Talk to me about new build V older properties

[ChickensHaveSinisterMotives]

Dh and I have a problem. He wants a new build because he hates DIY in any shape or form, and likes the comparative ease of being top of a chain (or no chain). Thing is, in our budget, we can't get a new build with a reasonable garden. The only house we both like has a bizarre T shaped garden, on a slope. I'm a keen gardener, so am not really sure. I prefer older properties, as they tend to have better proportioned rooms and larger plots. So, can someone give me the pros and cons of new builds v older properties? Hidden costs etc?

Dont know about older properties but we are in a new build and I would never ever buy one again.

We are lucky in that we have a bigger garden than most but the house and estate is just souless and your house is just like everyone else. I hate it.

With new builds remember you will need to pay extra for some things which arent standard and some things are extortionate eg they tried to charge us £100 to shorten our worktop to fit the fridge freezer in

Also, there may be a maintenance fee for any land if part of a housing estate.

If you do go for new build be prepared to haggle, haggle and haggle some more.

Also, ime you can often get a new build being sold by their original owner for the same /cheaper price than a new, new build iyswim? These houses usually have maturer gardens, carpets etc etc

new build are devoid of character, all very samey samey

The house we've looked at is lovely, on a nice development, but dear Lord why do they give them such shitty gardens?

We moved to our current house (built 2001) from one built in the 1500s.

The current house is in a street of self-built projects, so every house is different, and some of them are very nice indeed (ours is pretty ordinary).

The new house is in many ways much easier to live in - the kitchen and bathroom are is a sensible place and the ensuite is nice. BUT we seem to spend just as much time patching things up as we did with the 500-year old house. And there is no way that this house will last 500 years!

I think you go for what is best for you at the time you are looking. Unless you have unlimited cash, there will always be compromises.

we moved into an older property from a nice, warm, well functioning, practical, cheap to run new build.

my victorian house is the bane of my life.
nothing works the way it should.
I chuck a large chunk of my salary at it each month and still it cries for more

but despite this I love it in a way I never loved the old place.

My dh wanted to get a new build when we bought our house a couple of years ago, I won the argument and we got a victorian terrace which I love - much better proportioned rooms, nicer atmosphere, features, character etc. Also I think old houses (pre second world war) hold their value much better imo than a new build which once it has lost its "new" status also I think loses some of its value.

But really it depends what is available in your area, what you can afford and what is most important to you

Old houses all the way here.

We have a 400 year old house and it does take some maintenance but all houses need attention of some kind and if a house has been around that long then there wouldn't normally be too much that'll go seriously wrong with it in future (that wouldn't be picked up on a structural survey anyway).

Most of the maintenance in our house has been things we (meaning I) can do ourselves or have been pretty cheap to hire someone else to do, e.g. painting window frames.

The biggest costs have been in updating decor, kitchen, bathroom etc, stuff that you're likely to do in any house at some point. In fact, friends have spent far more on updating their newer houses, I suspect because they lack the gorgeous period features which mean we can spend less but still get an amazing end result. For instance, our bathroom has a beautiful Georgian fireplace, an old sash window and white painted wooden floorboards - once we'd added a roll-top bath and walk-in shower it is a bathroom to die for but really didn't cost all that much to do.

I would buy old everytime.

Good luck amd happy house-hunting!

That's a good point cassell makes re value - from what I've read it's period houses that have held their value far better in the economic downturn.

I guess one downside to older properties which I've just thought of is that they're often not the best from an eco perspective. They're often draughty and hard to insulate well (compared to newer houses with cavity walls etc). Saying that though, our house is average in terms of fuel bills for the size (I've checked), I guess we just accept some rooms are a bit colder and put a jumper on, some rooms need a draught excluder etc.

I've actually grown to like the slight change in temperature in different rooms around the house and find it a bit odd when I visit a newer house with every room a consistent temperature! Maybe, that makes me weird, i dont know!

Older houses may hold their value well, but bear in mind they probably do need more upkeep and alterations. I can't believe we are going for a new build, but when we took into account the massive discount we got ( we haggled lots, versus the cost of older house (owners all refusing to consider lower offers) and the cost of updating and changing, the new house won. I'll let you know in 5 years or so what it's like, I've never lived in a new house before. I am certainly looking forward to lower heating bills.

You need to find the middle ground - older properties don't mean a 500 year old thatched cottage. Lots of houses built 1950's -1970's have really big gardens but are sound enough not to have plaster crumbling off the walls.

Well, I'm a very keen gardener myself, and I'd say you've both got a good point. We moved to get a bigger garden, went with a smaller garden than I really wanted to get the Grade II listed 17th century house that DH fell in love with, and I've found myself doing DIY all weekend rather than gardening. Luckily, turns out I really enjoy DIY, which DH turns out to hate. But I do occasionally think to myself as I carefully repair the lime plaster around a radiator pipe 'this wasn't exactly my life plan'.

I'd decide on a minimum garden size you're happy with, and then go with whatever your DH likes.

However, the problem with a new build garden will be low soil quality and compaction. I'd allow quite a bit (2k?) for new topsoil, I think.

Agree that getting a post-war house would probably be a good compromise for you.

Bear in mind with a new build (which is what we currently live in), there is a fair amount of DIY needed when you first move in - all those curtain poles & blinds to put up, bathroom shelves, loo roll holders, etc.