www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk

Are new builds worth it they are like wagonwheels
https://news.sky.com/story/britains-hou ... s-11323783
They don't seem to hold their value if you buy from new ones round me which are 10 years old are still not back upto the sale price
They only have a 10 year warranty not much longer than a Kia
The workmanship/quality isn't that good and they pennypinch on materials
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/ ... t-so-badly
They have no decent size garden, the garages are tiny
Built on brownfield sites so theres allsorts of crap underneath and they are next to pubs shops and industrial units
Sold with dodgy leasehold provisions, ones round the corner from me pay £125 per year (£55000 total) for the upkeep of a small childrens play area and the site is between a very large electricity substation and industrial estate

Struggling to think of many positives
I suppose they are warmer and probably have better sound insulation they seem to have more bathrooms/shower rooms
The scottish ones look better

I think you have to look closely at the construction methods used in new houses you view. Dry lining is a pain for hanging and fixing things to the walls. The partition walls could be egg boxes and the heating could be microbore with a cheapo boiler. They suck people in with good looking kitchens and bathrooms and buyers like the idea that, on the face of it, there is little to do. But the premium price over the true market value needs to be reckoned with. The NHBRC warranty is not worth the paper it is written on in my opinion as they soon back off as soon as something tricky crops up. It is just an insurance policy really and the build progress inspections they make have the naivete of an American wrestling referee.

But the alternative is not so great either. Years of Bert Bodger messing up all the plumbing, wiring etc and by the time you look at all the remedial you would be tempted with new. Whatever you buy has ups and downs.

DWD

Good post, DWD.