Would you buy this house?

[Usernamesthis]

I am not a stylist person by any means, we are house hunting and I love this house. The location is perfect for us . DH would prefer a project and somewhere with more character. I love the fact we can just move in and it's chain free.

What do you think?This house

I think people are being downright nasty about the actual house. It has all the rooms you could want and a decent layout. Plenty of parking. Gardens aren't huge in this area. It just looks bland because it isn't real or lived in - the house and garden are both a blank canvas.

The second house is lovely. I don’t think the garden is much bigger but it’s far more private and doesn’t look like the house has been built too big on too little land like the first.

Out of interest, why don’t you like it?

Do you have kids? We are mid renovation and it's a NIGHTMARE and the costs have gone up SO much in recent years- don't underestimate the costs of a 'fixer upper' both in terms of money and stress. It's a huge strain. If the house is to your taste, I don't see the issue with it being 'done'- you can still put your stamp on it with nice rugs, artwork etc. Currently I would take a move into a nice big perfect house that's lacking a bit of character any day of the week over the ongoing nightmare that is building work. (If you talk to me in six months I might feel better, however!!)

No. It's soulless and extortionate.

Leigh-on-sea Do you mean this one @Chewbecca ? It does have a very pretty exterior but it would need to be renovated. DC are already at Southend High ,we want to stay in the area.

@housethatbuiltme the link you posted is my husband's choice of house, it's very close to were we live now.

This is 2 ,2 bedroom flats. 1.5m. Then the renovation costs …….no thanks 🙂

I love the kitchen and storage, and the hallway, but for that price I would want real wood floors. The outside space isn't great, plus overlooking as others have said. Otherwise it's a great family house if you can afford it - although that steel beam is probably an accident waiting to happen with kids running around.

If it has been done by a developer, are there any guarantees, so that you'd be covered if the flat roof were to leak or anything else go wrong?

I've just been reading a post where the OP doesn't have room for a dining table in her council flat and now this post about which £1.5 million house to choose to buy. MN is a broad church, isn't it? I am with your husband, and any of the other suggestions posted. The newbuild you have shown us is really very bland, although you could impose your own style on it I suppose.

Tradespeople are very busy and very expensive at the moment, we’re mid project and are getting so many people letting us down. I wouldn’t recommend a project unless you are very handy and have lots of free time! (Or have massive renovation budgets and super human levels of patience!!).

See, we have real wood floors and decent quality laminate flooring in different parts of our house and I actually prefer the laminate. Less creaky, doesn't fade in the sun, doesn't scratch as easily. When we do our house up I'll be putting down the same laminate as in the other parts of the house!

In OP's original, the photos are very strange. They're either photoshopped to within an inch of its life, or are artist rendered. You'd definitely have to go and see it to appreciate what the quality actually is like.

Is it just me or does the garage door look really low?? It's not as tall as the front door. Can you even get a car in it that isn't a ferrari?!

OP's DH's choice is beautiful and has some real character, but the rooms all feel quite disconnected. The sea view is fab, but it comes at the cost of outside space. Also, gorgeous windows, but lots of maintenance and does "lead light" mean that they're single glazed?

It’s ok but the garden is awful for the size and price of the house and I the front drive looks badly done - needs softening landscaping. Just a bit lacking in character.

I don’t like it, personally, but if you do and the price stacks up compared with other things in the area, then fine. I would avoid a renovation at the moment unless you are very, very handy as it’s so enormously expensive.

No , because it was a hospice .

It’s lovely but zero character

Yes, that one. I like the road! Are you bothered about busy / noisy roads? I do think you would tend to live in the rear of the Chalkwell Ave house.

I don't think it needs full reno, just bland again like the Chalkwell Avenue house.

I'm completely lost on what OP means by renovation... the other house her husband likes is LOVELY and looks move in ready and cosy.

The OP op wants is a blank empty white box, it needs a lot of work to be a 'home'.

How about you pay for it - and I move in? Do we have a deal

I find it very odd that so many posters don’t realise you can add character to homes, and seem to think you’re obliged to buy it with the house.

Personally I like big houses, and while I wouldn’t live in Essex for all the tea in China, I much prefer the layout and spaciousness of the larger house.

It has been done with very Essex taste, but that’s entirely fixable.

The cheaper one is significantly smaller and pokier rooms and everything needs doing.

If DH is extremely good and fast at DIY, knows amazing builders, and can stomach the wait and cost of renovations currently and so can you - that is one thing, but many people buy doer uppers and never get round to doing them up. Is he likely to put his money where his mouth is?

Small, pokey, dated, much less comfortable. White can be fixed quite inexpensively, small costs a shit ton of money to fix.

@ConsistentlyElectrifiedElves , yes I like laminate and will be having it in my (much more modest) renovated property, but this has Karndean, which is vinyl. It's practical for a kitchen, but not to my taste. With a larger budget I'd have engineered wood, which I think would be less creaky. All hypothetical though as I don't have £1.6m to spare or any plans to move to Essex!

It's nice, but even if my budget was that big, not for me. No character and the garden is too small.

I'm on team husband - the second house is gorgeous!

They have completely ruined the character of a period house and the back garden is atrocious. I bet there used to be a lovely mature garden out there that had taken decades to develop, and they have destroyed the lot.

Would I buy it? No way.

No, I don't like the open plan kitchen and living room arrangement and I hate those modern fires built into the wall particularly with a massive TV hung on the wall above it.

Don't like the down stairs layout at all. The family room seems out on a limb.

It's very bland. No character. Agree with the designed by Mrs Hinch comment.