We have recently decided to move, the main catalyst being the need for more
space as I have a young family. Quite near to us there are developments for
new houses, the ones we are looking at are 4 bed detached with prices around
£200k. Now the house we are currently in is 100 years old and is our first
house, we have lived here for 8 years and I have carried out a lot of DIY
(New kitchen, bathroom, cloak room, various redecorating/plastering,
plumbing/heating, flooring, garage conversion ect), the thought of a new
house has a lot of benefits, the main being no major diy for at least the
first 10 years, relatively cheap prices compared to similar "older" houses,
possibility of a part ex however I am dubious of their T&C's. The thing I
do not like is plasterboarded studded walls and obviously a smaller plot but
thankfully these houses are not timber framed but breeze block and brick.
Now, we are based in the N.W. and there are developments for Taylor Wimpey
and Bellway, both look very attractive nice show homes and glossy brochures.
Looking at online surveys I get a mixed bag of opinions so it would be good
to hear from you guys, maybe some of you have worked on sites for the above
builders and could share your experiences of the company and quality of
workmanship? Any other things to bear in mind if we decided to buy new and
of plan?

Thanks for you help and advice.

Tom

Tom wrote:
We have recently decided to move, the main catalyst being the need for more
space as I have a young family. Quite near to us there are developments for
new houses, the ones we are looking at are 4 bed detached with prices around
£200k. Now the house we are currently in is 100 years old and is our first
house, we have lived here for 8 years and I have carried out a lot of DIY
(New kitchen, bathroom, cloak room, various redecorating/plastering,
plumbing/heating, flooring, garage conversion ect), the thought of a new
house has a lot of benefits, the main being no major diy for at least the
first 10 years, relatively cheap prices compared to similar "older" houses,
possibility of a part ex however I am dubious of their T&C's. The thing I
do not like is plasterboarded studded walls and obviously a smaller plot but
thankfully these houses are not timber framed but breeze block and brick.
Now, we are based in the N.W. and there are developments for Taylor Wimpey
and Bellway, both look very attractive nice show homes and glossy brochures.
Looking at online surveys I get a mixed bag of opinions so it would be good
to hear from you guys, maybe some of you have worked on sites for the above
builders and could share your experiences of the company and quality of
workmanship? Any other things to bear in mind if we decided to buy new and
of plan?


worst seems to be the stud wall inside.

Usually plumbing and electrics are sound, but basic and boring.

Insulation will be good.


Consider ripping into the wall at some stage to lay more cables.


Thanks for you help and advice.

Tom

On Nov 7, 10:35*pm, Owain wrote:
On Nov 7, 10:06*pm, The Natural Philosopher *wrote:

Insulation will be good.

Well, it's supposed to meet current Building Regs, but that doesn't
actually mean it will actually have been put in and inspected for
compliance.

Owain

Very true. The job is often rushed and gaps left. It only takes a
small gap to negate the value of a huge area of insulation.
There's nothing wrong with correctly designed and erected timber
framed houses.

Tom wrote:

We have recently decided to move, the main catalyst being the need for more
space as I have a young family. Quite near to us there are developments for
new houses, the ones we are looking at are 4 bed detached with prices around
£200k. Now the house we are currently in is 100 years old

Any other things to bear in mind if we decided to buy new and
of plan?

No personal experience, but looking at published plans for new
build locally, the thing that strikes me is how small the rooms
actually are. I have heard it said that show house furniture is
chosen with care to make the rooms appear larger.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

On 08/11/2010 08:39, Chris J Dixon wrote:
Tom wrote:

We have recently decided to move, the main catalyst being the need for more
space as I have a young family. Quite near to us there are developments for
new houses, the ones we are looking at are 4 bed detached with prices around
£200k. Now the house we are currently in is 100 years old

Any other things to bear in mind if we decided to buy new and
of plan?

No personal experience, but looking at published plans for new
build locally, the thing that strikes me is how small the rooms
actually are. I have heard it said that show house furniture is
chosen with care to make the rooms appear larger.

Indeed, and usually the rooms don't have any doors, for the same reason

David

On 08/11/2010 08:39, Chris J Dixon wrote:
Tom wrote:

We have recently decided to move, the main catalyst being the need for more
space as I have a young family. Quite near to us there are developments for
new houses, the ones we are looking at are 4 bed detached with prices around
£200k. Now the house we are currently in is 100 years old

Any other things to bear in mind if we decided to buy new and
of plan?

No personal experience, but looking at published plans for new
build locally, the thing that strikes me is how small the rooms
actually are. I have heard it said that show house furniture is
chosen with care to make the rooms appear larger.

Rather like the boating holiday brochures that show only short people on
board.

Colin Bignell

"Lobster" wrote

On 08/11/2010 08:39, Chris J Dixon wrote:
Tom wrote:

We have recently decided to move, the main catalyst being the need for
more
space as I have a young family. Quite near to us there are developments
for
new houses, the ones we are looking at are 4 bed detached with prices
around
£200k. Now the house we are currently in is 100 years old

Any other things to bear in mind if we decided to buy new and
of plan?

No personal experience, but looking at published plans for new
build locally, the thing that strikes me is how small the rooms
actually are. I have heard it said that show house furniture is
chosen with care to make the rooms appear larger.

Indeed, and usually the rooms don't have any doors, for the same reason

David

Also, bedrooms arranged without clothes storage/wardrobes and living rooms
without TV in place.

Phil

On Nov 7, 9:21*pm, "Tom" wrote:
We have recently decided to move, the main catalyst being the need for more
space as I have a young family. *Quite near to us there are developments for
new houses, the ones we are looking at are 4 bed detached with prices around
£200k. *Now the house we are currently in is 100 years old and is our first
house, we have lived here for 8 years and I have carried out a lot of DIY
(New kitchen, bathroom, cloak room, various redecorating/plastering,
plumbing/heating, flooring, garage conversion ect), the thought of a new
house has a lot of benefits, the main being no major diy for at least the
first 10 years

You have pretty much exactly described our position a few months back
- we too moved from a Victorian house which we'd done everything but
rebuilt into a relatively new (2007) Persimmon home in Wiltshire.

I was very sceptical when the other half suggested looking around this
newish house however I reluctantly went along if only to rule it out
and satisfy my suspicions that the cardboard rabbit hutch stigma was
deserved. However, I was wrong. I was very impressed, to the point
that we stopped our search and bought it.

Of course every house is different and so it is pointless me
mentioning any design aspects to this one that appealed, however
suffice to say that ours must be pretty much run of the mill 3-bed
semi - each room being a large double.

The quality of construction generally appears very good - I've taken a
peek inside the majority of it now to fit extra sockets, catflaps, etc
so it's not just cosmetic. One thing I have noticed is the use of
branded products throughout e.g. Volex wiring accesories, ERA door
furniture, Vernon Tutbury bathroom suites etc. Sure, they're not the
Rolls Royce of manufacturers but there is some reassurance there
compared with the no-name stuff around and is no doubt a reflection of
the buying power these house building giants have. The literature left
behind shows long warranties on the most of the fittings - upto 10
years - so there's some reassurance there.

It's got a decent central heating system too (admittedly it does have
an Ideal boiler however the rest of it - including a Range pressurised
cylinder - functions extremely well).

All in all I am struggling to fault it and, believe me, I'm a picky
bugger at the best of times. The contrast of not having to do much
(any really) work to it has made a pleasant change from the endless
DIY in the old house, however there's still plenty of opportunities to
get the tools out to improve things.

Now, we are based in the N.W. and there are developments for Taylor Wimpey
and Bellway, both look very attractive nice show homes and glossy brochures.

Ours was an ex-show home so we originally thought perhaps ours was
built to a higher standard than the rest, however having seen inside
some of the neighbours I really haven't noticed any difference (of
course I haven't poked around quite so much in theirs).

Any other things to bear in mind if we decided to buy new and
of plan?

As much as we have been impressed with ours, we don't think we'd
necessarilly be entirely comfortable buying off-plan. For all we know
ours, and every other, may have had a multi-page snagging list to
bring it up to the standard it is now. Also, the temptation to try and
influence the design during initial build would be overwhelming e.g.
I'd want sockets where *I* want them and would likely have to pay over
the odds to get them fitted. However, when buying nearly new we can
accept that things won't be exactly as we'd like and not think twice
about ripping things out and/or retrofitting to suit without the
thought of 'if only we'd got them to do it during initial build'.

Thanks for you help and advice.

One recommendation I would make is be very wary of online reviews -
people are more likely to air their thoughts when they've got a gripe.
If I bought a new house and had problems with it my first thoughts
would be shout about it to anyone that'll listen - including the whole
of the Internet if I could - however I wouldn't be particularly
inclined to do that if I was happy.

Mathew

"Tom" wrote in message
...
We have recently decided to move, the main catalyst being the need for
more space as I have a young family. Quite near to us there are
developments for new houses, the ones we are looking at are 4 bed detached
with prices around £200k. Now the house we are currently in is 100 years
old and is our first house, we have lived here for 8 years and I have
carried out a lot of DIY (New kitchen, bathroom, cloak room, various
redecorating/plastering, plumbing/heating, flooring, garage conversion
ect), the thought of a new house has a lot of benefits, the main being no
major diy for at least the first 10 years, relatively cheap prices
compared to similar "older" houses, possibility of a part ex however I am
dubious of their T&C's. The thing I do not like is plasterboarded studded
walls and obviously a smaller plot but thankfully these houses are not
timber framed but breeze block and brick. Now, we are based in the N.W.
and there are developments for Taylor Wimpey and Bellway, both look very
attractive nice show homes and glossy brochures. Looking at online surveys
I get a mixed bag of opinions so it would be good to hear from you guys,
maybe some of you have worked on sites for the above builders and could
share your experiences of the company and quality of workmanship? Any
other things to bear in mind if we decided to buy new and of plan?

Thanks for you help and advice.

Tom



I have done some electrical work on a couple of new builds recently, both 4
bed detached
where owners had recently moved in and wanted extra sockets and lights. In
both cases
it was dot & dab plasterboarding to the external walls, but everything was
glued together.
The chipboard floor was glued to the laminated ply joists and the skirting
was glued to both
the floor and the plasterboard. It was just impossible to run new cable
without making a hell
of a mess of both floor and walls.
I was never keen on newer houses, but now I hate them.

"Stewith" wrote


I have done some electrical work on a couple of new builds recently, both
4 bed detached
where owners had recently moved in and wanted extra sockets and lights. In
both cases
it was dot & dab plasterboarding to the external walls, but everything was
glued together.
The chipboard floor was glued to the laminated ply joists and the
skirting was glued to both
the floor and the plasterboard. It was just impossible to run new cable
without making a hell
of a mess of both floor and walls.
I was never keen on newer houses, but now I hate them.




Was the floor only glued or was it nailed or screwed as well?

Phil

"TheScullster" wrote in message
. uk...

"Lobster" wrote

On 08/11/2010 08:39, Chris J Dixon wrote:
Tom wrote:

We have recently decided to move, the main catalyst being the need for
more
space as I have a young family. Quite near to us there are
developments for
new houses, the ones we are looking at are 4 bed detached with prices
around
£200k. Now the house we are currently in is 100 years old

Any other things to bear in mind if we decided to buy new and
of plan?

No personal experience, but looking at published plans for new
build locally, the thing that strikes me is how small the rooms
actually are. I have heard it said that show house furniture is
chosen with care to make the rooms appear larger.

Indeed, and usually the rooms don't have any doors, for the same reason

David

Also, bedrooms arranged without clothes storage/wardrobes

Do they really think that people won't notice? Surely in a bedroom that is
the first thing that you look for

tim

"TheScullster" wrote in message
. uk...

"Stewith" wrote


I have done some electrical work on a couple of new builds recently, both
4 bed detached
where owners had recently moved in and wanted extra sockets and lights.
In both cases
it was dot & dab plasterboarding to the external walls, but everything
was glued together.
The chipboard floor was glued to the laminated ply joists and the
skirting was glued to both
the floor and the plasterboard. It was just impossible to run new cable
without making a hell
of a mess of both floor and walls.
I was never keen on newer houses, but now I hate them.




Was the floor only glued or was it nailed or screwed as well?

Phil


They seemed to have just a couple of screws, presumably to hold them whilst
the glue set.

"Mathew Newton" wrote in message
...
On Nov 7, 9:21 pm, "Tom" wrote:
We have recently decided to move, the main catalyst being the need for
more
space as I have a young family. Quite near to us there are developments
for
new houses, the ones we are looking at are 4 bed detached with prices
around
£200k. Now the house we are currently in is 100 years old and is our first
house, we have lived here for 8 years and I have carried out a lot of DIY
(New kitchen, bathroom, cloak room, various redecorating/plastering,
plumbing/heating, flooring, garage conversion ect), the thought of a new
house has a lot of benefits, the main being no major diy for at least the
first 10 years

You have pretty much exactly described our position a few months back
- we too moved from a Victorian house which we'd done everything but
rebuilt into a relatively new (2007) Persimmon home in Wiltshire.

I was very sceptical when the other half suggested looking around this
newish house however I reluctantly went along if only to rule it out
and satisfy my suspicions that the cardboard rabbit hutch stigma was
deserved. However, I was wrong. I was very impressed, to the point
that we stopped our search and bought it.

Of course every house is different and so it is pointless me
mentioning any design aspects to this one that appealed, however
suffice to say that ours must be pretty much run of the mill 3-bed
semi - each room being a large double.

The quality of construction generally appears very good - I've taken a
peek inside the majority of it now to fit extra sockets, catflaps, etc
so it's not just cosmetic. One thing I have noticed is the use of
branded products throughout e.g. Volex wiring accesories, ERA door
furniture, Vernon Tutbury bathroom suites etc. Sure, they're not the
Rolls Royce of manufacturers but there is some reassurance there
compared with the no-name stuff around and is no doubt a reflection of
the buying power these house building giants have. The literature left
behind shows long warranties on the most of the fittings - upto 10
years - so there's some reassurance there.

It's got a decent central heating system too (admittedly it does have
an Ideal boiler however the rest of it - including a Range pressurised
cylinder - functions extremely well).

All in all I am struggling to fault it and, believe me, I'm a picky
bugger at the best of times. The contrast of not having to do much
(any really) work to it has made a pleasant change from the endless
DIY in the old house, however there's still plenty of opportunities to
get the tools out to improve things.

Now, we are based in the N.W. and there are developments for Taylor Wimpey
and Bellway, both look very attractive nice show homes and glossy
brochures.

Ours was an ex-show home so we originally thought perhaps ours was
built to a higher standard than the rest, however having seen inside
some of the neighbours I really haven't noticed any difference (of
course I haven't poked around quite so much in theirs).

Any other things to bear in mind if we decided to buy new and
of plan?

As much as we have been impressed with ours, we don't think we'd
necessarilly be entirely comfortable buying off-plan. For all we know
ours, and every other, may have had a multi-page snagging list to
bring it up to the standard it is now. Also, the temptation to try and
influence the design during initial build would be overwhelming e.g.
I'd want sockets where *I* want them and would likely have to pay over
the odds to get them fitted. However, when buying nearly new we can
accept that things won't be exactly as we'd like and not think twice
about ripping things out and/or retrofitting to suit without the
thought of 'if only we'd got them to do it during initial build'.

Thanks for you help and advice.

One recommendation I would make is be very wary of online reviews -
people are more likely to air their thoughts when they've got a gripe.
If I bought a new house and had problems with it my first thoughts
would be shout about it to anyone that'll listen - including the whole
of the Internet if I could - however I wouldn't be particularly
inclined to do that if I was happy.

Mathew



Thanks very much for your input, it is much appreciated and provides some
food for thought!

Tom