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Original poster

New build layout - which do you prefer?

77 replies

RosieLeaLovesTea · 17/02/2022 21:26

Hi all

My DH and I are looking to buy a new build house. Never had a new build before. Always older properties.

We have seen two properties today:

1st is a bit smaller- 1257 sq ft for £500,000
It essentially has 3 medium size rooms downstairs- kitchen/diner same size roughly as ours now. Lounge and an extra family room. The bedrooms upstairs are all a good size and similar size to what we have now.
1st photo. This house comes with carpets, curtains and integrated appliances.

The 2nd is 1400 sq ft for £530,000
It has a really large kitchen/diner while width of house
Smaller lounge.
It also has an open plan hallway and open room which is described as a dining area but in the show home they had it set up as a study. Decent size bedrooms upstairs and slightly bigger bathroom and en-suite. Also a larger hallway with full height ceiling which is a feature. Carpets extra and the appliances are extra.

Both are detached houses and we are gaining a garage which we don’t have now.

I will attach a picture of layout. Can you tell me which one you prefer?

OP posts:

Original poster

RosieLeaLovesTea · 17/02/2022 23:30

The stairs are behind me a go up the middle.

OP posts:

Whatiswrongwithmyknee · 17/02/2022 23:31

I also think the open plan dining room is a problem. You don't have the option of it being a usable study really. The lack of shower in the bathroom is also an issue when you have an alternative. But I can see why you like the kitchen. Is there a way of fixing the layout issue by putting a wall up?

BootsScootsAndToots · 17/02/2022 23:31

I like floor plan 1 also for reason already mentioned, proper option for a study (an open plan study 🤯, you might as well work on the kitchen bench), main room at front and seperate kitchen diner to lounge room with both having french doors.

QueenOfHiraeth · 17/02/2022 23:35

I like the second as the kitchen/diner seems disconnected in the first house

BreadInCaptivity · 17/02/2022 23:35

@RosieLeaLovesTea

I have attached Photo of the open plan room.

Lovely but useless in the sense it's a thoroughfare so potential for constant interruptions.

Also as a playroom the mess is the first thing you'd see when you open the door.

I can see why it's open plan because shutting it off would massively impact the flow of the house.

Starseeking · 17/02/2022 23:42

I prefer house 2. With it being the showhome you might be able to negotiate on getting everything you like that you've seen (ask about carpets and appliances already there) thrown in, rather than them removing.

greenlynx · 17/02/2022 23:46

I love the first house. I like separate rooms downstairs, shower in the main bathroom, room proportions and 2 windows in master bedroom. I think open plan kitchen has very limited use, as many PPs I prefer kitchen to be big enough for breakfast but separate from living room.
The first layout is more flexible in my opinion for different ages and different purposes. The second one feels too standard: open plan kitchen downstairs with big door and 4 bedroom upstairs, master with en-suite plus bathroom with a bath.

334bu · 17/02/2022 23:46

Agree with BreadinCaptivity, open plan room at front of house will be a waste of space, no use as extra sitting area, useless as an office and not a suitable position for a play room.

JKRfan · 18/02/2022 00:16

I prefer the second. You can put a shower over the bath in the family bathroom. The bedrooms upstairs are all of a much more usable size and one could be used as an 'office' for home working.
How much bigger is the lounge in the first house really? A lot depends on the shape for an optimal layout of furniture. Long and narrow is worse than square. I would also put my dining table in the kitchen area in the second house, freeing you up to use the other 2 rooms appropriately.

JKRfan · 18/02/2022 00:19

I lived in a house very similar to the first one and it totally lacked flow.

Dobbysgotthesocks · 18/02/2022 00:54

Just to clarify if you bought house 2 it would be the show house? Or a house identical to the show house?
If the later could you not get them to put a wall up to divide the study area from the hallway? When my parents bought their new build they were able to make several similar changes to it. Moved doorways and built cupboards etc.

user1471481356 · 18/02/2022 01:55

There’s no shower in the main bathroom in option 2?! Is this a thing in England? I’ve never ever seen a bathroom without a shower in australia, it would mean the bathroom isn’t useable for guests or older children/teens. Can you add a shower if you chose that house?

Thoosa · 18/02/2022 02:25

I’d go for number one as the “family room” is perfect size for study or play room. I’m not convinced the extra space in number two is laid out in the optimal way to really benefit from it.

I do wish more master en suites has baths instead of showers, though. Probably just me.

Thoosa · 18/02/2022 02:27

@user1471481356

Do only children take baths in Australia. DS only has a shower in his flat and when he comes home he loves a bath. Before he left home he rarely took them.

I’m a bath devotee (shower when short of time) but I feel our numbers are dwindling.

CornishTiger · 18/02/2022 07:16

I prefer first one. I don’t like the hallway into dining room.

MaizeAmaze · 18/02/2022 07:22

House 1.
That floor plan downstairs for house 2 is weird.

itsgettingweird · 18/02/2022 07:27

I like property 2. That's because I like open plan and a separate lounge.

Open plan doesn't always have to remain that way. You can use screens or furniture to create small spaces such as study or a playroom.

Svara · 18/02/2022 07:28

I prefer the layout of the first. Also the shower, we never use a bath, it takes too much water. Baby bath or tub in the shower when DS was younger.

CovidCorvid · 18/02/2022 07:29

With the second one could you brick up the door between the little family room on the right and the kitchen? Wouod stop it being a thoroughfare and give you that play room/teen den you like in the other one?

CovidCorvid · 18/02/2022 07:30

But yes I’d also want to remove the bath in the bathroom and put a shower in there instead. Certainly once the kids were older. Which would leave you with no bath I guess. But I only use my bath for the dog.

hupfpferd · 18/02/2022 07:40

House 1.
House 2 probably has impact but I'm not keen on the layout. The door from the loo to the kitchen clashes downstairs and it seems a bit disjointed. The dining room area is pretty i useable. It's the first thing you walk into from the front door so would never have any privacy!

SpaceDetective · 18/02/2022 07:47

Neither, I'd really want a utility in a 4 bed house.

confusedlots · 18/02/2022 07:50

Where are you going to be doing your laundry and drying it? I don't see a utility room in either? I really would not want the kitchen or living spaces to be cluttered with drying washing if I was spending so much money on a house. That would be an essential for me.

Alrightqueenie · 18/02/2022 07:53

I like both but for my lifestyle house #1 suits better as I prefer my kitchen separate to the house. I'm not a fan of open plan with smells and noises wafting around & lack of privacy. I like clearly defined spaces with walls and doors so it's cheaper to heat & keep warm.

CellophaneFlower · 18/02/2022 07:53

@user1471481356

We have showers over our baths if there isn't room for a cubicle. Perfectly usable by guests and children of all ages

I would expect a separate shower in a new build though. Older houses weren't built with these in mind, but new builds should have been.

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