New Houses

[dubsie]

I'm a plumber and heating engineer and I've recently been working on a new build complex in Notts. From what i can see new houses are now built on the smallest plots of land possible and the space is managed over 3 floors. Your front room sits over a compact garage and the back yard will be lucky to see an hours sunshine in the summer. The materials are cheap and the work rushed as all the workers are on price work.

What I can't understand is why anyone would want to part with 200k+ to buy such a a worthless pile of bricks. In my opinion these houses are not worth more than £70,000 but to think people are borrowing £200,000 to buy crap makes me laugh. I would prefer to live on a narrow boat or even a caravan.

And just look at the designs these builders are using, fake victorian or edwardian. Whats wrong with building something modern for modern living. Something creative and new rather than something that reflects a time long gone. The English must be either thick or metally ill.

[pondlife]

I'm a plumber and heating engineer and I've recently been working on a new build complex in Notts. From what i can see new houses are now built on the smallest plots of land possible and the space is managed over 3 floors. Your front room sits over a compact garage and the back yard will be lucky to see an hours sunshine in the summer. The materials are cheap and the work rushed as all the workers are on price work.

What I can't understand is why anyone would want to part with 200k+ to buy such a a worthless pile of bricks. In my opinion these houses are not worth more than £70,000 but to think people are borrowing £200,000 to buy crap makes me laugh. I would prefer to live on a narrow boat or even a caravan.

And just look at the designs these builders are using, fake victorian or edwardian. Whats wrong with building something modern for modern living. Something creative and new rather than something that reflects a time long gone. The English must be either thick or metally ill.

I couldn't agree more. Some new builds are terrible. I spotted the screw marks on some fake stone cladding on the last lot I saw. What amazes me is that people fall for the 3 stories/no garden lark.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-783...=1&tr_t=buy #450,000 for a 4 bedroom house overlooked by about 8 other houses in Warrington. You barely get a garden.

[MarkG]

I would prefer to live on a narrow boat or even a caravan.

But most of the people buying them probably have no intention of living there: they just want to keep them empty for a few years and make 500,000 pounds from house price inflation when they sell.

[Qetesuesi]

The English must be either thick or metally ill.

Aluminium filings anyone?

[dubsie]

I couldn't agree more. Some new builds are terrible. I spotted the screw marks on some fake stone cladding on the last lot I saw. What amazes me is that people fall for the 3 stories/no garden lark.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-783...=1&tr_t=buy #450,000 for a 4 bedroom house overlooked by about 8 other houses in Warrington. You barely get a garden.

People must be insane, looks like something better placed in Disney Land.

Aluminium filings anyone?

Perhaps its all the lead we're using on these toy town developments.

[JJJ]

And just look at the designs these builders are using, fake victorian or edwardian. Whats wrong with building something modern for modern living. Something creative and new rather than something that reflects a time long gone. The English must be either thick or metally ill.

Bang on. I am so sick of seeing row after row of right-angle obsessed characterless tat; for the love of god, why are all the ******ing windows so ******ing small? Why the ****** do sides of houses not have windows?

I go overseas and I see houses with windows like offices; glass from floor to ceiling, wide expanses over a whole side of a room. You get some prickof an architect here saying "oh no, British people want tiny windows; they want to live in cells". ****** off! If we're worried about someone outside peering in, we'll close the ******ing curtains, you dickweed!

[Gone baby gone]

Bang on. I am so sick of seeing row after row of right-angle obsessed characterless tat; for the love of god, why are all the ******ing windows so ******ing small? Why the ****** do sides of houses not have windows?

I go overseas and I see houses with windows like offices; glass from floor to ceiling, wide expanses over a whole side of a room. You get some prickof an architect here saying "oh no, British people want tiny windows; they want to live in cells". ****** off! If we're worried about someone outside peering in, we'll close the ******ing curtains, you dickweed!

They do it, because... they can! To sell houses in Britain you just need to build 'em.

Mainly I think a lot of people were put off by the experimental architecture in the 60s and 70s that overused concrete and often ended in tears. Because we in Britain are so obsessed with 'house as an investment' thinking, we are less prepared to take a risk with more funky designs as we are already thinking of selling next time when we are in the process of buying the place! We end up playing it safe and the more conservative designs prove more popular. This of course is an excuse for piss poor design as they could still come up with something conservative but with decent light, space and layout, using quality fixtures and fittings, but they choose to maximise profits and hire the cheapest architects, use cheapes materials, etc.

What really riles me is that the houses don't take on any different characteristics based the local area. Now, if you are buying a new build in Kent, Cornwall, York or Glasgow, they all look alike, there is no character and no history.

Edited August 28, 2006 by redalert

[Willy Weasel]

What I can't understand is why anyone would want to part with 200k+ to buy such a a worthless pile of bricks. In my opinion these houses are not worth more than £70,000 but to think people are borrowing £200,000 to buy crap makes me laugh. I would prefer to live on a narrow boat or even a caravan.

I think most FTBs don't want to part with 200k+ but don't know any better. They look at their parents who have probably seen the value of their house rise significantly over the past 5 years and think to themselves "I'll have a bit of that". The VIs compound the problem by repeatedly stating that prices will continue to rise thus perpetuating the myth. I think it is the duty of all parents to explain to their children about the last HPC and counter the VI spin just as we do on this site. Parents releasing equity from their own homes to give deposits to their kids is well meaning but foolhardy and there will be tears all round before much longer

[the end is a bit nigher]

we need a change in mentality - there has to come a time when people say 'that's just not worth it' - i got there a couple of months ago when i compared what i rent to some houses for sale and their asking prices - i honestly don't care if i buy again or not - the premium you have to pay now to be an owner just doesn't make sense

[newaccount99]

Yup the developer game these days to maximise profit by building highest number of residences on the smallest plot of land, mark them up for stoopid prices then "discount" them to house-investment-crazed-public.

Look around at all the new builds and they are either flats (and they really are flats not apartments) or "town houses" aka three stories on a postage stamp sized plot.

I'm renting one...fine for me at 4% yeild...but the LL has been completely seen off....rubbish build quality, all fixtures and fittings will need replacement within a couple or so years.

[Carabansity]

JJJ

The reason new build rabbit hutches have small windows is building regs. The builders use the bare minimum insulation so to get the whole house to the required WmKh they have to have tiny windows. The current regs demand 80mm of insulation against a PassivHaus standard house which would have 300mm (and lovely big windows! and use almost no heat!!).

I heard on the grapevine a few weeks ago Kevin McCloud was so fed up with crappy developer houses he was going to do it himself and this has been confirmed in this months 'Self Build and Design'. Where he leads other will follow so perhaps when my kids are old enough to get mortaged to the hilt we will have some decent homes to buy!

[Jason]

I stayed in a three story new build some while back, and my god, it was awful. Not only did every door have a automatic shutter that would break your arm if caught in it. But all doors slammed, rocking not just your house. But the whole row of houses.

And why oh why do they put the kitchen on a different floor to the living room... crazy...

[JJJ]

I heard on the grapevine a few weeks ago Kevin McCloud was so fed up with crappy developer houses he was going to do it himself and this has been confirmed in this months 'Self Build and Design'. Where he leads other will follow so perhaps when my kids are old enough to get mortaged to the hilt we will have some decent homes to buy!

I remember him. Grand Designs chap. There were some heartbreakingly beautiful new houses on that. If someone adds a couple of cantos to the Divine Comedy, Bovis newbuild designers should get a mention.

It'd be less galling to mortgage myself to the hilt if it was for a decent house, but there's no way I'm shelling out good money for a crappy newbuild piece of shit.

[Marina]

And, of course, those that a minority of people voted in to govern us changed the planning laws in 1999 so that even if a council planning department doesn't like it, almost anyone with a detached house on a quarter of an acre can pull it down and get planning permission for half a dozen flats.

I had a row a few years ago over an extension I wanted to build and kicked up such a fuss the leader of the planning department came out to have a look with two cronies. He said 'funny thing is we can refuse the extension you want ... but if you and a few neighbours get together we can't stop you knocking these down and building at a density of 45 to a hectare - which is 17 to an acre or very roughly 300 square yards per plot (less roads). No wonder they are building them 3 storey with a yard instead of a garden.

Did anyone stop and ask the English public if that is the type of housing they want built?

There were some heartbreakingly beautiful new houses on that

Please don't ever think of writing a novel.

Most of the houses are walls of glass and look like office blocks. In their own way as utterly unoriginal as Wimpey homes.

The wooden one deep in the woods was good though. I particularly liked the plastered straw for the walls.

But most of the people buying them probably have no intention of living there: they just want to keep them empty for a few years and make 500,000 pounds from house price inflation when they sell.

About 10 years ago a 'select, executive development of just 9 unique luxury homes' was built in a village near me' ideally located on the other side of the road from that village's regulation council estate.

They are big and flash - I recall they were about 500k when they sold. At the time it was BIG money.

They now change hands for 1.5m. Easiest way I can think of making one million tax free pounds.

Moral of the story? Stop fretting and borrow 40 times your salary and buy a fecking great big house. Rent out every room in the house and, in 10 years time, be prepared for a windfall.

And why oh why do they put the kitchen on a different floor to the living room... crazy...

This is part of the government's anti-obesity strategy.

Edited August 28, 2006 by Marina

[JJJ]

Most of the houses are walls of glass and look like office blocks. In their own way as utterly unoriginal as Wimpey homes.

The wooden one deep in the woods was good though. I particularly liked the plastered straw for the walls.

It's all in the eye of the beholder. I would love to live in a house with walls of glass. Brick walls are only good for putting up shelves, and I'd happily have freestanding shelving units in exchange.

[mikefluk]

we need a change in mentality - there has to come a time when people say 'that's just not worth it' - i got there a couple of months ago when i compared what i rent to some houses for sale and their asking prices - i honestly don't care if i buy again or not - the premium you have to pay now to be an owner just doesn't make sense

I totally agree. Is there anybody left on this forum who disagrees ? If so please state your case

[Monopoly]

I couldn't agree more. Some new builds are terrible. I spotted the screw marks on some fake stone cladding on the last lot I saw. What amazes me is that people fall for the 3 stories/no garden lark.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-783...=1&tr_t=buy #450,000 for a 4 bedroom house overlooked by about 8 other houses in Warrington. You barely get a garden.

Whats wrong with that garden??Looks fine to me....infact the whole house looks fine to me....you have to come here and have a look around what you get here

[brassfarthing]

I agree with the thrust of this thread.

I seem to be one of the few people on this forum who think that in certain circumstances it's still OK to buy property HOWEVER, it staggers me when I see WHAT people are buying. I would rather rent forever in an interesting property than buy one of those cloned toytown houses that fill most EA windows. I don't include all new houses in this -- you do get some well proportioned, well designed new houses but those 2-bed-with-integral-garage jobs crammed into sprawling, featureless estates just depress the hell out of me.

[mikefluk]

Whats wrong with that garden??Looks fine to me....infact the whole house looks fine to me....you have to come here and have a look around what you get here

Whats wrong is a house in Warrington for £450k. I know I was born there. My parents bought their house 3 bed semi in 1945 for £700. In 2001 my mum died (dad died in 1993) and my sister bought it in 2001 for £42k. Today it is worth £110k. Well overpriced. Who on earth would pay £450k for a house in a town where there are fights every weekend, drugs are widespread, education is crap, the average bloke gets 2 girls pregnant and leaves them both...I could go on but the world has gone mad

[dubsie]

I think us Brits have a serious problem when it comes to design. We love shopping at Ikea and buying lots of modern kitchens, bedrooms etc but we then put all this modern furniture gets stuck in a fake georgian or victorian town house.

Its a con, because behind all that cheap red brick is foam and breeze blocks or concrete so they might as well built something modern. These three storey town houses will have no option for extensions and and if you fancy doing a bit of DIY beware of all the plastic pipes and cables going through your walls.

I think Brits have lost the plot and we so consumed by objects and money that we have forgot how to enjoy ourselves. Working your ass off to pay off £200,000 mortgage on a three storey prison is simply not the way to live your life.

But is the massed want to carry on buying this shit...then let them do so and in the process they are keeping me in work and will eventually give me the chance to leave this rotten island.

[ʎqɐqɹǝʞɐɥs]

Who started all this rabbit hutch mentality anyway? Barretts?

[Diddad]

Thing I love about these new build estates is the way the developers are managing to cram architecture from several centuries into a single street. You see a bunch of houses next to each other which bear no architectural resemblence to each other - apart from the fact they all look like they've just been taken fresh out of a prepackaged box and plonked down.

Another thing about the new builds is the sound-proofing is shocking. I would prefer to buy a good old ex-local authority place than a new build. With ex-la you can get proper walls, some good floor space and a killer garden.

[stoffey]

I think us Brits have a serious problem when it comes to design. We love shopping at Ikea and buying lots of modern kitchens, bedrooms etc but we then put all this modern furniture gets stuck in a fake georgian or victorian town house.

Its a con, because behind all that cheap red brick is foam and breeze blocks or concrete so they might as well built something modern. These three storey town houses will have no option for extensions and and if you fancy doing a bit of DIY beware of all the plastic pipes and cables going through your walls.

I think Brits have lost the plot and we so consumed by objects and money that we have forgot how to enjoy ourselves. Working your ass off to pay off £200,000 mortgage on a three storey prison is simply not the way to live your life.

But is the massed want to carry on buying this shit...then let them do so and in the process they are keeping me in work and will eventually give me the chance to leave this rotten island.

to damn right, it seems that the whole of britain has developed what i call the celeb culture. Regardless of how much they earn we have a want now have now society. This is why their are so much debt.....champagne lifestyle lemonade wallet....nuf said

[brassfarthing]

Thing I love about these new build estates is the way the developers are managing to cram architecture from several centuries into a single street. You see a bunch of houses next to each other which bear no architectural resemblence to each other - apart from the fact they all look like they've just been taken fresh out of a prepackaged box and plonked down.

Another thing about the new builds is the sound-proofing is shocking. I would prefer to buy a good old ex-local authority place than a new build. With ex-la you can get proper walls, some good floor space and a killer garden.

Well, I don't know about the 'proper walls' but as the owner of an ex-LA, yes, the third-of-an-acre garden is just fantastic.

[fatherphil]

When I returned from abroad at the end of last year, the building site for this development was in full flow. But since March total shut down, there is the skeleton of 3 floors built, but completely deserted, & one of the cranes has now gone.

http://www.o-j.co.uk/viewdevelopment.asp?adid=23

Whilst the 'art deco' design may look nice on the computer; the East London tube & trains from South Bermondsey to beyond run directly behind, & the swathe of green space & blue sky obviously doesn't give you the full SE London feel for the area.

I suspect no ones been willing to put the money down, especially when a parking space is 10k on top. Especially as you are getting close to being able to buy a house for that money on the same road, not that I'd recommend 300k on this one, interesting use of paving stone in the garden, although I supose you could sell it as a parking space, whilst parking your own motor on the road for free.

http://www.alexneil.co.uk/properties.php?i...ort=&price=