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.

I don't think anyone likes not having natural light, but surely you had an extractor fan?

A leasehold flat. The management fees suddenly after 10+ years went up and up, as did the bills for maintenance, and there was no comeback or assistance for the leaseholders. Plus a useless Doris of a property manager who let herself be bullied by one leaseholder to the detriment of the rest of us. Never again.

If you're talking about houses, then wood cladding. Loved by wanky architects, but absolutely awful for the property owner to maintain after the first couple of years.

Electric underfloor heating - next time I'd get the more expensive water version.

Backing onto public open space.

Don't go for a conservatory if you can afford a proper extension - the warm roof is great, but we also have underfloor heating and it's still loses heat.

if you do go for a conservatory with a warm roof - make sure you add height to the walls - so you can add curtains rails, etc.

I wouldn't have another windowless bathroom, hated it.

Also automatic lights that turn off all the time when you're trying to relax in the bath or take too long on the loo.

En-suite bathroom, three storeys and a galley kitchen. Thankfully not all in the same house, but still to be avoided.

Underfloor heating
Wall tiles
Pale natural stone floor tiles and light grout on floor tiles
Wooden window frames
Jacuzzi bath
Toilet cisterns behind panels

We only have a downstairs bathroom and it's fine. Really convenient for when we're up and about (the majority of the time) and visitors don't need to go upstairs poking around I haven't lived in a place with an upstairs bathroom for 38 years now. I'd love to be able to afford a house with a drive though. Always being able to park outside your house must be a nice luxury to have. And I'd quite like a conservatory leading out to a garden.

@TheCalmQuail I’m with you on en-suites. We’re getting ready to build a new house. From the outset I have said NO en-suites. The architect can’t get his head around it and keeps trying to sneak them in. I don’t want to hear my husband pissing and worse every morning at O’God o clock nor do I want bathroom smells in my bedroom or the bother of fitting out or cleaning pointlsss bathrooms. Why does this seem unreasonable? He looks at me as if I’m a peasant as I simply have to have one off the master bedroom. If he sends me another drawing with en-suites I’ll break his pencil!!

I have an automatic light in the bathroom - its awesome - its 'low light' - so almost mood lighting- perfect for going to the loo in the night - it might go off if you sit in the room a long while, but a wave of the arm and it is back on again

We also have 'brighter lights' you can put on for make up ect

Real slate flooring, looks fab for the first few weeks, then it starts to chip and scratch, had to have it resealed every year, and I hated the way it looked even though it cost thousands!!

Not having an entry hall. You walk straight into my living room, and it's a pain. As Canadians, everyone takes off their shoes, so they pile up and look messy.

Agree with this ^ about decking.,
I could probably buy a house with decking but then I would remove it.
Never: more than 2 storeys, open plan kitchen, attick bedroom.

Windowless bathroom, it’s what you get in a conversion. It’s like having the bath in a cupboard. Current house was completely open plan downstairs when I moved in, including believe it or not the conservatory. Absofuckinglutely impossible to heat because all the warmth went straight into the conservatory. First thing I did was get doors put in.

Decking
a pond (finally filled in all 6 feet x 9 feet of the fucker this year
no garage (old covenant)

Steps, we have 10 up to the front and 2 more sets of about 12 each in the garden. It’s a pain in the arse

Stairs, land, utilities not underground, private sewage treatment, manual gates, driveway over a culverted ditch.

it's a waste of money, get a proper extension instead.

people don't actually use conservatories for anything useful and they're always the wrong temp regardless, plus they don't add value to your house, the seals need replacing, and the windows endlessly need cleaning.

Oh I can imagine! I worked with a lady who had a set of ten steps up to her front door. She slipped down them once when they were icy and broke both ankles 😩

we got air con that also does heating so no wall space lost

I presume as she said downstairs bathroom' she meant a full bathroom being the only bathroom, not a downstairs loo.

Can you stick an enclosed porch on the front of your house and have a floor to ceiling shoe rack?

Ensuites aside - noise and smells just aren't problems in modern architect designed homes.

I've never been in a position where I could be overly choosy on features, as I've always bought on really tight budgets, but while house-hunting I have seen many things I would never wish to have, such as bathrooms directly off living rooms.

I also detest islands in kitchens, even worse sticky-out peninsulas, as the kitchens are never big enough to accommodate them in my price bracket. One house I moved into had a hard floor in the main bedroom, and that I hated as all the dust etc. was mostly airbourn, or else collecting behind furniture. At least a carpet holds it at floor level until vacuumed.

Conservatory - too hot in summer, freezing in winter

Velux/windows in the roof. We had these in a house with a extension living/kitchen. Were not old but they do need maintenance, news to us as knew nothing about them.

Bath/shower room with no window, as the above point 'inherited' this in the previous house we brought. It wasn't original but had been made from a section of a bedroom. Walls turned black.

Large trees nearby, have that now and clearing leaves every day in the autumn. Wouldn't necessarily get a house with large trees near it again.