Bovill Road new-builds - £900K

Delighted the developer built these new houses with traditional facades to match the street:

At £900K, they’ll lift house values in the area too…

Lovely that they made it match the area / street.

I’m sure my landlord will be pleased…

Nice development though in principle!

Do we really need house prices in the area to increase??

I thought the same thing, but didn’t comment as it always gets a bit heated ha ha!

That’s a bargain. Have you seen this?
https://www.foxtons.co.uk/property-for-sale-in-east-dulwich/chpk2154081

Better width than the victoriana half houses on bovil and Ebsworth, 15’9" is much better then 13’. And I know they will be brand new which earns a premium, but for just one extra bedroom, and their own hallway, charging more than £200k more is a bit excessive.
They have tiny gardens for a start! I remember having a nosey when they laid the foundations, the gardens looked like they would be just small patios.
Self-proclaimed floorplan addict!

I’d say they are priced about right.

You are also getting a side return and proper kitchen / open plan on the ground floor which is very expensive to do to an existing terrace. Side returns can cost £50-£100k.

A complete do-over on Whatman/Garthorne Road will cost you around £650-700k. Something that needs £100k spent on it from day 1 including a loft being put on. And most of those aren’t double bricked on both sides either (sound proofing isn’t brilliant). Then factor in 4+ months to do the renovation.

The double bricked on both sides places up around Ackroyd / Agnew cost well over £800k and add whatever for the side return and loft (but yes those are a lot bigger).

These houses will be way better insulated than their original counterparts, which will make them cheaper to heat and they should also suffer less from heat gain during hot summers.

Has the horse bolted on those prices for the time being though?

My hunch is that the confidence to buy at this level in Forest Hill will be low until The City’s post-brexit future becomes clearer; and assuming employment and salary levels don’t drop.

Am I the only person who doesn’t consider open plan a selling point? I hate it.

I take your point on everything else though! The space is definitely a bonus.

I like an open plan kitchen/diner/sitting room - but only if there’s a separate reception room as well.

I think it depends on the size of the household. If there is only one person or a couple, a separate kitchen can be an annoyance rather than a boon. If I’m on my own, I can’t keep watching tv as I cook. If there are two or a guest, I have to ‘abandon’ them to get drinks or serve. I think open plan is more sociable in those instances.

I’m about to move my kitchen into a living room to create a living/diner. I’ll enjoy having friends over more and turning that ‘extra’ room into a study/spare will be far more useful.

That’s the key isn’t it? An open plan cooking and socialising space is very attractive if there is an additional separate living room. If it is a corner of kitchen units shoved in the side of a room that has to double as a living room because the developers are too tight to put in a separate kitchen it is very off putting - who wants to relax among dirty dishes and cooking smells?

One of our key asks when flat hunting was a completely separate kitchen - it is surprising how rare that seems now days.

At least the proportions of this particular house would allow the kitchen and living areas to be easily and suitably partitioned-off if need be.

OMG!!! If it wasn’t a Foxtons listing, I would have thought that there is a mistake…

East Dulwich?? At least 2.5 miles away
Recently refurbished to a high standard?? Looks like it is in need of refurbishment and of some good taste
Brand new well equipped kitchen?? 2-3 cupboards is barely a kitchen!