House Preference and why ...

[suespud]

When we bought our first house, age 17 and 18, it was an old Victorian terraced, with damp, dry rot, big marble fireplaces, which we pulled out and replaced with a stone fireplace(1975) needed CH and lots more besides. But we loved it.
But after having our first child, our priorities changed... well mine did. I wanted a utility room, patio doors and a garden on an estate with other families.
We bought a 4 bedroomed detached "Leech" house, with the utility..etc etc. in Cramlington.
The house was fine, but couldn't settle.
Had another child but wanted to move back to Jarrow.. which we did to a new build which I hated.
But the house was very near my ill parents so we couldn't move, had another child.
Eventually, my dear parents passed on and we moved again....to another 4 bed victorian terrace, one street away from our first home and 150 yards from where I was born.
Been here for 19 years and I love this house....big fireplaces.. deep skirting boards, cornicing..ceiling roses, plate racks etc....
I MUCH prefer old houses to the new ones....

Do you have a preference ?

[GillD46]

I can, and do appreciate older properties, but my personal preference is for contemporary homes. Our last house was about 5 years old, but built to look rather like a farmhouse, with all oak woodwork, Welsh slate floors etc. We loved it.

Unfortunately, we didn't like the truly dreadful weather that we had, day in and day out, because we were so high, so 7 moths ago we moved 16 miles away to the most delightful village, on the cliff tops. This village is VERY expensive, so we decided the time had come to down size, and we are now in a much smaller 4 bedroom bungalow, built in the 1960s It isn't our dream home, and never will be, though the location is, but the work we have done on it has made it a comfortable home, and one we will probably never move from.

To quote the TV programme, it's all about location location location.

[david63]

No disrespect Sue but that is the last thing on earth that I would want as a house - I appreciate the character but for me simple modern lines with as few "dust gatherers" as possible, low ceilings to make it easier to paint and replace light bulbs.

[suespud]

I can, and do appreciate older properties, but my personal preference is for contemporary homes. Our last house was about 5 years old, but built to look rather like a farmhouse, with all oak woodwork, Welsh slate floors etc. We loved it.

Unfortunately, we didn't like the truly dreadful weather that we had, day in and day out, because we were so high, so 7 moths ago we moved 16 miles away to the most delightful village, on the cliff tops. This village is VERY expensive, so we decided the time had come to down size, and we are now in a much smaller 4 bedroom bungalow, built in the 1960s It isn't our dream home, and never will be, though the location is, but the work we have done on it has made it a comfortable home, and one we will probably never move from.

To quote the TV programme, it's all about location location location.

Gill it made me smile about the weather... I spent 5 years in Swansea...it rained a lot there too !!!
It is all about Location and what suits the person.

[suespud]

No disrespect Sue but that is the last thing on earth that I would want as a house - I appreciate the character but for me simple modern lines with as few "dust gatherers" as possible, low ceilings to make it easier to paint and replace light bulbs.

None taken David... but as I have sons that are 6ft 8ins and 6ft 6 ins... and long arms,I need never worry about painting ceilings.....and we can always borrow ou friends scaffolding....if they are busy..
And I have a little lady who dusts...

[Dancing Queen]

Oooops I've just started a similar thread, great minds Sue as I hadn't noticed yours but that's scary us being on the same wavelength especially as I haven't spoken to you today

David, any chance of deleting my thread please.

Have deleted it DQ. Foxymod

[suespud]

Lololol that's so funny!!! And scarey..... She knows what I'm thinking!!!

[towny44]

Presumably has to be our 4 bed detached bought new 30 years ago, otherwise we would have moved again.

[GillD46]

Sue, we're probably only about 3 miles from where you were at Caswell, further down the Gower. I spent many a day as Caswell as a child as I was born in Murton.

[emjay45]

I would ideally like a new house built to look like an old house. I like old houses because they have character but can do without all the problems they bring. My youngest sister has always had old houses and I would not have survived some of the things she has had to deal with. Her present home is a listed building and they can’t even change a door handle without having it specially made.
We have always lived in new houses. Our present house is now 13 years old we bought it 8 years ago. Some of the rooms have high ceilings and the kitchen and sunroom have ceilings up to 20ft high. This does cause a problem when decorating and changing bulbs. We have a HUGE ladder for this purpose. I wouldn’t call it my dream home but I love where it is. We are close to the sea and It can get a little wild and woolly in the winter when the gales start but I’m happy here.

[oldbluefox]

We have always lived in old houses. The last one was lovely with its wide skirting boards, high ceilings and leaded lights. However decorating was always a mammoth task especially on the stairs where paperhanging became a work of tightrope art worthy of the circus. The downside was it took a lot of heating in the winter and there was a constant battle dealing with damp, pointing (sea breezes seemed to blow it out at will) rusting hinges (even stainless steel) due to salt air, woodworm, dry rot. The outside needed painting every few years and it was heck of a long way up to the peak of the bargeboards, I can tell you!!! There was always something that needed doing.
We bought this house out in the country which is just 25 years old and after the old house it's a dream. I can decorate a room in next to no time, its lovely and warm in the winter and we don't have any of the problems of the old house. I have just had all the bargeboards, fascias and soffits plasticced so no more hanging on ladders with a paintbrush and white knuckles!! It's so easy to look after that I love it.

[Dancing Queen]

Lololol that's so funny!!! And scarey..... She knows what I'm thinking!!!

I think it's scarey Sue because I had no idea you had posted and it isn't even as if it was something we've discussed previously

Thanks Foxy.

When we bought our bungalow which was built circa 1985 we were also bidding on one which was a very old property but had been renovated, it was lovely and that would have been my preference, we had to drop out of the bidding as it went way beyond what we could afford at the time, I have no regrets and I love what I have but if I ever win the lottery I would definitely move and go for a much older property with lots of character, I would also move from this area and go much closer to Southampton for obvious reasons

[emjay45]

OBF I know what you mean about the salt when you live by the sea. It does cause us problems and as our house is white you can imagine how often it needs painting. It costs a fortune to heat in the winter. We have oil heating. Now I think of it I wonder if we made a huge mistake

[oldbluefox]

And then there's the sand that blows down your chimney!!! Or the wind that blows your gas cowl off at 2 in the morning!! Oh, such fun!!!

[Meg 50]

I spent 5 years in Swansea...it rained a lot there too !!!

funny you should say that. JD went to uni there - had her interview on a beautiful sunny day and she turned down every offer cos she was desperate to go to the Uni on the beach.

her aim was , with her friends, to picnic on the beach....
It never stopped raining long enough in the entire 3 years for her to do it!

It even rained on Brangwen Hall when she graduated!

[Meg 50]

we live in a 3 bed 1908 house. It has large rooms and high doorways and ceilings. We've done a lot of updating over the last 36 years and it'll probably see us out unless we can take our friends and neighbours with us!

My dream would be a place with HUGE rooms and enormous high ceilings. Enormous grounds covered by gardener. I know these apartments exist, but they all seem to be miles from civilisation which wouldn't do to retire to.


And be way outside our credit limit

[Manoverboard]

Ah ... but the cowl stops the jackdaw building his/her nest and the need to dismantle the chimney stack to get the open fire working again without burning the house down.

[Dark Knight]

new build every time
we have big rooms, high ceilings, low heating bills and a it is easy to paint and decorate
plus we get 2 years of repairs etc from the builder, should there be any issues

[Gill W]

I've only lived in three houses in my life

My mum and dads house which was a Victorian terraced house.

Then we bought our first home, a brand new terraced house, where we lived for 8 years, and then we moved to this house, which was also bought new, 24 years ago.

In theory I'd like to do up an old house, but it would probably be too much work. I prefer to move in and settle down without too much upheaval, so new suits me best

[Quizzical Bob]

My first two houses had outside toilets and the third also did when we first moved in. Give me modern homes, double glazing and central heating every time.

[oldbluefox]

Ah ... but the cowl stops the jackdaw building his/her nest and the need to dismantle the chimney stack to get the open fire working again without burning the house down.

No jackdaws Mob. The herring gulls kept them (and everything else) away. The night the cowl came off I heard it slide down the roof and thought I would find it in the garden the next morning. To my dismay it was blown 100yds up the road to the roundabout where somebody had driven over it. It lay flat and lifeless in the road. It cost me £48 for a new one plus the cost of re-fitting it!!! I wasn't a happy bunny!!

[suespud]

Sue, we're probably only about 3 miles from where you were at Caswell, further down the Gower. I spent many a day as Caswell as a child as I was born in Murton.

I must admit I miss Caswell beach.
Happy memories of time spent there.

[suespud]

we live in a 3 bed 1908 house. It has large rooms and high doorways and ceilings. We've done a lot of updating over the last 36 years and it'll probably see us out unless we can take our friends and neighbours with us!

My dream would be a place with HUGE rooms and enormous high ceilings. Enormous grounds covered by gardener. I know these apartments exist, but they all seem to be miles from civilisation which wouldn't do to retire to.

And be way outside our credit limit

Meg....there is one for rent where I live...

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/details/29097480

[Meg 50]

that's what I want!

bit for for OH to commute and for both of us to get to committee meetings!

[Silver_Shiney]

We're in a 3-bed end-terrace on the corner of our road. The house itself is lovely, bought it new nearly 23 years ago. It's the longest we've ever been anywhere - our first "home" after our wedding was occupied for 6 weeks - two days after I moved in, I was told I was being posted up north.

The rooms here aren't too big, but the four of us seem to manage okay, even though there's only one bathroom.

The problem with being on a corner is that the local youths use our garden as a shortcut, even though we've bot wide flower beds. I'm now growing a box hedge to try and deter this.

The problem with not being detached in noisy neighbours - the lad who used to live next door would play his "music" at full volume at all hours, and burn "exotic substances" in the small back garden.

The Lady C said that, if I was to shuffle off this mortal coil, she'd stay put - it's her home and there are lots of memories. If it was the other way round, I'd probably sell and move into a flat over a shop in the city centre. Yes, this is my home but I'd be rattling around a property far too big for just me (assuming that daughter and SIL have moved out by then!!)