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I’ve been watching some houses being built near me and trying to get my head around the design and price. Small, open plan living and kitchen area with a toilet in the middle of it. WTF is that about? Who comes up with this stuff? Also bonus points for the one carpet tiles worth of fake grass and ridiculous asking price!
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/142871867#/?channel=RES_NEW
Even better that they have been built directly across from a burned out industrial unit that was being used as a cannabis farm. They look like a Center Parcs lodge.
Put it at the bottom of the garden in a brick shed?
There are two other toilets in the house. Garden would need to be a lot bigger to have a bottom. It’s daft and ridiculously expensive for what it is. Madness! 😂
The sockets at head height are a nice sprinkle.
Building regs require a ground floor toilet and high access sockets IIRC
But the price of that for a tiny wee box - jeepers
Edit - my 2 bed flat is considerably bigger - the rooms in that are tiny
It's just an understair loo like any trad house but without a load of the other walls. Looks to be well done but is a bit err . . basic? It does look odd from the outside but think that's because it's a strange terrace thing where you've no idea where one dwelling ends and another begins. The garden looks practical but the architect's renders are laughable.
Is it being sold as a trendy upscale thing? There's lots of very expensive looking electric vehicles in the artists impressions and, while I don't know Macclesfield, I suspect £315k is err. . . punchy for what's on offer.
I wish my house was modern, insulated and up to date.
The houses are lacking a garage or cellar which are important to me.
I was under the impression building regs required 2 doors between a toilet and a kitchen? Lacking in any kind of storage space by the looks of it, minimalists only need apply. I'm sure there's many more practical properties in Macc for less cost.
The houses are lacking a garage or cellar which are important to me.
Unlikely to find many new builds with a garage, and as for a cellar, you might find a Victorian townhouse with one, but I’d be surprised if you could find a house anywhere with a cellar for much under £3/4-1,000,000. There are houses around Chippenham with basements, but I know of only one house anywhere around with an actual cellar, and that is a farmhouse belonging to a friend of mine that’s also a hotel and restaurant. It was built in the 17th century…
The garden looks practical
for that price I’d expect an actual garden. It’s the token grass carpet tile that make me chuckle.
Building regs require a ground floor toilet and high access sockets IIRC
The first sounds practical for old people. Do the building regs folk not know that 99% of purchased goods come with comically small power leads. It would be extension lead madness!
Another post as the youngest has a chest infection so sleep isn’t on the cards.
Had a quick read of the reasoning behind the regs. Disability access. So the high sockets are some sort of cruel joke. We’ll give you toilet access but not the ability to plug things in 😂
Those high sockets are for the TV.
I was under the impression building regs required 2 doors between a toilet and a kitchen?
That's very out of date. Although from the thread title I was expecting a toilet actually in the kitchen!
I don't think it's that bad, just people will probably just use it as an understairs cupboard/utility, with an added bonus that there is a bog for when your elderly parent visits (whilst you pretend to go and inspect your tiny lawn)
The houses are lacking a garage or cellar which are important to me.
Nothing worse than having to give up a bedroom to be the dungeon.....
I like the interior, it all looks very liveable and practical. It's the totally mineral and plastic outside they've failed on IMO. I'd like to see a parking area with real grass growing through waffle blocks, grass elsewhere and some shrubs. developments like that increase flood risk somewhere downstream and increase temperatures in Summer. As for the price, I'm currently building an extension to modern building standards, the extra time and materials to properly insulate inevitably increase the price.
The thread title is very Brimingham Mail, inaccurate click bait. 😉
Hardly open plan living with a toilet in the middle is it. It's under the stairs making good use of dead space.
I quite like it. Doesn't have the space of a 60's or earlier house, but what does nowadays? Nice to see air source heating, low carbon, garden isn't big but has bifolds so that the garden comes into the house (or whatever other shite Angela / George / Kev come up with), decent appliances, etc.
Compared to the frankly dreadful house my daughter's paying nearly £2000 pcm to rent with three friends in student town, I'd jump at it if I was on the ladder and could make numbers add up as a first time buyer or young couple about to trade up.
Mate is recently divorced and has bought a similar looking apartment - all white and grey and open plan but only 2 beds and shared garden, etc., but very similar feeling interior - and it's a thoroughly nice place to be. If I was 25 again I'd be well chuffed to be in such a place.
Those high sockets are for the TV.
it’s all making sense now. The houses are aimed at the kind of fool who puts the TV two thirds of the way up a wall.
As for the price, I’m currently building an extension to modern building standards, the extra time and materials to properly insulate inevitably increase the price.
Hats off to you for doing so Edukator. That might explain a higher price, but £315k! I live here and that’s expensive for a three bed. Especially when it is a few yards from a train track. I’d love a more efficient house (without a toilet cupboard) but that is ruddy expensive for the size. Open plan is shite too. I’ve lived in one and the novelty wears off quickly for me.
I’ve lived in one and the novelty wears off quickly for me.
That design is replicated up and down the country, just because you don't like it, it doesn't mean it's not what the market wants.
Open plan is shite too. I’ve lived in one and the novelty wears off quickly for me.
Not sure on this. I haven't lived in one, but have visited lots of friends with it and conceptually it's great, that if someone's cooking they aren't stuck away in another room missing the chat and merriment and whatever. OTOH for daily living, unless your extraction is phenomenal I'd imagine the whole house just smells of cooking.
I think having reached the age I am now, where supposedly (hahaha, south east prices) I can afford a bigger house, it works if it is a big open plan kitchen diner sort of space so you can do that sort of entertaining or even just the textbook family view of cooking while the rest of the family sit in the same space telling you about their great day at school or whatever we're supposed to do, and the rest of the house is still beyond doors.
Instead, what we've actually got is a modern style family and a traditional kitchen, door to diner and hallway, lounge off hallway with door into dining room as well. And family come in from school pissed off about something, and disappear upstairs never to be seen again unless they want a lift somewhere, knackered Dad asleep in the chair in the lounge, something convenient going round in the microwave, dog playing hell because she can't stand the sound of the extractor fan..... ah, bliss!
A townhouse...needing a toilet on every floor for some odd reason...
If I was 25 again I’d be well chuffed to be in such a place.
Did you have £315k when you were 25?
Doesn’t look too bad. Rooms are an OK size for modern houses. And not too bad compared with older houses. Many rooms seem bigger than I remember our old 1930s semi’s rooms being. Plus a family bathroom, an en-suite cupboard bathroom, and a downstairs toilet.
£315,000 in Macc for 97sqm seems OK.
This one not too far from me has some novelty. Been interesting seeing it go up https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/138628157#/?channel=RES_BUY
Neither are for me though.
On the plus side it doesn't have 200 stairs to get in the front door
I like the way they've designed it so you can sit at your little table to have your lunch and admire your heat pump out in the garden!
I like, how with 99% of threads on here nowadays, it is borderline impossible to have a lighthearted jovial one. Not long before miserable bastards start getting serious 😂
unless your extraction is phenomenal I’d imagine the whole house just smells of cooking.
yep, that and the fridge noises, washing machine noises. Not being able to pretend the washing up and washing doesn’t exist by shutting a door. Then there’s the dog! Removing barricades from an excitable wet animal having access to the nice furniture doesn’t end well.
Then there’s the toddler! Removing barricades from an excitable wet animal having access to the nice furniture doesn’t end well.
Equally valid as a concern.
I like the look of the exterior of that place in Manc, but it's a bloody stupid shape!
That's defo a No.1's only toilet! 🤣
I much prefer open design, previous house was a 4-bed Edwardian detached - we had 2 rooms that simply weren’t used plus the small room sizes limited the practicality/difficult to find/fit furniture. New home was designed as open plan and plenty of built-in storage - the only furniture we have are tables, chairs, sofas and beds. My neighbours are upside-down with pokey bedrooms downstairs and open-plan kitchen/diner/lounge upstairs - the worst of all layouts IMO
I don't care what it looks like, how the hell is that £315k?????
Did you have £315k when you were 25?
#comprehension fail.
Mate is recently divorced and has bought a similar looking apartment – all white and grey and open plan but only 2 beds and shared garden, etc., but very similar feeling interior – and it’s a thoroughly nice place to be. If I was 25 again I’d be well chuffed to be in such a place.
I don’t care what it looks like, how the hell is that ONLY £315k?????
FTFY
I don’t care what it looks like, how the hell is that £315k?????
Because it's in Macclesfield, which is a decent town with good train links into Manchester and the West Coast mainline to Brum and London, on the border of the Peak District, 20mins to M6, in affluent Cheshire. Layout is weird and a bit cramped, find me a new build that isn't, but the price is pretty much on the money.
I'd call that a 2 bed with a pre-done loft conversion to be fair!
it looks nice and shiney but it's not much for your money!!!
It's also mid terrace - not much protection from noisy neighbours..is there acess to the back yard other than through the house?
Also its on the edge of an industrial estate, and close to a railway line looking at google maps...
Storage space?
It's a no from me at that price!
its not a 3 bedroom thats for sure - the second bedroom on the first floor is tiny more of a big cupboard - you will not be able to get a double bed and any furniture in it. all the rooms are tiny
Doesn't look too bad to me. My first house was an identical size, but with the kitchen as a separate room (but in the same place) and it was a PITA because it was so cramped. I'd have this layout quite happily.
Disappointed by the lack of solar panels, which could have been added for an almost negligible price during construction.
its not a 3 bedroom thats for sure – the second bedroom on the first floor is tiny more of a big cupboard – you will not be able to get a double bed and any furniture in it.
It's no different to the literally hundreds of thousands of pre- and postwar three bed semis across the country of the "two bedrooms and a box room" layout, i.e two 'normal' sized rooms and one pretty tiny one. I had the box room in our house, MrsIHN had the box room in her house, for a kid with a single bed it's absolutely fine.
The other rooms are still small - and it looks a lot smaller to me than older properties
In the UK we have smaller properties than most of europe - that one is just tiny IMO / IME total floor area is about 25% less than my flat which is 2 bed
There's hardly any storage space though, so you'd have to use the box room for storage/wardrobe overflow really.
And do my eyes deceive me, to access to the first floor you have to walk through the larger bedroom?! nice!
The more you look, the more you cry....
In the UK we have smaller properties than most of europe – that one is just tiny IMO / IME total floor area is about 25% less than my flat which is 2 bed
You’re in Scotland TJ? Things are different in England. Many things are not as good. Our tiny industrially-influenced housing stock seems to be one. This simple modern house is in a position that makes commuting to London (<2 hours) or Manchester (<1 hour) doable for those that need that kind of thing. It’s close to a few big employers. Even better, it is in easy riding distance of Macc forest and the Peak.
And do my eyes deceive me, to access to the first floor you have to walk through the larger bedroom?! nice!
which photo shows that ?
And do my eyes deceive me, to access to the first floor you have to walk through the larger bedroom?! nice!
You'd think so by looking at the floorplan, but the photo of the landing (19) shows that it's a normal staircase. That door in the bedroom must be a small cupboard. Edit - it's the airing cupboard according to the blurb
The agent needs to get that floorplan redone.
Because it’s in Macclesfield, which is a decent town with good train links into Manchester and the West Coast mainline to Brum and London, on the border of the Peak District, 20mins to M6, in affluent Cheshire. Layout is weird and a bit cramped, find me a new build that isn’t, but the price is pretty much on the money.
I live in Macc and it is more expensive than comparable properties in nicer areas of the town. I just thought it was a weird layout and particularly liked the lawn described in the blurb.
I can see moving away in the near future unfortunately. Will need to upgrade to a three bed in the next four years and it is way beyond my meagre budget. Pity, as it is a lovey town.
I don't see it as better or worse than many new builds. A side effect of putting the master bedroom on top is having to have the staircases closed off with doors which will keep noise and smells closer to where they are made. So small though, I'd need two Sprinters sat in the parking spots as storage.
I was under the impression building regs required 2 doors between a toilet and a kitchen?
That's from when extensions would add a kitchen, then bathroom to the back of a terraced house for e.g. A fire in the kitchen would leave you trapped in the bog.
which photo shows that ?
If you comapare photo 7, it agrees with the floor plan, with the door to the landing craftily out of shot, theres no cupboard in that room.
Photo 19 bares no resemblence to the floor plan... confused.com.
Looks even smaller from streetview during the build.
If you comapare photo 7, it agrees with the floor plan, with the door to the landing craftily out of shot, theres no cupboard in that room.
Photo 7 shows the door to the airing cupboard in bed 2
Bedroom Two - 4.39m x 2.79m (14'5 x 9'2) - Double bedroom with ample space for a king size bed and wardrobes. Double glazed window to the rear aspect. Built in cupboard housing a Grant hot water cylinder. TV point. Radiator.
Photo 19 shows the landing, with access to the stairs both up and down. You can see the door to bed 2, the airing cupboard is to the right as you walk into bed 2.
Photo 19 bares no resemblence to the floor plan
Yes, the floorplan is incorrect.
For just £375k you could have this beauty. Good transport links (3 feet away from the railway line), off road parking (for your garden furniture) and a low maintenance garden (there isn't one). Madness!
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/139055471
Good grief. They really are awful. Is that the best that the developers can come up with? No wonder they are making a fortune, you would struggle to swing a cat in it. I bet if you actually go for a viewing it will be even smaller as they will have used under sized furniture to give the illusion of space
I bet if you actually go for a viewing it will be even smaller as they will have used under sized furniture to give the illusion of space
To be fair, most of the rooms are bigger than our 1970's house. We just have one and a half extra rooms downstairs.
This house is 96m2, our house is 103m2.
The garden, that is laughable...
This house is 96m2, our house is 103m2.<br /><br />
Spread over 3 floors so each floor is 36m2 and only one of them is living space.
your house is probably 2 floors so 51m2 per floor with one of them as living space. So you have lot more living space and less bedroom space
off road parking (for your garden furniture)
That looks so silly 🤣🤣🤣
your house is probably 2 floors so 51m2 per floor with one of them as living space. So you have lot more living space and less bedroom space
Indeed, my upstairs is smaller than theirs.
I don't think it is THAT bad really for a new build. Bedroom size is actually decent. The living space is small though but as long as you just use the bar stools and don't try to have a sep table as well as a sofa its OK. Minimal storage and no where to add any value, but would be a nice easy low effort move where you can enjoy your warm home instantly. Not sure where the fridge is?
Things I would do to improve. 1) Add on a nice big porch for coats and shoes. 2) change the bath for a nice P shaped shower-bath and have the WM and TD stacked in a nice cupboard where the shower is in the main bath. 3) Hide the heat pump behind something less ugly 4) Get rid of that tiny asto patch, so pointless! 5) Use the downstairs loo for mop, brush, hoover etc 6) Solar panels would have been nice in the build stage but wouldn't retrofit. 7) Realistically I'm gonna have to be using one of my two parking spaces with a big van as my shed! I don't think houses like this are meant for people with N+1 bikes...
Relax and unwind in the open plan living space whilst taking in the beauty of your air source heat pump and boutique lawn. All whilst being overlooked by the people living in the blocks of flats across the road and behind the property.
Breathe in the aroma from the ideally situated bathroom facilities as your partner does battle with the Rogan Josh from last night.
Create the illusion of separate rooms by leaving the toilet door open!
I was under the impression building regs required 2 doors between a toilet and a kitchen?
That’s from when extensions would add a kitchen, then bathroom to the back of a terraced house for e.g. A fire in the kitchen would leave you trapped in the bog.
I believe the actual requirement for two doors relates to having a wash hand basin. Not necessary for two doors if there is one in with the pan.
I am also pretty sure toilets aren't particularly high on the fire exit plan requirements of a house due to the transient nature, generally being awake and having your wits about you. IE if you burn to death mid shite it's your fault for taking a dump after walking past a reasonably established fire to get there.
I didn't think it seemed that bad a looking property, small but that's life these days. Our first one 10 years or so ago was a tiny 2 bed terrace. It's probably expensive for what it is but that's houses these days
If you comapare photo 7, it agrees with the floor plan, with the door to the landing craftily out of shot, theres no cupboard in that room.
I wonder where the stairs in photo 18 lead to.
But either way for a house that's not a flat it's not doing too badly.
Still wouldn't want it.