What property features would you never have again?

[AnxiousRose]

What features from your current or previous property would you avoid if you were househunting again?

For me, it is three storeys. I had this in my last house and did not expect to dislike it as much as I did. My bedroom was on the top floor and I hated all the stairs especially with young kids. Three storeys usually means the downstairs space is small for the number of bedrooms.

No mess in your house. Plenty of mess in the waste water systems!

All you need is a decent UPVC ceiling replacement. I can use mine all year round now.

Thanks that makes more sense I live in a much higher than average house price area locally so that would explain it

Maintenance can be an issue, also it will probably make your building cover more expensive. We have a very small open porch with a flat roof, we even have to declare that, albeit as a percentage of the overall roofing, in our case that’s 5-20%. (I’ve only ever seen it in bands.) Personally, I’d be happy to rip the porch down, but that would cost more than the little extra it costs us.

I'd never buy a place with:
A north or east-facing garden: I got sick of sitting out in chilly shade on warm summer evenings when others were enjoying the evening sun.
Lots of pretty, fancy woodwork: one flat had a balcony with fancy wooden balustrading and lovely fretwork trims. They were a nightmare to paint and the cost when they had to be replaced was scary.
Grade 1 or 2 listing or in a conservation area. Done this. Fell for the beautiful high-ceiling Georgian flat with floor to ceiling single-glazed windows that couldn't be replaced because it was listed. The heating bills were impossible.

I got chatting to an electrician once who told me him and his team had just been fitting these lights in Carol Vorderman's house. Apparently she'd be so unpleasant to them that they set up the system so the lights would come on in her ensuite and give her just enough time to sit on the loo before they switched off. 😁

Also have this at work. It quite often turns off when I’m sitting there working, and I have to stand up and jump around to turn it back on.

And not just food waste — bits of plastic, too. Really bad for the environment.

I more meant ensuites without windows sorry! Yes there's plenty of houses without ensuites. But as I said earlier, there are ones that have just been shoehorned into an already small room and don't have a window and I can understand people not being keen on those, I just can't see why people don't like them if they've been properly designed.

A pitched roof is expected to last a minimum of 25 years although most last 100 plus without things like severe storm damage. Im looking at house 120-150 years old and many are only just now or in the last 10 years needing the original roofs replaced.

A flat roof is expected to last 20 years apparently but I have NEVER known one too last that long. I have lived in my house 13 years and had THREE flat roof placements due to leeks on the extension in that time (rain roof needed 2 tiles replaced after a storm and thats it) also one flat roof got damp and grew mushrooms.

Flat roofs are cheaper though, a small flat roof might only be £1k or so but a full 'normal' sized Victorian pitched roof could get up to £25k if there replacing the slate etc... (although you can save money and reuse a lot).

You see I thought that too, but since I've lived like this I've never had a leak through the ceeling (kids)

I actually wouldn't want to go back to upstairs bathroom life.

Also If I get old and unable to deal with the stairs I can just sleep downstairs 😂

@Crikeyalmighty
Good forward thinking - wish I'd thought it through before we bought the house 😬
There's something nice about knowing someone would have to be on a ladder, and pretty determined, to see you streaking about in your undies whilst hunting for your trousers!

Those of you in 3 storey houses & young kids, hold tight they become very handy once the kids don't need you running around after them! We have the attic room and it's cosy, private and we feel far enough away from teenagers that bedroom noises aren't an issue.

Our old house didn't have a hallway which was really annoying and the living room never looked tidy as a result of coats/shoes hanging around. We now have a NE facing garden which is the only thing I hate about our house but I really hate it and will probably be the one thing that forces a move before too long. South or SW only for me next time.

Heating with wood.Getting wood was easy, but then it had to be cut & quartered into sizes that would fit the woodstove. And we had to save brush/kindling & empty toilet paper rolls for starting a fire. Also when starting or stoking a fire, sometimes sparks would fly out. One of my favorite dresses got ruined this way.🙄

We just got a sulphalite tiled roof; it is great, 10 year guarantee and didn't budge during the latest storm. We went through a decent company, that did it properly, because they're are a lot that don't know what they're doing, and the frame won't support it, etc.
They did a fantastic job, it looks lovely and has converted the conservatory into an extension, and added value to our house. We use the space all year around, just like a normal room now.

I would never buy a house again without a drive, allocated parking spaces have caused so many issues. Open plan hated it the sounds and smells from cooking, the washing machine being on, I need doors. I would also love a separate toilet I never get peace for long in the bath

A windowless bathroom.
A conservatory.
Small living space vs the number of bedrooms.
Open plan living
Hobs that are not central on a workspace
Built in fridge freezer.

Also provide lots of food for the rats in the sewers (I used to work for a council environmental health dept)

If all goes to plan, I'm moving in the next few months. I can tell you the features I have listed to go in a skip the minute I move in...
Ensuite - knocking through to get one nice big luxury bathroom, but keeping an extra loo accessed from landing, not from a bedroom.
All built in wardrobes
All carpets in reception rooms - hard floors and rugs are much more practical
Washing machine in kitchen - separate laundry room is a must (admittedly a luxury)

Not really a "feature" but I'd hesitate to buy another fixer upper. I've been working on remodeling my house since I bought it in late 2019. I'm starting to doubt whether it will ever be completely finished.

Also, I had porcelain plank floor tiles installed throughout most of the house. I wanted them primarily because I have pets. They're beautiful and they were quite expensive to buy and to have installed, but I'm not totally happy with them. I can't go barefoot in my own home as the hard tiles make my feet hurt.

I would never live in a pre-Georgian, dark/dingy house again. I lived in an old picture book cottage in Devon with few and tiny windows and hated it because there was hardly any natural light.

Velux windows in a sloping roof in a bedroom. Lovely but when it rained, the noise was horrendous and it was impossible to sleep.

An oil fired Aga. It’s like cooking on a bonfire of fivers.

This made me laugh...my Sil has one and would definitely relate!

I can’t understand the hatred for en suites. I love having an en suite and would never buy a house that didn’t have one (or the ability to create one easily). I don’t want to be wandering around the landing in the night half naked or having to faff around with a dressing gown before I can go to the loo. I’ve also
never had a smell in the bedroom due to an en-suite. If you have, you need better ventilation. We have a positive pressure system.