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Original poster

Which house?!

58 replies

Freestylem · 10/07/2022 07:21

Both houses have the SAME footprint and are on the same estate.

House 1:
510k
South East facing open plan living room + kitchen
South East facing garden
Laminate flooring throughout (not to my taste)
Kitchen not to my taste
Layout of open plan living room + kitchen not ideal as there is a TV port in the wall next to the kitchen unit, meaning we can't have a corner sofa against the kitchen unit to maximise space
Walls need repainting as not to my taste (pink)

House 2:
500k
North facing open plan living room + kitchen
North facing garden (garden slightly less nice than House 1 but does have a raised decking at the back for seating)
Carpet in bedrooms (to my taste)
Bedrooms beautiful colour and panelling to my taste
Kitchen to my taste
Floor in open plan living room + kitchen to my taste
Can have a corner sofa as TV port on the "correct side" of the open plan living room + kitchen
Garage has been part converted to a gym (this is a plus for me but not sure if it would be to others)
Crack in en-suite sink
2 mins further from station and 2 mins closer to a proposed residential development

Thank you in advance!

OP posts:
MumUndone · 10/07/2022 08:35

We have a north facing garden and get loads of sun, often have to put out sunshades etc. for the kids in the summer. I don't get why people dislike them so much.

Ginandthings · 10/07/2022 08:36

My house\garden is north facing - the kitchen is nice and cool, even yesterday and the top of the garden is sunny until late, patio by the house goes into shady about 4pm but is still very warm.
The main thing to check is how long the garden is, as really you want a longer garden if north facing

MoHunter · 10/07/2022 09:00

It sounds like you haven't physically viewed the properties yet? I would view both before making up my mind - pictures can be deceiving!

I also agree with PP that the downsides you listed for house 1 can all be remedied over time. So for the long term it sounds the better prospect.

You also don't know whether these houses will sell at the asking price so I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the £10k difference.

LadyRoughDiamond · 10/07/2022 09:02

House 1: there’s still scope to improve, which will make you money. House 2 is already ‘done’ by the sounds of things and so you’re relying on general house market growth for any profit, which is unreliable.
Your house is usually the most expensive thing you own - treat it like a business.
I would caveat all of this with something an estate agent said to a friend last week - apparently prices will go down dramatically in the next few months. I’d hold off completely if I were you.

ItsDangerousInKingsmarkham · 10/07/2022 09:08

That looks like real wood to me but hard to tell. Have you viewed them? You'll know from walking round them both which has the right feel for you.

Cost us £50 to move our TV jack btw after we had a fireplace put in where the TV was.

LadyEloise1 · 10/07/2022 09:12

The south east facing garden in a house we lived in previously lost sun by about 4.30/5 ish in summer which meant no evening barbecues. Never again.

custardbear · 10/07/2022 09:13

Whichever garden gets the best sun- I'd expect that would be the south east facing one. We had a garden in a rental for 6 months and it was awful! Literally no sun in the garden ever - it was depressing as hell - stupid thing was they could have had the houses the other way around as access to front and back - awful house thank god it was only a rental whilst we sorted our house
Change floors will be 5-10k and painting rooms and chasing the telly port a few k ... if that

LadyEloise1 · 10/07/2022 09:17

Treacletoots · 10/07/2022 08:32

I wouldn't touch a north facing garden unless it was really long and no overlooked. The selling times around here for gardens with a good aspect vs north also would suggest a lot of people feel the same

This 💯
We are looking to move.
The houses that get little or no sun in the afternoon / evening are languishing on the market.
There are very few with s/sw facing back gardens coming on the market and they get snapped up and are on for a much higher price.

onlywhenidream · 10/07/2022 09:22

We had an east facing back garden and we did evening barbecuing with no problem - not sure why the sun matters ? We just BBQ for the friends whose company we enjoy

We are now north east facing , it's a beautiful but small garden , still able to BBQ , and with patio doors opening into shade it's easier to keep the house cool

You need to see both houses

And you need to cost up changes to see if you can afford either

Original poster
Freestylem · 10/07/2022 09:24

LadyEloise1 · 10/07/2022 09:17

This 💯
We are looking to move.
The houses that get little or no sun in the afternoon / evening are languishing on the market.
There are very few with s/sw facing back gardens coming on the market and they get snapped up and are on for a much higher price.

Show quote history

House 1 has a south east facing garden so would only get sun until the afternoon... deal breaker?

OP posts:
Original poster
Freestylem · 10/07/2022 09:25

We have viewed both houses. I preferred house 2 but DP preferred house 1. House 2 was initially on the market for £525k, but the price has been reduced to £500k!

OP posts:
JudgeRindersMinder · 10/07/2022 09:26

Freestylem · 10/07/2022 08:28

I actually prefer house 2 aesthetically, but having to put my practical hat on and think which is the better long term option

Show quote history

Precisely this. You need to learn to look beyond the aesthetics, they can all be changed, most often with a lick of (not pink!) paint

MakkaPakkas · 10/07/2022 09:27

If you're in the north I'd go for the SE facing garden, if in the south the north facing one might be better for shade in the summer?

WarmJuly · 10/07/2022 10:09

We were after a house on our estate with a SSE facing garden, but due to buyers of our house dropping out, we lost it. We ended up with the NNW facing garden opposite.

The way the buildings are, the owners of the house with the SSE garden get virtually no sun as the houses round them block it. Ours, however, is sun filled for almost all day from March to October.

You need to physically visit the houses on a sunny day to have any idea whether they have sunny gardens or not.

I think house 2 sounds better value. You'll spend a lot on house 1 and not add value.

Threetulips · 10/07/2022 10:18

The sun will be on the garden until late afternoon, then it will be shaded by the house - which cools down the kitchen - but will stay further up the garden so you can move for later evening sun.

Hummingbird33 · 10/07/2022 10:41

I think house 2 sounds better. Our garden is North facing and we get loads of sun in the summer. I've never been bothered about which way the garden is when looking at houses. It's nice to have a bit of shade anyway when it's really hot.

Original poster
Freestylem · 10/07/2022 12:17

I think I am now leaning towards house 1- when it comes to selling, people will consider the way the garden faces.

OP posts:
RitaFires · 10/07/2022 13:05

It depends on your priorities, House 2 has already had a price cut because even though it's got the garage converted to a gym it's not as desirable so if you're looking to make a deal you might get that for less.

If you're looking to buy with an eye on resale then House 1 is the better option because certain people won't even a view a house with a North facing garden.

Movinghouseatlast · 10/07/2022 13:11

You can change everything in a house apart from it being north facing. Our house is north facing and it is SO dark. Only one room gets any natural light for any significant time ( luckily its the kitchen) Even today the lights are on inside.

I bought this house because it had everything I needed, so much so I didn't notice or care which way it faced. If there had been an identical south facing house I would have bought that though!

Snoofox02 · 10/07/2022 21:14

I’d go for house 2. Kitchen flooring decorating etc is all hassle and really costly. Unless it’s a forever home, not worth it.

does the kitchen lounge room have a window that is facing another direction too? If so, I wouldn’t worry about how dark it will be. If not then maybe…

QuebecBagnet · 10/07/2022 22:28

House 2.

I have an east south east facing garden and luckily it’s a long garden as most of it is in shade in the afternoon which is when you might want to sit out.

but that’s not the main issue. Having a west facing front room is because the sun streams in in the afternoon and I have to shut the curtains to watch tv!

Aria999 · 11/07/2022 12:09

Shade in the afternoon can be a good thing, our back yard gets full sun in the afternoon and it's like a furnace. We installed a shade sail.

redpickle · 11/07/2022 14:30

We moved to a house with a NE facing garden and before we did I read all the threads about North-facing gardens, lots of people saying don't buy it. I'm so glad we didn't listen and checked it out thoroughly ourselves! Our purchase took forever so we saw it in early autumn until spring. The best advice was that not all north facing gardens are equal and neither are south facing gardens. Our previous garden was tiny but south facing, it was unbearably hot during the day and due to tall neighbouring trees, was beginning to lose the cooler evening sun by 4:30pm, getting earlier and earlier every year. Our current garden is NE and gets sun all day, more than before. It's not overlooked, much bigger and I think the house is slightly elevated so the patio is sunny. So, it's not black and white at all. Also, we're planning to put a partially glass extension along the back, which would be impossible in a south facing rear.

PissedOffNeighbour22 · 11/07/2022 14:36

The garden really depends on how much shadow is cast. We have a large fully north facing garden (no other garden) and it's absolutely roasting out there - but the shadow is on the front of the house until 4pm meaning we can put the baby outside with us with no problems and my toddler can easily stay in the shade. Out of the shade it's red hot. It also means the house stays lovely and cool during the day. My previous house was south west facing and was unbearable in summer and you just couldn't cool it down.

Vikingmama79 · 11/07/2022 19:05

Another shout out for the North facing gardens ! You really need to assess on a house by house basis as not as easy as saying South good, North= bad ! Ours is NNW , wide though not particularly deep, nothing to the west and as such we enjoy sunrises, sunsets and most importantly lots of direct sun in garden March- October including directly on the patio at back of house until gone 8pm in the summer. It’s been far better than our previous small west facing one where our light was impacted by neighbours trees and houses. Orientation absolutely shouldn’t be your deciding factor.