When I first moved to Northamptonshire we rented a two bedroom 1980’s maisonette with paper walls so thin you could hear the washing machine two doors down. After six months we moved to a new-build flat with a shiny kitchen and laminate flooring. I liked modern living with freshly plastered walls, double glazing and insulation. We lived there over the winter and I don’t ever remember being cold. Let me just adjust my rose-tinted glasses…
However when it came to buying our first home we were both set on an older property. I’m pretty sure we viewed every single terrace house Northamptonshire had on sale; we felt they offered us more space, more features and more flexibility than a new-build. Unfortunately we could never find the right one for us and ended our search buying a newish build on the plot of an old shoe factory. James loved the double drive, I loved the sun drenched garden and we had a love-hate relationship with the teeny-weeny modern interior. I longed for a feature fireplace, a wonky character wall and maybe a beam or two.
Writing this post now I realise it’s near enough exactly four years ago since we first viewed the cottage we call home. It was a short yet painful search viewing lots of village properties during the depths of the recession. We were both adamant we would move into a period home and were delighted when we found a cottage for sale in our current village.
Anyone with a ‘character’ property will tell you, winters can be a bit brutal. Energy efficiency isn’t really their strong point. At my house, the doors don’t fit neatly in their frames and so draughts are pretty standard. As beautiful as slate and quarry tiles are they make for icy feet. The first year we lived here the heating turned itself off every twenty minutes so we got used to wearing hats indoors. Don’t get me wrong, I love my house. The previous owners renovated it beautifully and I love the quirks and foibles and getting a carpet in the lounge has changed my life. Seriously.
Well what is the point of me rabbling on? A conversation with a good friend of mine prompted me to write this post, as did a chat we all had round Charlotte’s kitchen table a few weeks back. There’s a bit of consensus when it comes to houses you are usually in ‘camp new’ or ‘camp old’. A sweeping statement I know and many houses don’t really sit in either camp, oh hello 1960’s houses.
My friend is considering leaving his stunning double-fronted, high ceilinged victorian mansion (okay mansion is an exaggeration but it’s a rather large house) to buy a brand spanking new-build. Ten years ago he claimed he’d never go ‘new,’ but he’s tired of the maintenance, the expense and the time to keep the house in tip-top condition and with two little ones his priorities have changed. For me, I’m not quite sure I could ever imagine leaving behind my stripped doors and uneven floors but I don’t begrudge him at all. Up until recently a new-build meant a white plain box but the houses I was shown the other day have bay windows, real wood floors and are built of reclaimed stone.
What are your thoughts on new versus old houses? Do you sit it one camp or another? Do you think you can still call a new-build a character property? Finally who would like to move in to the house with the pink door? Me too!
I most definately sit in the ‘old camp’. My husband and I got the keys to our beautiful Grade 2 listed house the week after our wedding, we then spent the next 6 months painstakingly restoring and renovating – it was a wreck but now it’s a stunner and has so much character that you’d struggle to find in any new build!
I take my hat off to you Jessica, restoring a Grade 2 is no mean feat. I bet it’s absolutely amazing now x
Oh god!!! I could have this debate for decades!!!
I am VERY much a lover of old houses. I would love nothing more than to have a period or character property. Yet, I’ve found myself for the past two years living in (and owning) a brand spanking new house.
When Mr P and I were on the house hunt nearly three years ago – we were most definitely looking for old (after previously living in a new build). Something with charm, and features that new homes don’t have. For a wealth of reasons, it wasn’t to be… they were either way above budget, not big enough, or in awful areas.
During our search we viewed a few new builds (including our current home). I wasn’t sold at first. At all.
But, practicality-wise it did make sense… we could up our budget as we wouldn’t have to spend anything on renovations… therefore getting a bigger property.
It would only need cosmetic work (and as someone who wants everything yesterday, this appealed), we were under guarantee for 12 months if anything happened (and yes, our bathroom leaked and ceiling came in after 6!), we could also pick from a range of bathrooms, kitchens and carpets so we didn’t have to pay extra to change them. Oh, and I was a tough negotiator and managed to get the builder to through in extras!!
A good friend said to me that when you live in your home you’re not looking at the outside – and you can make the interior exactly how you want it to be. She was absolutely on the money… our house very much looks like a new build from the exterior, but inside, we’ve had so many comments about how it doesn’t have that soulless, new build feel!
However… if money were no object, I’d definitely go for old…. or build my own!
Oh Katie, there’s a whole other post there about building your own!
From the sneak peeks I’ve seen of your home via Instagram it’s a stunner x
Whzzing past, its the end of my lunch break but just have to say – the house with pink door is ah-mazing!
Pink doors are so unique aren’t they Marlene? I feel like you wouldn’t be able to help but smile walking past this front door.
Oh I LOVE this debate!
My ideal house would be a Georgian house/farmhouse. I am in “camp old” BUT I can appreciate the modern appeal – as you say warmth being number one (I am always freezing!)
I love the character, history, rooms sizes, symmetry and interiors and decor-potential that the Georgian period has to offer and I just don’t think I could achieve all of that with a new build. I have a whole pinterest board (or two) dedicated to Georgian property.
Having said all that, my husband’s line of work is property development and I wouldn’t be averse to living in a super modern barn type conversion – “Grand Design” style but it wouldn’t be my number one choice.
I do think you can combine modern with old well – we live in an Edwardian house and did a very modern kumquatery (a teeny tiny orangery!) extension and it works perfectly. Our decor and interiors are a wonderful compromise between modern living and traditional period “country” decor and I love the mix.
Lauren, I adore the house on the right – so pretty.
A kumquatery?! This is all sorts of amazing Victoria. What a fab feature x
Our first home together is a large victorian terrace house, pretty ugly from the outside but oh so pretty on the inside. I think we got stuck in without realising how much work was involved! Three months before our wedding with the electrician saying we needed to rewire (we didn’t in the end) and the boiler man saying the boiler was bust (it wasn’t actually) anyway, I almost cried out loud! We’ve knocked walls through, replaced the roof, refitted the kitchen, put down new floors, painted, wallpapered, tore out the fireplace and replaced it and built new ceiling to floor bookcases either side of the fire, did I mention our best man put in a brand new bathroom as a surprise wedding present!! Anyways, the walls are all slanty and some are very badly plastered, the door frames are all irregularly sized and currently it only has single glazing which means a lot of hot water bottles are filled come bed time! We also have a problem with damp on the third floor! It hasn’t been easy but we love it and love nothing more than relaxing and admiring our handiwork! I think the only way we would go new is if we were to build our own house from scratch – I think I’d still prefer to do another renovation on a bigger property next though!
What an ace best man you had Helen.
Kirsty Allsopp would be proud of you with all that wall knocking!
In my heart I would be ‘old house’ for absolute definite. My Mum has a beautiful old stone cottage with gorgeous features, fire places etc and for the last 12 odd years I’ve lived in a flat in a lovely old building and had amazing huge windows.
However with a young family with limited extra cash, practically no DIY skills and no desire to spend our hectic weekends doing maintenance, we recently bought a new build. I have surprised myself with how much I adore it. Its easy to decorate, I can buy ready made curtains if I wish – its WARM! Our bills for a big 4 bedroom house are the same as for our 2 bed flat. So while it was a practical choice, I’m loving being in my new house where everything works. We are gradually adding character with decor and personal touches.
I’ll save the old mansion in need of renovation for that lottery win 😉
Hi Nicola, I think your comment would really resonate with my friend. The maintenance piece is such a pull as is the quick decoration x
I am currently renting an old fashioned tenement flat in Edinburgh with beautiful views across Holyrood Park. We have to move as owners are selling and now find ourselves in viewing hell! The letting market in Edinburgh is crazy, there are up to 10 people turning up and in some cases it’s first to the letting agent with a deposit. There was an article on student lettings saying 30 people were turning up to any one flat in Edinburgh!
Anyway I digress, I love our high ceilings and cornicing but the door comment really resonated with me. Our front door doesn’t fit the frame and if it’s windy and the main door is left open we get a screaming sound of wind through our flat, not to mention the draft! We get mice – meh! The sound proofing isn’t great for an old building – I can hear my neighbour yawn!
We are looking at old and new flats but you can’t quite beat the size of old flats and as we aren’t looking to buy we don’t have to think about maintenance! It is one of the reasons our landlord is looking to sell though!
In the future when we are in a position to buy we’d love to build something out in the country scandi style. I’m talking eco friendly materials, energy efficient, big windows with lots of light … and I’d like some underfloor heating please! This is what we’re dreaming of one day. I was brought up in fairly new housing scheme and find a row of houses which all look the same thoroughly depressing.
Underfloor heating would be amazing wouldn’t it Lynn?!
Hope the viewings stop very soon too. It’s no fun having people traipsing round your home 🙁
Camp Old all the way! my parents house is OLD.. like 500 years and grade II listed old, and I love the fireplace, beams etc… (different story when I was growing up and jealous of friends living in nice shiny new builds however). The downsides however are low ceilings, not ideal for tall husband! Current flat is part of a Victorian house… but can be drafty.. and had issues with damp which were a nightmare.. can definitely see why nice warm new builds are so appealing… But I think old will clinch it for me everytime.. pink-front door house looks perfect! 🙂
Wow that is old Julia! I love a house with a bit of history and bet your parent’s has a tale to tell.
I am so undecided on this! After having numerous issues with our old Victorian House I sometimes crave the newness and finishedness of my old new build flat. However, I do love the space, high ceilings and quirkiness of our house. We’d never get the space we have now in a new build as they all seems to be tiny downstairs and I’m not sure I’d like it. Mind you it would be nice to decorate a room that has straight walls and floors! Oh and I would love a garage again. After thermal lining, lovely woodturner and adding all new windows and doors we are finally able to spend the winter without 10 layers on and sleeping in a hat and I do love it now most of the jobs are done. If I could find a lovely new build that was big enough and had our size garden I’d be in but they all seem to be stupidly expensive. Until I win the lottery and can build my own house I shall be happy with my higgledy piggledy Victorian! xx
Maybe we should do a post about our dream lottery winners house Lottie! x
For me, it’s less about new and old and more about character.
There are some new builds which are packed with quirks and charm, and some old houses which are completely void of original features. I say this though, but I can say that I would 100% never buy a new build for myself. Of course there are exceptions but on the whole there are so many identikit, homogenised new developments – I find them a huge turn off.
The house I sold last year (tiny victorian terrace) was so full of character it almost lived and breathed, I knew I needed to find that in our next house too.
Our new home isn’t old in the grand scheme of things, being built in 1936 – but it does have real personality. That’s the main thing I think, a house where you can feel that someone has designed, built or decorated it with care and love. Interesting corners and wonky walls are a bonus in my opinion! xx
Very, very good point Karen. Age doesn’t necessarily mean character. Totally second your point about a house where you can see it’s decorated with love and care, and also one where your guests feel comfortable too. x
As we are currently saving to buy our first home this debate goes on a lot in our house! Whilst I hate the thought of a soul less same as everyone else new build, I’m a town girl at heart (I grew up in the cotswolds so feel I have had my share of living in the middle of nowhere!) But want a house that has atmosphere and a but quirkily. When we were in Devon we had a beautiful barn conversion that was huge and just amazing. Hubby on the other hand would rather live on a farm in the middle of nowhere with a various assortment of animals! They say opposites attract so currently looking for a good muddle ground, if that even exists 🙂 x
Good luck Emma. I’m sure you’ll find your compromise between the two very soon x
Ermmmmm……I NEED to live in that house with the pink door!!!
I am very much in the camp old house.
Much to the hubby’s dismay I spend hours daydreaming of the day we own a gorgeous old town house. (the roaring fireplace, ridiculously high ceilings……..!)
The reality, however, is that when we do finally get together enough money to afford a deposit on a house we will probably need to be a whole lot more pragmatic about it. (Our budget might not/probably won’t even stretch to my dream house!)
Our friends just bought a ridiculously gorgeous town house in the middle of our gorgeous town, but seeing the list of things they need to do to it – namely get double glazing installed in the whole place!!! (Eeek) Scares me somewhat!
Any anyway if my new build looks like the pink house on the left that I think that wouldn’t be such a bad thing! 🙂 xx
A girl can dream though Becca!
I remember reading about some footballer’s wife who found living in a townhouse too hard because she kept leaving things on the umpteen floors and was forever running up and down the stairs. I think I mouthed out loud ‘my heart bleeds for you love’. Some people!
LOVE this post – mainly because I don’t know where I stand on this topic; it leaves me in such a muddle! I *adore* old houses…I grew up in Belgium and there is nothing in the world that I love more than an old English cottage (they’re such a new thing to me!). Literally, amazing. But, they *are* a lot of work and I’m unbelievably crap with anything involving DIY, which makes me wonder if I’m someone who should live in a new house and visit old ones.
However – I don’t think I’ll ever feel truly complete unless I can live somewhere with a proper old-fashioned country kitchen. We’ve bought a new build within commuting distance from London and it’s perfect for our needs now but ONE DAY I want a lovely, bright kitchen avec Aga. It’s got to happen.
I agree with you, Lauren, about new builds looking *better*. My parents are retiring soon and want to buy somewhere in the UK so they can spend the summer months here – which means it has to be a place they can lock up and leave. New builds are much better for that so we’ve been visiting a few new developments and the houses are much, much nicer than I was expecting.
But I still love old houses! So torn, boo.
Yes they look so much better these days don’t they Kate. I was really surprised when I saw the brochure.
We are currently living in a 16th century farmhouse, and while I adore the soul that oozes out of all it’s features I could live without the water that comes in too! Single glazing, temperamental heating and draughts that cannot be plugged are the other problems… However, it’s a temporary thing, as we just received planning permission to turn the neighbouring barn on our land into our new home! Boy, that barn will be insulated within an inch of its life! Plus a ground source heat pump to cut bills while saving the period vibe. Then the old farmhouse will get it’s much needed make over.
We are like the stereotypical Grand Designs couple though- baby due in 6 weeks just when work will begin on the barn!
Oh wow! Huge congratulations Lucy. What an exciting time you have ahead of you x
God, I keep doing this today… And another thought! I love old houses but was very cautious about choosing one. I don’t know if I would go as far to say I believe in ghosts but some old properties we looked at just felt malevolent. Our house feels like it likes us too! Is anyone else as bonkers about stuff like this? Husband insists I am nuts!
Lucy I totally get your last comment – my husband and I live in an 1890’s Victorian house and the first night we moved in I went to bed with this amazing ‘safe’ feeling, like someone was watching over me. Totally bizarre but undeniable!
I wouldn’t change our house for anything – we bought 3 years ago and have spent a lot of time making things better whilst reintroducing a lot of the old features that the previous owners had covered up. We have wonky walls and uneven floorboards but it’s home and you can’t beat the feeling of sitting back and admiring your handiwork.
To all the ladies saying how hopeless they are at DIY – believe in yourselves! I was a total novice but I practiced and practiced and now I’m happiest with a heat gun in hand, stripping back door frames and polyfilla-ing all the cracks! I’d love to do a girl’s guide to DIY video and show it here – and give you ladies the self-confidence you need!
Lol – polyfilling is the best – at this stage I’m basically a qualified plasterer *ahem!!
Yay for polyfilla Clare!
Great post yet again Lauren. Can I give you a virtual high five?! I live in a Victorian terrace – it is the standard house in the area I live. We had rented similar properties before so this was a comfortable first buy. We moved in, in July 2008 and for the summer and early autumn it was bliss. Then winter came and I had never been so cold. We have lovely original fireplaces in both bedrooms and the beautiful, original wooden doors throughout the house, but my goodness there are drafts everywhere.
I love period properties as they already have a history to them and feel more homely but for our next house I am looking at any area where the houses are only about 20 years old. As much as my heart says old and homely, the head says detached property, driveway and utility room!
The current house is starting to feel claustrophobic and if we were to have a family there would be serious space and storage issues so realistically I (my husband gets very little say in these things) will be looking to move in around three years. I’m not worried about somewhere not having character as I love decorating and upcycling furniture so I would be able to have fun injecting our personality into a blank canvas with straight walls and flat floors.
Ah thanks Claire, glad you liked the post.
Your comment about your husband made me laugh out loud 😉
Ah, the age old debate. We started house hunting last Christmas once we found out I was pregnant and I was totally clear on what I wanted; a Victorian terrace, high ceilings, a black-and-white chequered path leading to the front door, (which would be sage green with silver door furniture), sash windows and fireplaces in every room. That is still what I want. Practicality – of our budget, the location we needed, the housing market, parking etc – dictated that was not what we were going to get. We settled on a 1960’s dormer converted bungalow, so NOT what I was looking for. But we’ve got 4 bedrooms, a dining room, living room, 2 full sized bathrooms, a sun room, a garage, two gardens and scope to extend. So we’re working on adding our own style and character, sourcing pieces from random places and doing each room up he way we want to as we go. Unfortaunately it comes with it’s own problems – the double glazing all needs replacing, the heating system is totally ineffective and needs updating and we need to carpet over the horrific terracotta tiles that cover the majority of the downstairs, BUT it’s a long term project and hopefully it’ll turn out nice! X
What an awesome amount of space you have Tallulah and it’ll be perfect for a family.
Boo to new double glazing, that’s on our list too. It’s blummin’ expensive!
@claireB it sounds like we need to swap houses!!
Rock my house swap! Your house sounds great Tallulah x
We are currently looking to buy our next house. Our current house is a modern 1980’s terrace. It’s well built and definitely warm, but it does lack any character. My dream house would be a double fronted Georgian affair, with a big front door and sash windows, high ceilings and tonnes of space, it would also have a big farmhouse kitchen and oodles of character (alas I don’t have half a million to spend!). So we are looking to buy something older that we can renovate and add our own stamp to. Unfortunately though, we live in a part of Cambridgshire that is fairly devoid of anything Victorian/Georgian, and although I love little cottages I know I wouldn’t be able to cope with low ceilings. So we will probably end up with another 80’s build as we hate new builds. In theory I always think new builds are appealing but from all the ones I’ve seen, build quality is a big issue as is space. Most have gardens the size of a postage stamp and paper thin walls. I also hate the way modern developments cram as many houses as they can on a plot of land.
Having lived in both I know exactly which camp im in! We love our victorian home and although every room needs renovating we are really enjoying breathing new life back into the house. I spoke to someone last week who said he would hate to live in a period property. I totally respect his opinion but I would hold up a big caution sign on brand new builds. Our old flat was only three months old when we moved in and behind the loft style facade it was actually a mess. A rushed build meant terrible damp problems, frequent flooding in the cellar areas, peeling paint work and broken appliances. With electric radiators costing a fortune too it was far from ideal. We may have heat issues here but give me this house any day;) xxx
Can’t believe you’ve ended up with reclaimed chevron flooring in your new-build and your victorian house! That floor was the best thing about your old flat.
Hi Alex, good luck with the house search.
Totally agree with the new-build garden size and aren’t they funny shaped too?!
yeah we lucked out on the old chevron floor. We may well have lifted it out of the flat and brought it here;) x
We are yet to even step foot on the property ladder but I’m torn between old and new too. Living in London means space comes at a premium and as much as everyone (aka parents) suggest moving out to commutersville it’s not exactly practical (hubby and I both work in outer London boroughs so commuting across London is bad enough let alone commuting in and then back out/across!) so it seems likely that we’d either go for a new build or something around 1950s or ‘newer’.
We currently live in a converted 1920s school house – lovely high ceilings and fairly large rooms and we love it. We recently moved from one flat to another in the same building and it’s even better (top floor, quiet neighbours, amazing view of London!)
My friends have just recently bought – one a new build flat in Brighton which they bought 2 years ago and only just moved in. It was a sore subject for a long time! Two others have bought ‘old’ houses – one of which is currently tearing the entire interior apart and starting afresh with new pipes, electricity, central heating etc. Her Instagram is full of photos of their progress and all the finds they discover along the way!
Oh Jo, your current pad sounds beautiful. How great to have views across London x
We’ve lived in a new build for the past 7 years (our first home after much searching for a period property!) and it was the best thing we could have done. It’s on a beautifully quiet one way road as a row of three, and the maintence/running costs are minimum. It’s meant we have been able to travel lots and save money for the next house which we’ve just bought. The next one is a 1930’s semi with stained glass, big fireplaces etc. So I’m in both camps of that’s allowed?!
You are most definitely allowed Rhiannon! x
Interesting debate, we live in a flat in a Georgian building. The building is beautiful and I love our home. It’s huge, and feels like a house. We would never have this space in a block of new build flats. I love the high ceilings and huge windows…. However it costs a fortune to keep warm and there are a lot more issues with older builds. I think when we next move to a house we will go for a new build. Just practical things like they build a utility room and an en suite makes the difference. You can also get lovely new builds now that don’t look identikit and soulless. That been said if money was no object I would be big old, double fronted Georgian all the way!
The much coveted en-suite Anna. Would love one!
Your current Georgian home must be stunning. Very envious of your huge windows x
I grew up in a Victorian house and I know the pitfalls although they are beautiful. Not sure I would buy one though. We have a 30’s semi and its still got character, fireplaces, picture rails etc so it’s a nice compromise. And if we can ever afford a detached house (living in surrey!) I would definitely try and find a 30’s unrenovated one!! I love the high ceilings and the big windows!
I grew up in a twenties semi Rachie and I find them so homely. x
200 year old mill workers cottage that has flooded 6 times in two years (sorted now hopefully) we’ve battled damp, mould and leaks. We currently don’t have central heating and the other day I found frost on the kitchen floor. Nearly moved when I was three months pregnant. things are starting to come together now though and I wouldn’t move now. We put in a bigger log burner so we’re not cold and we’ve nearly got rid of all the damp and flood damage we’re even looking at carpets for our cold floors. 🙂
Oh and the whole cottage is salmon pink. I just wish there was space to grow some roses by the front door.
Gosh Bex, you’ve been through it with you renovation but what an impressive building you must own. x
Ahhh I wish I could commit to an old house. Ours is a newish and my parents have a beautiful old house (just off Ecclesall Rd South Lauren) and often we talk of swapping! They’d love to downsize and we’ve got enough children to fill their space… I dream of how lovely it would be to live there and what I might do to decorate and knock bits through but keep all the beautiful parquet flooring… but then whenever I am there now I take an extra 3 jumpers! I don’t know now how I managed to last until 18 there – I’m so nesh – and my house is characterless but its just so warm and I think I’m just cosy and fine here. There does seem to be such a lot of upkeep issues at theirs that I just don’t have to deal with. My dad is forever printing signs off saying ‘Don’t flush ANYTHING down the loo’ and ‘Don’t touch this switch’ He does them on folded A4 paper in comic sans… I can’t help thinking they’re not adding everso much to the character of the house.
You should swap for six months Amanda (over the summer obviously!) and see how you get on. You could swap the signs for a fancier font 😉 x
My husband and I first house was a very small Victorian house we do love old properties but with all it’s charms we did have a lot of maintenance issues. The other big problem was the parking as there wasn’t any, the street parking was pot luck if you found a space. This was made worse by the train station being close by so everyone used our street as free parking. It drove us nuts! A few months before we got married we had a pipe leak in our bathroom through the floor into the kitchen. It took 6 months to repair and we had to move out of the house for 3 months whilst the work was being done.
After this we decided to move we now live in a 3 bed 5 year old house with a driveway and virtually zero maintenance. It wasn’t until we moved that we realised how stressed our little old house made us. I still love old houses but it has to be the right one
Parking can be such a pain can’t it? My street is fairly quiet but I know lots of terrace streets where it’s ended up with parking wars. No fun whatsoever x
Both myself and partner were brought up in 1920s semi-detached houses, which has led us to have completely differnt views on older properties – I love them, he hates them. When we were looking to buy our first home together he soon realised than new builds just do not have the space that we are used to and I soon realised that not matter how beautiful the victorian terraces in our area were there was always a lot of work to do. Thankfully my partner convinced me to look at a new build that I had totally written off as we’d seen so many before that were just too small and characterless, and I instantly fell in love with it! The shell was there but the kitchen, bathrooms etc. hadn’t been decided on and as the builder was only builing 5 houses altogther he was keen to get our input on design aspects. We’ve been able to choose exactly what we want, down to the door handles and window ledges. It’s not quite ready yet but it already feels like ‘us’. We’re very lucky and can’t wait to move in.
Love that you are getting a bespoke home Rhiannon. Good luck in your new home and I hope you can move in quickly x
Loving that pink door – how dreamy! My husband and I recently bought our 200 year old dairy cottage (after 3 years of searching!) that needs looooooads of work, and we got the keys a week after I found out I was pregnant! I have to say, the moment we walked in the front door for the first time I totally freaked out and declared we should look for a new build immediately! The very kind of new build we had disregarded over the last three years of searching for a project cottage. Fast forward 3 months later and we have a beautifully insulated, plastered, painted and carpeted bedroom (our haven), whilst the rest of the place is bare floor boards, wood-chip adorned walls, open ceilings into the loft and a kitchen that resembles a pile of rubble! We have an adjusted time frame of useable kitchen/dining/living area by the time the baby arrives, and a converted upstairs has been shelved for a year or two. Whilst the idea of a new build does still appeal, and I think even more so when the baby arrives, I hope that a few tricky years (she says with naïve optimism!!) it will eventually result in our dream home in an area that we could never have afforded. Only slight spanner in the works… despite a fairly solid survey/home report, we have now discovered that the entire roof must be replaced (with pricey Scottish slates no less, to fit in with the surrounding area) at a cost of our entire renovation budget/baby savings!! Arghhhh get me into that new build!!
Great post Lauren, and loving reading everyone’s comments and preferences! X
Oh Maddy. How did the surveyor get it so wrong? So sorry to hear you have to replace the roof but your bedroom sounds amazing. x
After a tearful call with the solicitor, apparently “home reports” are all based on visual inspections only, and they then said that we should have instructed a full survey if we were worried. Thing is, we were not worried – the roof was highlighted on the home report as nothing more than “will need regular maintenance”. Only once we had a roofer come and have a look after a particularly stormy night, the truth was uncovered. We called another two roofers, both with equally high quotes, and in fact one of them even referenced the fact it should have been listed on the HR as essential work to be carried out! Anyway, what can we do… should have bought that new build after all!
We are waiting for the results of our second planning application to build a house. I’m married to a farmer and we’re lucky enough to be able to build on the farm (hopefully!). We’re aiming for a characterful farmhouse that is cosy and has character but with the warmth and all the mod cons of a new build. The thing I’m most looking forward to is a boot room for all the wellies and a muddy dog!
Sounds perfect Louise. Best of luck with the planning application x
When we were starting to look around for our current home, we both very much wanted a new-built. We had such bad experiences with Victorian houses – damp, mould, caving/in ceilings, cold, the list goes on. Our first house was a teeny-tiny one bedroom fairly modern house and I loved how easy it was to keep warm! Result: we feel I love with an Edwardian semi, wooden floors (albeit currently still hidden under appalling carpets, high ceiling, fireplace. The windows are fantastic and no damp or mould anywhere. We’ll need a new boiler (bye-bye summer holiday) but it’s so worth it! Not to mention the storage space 🙂
Oops – realised that this was quite a ramble post. I think the gist of what I wanted to say is that it’s helpful to keep an open mind and look as many options as possible!
I have always been very much camp old. However, after searching high and low, old and new for our first home together, we came across the opportunity to self – build. We are now the very proud (and even more worse for wear) owners of a new build Georgian Style Farmhouse with hand made bricks, F&B coloured sash windows, solid wood and stone floors and an inglenook fireplace. However, we also have tonnes of insulation, underfloor heating and impossibly low running costs! Definately the best of both worlds!! Hurrah! C x
Wow Catherine, sounds amazing! Coloured sash windows is the dream!! let alone F&B coloured sash windows!!!
My husband and I are the recently very proud owners of -yes – a 1960’s semi! Really well built and very warm, it’s low maintenance too. It’s also crying out to be decorated with a serious nod to the retro! We’re starting with a mustard yellow in the hallway and some funky jewel toned blinds. I recommend going retro any day! Great value for money in a 60’s house and a handful of original – albeit not Victorian – features. Fabulous! X