Moving to a new build house when the build is still VERY much going on?

[IWillAlwaysBeinaClubWithYouin1973]

I'm looking to buy a shared ownership house, its all I can afford after divorce but an entire street of additional houses is being built next to this house - a 10 foot mound of earthworks maybe quarter of a mile long runs along the sides of all the semi detached and end of terrace houses on one side (so they are being built as the "top" of a series of T shaped roads). The house I am looking at the mound towers over my back garden, and eventually an additional 3 or 4 gardens will adjoin mine, at the side.

I've posted pictures to friends and family saying look I don't think this will work due to amount of building work. I mostly work from home and will be stuck there 24/7, also it's not as if they are well ahead with the work, it's literally at levelling and foundations stage. Now being told its a lovely house and people can't see what the fuss is about, I think the unsaid bit is they think I am "lucky" to be offered it under all the circumstances, I need to count my blessings etc.

There are other issues in that although the estate is very nice, the area isn't, its just a bit of land on an industrial estate, in a fairly run down town, its an extra 30 minutes commute on the days I do go into work, and there are no parks or green spaces within walking distance. And you can hear the motorway bridge, albeit half a mile away, it's a constant hum.

So there's where the shared ownership bit comes back in, if this house was all you could afford (and the house itself is nice enough, estate well laid out) and you were being faced with eviction from rental in 2 months, would you say oh sod it, I'll just take it? I'm feeling ungrateful and unreasonable, someone said to me you need to give up your dreams of anything better!! In case it changes advice, I am in my 60s and would plan to live here for 5 years till I retire, then rethink based on my situation at the time.

The only thing in your post that's in its favour is that you can afford it.

One advantage will be that there will be lots of tradesmen on site should you need any snagging done. If the alternative is being homeless I honestly don’t think you have a choice.

I have lived next to building works twice - once when new flats were being built next to my older block and then when I moved into this new build house and they still had half the houses to build. I didn’t find it an issue, the most annoying thing was all the dust when I had my windows open! I was mostly working from home both times.

I think wherever you live you have the risk of works starting, be it building works, road works etc. Very rarely will anyone find an absolutely perfect house, there’s always going to be some element of compromise!

The snagging point PP mentioned is a really good one actually. Now that my development has finished it’s a real faff to get my (minor) snags fixed.

I bought a shared ownership 10 years ago and the house behind us was being built after we move in. It was absolutely fine. The noisiest bit were the scaffolders. New builds are built v quickly so it won’t take ages!

Dust was my main annoyance. We’re about to buy another new build so will be experiencing it all over again but it’ll be worth it ☺️

I love watching it all go up. I loved meeting all the new residents. And snagging was so easy because tradies were on site as PP mentioned

What are your other options? Are they better?

Good question. I have been allocated this house and another smaller one from a different housing association, on an even worse site (under a big pylon I now realise!) but a few miles nearer to family and work. I've not reached the stage in the process for these two houses where I'd need to part with money but it won't be long - maybe a week or so.

I have my name down for 3 other developments, and they may come up to be allocated in March (allocation doesn't mean move in it just means you are offered first choice and can start the legals). That's too late for me to avoid being taken to court by the landlord, I might just scrape through into an Air BnB for a couple of months. And of course just because I have had these 2 allocations, doesn't mean I'll ever get another (hence these 2 houses are birds in hand). I could rent again somewhere else but I want to be settled, the experience with this rental has scared me witless.

So I do have options, but they might not be better. Interesting some posters saying they lived with building work going on, on site and it wasn't a big issue.

As for the building work, my house was one of the first built when our estate was new, so lived on a building site for about 5 years. The roads get mucky and so do your windows, but apart from that you get used to it quickly. The houses at the bottom of my garden were built a couple years after moving in and it didn't bother me. The only time I was a tiny bit annoyed, was the first day of nice weather that year, I lay in my garden and closed my eyes, then the sound of a digger woke me up and I realised they were starting on the build next door (last one in the estate) 🤣 working from home you might just be used to the noise, or noise cancelling headphones might help. I would have no issues living on a new built site again though0

Also we overlooked a mound of dirt too for a while.. DH named it "the somme" 🤣

If you don’t have any better options now OP, then you’ll need to pick your best option.

From what you’ve said, you can’t rely on potential future offers as they’re not certain and you need something certain. So I would accept the house that has building going on around it and try to make that work. Think positively and go into it with optimism and gratitude.

Then, if it doesn’t work out, you say you may be able to privately rent again so you can use that as a back up.

Life throws us curveballs and whilst it sounds like you may be having to accept a lower standard of living, you may find you’re happier than ever in your new home. I think you’re trapped in negative thinking but I’m sure it’ll be a wonderful home if you allow it to be.

That's a lovely post @WhenTheyComeForYou - thank you.

Also I expect that as the houses go up, the sound from the roads will decrease. I think you should accept the house. New builds can be very lovely. They’re also very warm.