The Issues with Our New Build

 

When my husband and I started looking for a home, everybody warned us against buying a new build. Naturally, we went against the grain and purchased a new build. My justification was that the house was 10 years old, but to most people that still qualifies as a new build. Since we moved in back in 2019, there have been some issues with the house. None of them have been dealbreakers and we haven’t needed any major repairs. However, they are small things that I wish we were aware off. That is why I am going to write this blog post. This isn’t to scare anybody away from a recently built house, they are just things to be conscious of. Without further rambling, here are my issues with our new build!]

 

Cracks everywhere.

I need to mention this first because it is the bane of my life. Wherever there is a join, there will be a crack. So around the stairs, door frames, etc. Apparently the ‘settling’ should be over within three years, but my house is now 10 years old and we still get cracks. When we first moved in, we called somebody out to check them over because I was so concerned, but they said that it can go on for a very long time. However, when you are in the process of making changes, seeing new cracks is so annoying!

 

Lack of privacy.

One of the issues with our new build is the lack of privacy. I think with many new build estates that are made; it is about getting as many houses as possible into a small area. If I am in my garden, I think there are around 6 hours that have full access to all of my garden. Likewise with the windows into the house. Generally speaking it doesn’t bother me, however I do wish that the garden was better. That is even with an 8 foot fence around it!

 

No distinguishing features.

This is something that I was aware of before purchasing, but it still annoys me. One thing that is really lacking with new builds is the lack of original features. Each room is just a box with no distinguishable features. Since we moved in, we have done so much to add some character, such as chimney breasts, coving, panelling, etc. But, it has cost us an arm and a leg to get it to a point where we are happy, but I still long for a home with some original character. I have my dream country farmhouse in mind and I cannot wait to get it one day!

 

Silly layouts.

I would love to see a planning session when people are drawing up these houses. The house that we have was drawn up by a very large company and I just find it bizarre. Some rooms are tiny and have false walls to them. I genuinely think that they thought about small touches that could make peoples like just a touch harder. For example, without home, they put the main lounge space on the second floor, yet on the ground floor there is a triple built-in garage. So strange and a bizarre use of the space!

 

Heat regulation is poor.

The house that we live in is a three-story home. One of the issues with our new build is that heat regulation is awful. I don’t know why it is, but I feel like this is how many other people with new builds feel. The downstairs is freezing cold, the middle is just right and the top is as hot as hell. We have tried for three years to get our thermostat and radiators at a level that works, but it just never does. It can be so annoying. Plus, it is made so much worse by the fact that we have an enormous hot water tank on the top floor which radiates heat like you would never know!

 

Cheap built-in appliances.

I am pretty sure that if you are building a house, you can pick the appliances. As our house was a new-build house that was a few years old, the appliances were on their last legs. It is pretty obvious that the people that built the house picked the cheapest options and just as we bought the house, everything decided to die. Within the space of two months, we needed a new integrated fridge/freezer, dishwasher, oven and washing machine. An expensive period and I am glad that we upgraded to cover us for our duration in this home!

 

I hope that you guys enjoyed this blog post. As I mentioned, this isn’t to scare anybody from buying a new build. These are simply the things that I wish I had known. They are simple things, that are a nuisance more than anything. The issues with our new build have not been a deal breaker for us. We still made our house fell like a home. However, I don’t feel like this is our forever home. I can see us in a couple of years moving to a slightly larger, more traditional home with a large garden. That is the hope anyway. Make sure to leave me a comment below. Let me know if you have purchased a new build, if you had any issues and what your thoughts were!