Owning your own home

Meant north of the river!

5 bed houses in that area are in the same ball park. Or buy a 3 bed and spend the balance on loft conversion and renovation.

Seems like an aweful lot of money for what it is...that said there is always a new build premium.

Objectively, yes. Relatively, compared to the stuff we've been looking at around Kensal / Queens Park / Crouch End / Harringay / Hackney it doesn't look awful in comparison. In fact I thought it stacked up quite well. But I'd imagine there are maintenance charges on top and all sorts of nonsense to wade through.

I live just by Wanstead flats and cycle through Chobham Manor pretty much every day. As you would expect from a new build area it's a bit soulless, (my wife's dad spent 15 years working all around Europe and it kind of reminds me of the places his work would put him up in that were just full of expats). There's bars, restaurants, sourdough bakery etc and it always seems pretty quiet, apart from on West Ham home matches. One thing that would bother me is concerts at the London stadium, might not be something that bothers you though?

HA HA North London. You joker.

Stratford, especially the Olympic park area, is more and more looking like a nice place to live, it has a clean European city vibe especially in the summer time.

Walking distance form Hackney wick, Victoria park actually and London Fields which I am sure you know are the only places worth going in London.

I would thoroughly recommend one of those builds and the area.

Top tip: Looking South of Victoria Park actually will save you 100K plus on a house, but you get ever close to Mile End and Poplar which are an acquired taste.
We looked at a house pretty much opposite Mile End tube for a bit less than that, but too close to a main road for that sort of price.

Top tip: Looking South of Victoria Park actually will save you 100K plus on a house, but you get ever close to Mile End and Poplar which are an acquired taste.

I know man I lived in Bow for six years.

Sorry to hear that!

I jest, I was Tower hamlets for about 10 years, or "Victoria Park actually".

No don't worry it was shit I was out mostly, just slept there. Well, when I could sleep there.

it's East London which is the best London.

West is best. It rhymes so it's fact.

more and more looking like a nice place to live

Hopefully, they'll have either entirely displaced all of the previous inhabitants, and anyone living in - ugh - affordable housing will be gated off and using separate entrances...

Can but hope!

Just an FYI, the places being redeveloped in Stratford were marshland or derelict warehouses, so we are not talking socioeconomic cleansing here.

Are there any dimensions on there, I can't see any. If it's as big as it looks it seems decent but photographs can obviously be deceptive.

I can only really speak for Harringay as it's the area I know best but for that kind of price you could get 1,800-2,000 SqFt, particularly if you got somewhere for the low £800s and did loft, kitchen etc. yourself.

The other consideration with an area that's been designed fully formed rather than grown up is they often seem to lack those useful places that have been around for years. A decent old school pub, greasy spoon, local newsagent that's open late, etc. I've been round there a few times meeting friends and it's all just a bit samey I've found.

I know a fair few people who have bought new build flats and it hasn't been a particularly smooth ride. Nothing major but generally something cropping up every month or so requiring a builder, plumber, etc to come round. Things have generally been resolved but it takes time for each instance.

Everything west of Marble Arch is contingent.

it's all just a bit samey I've found.

That's ok; the delights of High Road Leyton are merely a stone's throw away.

Yeah. WHO needs marshland right?

There are some parts of London which are necessary and others which
are contingent. Everywhere west of Earl’s Court is contingent, except
for a few places along the river. I hate contingency. I want
everything in my life to have a sufficient reason.

http://literarylondon.org/the-literary-london-journal/archive-of-the-literary-london-journal/issue-1-1/i-know-the-city-well-the-metaphysical-cityscape-in-iris-murdochs-under-the-net/

new build house, should be efficient and properly wired / arranged for modern living

Not neccessarily there is a lot of stuff that gets messed up in the new build process a lot can go un noticed, even if there is a snagging provision in your contract.

car port thing to put e cargo bike and camper van, get straight to the fucking golf thread

This may be a BIG con, often to get planning a lot of developers will do a deal with the planning authority meaning that if you live in their shiny new development you cannot apply for a residents parking permit. So if down the line you need to add another car to your fleet of vehicles and cannot get it in the car port you're shafted and have to pay for private parking. Also can effect the resale value if you put off a number of potential buyers who are adamant that they want 2 cars and can't have it.

terrace/s

A potential money pit for damp issues; if the terrace is poorly designed or not contructed by someone who knows what they are doing or even is constructed by someone who knows what they were doing but is hungover on the day they do the waterproofing!

Most new build properties are fine but having had to put right some truly shocking workmanship on new build properties I'm always a bit sceptical about them. The biggest problem is that the developers tend to employ their own building inspectors, so if the people putting up the building are paying the inspectors directly things can get swept under the rug. I would imagine that after phase II of the grenfell enquiry comes out this will no longer be allowed but any changes will take a while to come through.

Thats a different issue/discussion...

The floorplans seem to me to bear no resemblance to the description. The first and second floor plans appear to be identical, and the fourth floor plan doesn't seem to be there at all.

The first and second floor plans appear to be identical, and the fourth floor plan doesn't seem to be there at all.

Yeah you have to get the brochure

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Just an FYI, the places being redeveloped in Stratford were marshland or derelict warehouses, so we are not talking socioeconomic cleansing here.

Conflating marshland with derelict warehouses.
And then suggesting that clearing these things are not problematic.

Jokey tone may be lost in translation.

This may be a BIG con, often to get planning a lot of developers will do a deal with the planning authority meaning that if you live in their shiny new development you cannot apply for a residents parking permit.

Yep. Got kinda caught out by this on first flat purchase. It will probably rule out those with a requirement to keep more than one car, sure.

Good points though, thank you. Presumably the thing with proofing on a terrace would be the same if you were buying someone's renovated house with a terrace, except you wouldn't be able to inspect it and you'd have even less than the developer and the NHBC's crappy guarantee?

I'm completely lost to be honest...

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