An Estate Agent sort of question .... what do you think?

[qbman1]

You sure it's not a Maisonette, Sue.....?!?!

[Meg 50]

my daughter has just bought an apartment in an old house - newly renovated. The maintenance charge is worth its weight in gold - when someone heaved a golf ball through her bedroom window at 6 am a couple of days ago the management company sorted out glazier and insurance...

Luckily the double glazing stopped the golf ball coming right into her room.


Incidentally she lives in a 'nice' area full of posh houses

[suespud]

Em, you had already said you wouldn't live in Windsor ... each to their own and that is your prerogative but if it's good enough for "her Majesty" I would have thought it was good enough for the rest of us mere "mortals" but there you go !!!!!

I wonder what "her Majestys" FLAT is like in Windsor Castle???

[qbman1]

Blimey, we're being over-run by Hyacinth Buckets !!

[Manoverboard]

Heritage ... good word that, bit like character as applied to dwellings I dare say.

Old Victorian buildings, barn conversions, farmhouses in places like Dorset, sumptious listed appartments and even those gypsy caravans with all the chrome and bling are part of our ' heritage '.

[Meg 50]

Em, you had already said you wouldn't live in Windsor ... each to their own and that is your prerogative but if it's good enough for "her Majesty" I would have thought it was good enough for the rest of us mere "mortals" but there you go !!!!!

I wonder what "her Majestys" FLAT is like in Windsor Castle???

old!

[suespud]

You sure it's not a Maisonette, Sue.....?!?!

ohhhhhh now is that posher than flat ???

Definition ??

lol

[qbman1]

Not too sure about the chrome caravans MOB - they go with the fairground travellers. Now, if you include the painted wooden caravans with the piebald ponies, now THAT'S "heritage"

[Meg 50]

You sure it's not a Maisonette, Sue.....?!?!

ohhhhhh now is that posher than flat ???

Definition ??

lol

nope - not posher : maisonettes have outside staircases don't they?

[qbman1]

You sure it's not a Maisonette, Sue.....?!?!

ohhhhhh now is that posher than flat ???

Definition ??

lol

I've always understood it to be a flat extending over more than one floor level but I am sure there is some bright spark on here who will soon quote the OED at us!

[Manoverboard]

You sure it's not a Maisonette, Sue.....?!?!

ohhhhhh now is that posher than flat ???

Definition ??

lol

Much posher ... in Harrow ( very close to Windsor doncha know ) for example, albeit not on the Hill, mere working class types lived in a Council ' flat ' but the posher folk were often able to purchase their own ' maisonette ' even though most were much smaller and had their windows falling out due to shoddy workmanship.

Maisonettes I thought were generally in a block of four whereas flats were either up plus down else in blocks.

ps ... the downstairs ones didn't have outside staircases

[HK phooey]

A flat is flat ie on one level and a maisonette is a flat with an upstairs

[Onelife]

Hi Sue,

I love Windsor and would love us to become bestfriendsforever...How many rooms does your flat have?...there's only three of us and we don’t mind sharing

Your greatest admirer

Keith x

Flat.........FLAT.....??????
You wont be sharing anything unless you call it an apartment !!!!!

Oop’s !

Sorry Sue

I was referring to the stable block you’ve had converted to flats

[Dancing Queen]

Going way off topic but when I was first married before we could afford to buy we rented a beautiful flat in a very old Victorian house, in fact every property in the square was similar, years later many of the properties were sold to a hotel group but what was really weird I went for a job interview and the Company were interviewing in this hotel and I actually found myself in my old lounge, it certainly broke the ice and the interview got off to a good start ... oh I got the job as well

[Manoverboard]

Not too sure about the chrome caravans MOB - they go with the fairground travellers. Now, if you include the painted wooden caravans with the piebald ponies, now THAT'S "heritage"

I think they are both part of our Heritage ?

[Silver_Shiney]

Oh I forgot to say listed buildings are old but many live in them hmmmm I wonder what sort of problems they have

The one I work in suffers from rising damp, woodworm, leaking roof, draughty windows, requirement for special glass (someone tried to break in through a window and we weren't allowed to get bog-standard glass to repair it), inside window shutters that don't close properly.

On the other hand, it's got loads of character!

[Dancing Queen]

Yes but if it was your property Alan you would in all probability keep it in a good state of repair, I'm sure anyone who lives in an old property/listed building is more than aware of what is likely to cost them to maintain it and makes provision for that.

[Silver_Shiney]

I daresay, Jo, all I know is it's costing us a fortune! We've had it 55 years so maybe maintenance and costs weren't so much of an issue then. I don't know!

[Boris+]

And there again Alan, maybe several decades ago there were more skilled tradesmen to provide the maintenance in question - which would have kept the cost down a bit.

Easy way around looking after an old property - put it in a Trust and open it to the public.

Easy.

Em

[Dancing Queen]

What a good idea ...it worked for Chatsworth

I think Alan said it is his work place, so I suppose it would depend if there would be any interest in opening it to the public

[Boris+]

Going slightly off topic (but it was my thread when it started), one of the things we really enjoy when we are away is not going on excursions so much, but getting the shuttle bus into the town or city or whatever and just looking at the local architecture. All you have to do is look upwards and around corners and at the right time of year you can get some cracking photographs.

Em

[Silver_Shiney]

We've got a small museum but we don't charge for access.

[wolfie]

Easy way around looking after an old property - put it in a Trust and open it to the public.

Easy.

Em

We're not having any old Tom, Rick or Harriet traipsing all over Wolfie Towers

[suespud]

And there again Alan, maybe several decades ago there were more skilled tradesmen to provide the maintenance in question - which would have kept the cost down a bit.

Easy way around looking after an old property - put it in a Trust and open it to the public.

Easy.

Em

I dont agree, I think old properties have so much to offer....homes to live in, for those who appreciate the quality fine buildings and appreciate even more what the skilled tradesmen have given us.
Ok so they take more maintenance, but so what, as long as you expect that.
I happen to think they are worth it.

[Boris+]

Sometimes Sue,

It's what people do in order to cope with the onset of various taxes.

Em