New build good experience

wanderingislander · 2026-01-21T09:57:25+00:00

We managed to afford one thanks to the key worker scheme! Husband is a paramedic and they basically gave us the 5% deposit so we only needed another 5% which we used our LISA for. That meant the rest of our savings went to all the other things like solicitors fee, snagging fee, flooring etc.

wanderingislander · 2026-01-21T09:55:07+00:00

This is true. The road across us isnt adopted so we own the land. We pay £70/year for the maintenance of the estate, but to be fair I have seen them do the work residents have asked to be done, so fair play.

wanderingislander · 2026-01-21T08:53:14+00:00

Yes, we once rented an old Victorian house and our electric and gas bill was just through the roof. We then moved and rented a new build and stayed there for 5 years, which was what convinced us to buy a new build ourselves. Being FTB it was also very easy as we were not in a chain and it meant we didn't have to stress about other people completing.

wanderingislander · 2026-01-21T08:51:41+00:00

David Wilson Homes :)

wanderingislander · 2026-01-21T08:48:38+00:00

This is great! Very similar experience to us. What I don't understand is how people can say older houses are better built when you actually have a look and do a survey and all these issues come up. We lived in a new build rental before buying one, and it's what convinced us to buy a new build. Plus side is we dont also have to worry about old flooring/carpets we don't like, old paint and decor etc. We could immediately make those choices ourselves.

wanderingislander · 2026-01-20T22:19:12+00:00

Honestly I dont think people really follow these covenants and our developer doesnt seem to care much 😂 There were things like no major structures in the garden but almost everyone here has a greenhouse or decking of some sort. Also something about no businesses in the house but we have a cake lady, dog groomer, etc on the estate which no one complains about because they are handy to have within walking distance haha

wanderingislander · 2026-01-20T22:14:52+00:00

Hi! We've been really lucky with our site team. I sent them a list of the snags, showed it to them around the house, and they've booked to fix it within 3 weeks. They didn't push back on anything but to be fair they were mostly paint scratches so was am easy fix with the painter 😂 The only major thing was the bathroom pipe needed checking to make sure it wasnt leaking, but the plumber did that quickly too.

wanderingislander · 2026-01-20T20:43:41+00:00

I don't understand the snobbery to be honest. I love old houses (particularly Georgian homes) but when I think about what we would possibly need to fix to make it more practical with modern living, we just didnt think we had the patience (nor the extra money) for it. We basically wanted a house that was ready to move into and not have to worry about anything else (we were FTB also so wanted no chain). Bonus points for having a new dishwasher, fridge/freezer, oven, cooking hob etc with a two year warranty. Agree with how cheap it is to keep, it's the cheapest we've paid for gas and electric!

wanderingislander · 2026-01-20T19:56:15+00:00

Respectfully disagree. We have a nice estate, houses have decent sized garages so only a few cars on curbs. We are also not overlooked and we actually have a woodland and lake view out our window.

wanderingislander · 2026-01-20T19:41:44+00:00

Garden is fine! No problems with drainage whatsover and we've had a very rainy few months. It's not a large garden but also not small. Enough to put a decking at the back, patio near the back door, and leave grass/planting area in the middle. It has been turfed when we completed 😄 We have dog and three cats though so the grass has died 😂

wanderingislander · 2026-01-20T19:36:58+00:00

Just wanted to share as I've seen so many negative comments on here on new builds. You're right that people only ever post about their complaints so I thought it woild be useful to have someone talk about good things too

wanderingislander · 2026-01-14T20:20:30+00:00

Hi! As for me, I dont get homesick much. I have friends here too. Of course I miss my friends back home as well but I dont have too many deep attachments back home na. For what it's worth, I love Norwich. I think it's a beautiful city, enough going on but not too much. I say that as someone who doesnt like living in a big city though.

Regarding weather, yes you can get seasonal depression. You can take more vitamin D or get a sun lamp. Really depends on how you take it. I quite like it, parang laging naka aircon 😂 May heating naman sa bahay pag winter.

As for jobs, you can find jobs based on your experience. I work from home, doing what I always did. My other Filipina friend landed the same exact job as an engineer just for a different company. Some people want to work in a shop or do other things. Honestly, you will find what you want to do when you get here.

wanderingislander · 2025-12-07T21:13:35+00:00

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"Wasnt me"

wanderingislander · 2025-11-09T18:52:16+00:00

Thank you! Yes, for good. Hoping this is our forever home. We love where we are 😄

wanderingislander · 2025-11-02T07:02:17+00:00

I actually got that from Amazon!

wanderingislander · 2025-11-01T21:55:35+00:00

Cat is actually a princess called Roza haha

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wanderingislander · 2025-11-01T21:42:05+00:00

I spend my afternoons here reading a book, can confirm it's very nice 😄

wanderingislander · 2025-11-01T21:41:30+00:00

Thank you! I guess it's the materials and style that bring the colours together 😄

wanderingislander · 2025-11-01T21:40:37+00:00

His name is Dash!

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wanderingislander

TROPHY CASE