Is this house horrible? Birmingham/Kings Heath

[Ithc2023]

Hi,

We've recently accepted an offer on our house and are house hunting at the moment.

We're going to look at this house tomorrow

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/132182531#/?channel=RES_BUY

It's a bit unloved but we're quite excited about the house and my husband is willing to put some work in it

I sent the link to my parents and they both think that the house is horrible.

My mother thinks it's terrible that the house doesn't have a hallway.

My father thinks the same and he also said we should get a cat to keep away the rats (as he says the house is close to a canal in Birmingham).

What does mumsnet think?

Thanks xx

The lack of hallway would be a deal breaker for me.

And for me.

I don't think it's horrible. It has pluses and minuses. The kitchen looks a bit cramped and I think it would be hard to get 2 people in it. But I like the fireplaces, and the bathroom is a decent size.
The garden needs a lot of work but it could be made very pretty once it's finished. Good luck with the viewing.

Your parents are snobs. But to be fair to them the lack of a hall and opening right on to the living room when it’s that close to the street would be a deal breaker for me.

No hallway would really bother me, I lived in a place like this as a student and it was freezing. The central staircase means you are limited with options. I’ve not been to Birmingham, so not sure what it’s like. Is it just the two of you? I think it would take a lot of work and labour and materials are ridiculous at the moment. A lot of people on our road have had side returns and they were over £100k!! I think you’d need to spend a bit on insulation, and new windows are quite pricey. I’m not sure the renovations required would be worth it as don’t think you’d get the money back if you wanted to sell in the future.

It definitely wouldn’t be for me. I think you could get nicer in the area for the money

It's not horrible but those narrow houses are not exactly family friendly.

I think if you are just starting out, it's perfect. It doesn't look like it needs a ton of decorative work other than the garden and you could this there with 1 child just fine but its not a long term option and I wouldn't if you have more than 1 child as there is no room to 'expand' in that type of house.

Sometimes people have a sort of prejudice against some kinds of property I think. My late grandfather was a bit funny about me buying an terrace and sister having a flat conversion in one and I realised that was probably because he grew up very poor living in a shared terrace house with other families, so he just tended to see them as not nice places to live.

I think the house has a lot of potential, you have a plain base to work with layout is OK. I've never minded not having a front hall - my first house opened into an open plan lounge and it was actually really nice because it was spacious as you came in.

No sorry I don’t like it at all and we’ve just bought a renovation project with lots of layout quirks to resolve. I can usually picture the potential but I’d swerve this one.

I like doors between rooms for cosines so I can see why the lack of hallway might be an issue. I don’t think that’s a snobbish thing

You could make that lovely. It would be easy enough to create a small vestibule by boxing off the front door.

I’d like that house. You should definitely get a cat though.

I don’t hate it but wouldn’t want to walk straight into my living room. Are there other houses on your list to view?

A lot of the houses in this area are terraced. People who are in Birmingham probably know this (it is close to the high street in Kings Heath).

We want to buy in this area particulary because we want to be in walking distance to cafes, restaurants and supermarkets. In our current area we feel a bit isolated.

We have two kids, 2 1/2 and 1 year old.

Interesting to read what you say about the hallway. It is definitely a drawback but I suppose houses with a proper hallway in the same area would be more expensive

It's a very nice house - houses built for middle-class Victorians are always solid and reliable. Having said that, they do have their issues too, especially around damp and coldness.

It's unloved but it could be absolutely stunning inside and out with some cash, time and imagination.

It has some lovely original features.

The bathroom is a great size and I kind of like the way the toilet is in its own little cupboard at the end of the bathroom.

The kitchen is very small but could be made to look bigger, and you could extend into the backyard as well.

At the minute, the lack of hallway would rule the house out for me. But, when you get inside you could look to see if there might be room for a stud wall to create a hallway. It'd need to borrow some space from the living room but - for me personally - that would be a trade I'd be willing to make.

I like the size of the bathroom that’s a definite bonus OP

Horrible.

I don’t like it and am about to buy a house that needs lots of work and had a weird layout.

2 women i know live in houses with that layout in that area. They have both extended the kitchen out into the garden to be kitchen/dining /living spaces. Lovely rooms and they spend most of their time their but they do also use the front room especially as the children are now teenagers.

As PP said you could put a small dividing wall up, and a curtain over the front door in winter.

They love the area, and yes the bathrooms are great.

If you're happy to do the work and you accept it's limitations then go for it.

I used to live in a house like that. No hallway or lobby makes a very draughty front room and a cental staircase is a total ballache for getting wardrobes and bedbases up and down.

However if its just you two, and you want a doer upper for profit, then its fine.

I would check if it's been renovated by a developer to sell. If so, I would be extra cautious and look really carefully to see if any issues have been covered up that the survey might not show if they are hidden. Woodworm? Dry rot?

It's in the area you want and towards the top of your budget ? then I would say it's the best you might get / especially if you both like it

it comes down to what's important to you - what would your parents give up to have a porch/hall ?

It's a fairly typical layout - there are probably millions of people living in similar homes so it's clearly not a disaster !

The kitchen is big enough to cook a decent meal for at least 10 - from experience

But I didn't grow up in a house that meets MN minimum standards , and don't live in a detached with large south facing garden even now

I would hate a house with no hall. Where do you keep coats, shoes, etc. just the cold when the door was opened or even when not opened, it will be colder in that living room with the door being there.

@Netcam the house has been occupied by tenants for years.

But we'll get a proper survey on it, if we put down an offer.

With kids I think a hallway is essential. Muddy shoes, bags, wet coats, gloves, tennis rackets etc, ours is big and my teens dump everything there. It would drive me mad if that was all in the living room.

Cool, so I imagine you're the OP. What do you sacrifice for the hallway?