Talk to me about new builds please…

[The2Omicronnies]

We are in the process of moving house and need to find something sooner rather than later. For context, we are focussing on one small village (lived there previously & know it’s right for us), so we’re not exactly spoilt for choice as very little comer to the market…but we do have two options presently.

We are considering a new build home on a small development, but I’m struggling with the thought of it for some reason. The things I love about it are the size, space and general room proportions (it’s about 3000 sqft, which is ideal). Our other option is a quirky property, but big compromises on room sizes, particularly bedrooms. Gardens are very similar in size.

If you’ve bought a new build, are you happy with it? I love interior design and good quality bathrooms and kitchens, so would be looking to replace those over time.

I love ours. Never thought I'd be in a new build but it's lovely living in a modern home with a good layout, no damp, and nothing that needs doing aside from decoration

Thank you, yes this is exactly what I was thinking. I never ever saw myself in one, but the layout is too good to be true and I love the fact it’ll be warm!

We moved into a new build in the village we really wanted to live in. I was quite anti it but actually, having everything work and a blank canvas to enjoy decorating has been great, not that I’d admit that to DH

There are new builds and new builds.
If you are looking at the big, detached, expensive ones built in a traditional style with decent sized plots I would say yes.
If you are looking at the cramped, squashed together homes with a postage stamp ‘garden’, detached, terraced or semi detached with thin walls, I would say no.
Buy an older house.

We love our new build, it was built by a company that focus on very small sites so we've not really had any major problems. I think a lot more thought goes into them and the way people live these days. We have plug sockets galore and a tv/phone/Internet point in every bedroom and living room. It is so warm as well, already with the brighter days our heating is barely coming on!

Some new builds are great.

My top priority now with any house but particularly a new build is parking and generally having your own boundary/space. No shared drives or private roads. At least two parking spaces in your own house decent parking for the other houses too. No shared paths for bins etc.

Hated mine but it was semi-detached so could hear everything next door even them in the toilet. Had issues putting up heavier shelves and definitely couldn't put.our 65" tv on the wall. Also house got so damn hot all year round it was uncomfortable.
Would never buy again it was a lesson learned.

I did like our newbuild and it was a good starter home, but I much prefer living in an older property. I think generally the choices they give you for kitchens etc are a bit limited and there's lots that don't seem to be included as standard, which is fine but something to consider.

Many estates also include a service charge, our management company was actually ok, but it always made me a little nervous as they seem to be able to change the fees as they like. I also find estates can be a bit crammed in and even when there is parking for each house it is often badly designed so people end up parking on the road.

On the positive side, our heating bills were a little lower (though not loads), however many people we knew needed fans/air con in the summer as they found them too hot. Gardens are often quite small and overlooked, but probably easy to manage. I'd also check proportions and measurements carefully as the interior designers for show homes are very good at tricking the eye, I do love looking round them for inspiration though!

Overall I wouldn't be put off them completely, but I would want to check some of the details - plot, fees, extras etc very carefully.

New build 1 (less than 10 years ago) - great design, small development with no parking issues, oddly huge garden, very well insulated, no building issues ever. It was already built when we chose it so it was the most basic bathroom/ kitchen, but on the plus side they’d not rushed it and we didn’t have to pay extra for carpets, grass etc That was Barratts so not top end of the market, less than 10 years ago.

New build 2 (actually we bought it second hand). Bigger estate and usual parking issues, but our street is fine (chose wisely). Great community feel as everyone moved in together. Great house design that works for families. Small garden - but I wanted small as last one took me an hour to mow. In theory overlooked but with a well planted garden it feels fine. Questionable quality of build, lots of people have a lot of issues, I think poor quality control on the later houses in the development. Cala.

I’m not phased by the service charges - once it’s built the residents take over control usually, and you have a nicer area with planting, and some greens and play areas in our case.

I’ve lived in an old house - very charming but I was always afraid it would fall down on me. And the layout wasn’t great.

I’d go new build bit with careful choice and use a professional snagger.

I love our new build (detached, massive plot, large rooms) but even more grateful that we bought it looking at the lack of availability of materials and skilled trades people - any renovation now will be a nightmare.

Our first choice was actually a character property needing tons of work - so narrow escape there.

Love our new build - been in 5 years without any major issues and the few small issues that arose were dealt with quickly and easily