New build houses

[wandringstar]

but that's not social housing

[bobt]

I worked on a newish estate this week, they had the social housing block in the middle of nice well-to-do houses, you could tell because an old rusting clapped out car was sat there on axle stands and had been for years, bringing the place down.

one locally as they moved in last year, a van turned up unloaded some furniture and dumped half a dozen tyres on the front lawn, followed by an old sofa, a week later they were still there.

[AVB]

I have lived in houses ranging from the 1750's to New Build.

 

The easiest was the 1750's house. Structurally it had been around for 250 years and would stand for another 250. It had been renovated in the past but the 'mechanics' of it - Heating, water, electrics - were simple.

 

The most problematic is the house we are in at the moment. A 1960's build with extensions in 70's and 00's. Nothing is logical. The wiring and pipework is all over the place. We are spending a lot of time and money rectifying some of the basics and reconfiguring the 60's/70's layout.

 

New builds are great for a few years as once the snagging is done you don't have to do much in the way of maintenance for a few years. But then things start going wrong and some of the high tech heating & water systems can be difficult to fix. They are cheaper to run but there is normally a big compromise on space, both internally and externally. The recent new builds I have had have had been from smaller, independent, builders who have bought a plot and built 1-5 houses on them. I have found them easer to work with in respect of customising to your taste and built to a better quality with higher end fixtures. Don't rely on 10 year NHBC guarantee it isn't worth the paper it is written on.

 

Ideally I would go for a high-end new build but not on a large estate.

 

Good luck.