House Preference and why ...

[Frank Manning]

I aways said that I wanted to live on Cowes Parade with views up and down the Solent. Three years ago I saw a superb apartment for sale with picture windows, just right. To Sue's surprise I arranged a viewing, and sure enough the views were marvellous...walking distance to the Redjet terminal...near a decent pub and lovely walks to Gurnard. BUT, and believe me the list of buts was long. The view of one of the bedroom windows was of the entrances to a public toilet, no garage or parking, very little room for wardrobes, lack of other storage. So here we are, and here we have stayed for 14 years. Just about to have a wall built in the lounge. Its twenty three years old and we have built a conservatory, had a new kitchen, bathroom, cloakroom, and built in bedroom furniture. New boiler, and all new double glazing....cant afford tp throw all that away. 2 miles from Bournemouth town centre, 4 miles from lovely views across Poole harbour. I'll settle for what I've got. Sue still spends a lot of time looking on Rightmove though.

[oldbluefox]

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

I'm impressed with your next door neighbours' 'pad' Sue. Now WHO would live in a place like that?

In the past we have always had to find a home close to work and not always our first choice. Nearly all have been semi-detached so it was very much a case of keeping the noise down so as not to annoy the neighbours, or having to put up with rowdy parties going on late into the early morning from next door. Now we have a detached house which we chose purely for ourselves it is wonderful. It also makes a difference to have good neighbours.

I have just had to go and feed the birds who stand on the doorstep waiting for me to come!!

[Delboy]

Other than the time I spent in a children's home (11 to 15), I was brought up in a house which only had an outside toilet, no bathroom, only a tin bath

So when I got married at the age of 25 in 1965, it was great to move straight into our own home with all the mod cons of the day, which was a 3 bedroom end terrace house, don't know the age of it but it was not new, and not particularly old.

We stayed there for 7 years before moving, to a part of Essex which is well know for its Jam making, now know as the largest village in the country.
We purchased a large detached 3 bedroom bungalow, the lounge alone taking 60 square yards of carpet. We stayed there for about 17 years, and during those years spent a lot of money on alterations to the property, so much so, we were able to sell it for a small fortune compared to what we paid for it. A sale forced on us by the collapse of a business partnership.

From there we moved to the Seaside town in Essex we now live in, to a 3 bedroom one off detached modern house, but not a new house, where we lived for a number of years. My wife was then made redundant when the national company she worked for, was purchased and closed by Cadbury's, who moved everything lock stock and barrel up north.

We had always said we would downsize to a smaller property when we retired. As my wife was at an age she could take early retirement, when she was made redundant, we decided to do it then (she did get another job, the best she says she ever had, working for the mental health dept of the NHS, before she eventually retired aged 61).

We down sized to a much smaller bungalow than we had previously owned, which is where we now live, although small, it has everything we require, separate dining room, conservatory and small garden, the back garden faces south west, so it gets the sun most of the day, with the bedrooms getting the early morning sun. It is in a cul-de-sac, it is very quiet, the only noise normally coming from the birds, including a neighbours chickens and cockerel at the bottom of our garden. Ten minutes drive from the beach, our daughter and grandchildren live in the next road, and our son less than 10 minutes drive away.

Lorraine often comments when she is sitting in the garden, that its our little piece of heaven.
We have no intention of moving again, and as I have been known to tell people, the only way they will get me to move from here, will be in a box, I also happen to agree with Lorraine "Heaven", I consider ourselves so lucky.

Sent from my iPad

[CaroleF]

Our house was built around 1760 and has been in my husband's family since the early 1900s. There are two houses together - the one next door with an impressive Georgian portico - was the home to my husband's parents when we married and ours had been let for several years. Luckily part of my husband's family firm is building so he was able to all the necessary alterations to our house when we married. So after many years of living next to my in-laws (happily I might add) we now live next door to my daughter, son-in-law and their children who took over the house when his parents died. My husband spent a year renovating it for our daughter and family and as my son-in-law works in the family business with my husband it works out well. I discovered the secret to living next door to family members years ago - you don't 'pop in' unless asked. Mind you that doesn't stop my daughter appearing with - "I don't suppose you have.......I could use!"

My late mother-in-law loved to babysit so that was wonderful when my girls were young - now it's my turn! As far as living in a very old house is concerned I think you need to have a 'useful' husband like mine who can cope with most things and build kitchens and extensions when required - otherwise you need pots of money to pay someone else to do it.

A little off the subject - I had a couple of young men appear at the door saying the usual about "being in the area - building works etc". I pointed out the No Cold Calling notice but he seemed to ignore that. We have some new houses opposite us on the site of a pub that was knocked down. The young man asked if we had thought of having some nice upvc windows put in our house instead of our old sashes. He got a lecture from me about a listed building and who on earth would want to put upvc windows in even if we were allowed to!

I do see some nice looking modern houses and think how much easier it would be to look after but I prefer the period houses really.

Carole

[Kenmo1]

I love to watch Homes under the Hammer and see how people who buy houses do them up. I am obviously a total philistine because as they wax lyrical about keeping old fire places, sash windows and other period features, I just think no thank you - especially as neither me nor my OH are any good at DIY. We moved in February from a 1960s semi detached house in a quiet cul-de-sac to a 1960s bungalow on a busy main road. It has a lot of easy care features which is all that we wanted as we get older. We are never bored as there is always something going on outside whereas we hardly saw anyone when we lived in the cul-de-sac. We are on a main bus route, not far from the town and it has all the things we will need as we get older - walk in shower/easy access if either of us needs a wheelchair/plenty of off road parking etc - you can tell I worked too long in Social Services, can't you. We feel we have made the right decision for us but obviously it wouldn't be everyone's choice and at least we hope that this means we will have enough money available left for cruising which was a high priority - in fact, when we had the builders in to do a few jobs, all I could say whenever the bills arrived was 'we could have had a cruise for that!'

[Delboy]

We are never bored as there is always something going on outside whereas we hardly saw anyone when we lived in the cul-de-sac. We are on a main bus route, not far from the town and it has all the things we will need as we get older - walk in shower!'

Hi Ken

Yes we Also have the walk in shower, a few minutes walk from bus stop, with buses to town, and plenty of opportunity for curtain twitching, even in a cul-de-sac, Lorraine can see everything thats going on and who is passing from the Kitchen window, even who is approaching the front door.

[gfwgfw]

Not too fussy what the residence is like BUT it must be in rural Dorset, make no mistake about that

[suespud]

Im loving reading all the posts about your houses, what you like and don't like, I find it all fascinating.

Iv always had an interest in older houses .. but as much as I love my Victorian house and fixtures and fittings.. my dream house would be an Arts and Crafts style house.
I adore Rennie Mackintosh and his designs and architectural influence.

[qbman1]

In that case, you would just love This One Spuddy. It has a cracking garden as well.

[trixie]

That is a gorgeous house QB !

It all boils down to location for us at the moment , we are a very nifty 5 min walk from daughters school but she is going into her final year in Sept so who knows what the future will bring ?? Our current house is 7 years old and has 5 bedrooms which is really stupid as there are only 3 of us ( its also too much cleaning )
I would really like to downsize to a smaller,older property. I love all the original features like fireplaces ,and I'd like to be near the coast !

[oldbluefox]

I agree that house is really lovely.

If you like Arts & Crafts type houses have you visited Blackwell near Bowness on Windermere? Well worth a visit.

The architect designed it for a wealthy businessman from window latches down to furniture and meant it to be lived in as he left it. Imagine his horror when the family moved in, shifted all the furniture around and started installing deer's antlers and sporting trophies on the walls. It has a fascinating history but is really lovely if you like that sort of thing. As a girls' school they used to flood the parking area in front of the house in winter and the girls used to skate on the frozen ice.

[qbman1]

It is even better in the flesh. It belonged to the D'Oyly Carte family (of opera fame) and they donated it to the Trust along with much of the original furniture so it is a real museum piece. Of course, I preferred the garden but then that's just me...!

[Andrea S]

I grew up in rural Essex in a thatched cottage . It had a black fire which housed the oven and hot water came from boiling kettles. The loo was outside shared by 3 other cottages. There was no bathroom, baths were in a tin bath.
After getting married we bought a caravan where we lived until our 2nd child was born.
Our 1st house was bought in 1959, a 2 bedroom semi. Due to illness which caused several moves in to more suitable accommodation we had several new houses all 3 bed semi's but with different floor lay outs.
In 1974 I bought our most expensive house. (£8700.00) a large 5 bedroom Victorian Semi, with high ceilings, a fireplace in every room, kitchen breakfast room, dining room and lounge. Students had been living in the property and the decoration was horrendous. One room was dark blue on all walls including the ceiling , another room dark brown, another green and one yellow. Builders moved in to tweak the place and turned a very large bedroom into a 2nd bathroom.

[suespud]

In that case, you would just love This One Spuddy. It has a cracking garden as well.

Iv been there !!!
Its an amazing house and the garden is glorious.

[suespud]

I agree that house is really lovely.

If you like Arts & Crafts type houses have you visited Blackwell near Bowness on Windermere? Well worth a visit.

The architect designed it for a wealthy businessman from window latches down to furniture and meant it to be lived in as he left it. Imagine his horror when the family moved in, shifted all the furniture around and started installing deer's antlers and sporting trophies on the walls. It has a fascinating history but is really lovely if you like that sort of thing. As a girls' school they used to flood the parking area in front of the house in winter and the girls used to skate on the frozen ice.

Foxy..Iv been there 3 times.
I love the peacefulness found in The White Drawing room.
The fireplace was roped off on one visit, but the next time we were allowed to sit on the seats in the fireplace.
http://www.blackwell.org.uk/white-drawing-room

[suespud]

I have a theory why I love old houses....I think im an old soul and in my former life/lives I lived in the 19th /early 20th century. I feel so much at ease and at peace when I enter an old house.
I also happen to think I was a mermaid.....hmmmmm not sure what that means..

[Lincoln18]

When you are in your 60s buy a house/bungalow/flat that will be suitable for you in 10 years time. So said the GP to a friend.

[suespud]

When you are in your 60s buy a house/bungalow/flat that will be suitable for you in 10 years time. So said the GP to a friend.

Nahhhh ..wont be me doing that and I'm nearly 60
Although I can see the benefits of one level living and quite like it on our Windsor apartment.
But with six grandchildren and ANOTHER one on the way ...I need the space that upstairs and upstairs again, gives us at our main home.

[Andrea S]

Lincoln18, I agree with that.

3 years ago the OH and myself had some health issues. It was quite hilly where we lived and following a couple of operations the stairs were a problem.
Although we both fully recovered it made us aware that the future could bring problems.

We sold our house and moved into an apartment on a complex for over 55's.
It is the best move ever. Warm, secure and easy to clean. We have our own small garden but beautifully maintained communal gardens.

Some residents arrange theatre trips and meals out but we like to do things on our own. At sometime in the future we may be glad of other people's company.

It has worked very well for us.

[suespud]

I can see it working very well for lots of people. Im not knocking it.

My OH has worked away for home for a long time and Iv spent many many months away from our home too.
We are just getting to the stage where we can enjoy being at home more.
Its size, the fact we can have big family "do's" (we have a big family), the fact we can have a few grandchildren staying over at the same time, friends to stay..etc etc,
Its location to our family and friends is important to us.
Iv no doubt eventually it will become too much for us in later years, Im 56 and OH is 57. We will think then, if we want to move and downsize..and spend all the money we have left over(kids inheritance)

[GillD46]

Sue - we thought down sizing would mean we'd have a bit more cash. Couldn't have been more wrong - our bungalow cost a shed load more than the price we got for our MUCH larger house.

[Manoverboard]

Moving into an over 55's retirement apartment is a Topic in it's own right ... I will raise one

[Andrea S]

DQ, A retirement village was built nearby and we thought the idea for the future would be ideal for us. On further investigation we realised they depended on residents joining in with activities even manning the shop for short hours to keep the maintenance costs down.

Too much involvement for us, and to be quite honest I don't think I would like that in years to come.

When we moved we were the age you will be when your grandchildren are thinking of leaving school .

No way are we ready to act old. !!!!!

[Delboy]

One of the advantages for us in having a smaller bungalow is, if we have a family get together, because all the family live locally to us, we have an excuse to send them all home afterwards, and enjoy the peace and quiet it brings.

Or alternatively get our daughter to have all the family get togethers at her home, which is happening more these days. She had a barbecue last Sunday and another for this coming Monday, grand childrens birthdays, but what I like, is because our home is just a street away we can walk home afterwards and leave them to it.

My brother recently had a family get together and barbecue at his home for one of his grand children's birthdays. I had to cancel going last minute, due to not being well, was I relieved afterwards I was not able to go, when I heard they had over 35 children attended plus parents, as well as bouncy castle etc in the garden, mind you he does a great barbecue

Whenever my brother has a get together, his house always seems to be teaming with adults and children, most of the adults getting worse for drink as the night goes on, I am always glad to get away to the comfort of my own home.

[Silver_Shiney]

Sue, you'd like where I work - built in the 1850s by the Fry's chocolate people as their family home, then sold to the Wills tobacco family. http://www.cruise-community.me.uk/galle ... lbum_id=99