Focus: Modern Housing - A Developers Dream and Buyers Nightmare?
The lure of a brand new property is always enticing - the fresh, clean interior, brand new fixtures and fittings and that general sense of 'newness'. A new property is a blank canvas and in most cases it is possible to move straight in without the need to make improvements - less hassle and less expense. Yes it is clear that buying a new property has many advantages but as the government places intense pressure on developers to build more and more houses to accommodate the growing population how good is the quality of properties that are slowly invading every square inch of available land?
Research suggests that more people then ever are complaining about defects when moving into a new property, generally caused by poor workmanship and building design. Common complaints include cracks, shoddy decor, poor plumbing, doors and windows not being fitted correctly and very poor sound proofing.
These problems are hardly surprising when you consider just how fast developers build properties especially in the boom times of the not too far distant past - some estates seem to literally materialise over night with little thought to the demands of modern living. Looking at some of the modern estates it is all too evident that some properties appear to be built in such close proximity that any sense of privacy is just not possible and parking and garden space is limited to say the least. In fact it seems that modern developments are all about cramming as many properties as possible onto every available space - most probably with the aim for developers to make as much profit as possible.
With this modern trend of high density housing, inside living space can also suffer with modern housing in Britain now representing the smallest living space in Europe. Suffice to say many houses just aren't suitable for the demands of modern living - among some of the most common complaints include limited or even non-existent storage space, the smallest bedroom hardly big enough to fit a bed in, limited kitchen space and narrow corridors hardly big enough to walk though never mind transporting furniture.
Sound transmission in adjoining properties and indeed internally also seems to be a common problem, most probably caused by the new trend of plaster board internal walls that have little sound insulation and poor quality materials used for adjoining walls that allow sound to easily transmit to neighboring properties. Research suggests that some properties are so badly insulated that everyday sounds from neighbors can be heard including light switches being turned on and off, phones ringing, doors creaking and talking. This problem clearly escalates if neighbors are particularly noisy which sometimes is unavoidable with a young family. Surely with the new trend of high density housing developers should consider sound transmission as an important factor in allowing residents to have a decent quality of life?
In conclusion it appears that developers are paying less and less attention to the quality of build and demands of modern living and more about the number of properties they can build and how quickly they can sell them to make profits so they can move onto the next development.
Of course not everyone experiences problems with new built properties and a large percentage of them are built to a good standard, some with vast living and storage space on a well designed development. It is clear however that some developers need to take much more care over the quality, design and position of the properties they build, not just for the sake of there own reputations but also the quality of life of people who live in those properties.
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