.

Thanks @Bookmarket. This property possibly needs more than cosmetic. Did the survey not warn you?

Storage. I wish our previous owners hadn’t converted the under stairs cupboard (and only real indoor storage) into a toilet. I know it’s fashionable and every other MNer says they’d never ever buy a house without a downstairs toilet, but it’s a small two bed terrace and really needs somewhere to keep the vacuum cleaner, our outdoor gear and backpacks and the clothes horse more than it needs a second toilet for the two people who live here. Keep an eye out for cupboards or ways to create them if none.

The addition of the front porch was also a bad move because it created a series of awkward angles into the hallway which really restricts the size of furniture which can come in through the front door rather than a removed window. Little things like that you often don’t pick up on until moving day - so take a measuring tape and an eye of scrutiny!

Other than that I really like our house. It has its quirks - it’s a typical post-WW2 build on the site of a direct hit from a rocket during the Blitz which destroyed half the terrace, so was built cheaply and in haste to provide much needed housing for bombed out Londoners. There isn’t a true right angle in the place and some of the measurements suggest it was designed by somebody who had never designed a house before and then built by somebody who neither looked at the designs nor spoke to the person who came up with them. All of these things could also bother you and are worth thinking about when you view, I suppose! They don’t bother us, though.

Best:
Location - Very quiet estate, kids play out the front safely. Neighbors all know each other. Very pretty, lots of trees.
Good quality kitchen - modern kitchen with lots of ceiling to floor cabinets.

Worst:
Small living room. No fireplace, feels like a characterless box.
Enormous annoying conservatory that is a fly magnet in the summer

The amount of bad DIY and neglected jobs; it didn't seem too bad (& the only way we could afford a house here was something that needed updating) but I am envious of people who can decorate a room by just getting out a dust sheet and paintbrush. Every room needs skimming or lots of prep work, & takes ages. The previous DIY is mostly held together with No More Nails

The extent of the mess the garden was in - it was v overgrown. We didn't realise that under the brambles was also a load of fox holes, building rubble and a dilapidated shed. A lot more work than just cutting it back.

The big tree in front of the house - I actually really like it but the gutters need more regular cleaning due to leaves.

The loft hatch being v small & in a crap position - you came up in the back part of roof, & had to climb under a beam to access the part with enough headroom to properly use for storage. Easy enough to get a new hatch & ladder fitted, but another expense.

Think about:

Kitchen - where to put the bin, is there enough space for washing machine, dishwasher and tumble drier? what about fridge/freezer?
Where will you dry washing if using a clothes horse. Is there enough pplugs in the right places for all your small appliances.

Lounge - whats the walkthrough like? will your furniture fit and still be able to open doors/see TV etc? likewise are there plus in the right places? Where will you put the christmas tree!!

Bathroom - storage? is there room for laundry basket.

Hall - Where wil/ shoes coats bags keys post etc go?

outside - where will bins and recyling go? if in back can you get them round the front easily on bin day?

Parking!!!

Best: porch, room sizes ( larger than typical 1930s), end of terrace with main rooms detached, right next to beautiful park and amenities
Worst: steps down to garden. Busy ish road

Best: Large windows compared to modern houses (it's 1970s), large kitchen diner overlooking the garden to whoever is cooking isn't tucked away. Downstairs loo, bathroom and en suite. Loads of storage. Lovely area.

Worst: washing machine is in the kitchen and no where to dry clothes, open plan downstairs so we can never close off a room for a quiet escape (was fine until we had kids), no entrance hall/porch, on street parking. Squeaky sodding floorboards which we didn't notice as we viewed the house and which are infuriating.

Best: two big bedrooms, lovely area, not overlooked, utility room.

Worst: no entrance through to back garden. Have to go through the utility room to get outside. Third bedroom is too small for a bed. Drive can only fit one car on.

Best - space. Good proportions, high ceilings, enough rooms so that everyone gets their own queries space.

Worst - a bigger space costs a fortune to heat. Heating is on from 7am to 10pm. Front of the house gets the sun so the rooms stay lovely and warm there in the day when the sun is out. But the back of the house which includes the kitchen and study is always much colder.

Best: Location (it's literally the thing that sold us the house, we are in a lovely cul-de-sac, elevated on a hill overlooking the rest of the village, a forest and a medieval castle, it's amazing). Great primary and secondary school catchment, which was also important to us.

Worst: Similar to AwkwardPaws27 - we had a survey done beforehand and used it to get our offer reduced slightly (by £15k) as it did indicate that a lot may need doing, but we've since discovered the previous owners did loads of really dodgy DIY that the survey could never have picked up on - things like light fittings not being earthed, plumbing that leaks. All of the windows in the property need replacing as they're original 80s aluminium and the amount of condensation coming off them every morning is unreal. Literally dripping everywhere. So we are having to spend a significant amount of money (that we don't really have) just to get to the point of being able to do aesthetic changes. And as it's all 80s decor... We definitely want to make changes 🤣

We've always felt like we can change the interior slowly over time, but the location is the one thing you can't do anything about so we wanted to feel confident that we'd got that right.

Best:
Quiet cul de sac
Lovely massive trees in the south-facing back garden
A lot of the 'living area' rooms face the garden, so are bright and warm.
All four bedrooms are proper 'double' sized (and room to add a loft conversion)
Modernish, so cost-effective to run (e.g. well insulated no cold draughts etc)
Double garage - useful storage

Worst:
Small, narrow cold utility room - limited drying space (was helped by addition of a radiator and removing a door)
Living room is large, has 3 external walls and a raised floor - is often cold/ expensive to heat, so doesn't get used as much as I thought it would.
Rules in the deeds which stop us planting hedges at the front - it feels too open/ lacking in privacy
Lovely trees in the back have TPOs and are huge. Cost us £2k to take down when one died!
Passage down side of house is too narrow for any big equipment (see above) so can make some aspects of gardening difficult

Three houses ago.. we fell in love with it, ignored all of the points raised on the survey.. they were all true!! Yes, the windows needed work, the doors didn’t fit properly, there was an issue with damp in the utility, the boiler capacity was not sufficient to heat the house. But we loved it and it was hands down the best house we could have found for the price in the area we wanted. We enjoyed decorating it and loved living in it. The repairs were a pain but I loved it more than I would have loved the alternatives.

Worst;

• Small garden, very overlooked, no large trees or anything for privacy. Wasn’t a problem for years, till two quiet neighbours left and were replaced with two very noisy families.

• There was an extension but it had been done badly so no light got through to the kitchen (due to a very low steel) and it leaked and was freezing. We re did it eventually but lived with it for years

• Bad roof, next to no loft insulation

Best:

• Victorian character, ceilings, windows
• Space, lots of it

• Good width for a Victorian terrace

• Decent parking (on street but lots of “spare” spaces which is unusual round here)

Best things are the cosy cottage house and garden feel and location and the 'boot room'. Worst is that we've had to create our own drive, which is expensive, and our chimney needs fixing at some point.

For me it’s location. You can change lots in a house, but you can never change the location.

Best:
Original features, ornate high ceilings, big windows, lots of big rooms so can "shut away" mess or WFH paraphernalia.

One thing I particularly enjoy is having a big wide hall with space for a decent bench for putting on shoes; plenty of storage for coats etc and a decent table for keys / post / lamp.

Having a separate utility room was a luxury for us.

Worst: The temperature! It is so so so cold and draughty. Original windows and high ceilings look lovely but the single glazing doesn't keep the heat in. We are paying an extortionate amount in heating and I am still sat here with a heated throw and a hand warmer!

Also, similarly to PP, underestimating the amount of work and the duration of work needed to bring it up to scratch. What was originally supposed to be more cosmetic upgrade plus new kitchen and bathrooms has turned into a whole house reno with electrics, plumbing, plastering etc throughout.

We viewed and knew ours needed a lot of updating and the kitchen was tiny compared to the size of the house so we wanted to extend.

What we didn't realise was the heating was using microbore and old and the tank was old and it all needed replaced. Wish we'd looked at the radiators more closely.

We knew the area so knew it was a quiet road, though it does mean that taxi drivers park up there in the day and driving instructors use it.

Small things like cupboards etc can all be fixed unless the house is really tiny and lacking in storage.

The worst thing about my last house was no separate utility room and nowhere to dry washing. And no room for a dishwasher (I really hate washing up!).

It had a big built in cupboard in the bathroom which must have housed a hot water tank at one point and which was great for storing towels, bedding and toiletries etc. And a built in wardrobe in the small bedroom which was really handy and stored lots of clothes etc that weren't used every day.

Moving house Thursday. This is for current house.

Best: it's so warm (new build) I'm a cold arse and it's bloody lovely. I will miss the ensuite shower. It hasn't needed much work doing.

Worst: our estate is terribly laid out. No pavements and even less parking than we thought (we anticipated some problems). I feel boxed in. Our kitchen diner is tiny. We eat in the living room upstairs which is one of the quirks I fell for in the house but the novelty wore off after a few years

New house:

Anticipated best: location, we are moving out of city into big village nearby. More rooms so DH can work from home in office not on dining table. The kitchen diner space with french doors onto garden is fab.

Worst: I guess it will cost more to heat and with the price rises that's going to be a blow. The family bathroom is so small I have no where to put my skin care. FWP I know! Might need a dressing table in bedroom instead of stuff in bathroom.

It's pretty and cosy, with loads of periods features, and a big kitchen diner which was custom built for us and has loads of counter space and cupboard space. The courtyard garden is tiny, but an absolute sun trap.

It's small - apart from the kitchen diner, all the rooms are on the small side, and the DC are both in box rooms - and there's no parking.

Best: views, proximity to primary school and park, massive utility room.

Worst: dodgy DIY, odd layout, ancient wiring, small overgrown garden. All these have been resolved now (after six long years and £££).

Sorry, just realised that I didn't actually answer the OP! I wish we'd realised that no parking would be a bit of a pain, and that in a national lockdown not having a study or office would make life difficult.

I think we always knew we'd have preferred more space, but we prioritised (a pretty and central) location over size of property, and haven't regretted that. And I'm glad we went for 3 beds, rather than two larger bedrooms, because we ended up having opposite sex DC who wouldn't have wanted to share for long. At least this way they each have their own space, even if it's small.

Best: we were able to extend, nice big bedrooms, driveway, walking distance to DCs schools.
Worst: the neighbours who unfortunately we share the wall with (semi detached) - all other neighbours are fab.

Been looking to move for a while…

Best: sense of space. High ceilings, original features, no box room. Location: where we wanted to live, and walking distance to the kids' schools

Worst: it's been a bit of a money pit but now has new door, windows, front wall, and kitchen. Also the garden is tiny and North facing, but we make the best of it.