If you live in a new build and are blissfully happy come share with me

[wastwinsetandpearls]

Time has come ( well according to dp) to step into the real world and back onto the property market. Being a "poverty stricken" key worker we just qualify for one of the homebuy schemes. This means we have to buy a new build though. We have started the ball rolling on a new build.

We are currently renting a very quaint cottage on a country estate with rolling hills all around us. The thought of going to live on housing estate overlooking other people does not excite me.

There are plusses, we will have effective central heating, we will not have to sellotape up the floorboards to keep the drafts out and the windows do not allow a hurricane though. The newbuild also looked very clean as it is not surrounded by a mudbath, it is lighter and the kictchen is bigger.

But I feel sad. I know we are lucky to be able to buy so please don't all appear and shout you spolit bitch get on with it.

We are going through this a bit twinset. We are about to put the house on the market as we need to downsize/relocate as we have buggered up a bit financially over the years and need to sort ourselves out. Realistically we are going to end up on a development or in a newer house and like you currently have an old house with just beautiful surroundings. I do want to move as we have been here over 10 years, but just can't imagine being overlooked or having very close neighbours. I suppose we do have the option of buying another property to renovate like we did with this one, but not sure we have the energy anymore!

I know exactly where you are coming from.

We spent 8 years in a new build (we were the first ones in). I loved it (it was our first home that we bought, just after we were married) but having lived in old quaint rented cottage and wonky Georgian flat before I missed the quirks.

We are now in an older house again, the 'keeper' house I suppose, nice features, interesting layout, lots of character. We both love it. BUT it costs an effing fortune. Bits keep dropping off it. We have a list of stuff we want to do, and it keeps getting superseded by stuff we have to do (roof, chimney, bathroom, boiler etc etc etc). We've been in 3 years and we have managed 1 of the cosmetic things we planned to do when we first moved in (other than DIY decorating). It is a total money pit and much as I love it, it does grind you down.

I told DH the other day that I am having a new build again next time, mostly because I imagine that will be when the kids have left home and I will be too old for this shit.

We did the same thing, we owned a house but ran up some debt against it. We then tried to sell in a recession which took a year. The sale went though at a loss. We have taken a huge financial hit and it has taken us 2 years to clear debt and save a new deposit.

I think our dream house will happen but not for at least another five to ten years. Dp is right that it seems daft to keep paying rent in that time. Particularly if we can take advantage of this scheme which we will not be able to very soon as our income will be too high - although still too low to buy anywhere.

I do actually quite like the inside of the house, but I felt so sad when I looked out of the window and could see other parked cars and back gardens.

I need to get real though, that is what most people see.

I am a spoilt madam.

We only rent this and it costs a fortune. You need to be sat on top of an electric heater in order for your toes not to drop off. The only financial plus is the very low council tax.

We are only just back on our feet financially and cannot afford a money pit.

Ours isn't new build as such, having been built in the 50's, but then we had a big redesign and refurb last year so it feels new.

I always thought I'd end up in a period property with high ceilings and all the period features but I wouldn't live anywhere else now.

There's a great deal of snobbery attached to period properties. I'm not a historian, I like thinking more about the future than the past, and have little romanticism about period properties left, having lived in both Georgian and Victorian properties previously.IME, a new build is just so much easier to live in. You make it your own with your own touches, you don't have nasty unexpected bills ( normally ), it all works reliably.

We've worked with the modernity and embraced a contemporary style in furnishings and decor. Both sets of parents have reserved judgement on it, which is a good sign, IME.

See what you can do with trees etc to minimise being overlooked. Embrace living close to people. There can be great advantages to it.

Hi twinset.

We moved from huge 4 bed terraced Victorian to tiny 2 bed new (9 yrs old) house this year.

It is FABULOUS. No constant battle against draughts and dust. Energy costs are a fraction of what they were. It is really well laid out for modern living. The floors and walls are even and lend themselves better to our cheapo Ikea furniture, no infestations, no ugly external pipework, loos that actually flush quite well, pipes that stay unfrozen in the winter, etc, etc.

You get teh idea that I love it? I ALWAYS thought I would hate a new house - I find older houses asthetically more pleasing, but really, it is fab.

Also wrt to living on a housing estate, ours is fab for ds. He has lots of friends to play with and is much happier.

And remember, it will be yours. Nowt better.

I totally get the advantages of living close to people, one of the reasons we want to move is that we have our little rural idyll but there is no one else here. Dd has no friends nearby and being an only child she gets lovely. This estate will be packed with families and dd will be able to play out on the green and be a normal child rather than wandering about with sheep and horses for company.

I really do not care about owning property, I used to but dp does. He is very worried about our old age and how we are going to fund it. He desperately wants his own property again.

We rent a new build townhouse after living in a 100+ year old cottage. I love it! We're abroad though and ours is open and spacious. We looked at "period" houses. They have some gorgeous art deco places here with huge gardens. BUT no plug sockets, old bathrooms, dated kitchens, damp and mouse droppings in the cellar....

Here we have fantastic insulation, all the necessary sockets including VDSL2. A rainwater tank that feeds the loos! Efficient heating. No gaps and hence fewer creepy crawlies.....

But yes, we have a small garden and are overlooked by other houses.

We have a new build on an old street . Don't think I'd like living on an estate so much but personally I love our house.

Yes - it's a bit soulless but we're working on that and we have time to do so because we can be fairly certain that there won't be too many unexpected maintenance jobs to do. Plus the big things like the roof and windows are still under warrantee (or guarantee - I never know which is which )

The insulation is excellent - we rarely need the heating on for very long an can count on 1 hand the number of times the fire's been on in the 4 years we've lived here. The build quality is excellent but I can't say the same for other new builds we've seen.

I like the fact that there's no crumbly little nooks and crannies to get dirty and it's easy to clean and also like that all the fixtures and fittings match [boring, anal emoticon]

The only thing I don't like is the lack of airing cupboard.

I do have a dream of a lovely country cottage but in reality I don't think I could cope with the maintenance.

This house is spacious, it has a much bigger kitchen and a spacious entrance hall. Seperate dining room as well. It is not boxy as I was expecting. It also has four bedrooms so one for dp's office and a spare bedroom for guests which we have a lot of. At present when people stay it is such a squeeze.

We live in a newbuild. Having grown up in a 19th century lodge I am deeply grateful for the lack of draughts. OK so it doesn't have much character, but it doesn't eat all of our disposable income...

Sounds great, twinset. A big entrance hall is bliss. Kids coats, gloves, hats, book bags and all manner of paraphernalia - sorted.

We rented a Victorian place for 7 months whilst our place was redone last year - entrance was about 90cm square then straight into living room ( with cream carpet....aargh). Our entrance hall now easily fits 2 other families plus us with room to put coats on.

Its just so stress free. Its the little things like this that add up and up and you don't realise what a relief it is until they are solved.

lol helygog we are in lodgehouse as well.

I love my newbuild. Its so warm, you don't have to sit on the hearthrug between september and may, the butter spreads without you having to put it on the hearth for an hour, we have lovely big windows overlooking the garden, we have an ensuite, it 8 years I have hardly done any sanding down or filling or feared that the glass is going to fall out of the window frames. I have a 'friend' who critisises my 'characterless box' but her (very nice) Victorian terrace is darker, smaller and more uniform wrt her neighbours than my newbuild but these are the things she objects to in my house. Its all snobery and if you have your own soul and character then you don't need to borrow one from a draughty old pile of bricks.

" if you have your own soul and character then you don't need to borrow one from a draughty old pile of bricks. "

Brilliantly put, tapeworm.

< commits to memory for future use >

Our house is 13 years old, and on a (small) estate. We previously had 100 year old + terraced cottages.

Decorating is a pleasure. Theres no damp. The walls are straight. Walls don't radiate cold. House was designed to have indoor bathrooms. No slugs. The plaster doesn't fall off if you look at it wrong.

Don't get me wrong - I still slobber over georgian houses in the area, but the house is warm and comfortable, and that makes living in it happy for us

I like that idea tapework, I have just recited it to dp who nodded in agreement in a very hearty manner.

Thank you very much for this thread ( about to buy a new build) !!!

I live in a new build (been in it since it was built nearly 3 years ago), it is a small estate and I live in a cul de sac bit with four houses. We live near a bridle path and can see fields and trees although I do look out at other cars/houses. As dh says once you come in, shut the door and look at the space we have, you forget about the outside. Our garden is also very large. My dc play out all the time which they couldn't do in our old place.

I'd happily move into a new build TBH for all the reasons others have stated. Problem is round here there are so many new estates with characterless boxes with tiny room, no garden and some of them are already having structural problems

I'd be very pleased to buy a nice new build

Am I right in thinking that new houses come with a warranty? Security is the main plus, if anything starts falling to pieces someone should come and fix it for you. No worrying about how you are going to afford the mortgage if the chimney collapses or the roof needs retiling.

I hated new builds. But I moved into one 3 years ago, and now, finally LOVE it. Chose it because had spent 18mths doing up a '80s box after a 200 year old cottage (yes draughty, yes expensive, but yes lovely). However this one has big rooms, is well laid out, loads of storage, and as luck would have it not very overlooked. Go for it. Give it 2 years. Paint all the rooms. You will learn to love it. I have.

Thankyou.

I recently bough a soulful (haha) Victorian terrace and came to regret it. It has been a money pit before we even settled properly. We will sell it on the first occasion and hopefully will get a proper newish built house with all the advantages that are listed above. I have so much regretted that I did not buy new.