Buying new-builds

[Thermo]

i could fill a junkyard with the crap i dig out of the gardens when i do landscaping jobs. now on old victorian houses its nice stuff like clay pipes, silver spoons, bottles or the odd handgrenade (i kid you not). On new builds its wall ties styrofoam, cable (not the electric or water as its normally about three inches below the surface) scaffolding clamps, cans, paint cans, bricks, crisp packets, styrofoam, more wall ties and styrofoam.

 

[masona]

The only thing that concerns me is that my DIY timetable is scuppered by my work timetable and (to a lesser extent) my social timetable. Of course you have to get proper tradesmen in too, but the more hours you can put in labouring for them the more you save, right?

From what I understand is, you form a group of people together doing each others a favour doing each house on the same plot with the help of self-build advice and only get tradesman as the last resort I believe, I do know it's big saving this way as you all buy the plot together and a big profit if you're selling as well. Read this in a newspaper so I don't know much about it.

 

[WoodYouLike]

I have watched several sites grow down the years.

Did you then also see the later houses becoming smaller? We hear a story from a lady who bought one of the first houses (at the 'front' of a new big development) and who saw lesser materials going up/in same house types further in the development. (Or is this a Urban legend?)

 

[empip]

Did not see that for the same 'model' of house, new smaller ones were introduced tho'.
The over-riding observation was that prices went up faster than the local average for the house type. Which lead to the thoughts about buying initial or 'front' build in a reasonable area.
Area remains all !! Better the wrong house in the right area than the right 'un in the wrong.
A mate tried to defy that logic several years ago .. He was glad to get out after a couple of years .. he had been a relatively rich man in a relatively poor area.. paid the penalty - burgularised, vandalised etc-ised.
His ego demanded he should stay .... His family's sanity demanded they moved on PDQ.. Luckily the market was peaky.

 

[Nige F]

Is that worse than just being burgled On our 40+ yr old estate.......the first houses near the road are built with stock bricks, the rest with sand faced flettons. Guess which I`ve got or

 

[countygardens]

 

[Nige F]

30 years in the trade has some advantages Seriously, I recon I`ve saved that much over the years ,I`ve ended up nearly as well off as if I`d managed a Uni - ed. + been a "professional" and paid the trades.

 

[dg123]

I have watched several sites grow down the years.

Did you then also see the later houses becoming smaller? We hear a story from a lady who bought one of the first houses (at the 'front' of a new big development) and who saw lesser materials going up/in same house types further in the development. (Or is this a Urban legend?)

There was a report in the papers a couple of years ago where people were moving in to new builds and had bought their funiture based on the measurements taken from the show home. Guess what - none of the furniture would fit! Some of the bedroom furniture would not go in as the stairs were too narrow. The last I heard was that the new owners were suing the builders for mis-representation but I don't know the outcome.

 

[empip]

I have watched several sites grow down the years.

Did you then also see the later houses becoming smaller? We hear a story from a lady who bought one of the first houses (at the 'front' of a new big development) and who saw lesser materials going up/in same house types further in the development. (Or is this a Urban legend?)

There was a report in the papers a couple of years ago where people were moving in to new builds and had bought their funiture based on the measurements taken from the show home. Guess what - none of the furniture would fit! Some of the bedroom furniture would not go in as the stairs were too narrow. The last I heard was that the new owners were suing the builders for mis-representation but I don't know the outcome.

Pairs of tiny semis became rather small detached drums..

 

[Moz]

NEW BUILDS ARE UTTER SH*** FACT !!!!

I have worked in many properties over the years an new builds are a complete Nightmare , all the 1st fix plumbing is wrong , foreman dont give a toss , the room sizes are genuinely frightenly claustophopic ,
NEVER AGAIN, I did 2 days on a Barret site in the early 80s , them houses were awful truely...... awful ,with their faux lil windows like dolls houses , lounges 3m by 4m..an that then was the top of the range house lol

can I just add most new builds are built by "bodge it an scarper ltd " ,the tradesman taken on nowadays is the cheapiest quote "monkey firm" around .....they can bodge a contract job an then disappear an set up as another firm...

Thermo
you forgot about the cement mixer in the garden , lol ......the gardens look nice til 3 months after, the grass dies an you can see where that was placed an the route the barrow boy tuck lol...
plus the old cement bags ,an blue plastic off the brick stacks buried ,lol


PLease avoid new builds by the big firms , a good local builder can do you a fantastic build for cheaper ,+ALL SNAGGING IS SORTED ...

btw I forgot to mention these local lovelies near me ,
a top estate has just been condemed because their built on a Radon Gas Dump..lol
another site in the green fields has just started to sink due to the site being built under the water table ..lol
both above were on "Granada Reports News"an the NHBC have washed their hands of the sites saying they were built incorrectly an are not covering them ,lol

 

[jeff4of]

Hi all, Just returned from visiting my sister's new build house. Lovely looking house, with all mod cons, never lived in before etc,etc, Came home feeling peeved and not looking forward to many months d.i.y (possibly years!) But Fate seems to have stepped in and stopped me even considering to buy a new build now after reading these posts! Thinking about it in detail now, new builds are def smaller and noticed that the plasterboard nails are popping from the ceilings already (she only moved in a month ago) and I have a niggling doubt about the back garden (which has a river running directly at the back of it) My house is an ex-local 1940's in dire needs of some d.i.y, but overall, it seems more solid, much larger. Having read your posts it seems old and d.i.y'd is best!

 

[Nige F]

I`m sitting here in a 60`s local builder`s house- and yet I`ve had a few probs....bad plastering- son and mates are plasterers plumbing + bathrooms were a bit iffy- That`s my trade Ranch Rail round the gallery landing-redone with spindles, by an ex-lodger M8 who restores furniture Electrics checked by Ex-lectric board sparky M8 . All the internal walls are solid. windows previously changed to pvc. Proper floor boards Even got a M8 with drain jetter And if any of you guys want a really good builder.....NO not me.....I was looking round a pair of bungalows yesterday, 2 local guys..100% workmanship. They`ll work in E. Sussex. My e mail is in my profile

 

[WoodYouLike]

We're living in a '70 house (that's 1870), garden is three times as big as the house, living is small, dining is small, it has a few problems with insulation, draft (single glass in old wooden windows etc), but we wouldn't trade it in for a new build modern property, not in a million years

Our house has character