Wednesday, 30 January 2019

Modern New Build or Traditional Older Property?

A modern style home is all too familiar these days but before we talk more about these, I would like to acknowledge the beauty of the older more traditional properties. There’s a lot to be said for the pre-1950’s built homes. You may have heard your parents talk about how the older properties were “solid and built to last”, unlike the hordes of quick builds spewed out today to create the sprawling new housing estates. If you look carefully you will notice tons of original features in older properties whereas the new builds tend to have sharp clean lines and little of anything else. It does come down to personal preference but for me the traditional features of old can’t be beaten and I am often found rummaging around salvage yards looking for exciting new finds to use on my next project. For example, I had a local builder in Chigwell Essex stunned with how much amazing ‘stuff’ I came back with, after one of my ‘shopping sprees’. Amongst other bits, I found an amazing cast iron fireplace and a near perfect ceiling rose to adorn the hallway, sadly most of the traditional features had been ripped out of the property by the previous owners.


The modern new build properties also have their place on my scale but only those where the new home builder has used traditional standards to work to, that is, the house is “solid and built to last”! To reach the upper part of my scale, the walls would need to be solid and better insulated than the average new build property, in turn, providing greater sound proofing, and there would need to be some internal design features even if they bare a modern twist, for example, modern style coving around the tops of the walls rather than leaving it bare (to my mind this is unfinished). Essentially, the new build house would need to be a mix of the two, modern with a dash of traditional, the property must have some personal touches to create character.

So, which type of house would you go for? If we set aside the general upheaval involved in building a new home, it would seem we can have the best of both worlds if we build our new home. The overall look of the new property can be built in a way to reflect a contemporary modern style and by adding character enhancing details throughout the house it won’t appear clinical and unhomely. In addition, by using traditional standards of house building we can ensure the walls and foundations are solid structures. The other positive about building your own home is that you can divide and layout the internal rooms to your liking. If you have the resources and the patience to build your own home then I would advise you to go for it!


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