Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Fancy house or house I like?!

57 replies

MissTiss · 08/02/2022 17:12

Hi everyone, some advice would be great!
We are moving house, I'm pregnant and we need to make a decision soon! We have found 2 houses on the same street and we love the area. We just can't decide between the 2...DH works from home full time, I work from home 2 days a week, and my Dad will likely come to live with us (Mum ill)...so space is useful.

Grey house - all new, fancy interiors (underfloor heating, wooden floors, wine fridge, breakfast bar, lovely lintels etc etc etc) and DH says boiler heating system all top notch. Problem is...I hate all the fancy stuff in the kitchen and bathrooms - the style is very footballer's wives which is absolutely fine but just not me. Basically guy built his dream home for family and now getting divorced. For example, bath has steps up to it and is black glitter. But it is very well done - lighting is fab, top notch built in wardrobes. Garden is grim.
3 bedrooms and a converted attic that is fairly big.

Red house - 1930s, was done up by a builder a few years ago, but nothing super fancy - carpets might last a few more years, kitchen is not special but it's big and open plan with space for play area (kitchen in grey house is L shaped and has no room for a low table just the breakfast bar - don't know how kids ate!). Red house has 5 bedrooms with a small room for a home office for me.

DH feels strongly that grey is the better house. He's probably right, but I don't like the exterior or interior, despite knowing it's very good quality!

Same price - any thoughts appreciated!

Know this is a very good problem to have just struggling to make a decision. Thanks :-)

OP posts:
sunshinesupermum · 08/02/2022 17:18

Definitely Red house. Anything that smacks of Footballers Wives is a huge turnoff for me personally.

The fact your DH wfh every day shouldn't be a deciding factor IMO.

CiderWithLizzie · 08/02/2022 17:21

Red house - no contest for me. Footballer’s wife grey sounds hideous.

Loti92 · 08/02/2022 17:24

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

RandomMess · 08/02/2022 17:24

Red house doesn't sound like it works for your family and DH WFH?

minipie · 08/02/2022 17:27

Red house obviously! Why would you choose decor you don’t like over lots of extra space?

Colderthanever · 08/02/2022 17:27

Anything remotely glitzy on here is hated, there will be only one answer 😃

BiancaWhite · 08/02/2022 17:27

Red house - no contest!

greenlynx · 08/02/2022 17:28

Red house sounds better space wise. How about bathrooms? What are gardens and parking like in both house?

freesolo · 08/02/2022 17:28

Red house, absolutely.

cathyandclare · 08/02/2022 17:29

Red house- presumably one of the 5 bedrooms could be another study.

RandomMess · 08/02/2022 17:29

Is red house cheaper?

GlumyGloomer · 08/02/2022 17:29

As the owner of a somewhat dilapidated 5 bed 1930's house.... Depends on your resources.
Ours has/had a lot of hidden flaws (think lead pipes in the bathroom), but one day it will be glorious.
If you can afford the potential pitfalls then red house.

greenlynx · 08/02/2022 17:30

Sorry, I’ve meant in both houses

housemadd · 08/02/2022 17:30

A house with stuff which is too new and good to rip out, but which you don't like, is a misery. It sounds like newness of the fittings in the grey house would be a burden because it makes them unchangeable.

hoorayandupsherises · 08/02/2022 17:30

Sounds like the Red House is a better fit re number of rooms, anyway. And the Grey House is going to look dated in a few years and you'd need a load of money to get it to the same finish - might as well put that money into the Red House!

Clymene · 08/02/2022 17:38

There's no point in buying a house that's had a refurb you hate. And the glitter bath sounds hideous!

Red house is bigger and more space is always better!

HerRoyalNotness · 08/02/2022 17:41

Grey house sounds too small for your circumstances in the near term. I’d go red

LosingTheWill2022 · 08/02/2022 17:42

Red House without a doubt.
Why would you pay for someone else's taste - unless it matches upurs precisely 🤔

Toanewstart23 · 08/02/2022 17:42

House 1 sounds…. Awful in my opinion

Second house for me, no hesitation

ISeeTheLight · 08/02/2022 17:44

Red House. You'll want to change the inside of the grey house before long and red house sounds better long term.

GrowBabyGrow · 08/02/2022 17:45

Second that fancy doesn't equal quality. You can't tell when looking round whether corners were cut to make a house look like a show home. Our first flat was newly refurbished and looked amazing in the 10 minutes you get per viewing but after we moved in we found so many issues that were a pain to undo.

The red house sounds like a great home. Your DH seems to have been pulled in by the gloss of the other house!

tunainatin · 08/02/2022 17:47

Red House, I would find it so annoying to move into a house that had been recently done up in a way I hated, as I'd feel too guilty to rip it all out!

Shmithecat2 · 08/02/2022 17:47

Red House for sure.

Enzbear · 08/02/2022 17:47

Neither. Surely you both have to agree.
Obvious what MN would say about anything grey and blingy.

Dillydollydingdong · 08/02/2022 17:54

Reluctantly red house, based on the five bedrooms. Grey house only has three. What's the red house garden like? That would be important if you've got kids.