Matt Sugden Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 I'm in the pits of despair. My wife has a new job in Preston, and while I'm excited at the prospect of moving, I can't but help feeling completely disillusioned and embarrassed at the choice of architecture in UK houses. While i trawl through rightmove.com looking at the houses on offer i find it hard to distinguish one from the next, other than the dimensions of the rooms and the number of bedrooms etc. How has the housing in the country become so incredibly bland and uninspiring. i can't find anything on the market which appeals to my modernist taste, do I really have to start rifling round for plots of land and go through the whole self build process, just to get something with a little design flair or inspiration and soul. I really feel for the poor fellas who have to work for the likes of Bovis, Barrat and wimpy, when all they can (and probably allowed) to come up with is a brick box. ugh!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRAT Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 why not buy an existing traditional house? why a new build 'wimpy' style house? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Sugden Posted November 11, 2008 Author Share Posted November 11, 2008 I find either completely dull!! I'm merely making the point that new house builders seem to make uninspiring houses on the whole, and older houses all seem the same to me. My current house is a 1930's semi which I took back to the brick work, knocked walls down and renovated, but apart from the new decor the shape is hardly inspiring to me. It strikes me as a little odd how apartments for instance seem to be more design oriented, yet individual properties are not. It's as though house builders think young people wantd trendy apartments, but then you become middle aged and people want to live in a brick box with little UPVC windows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattclinch Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 you can;t see me but know that i am nodding vigorously. it is an irony that the poor architectural design and in particular the lack of storage space and height/width of access areas to houses has fanned the flames of another series of architectural nightmares in the 'big yellow self storage' and co type establishments which now litter our landscape like blobs of childs poster paint on a Turner. buy a plot and order a Huf Haus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earlye Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 I would say to try to hop across the pond and buy in the US, but all that's built here any more are McMansions. The only remotely affordable land all has covenants requiring you to build one of the designs of the developer. Want something outlandish, modern, or perhaps old-school Victorian? Tough! It would be nice to be able to get several hundred unrestricted acres and start a community for people who want to have custom housing that doesn't suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sketchrender Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Same here in ireland ,Some God awfull domestic social housing has gone up in the past number of years, the tenaments of tomorrow. Can I ask you to look at this link, simple and a little rough around the edges, but a good effort at making a home out of a Sh*t hole if I am to be honest. http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9629 Not what your after I know but , anything can be brought to life with a little imagination, and a entusiastic eye. phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxlee Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 I can not believe how selfish you people are! You want individuality when everybody around you are just trying to fit in. What do you think a neighbourhood of individual expression looks like , Its a mess !!!!! I can not agree more , nothing better than messing around in your own yard. Thats why i am about to do it all over again, cant wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Hunt Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Saw a docco a while ago covering this exact issue. Just wish I could remeamber what it was called. They compared houses in Holland to those in England. Chalk and cheese. (Excuse the pun) For ruffly the same build cost you'd get something inspiring in Holland and a rubber stamp in England. They got a Holland design and took it to a developer in England and asked "Will you build this?". The developer was very excited but basically said no-one would buy it. They then showed the design to a middle aged couple looking for a house. Their first reaction was Yuck, but once they studied it a bit more fell in love with it. So basically its a case of the developers only building what they think people will buy and people thinking that this is their ownly choice. jhv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Sugden Posted November 11, 2008 Author Share Posted November 11, 2008 yes, I saw the same program. it was allain de botton presenting it and it was a really interesting program. I completely agreed with his sentiments through out the series. just don't know why developers havn't picked up on it. Well I do, it's all about profits. Why build modern houses which might be controversial when you can slap a brick box up for next to nothing, easy through planning, easy to the bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandmanNinja Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Saw a docco a while ago covering this exact issue. Just wish I could remeamber what it was called. They compared houses in Holland to those in England. Chalk and cheese. (Excuse the pun) For ruffly the same build cost you'd get something inspiring in Holland and a rubber stamp in England. They got a Holland design and took it to a developer in England and asked "Will you build this?". The developer was very excited but basically said no-one would buy it. They then showed the design to a middle aged couple looking for a house. Their first reaction was Yuck, but once they studied it a bit more fell in love with it. So basically its a case of the developers only building what they think people will buy and people thinking that this is their ownly choice. jhv I saw it also. Great 3-part series from the UK. I think it was called "The Perfect House", or something close to that. I recorded it to my Digital Recorder and have watched it a few times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadmunkey Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 Good discussion points - maybe if local planning authorities allowed developers to think 'outside of the box' then things would be slightly more interesting! I think the only way for you to go is buying a plot and designing your own bespoke home or have a look here: http://www.themodernhouse.net/tmh/sales Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morri Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Same here in ireland ,Some God awfull domestic social housing has gone up in the past number of years, the tenaments of tomorrow. Can I ask you to look at this link, simple and a little rough around the edges, but a good effort at making a home out of a Sh*t hole if I am to be honest. Not what your after I know but , anything can be brought to life with a little imagination, and a entusiastic eye. phil Thanks for the reference Phil, certainly was a bit of a a sh*t hole as you say.( luckily I am Irish and appreciate a bit of plain speaking;) ) I work a lot in the UK and Ireland as well. Have a look at the website referenced in the PPB post (not allowed to post it here as am newbie) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerdream Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 I knew the world was coming to an end when I saw Kaufman Broad homes in the south of France, and people there liked them. I thought that was just a California thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morri Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 They "love" little noddy box houses all over France, luckily they also like some good contemporary design too. French planning is very bureaucratic but that can be OK if you know how to play the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morri Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 "Homes from sh*tholes" i think it may be my new tagline! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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