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Does no one want a garden anymore?


Scully
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I grew up in a modest semi detached with an average sized garden which my parents ( primarily my Dad ) constantly cultivated so we had a goodly supply of in season food, and almost every house in my small home town does indeed have a garden. The allotments fell into disrepair decades ago, and a housing development I remember being built in the late 1960's early 1970's have small but useable gardens.

A developer has built five houses and is in the process of building another five ( can't do it altogether as that would mean building affordable ones....no profit in that! ) and none have gardens. Each has a small drive for a car and a small patch of grass at the rear. The same developer has just completed four, four bedroomed houses with garages, squeezed onto a very small former field with admittedly great views and a small parking space and a tiny triangular piece of grass at the rear. These houses are in excess of 400k each, there is what appears to be less than two metres space between each one and there are no gardens. I just don't get it. 

A recent and ongoing development of over 100 houses in my home town has houses of every size and shape, but no gardens. Why?

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1 minute ago, Medic1281 said:

Gardens aren’t worth anything to the developers. Take gardens away from 5 houses and you’ve got another building plot!

I have to agree; that's how I see it too, which is why the roads are almost single track and people have to park with two wheels on the kerb in order for traffic to pass. 

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I do realise it’s all for profit, what I meant by ‘I just don’t get it’ and the question ‘why’ , was why don’t people want gardens anymore? As much as I’m sure those four bedroomed houses are very swish with all mod cons as the saying goes, why are they selling without gardens ? They were in fact sold before completion!  There isn’t even anywhere for kids to play! If I found my dream house and could afford it, I still wouldn’t buy it if it had no garden. 

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They are too busy staring at their I Phones to go out gardening for heavens sake.  Everyone over 17 must have a car as well, so front gardens become car parks.  I had to beg to borrow the milk delivery van when I was 17...18...19...20 and we all walked two miles to a pick up point where one young farmer would gramp us all in his fathers Austin Somersetsaloon ....it got very friendly at times:yes:.  I was 23 when i won £50 on the Premium Bonds and bought myself a Lambretta scooter.  Everyone these days moans but do not know how well off they are.  Now I have 12 acres to tend but this year grassed over half of my veg garden as we couldn't eat what it produced.  Our flower garden this year has been a picture...our front garden is the pavement through the village.

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Edited by Walker570
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12 minutes ago, Scully said:

I do realise it’s all for profit, what I meant by ‘I just don’t get it’ and the question ‘why’ , was why don’t people want gardens anymore? As much as I’m sure those four bedroomed houses are very swish with all mod cons as the saying goes, why are they selling without gardens ? They were in fact sold before completion!  There isn’t even anywhere for kids to play! If I found my dream house and could afford it, I still wouldn’t buy it if it had no garden. 

It wouldn't be a dream house without a garden though would it? We bought a garden with a house attached 😉

We're thinking of extending, well I'm thinking the wife is waiting, so keep looking at what's available and the gardens are always a deal breaker for us.

£400k and no garden, no chance.

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My gardens 10 yards long and 8 wide . It’s just about enough to play in with a veggy patch and Wendy house . We can play with airguns but I’d love bigger . The gardens behind mine are over 100 yards long and 15 wide . They fetch £4-700k tho . A few have sold and been developed into 3 houses but they don’t sell as quick as the gardens. 

Id love a few acres and a tiny house will do. 

I look at the new sites and think who’s going to by them at £350k with no garden ??? . 

My mates garden is 200 yards long almost and amazing when the kids play and get lost there . I’m only £200,000 short lol . 

As Walker knows we have 8000 houses being built locally within 8 sq miles. It’s bonkers .

 

my house can go up £50,000 only 600 yards away, £150,000 only 500 yards more and £200,000 1 mile away. 

All same size gardens . Only a few digits on the post code 

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11 minutes ago, Scully said:

Mmmmm.....strange indeed. We have a huge garden, big enough to build a couple of houses on ironically. 🙂

I can understand when people do it. Build a house on side land, make enough to pay a mortgage off or retire early. 

Built on my land at the side . Extra bedroom,bathroom, gun room , doubled my sons room and living room . 

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14 minutes ago, 100milesaway said:

Kitchens will be the next to go. from Auntie.🙄

You could be right actually; people already shopninline for groceries, takeaways are very popular, and I know my daughter and her uni friends sometimes have hot food delivered. Kitchens aren’t the necessity they once were. 

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broad beans to freeze, shallots to string, garlic to string, Swiss chard to pull all year round and a couple of rows of stringless/french type beans to freeze and that is about it for me BUT I do have a guy in for a day every month or so to do the heavy digging, pruning and help with maintenance and log sawing/splitting.  Having a 'bit' of land is great but it needs constant attention

always something to do and gets much harder as the years go by.

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I don't think  it's got anything to do with what people want any more.

We went looking for a new cooker over the past couple of weeks. We wanted a gas 4 hob with eye-level grill and warming draw at the bottom, same as the one we have. Went into a local Euronics, not a single eye-level grill. Curry's had one but the space that could have been a warming cabinet was a blanked off empty space.

Found Argos had two and have ordered one.

When I asked why I was told nobody wanted to buy eye-level grills any more. More a case of this is what we've got, take it or leave was the impression I got and I think it's the same with houses.

There's such a demand people will buy anything and, if they can seil houses without gardens then they'll say nobody wants a garden any more.

At  the end of my road a developer built eight flats literally on the touch line of a football/cricket ground. They're so close to the pitch that there's big nets stretched acroos the whole of them to stop balls going through the windows. They sold out in weeks🤔

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2 hours ago, Scully said:

I do realise it’s all for profit, what I meant by ‘I just don’t get it’ and the question ‘why’ , was why don’t people want gardens anymore? As much as I’m sure those four bedroomed houses are very swish with all mod cons as the saying goes, why are they selling without gardens ? They were in fact sold before completion!  There isn’t even anywhere for kids to play! If I found my dream house and could afford it, I still wouldn’t buy it if it had no garden. 

 

Same reason people are buying these new builds with tiny bedrooms, small kitchen that's just a corner of the living room, no storage for any of their personal stuff and not enough parking for them or their neighbours.

They only have to put down 5%, which on a £200,000 flat or home is still £10,000. If they bought a "second hand" home, they'd have to put down £20,000 deposit. Neither of those take account of all the other costs. 

 

A few of the lads back home in Wales have been able to buy homes but they're significantly cheaper over there. Here in Bristol everyone of my colleagues or friends that have bought recently have either bought tiny new builds or shared ownership homes, both of which have absolutely no garden. The deposit was the main challenge for everyone I know.

How many youngish people do you know with £20,000 sat in the bank? or £30,000 etc? The majority of households are in debt not including mortgage. 

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A garden would be nice but being both within budget and around work comes first. 

 

We could get a fantastic place in north wales but without being able to find work there to fund the mortgage it is meaningless. 

 

We are lucky enough to have been able to save a sizeable chunk for a deposit on our first place but until we get stable work we are renting and moving when necessary to get work, and also aren’t that young any more. 

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7 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

 

How many youngish people do you know with £20,000 sat in the bank? or £30,000 etc? The majority of households are in debt not including mortgage. 

I bought my house at 24 ten years ago and i had 21k in the bank, because o made the choice to save and buy. So when I hear people saying they Don't have it etc I dont buy it. Some of my mates would go out and pee £100 on a night out every Friday. Im now in a better position owning a home whikst they rent and moan the ca t afford to buy. 

The answer to original question though, most younger people dont want the garden, they have no need to grow, they have supermarkets. And they see a garden as an extra job in the list of things to do around the home. Me personally i want a garden, for the dog... And also to grow fruit and veg and relax in. 

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1 minute ago, ShootingEgg said:

I bought my house at 24 ten years ago and i had 21k in the bank, because o made the choice to save and buy. So when I hear people saying they Don't have it etc I dont buy it. Some of my mates would go out and pee £100 on a night out every Friday. Im now in a better position owning a home whikst they rent and moan the ca t afford to buy. 

The answer to original question though, most younger people dont want the garden, they have no need to grow, they have supermarkets. And they see a garden as an extra job in the list of things to do around the home. Me personally i want a garden, for the dog... And also to grow fruit and veg and relax in. 

 

Yes I know mate but people like ya aren't in the majority, the majority are the ones ******* away £100 every Friday and Saturday then complaining how it's unfair society and they aren't paid enough. 

Plus these days you'd be lucky to buy a flat in this area for that £20k in the bank as a down payment. 

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