Customer Survey
- New Homes Today 2002 - Introduction
- Key Findings 2002
- Preference for New Housing 2002
- Affordable Housing and Planning Policies
- Executive Summary (2001)
- Glamorous, Aspirational, Well Designed (2001)
- More people want new homes (2001)
- Higher density homes - the impact of PPG3 (2001)
- The power of brand in house building (2001)
- Tomorrow's Homes Today
Glamorous, Aspirational, Well Designed
The image of new homes is being transformed
This year has seen a significant step change in the public's attitude to new homes. The image of new homes has undergone a transformation since the researchers' last look at them in depth several years ago. People who have recently visited new developments have a very positive attitude.
People believe that new homes are better built and better designed:
- developments laid out more attractively
- exclusive designs with more character
- many seem more substantially built and to have bigger rooms
People believe that new homes now have better specification and more choice:
- luxurious fittings
- more choice of finishes
- more included in the price
- more efficient heating and insulation
People believe that new homes also retain their enduring benefits of convenience and time saving:
- People who put in long hours at work appreciated that they would not have to spend their leisure time doing DIY improvements and repairs
- Women in particular were attracted to the fresh, untouched qualities of new homes
Where new homes could do better
There were of course some more critical notes struck amid the generally enthusiastic response of intending new home buyers. Some of these were to do with the impact of higher density housing required by Government policy (PPG3). This is explored later. The other main areas for potential improvement were as follows: Gardens - another room in the house
People more and more regard their garden as an extension of their living space. There were several comments that house builders did not pay enough attention to the garden when designing and building a new home. They were also often seen as too small and overlooked. With a stylish brand new home, they would like a stylish brand new garden or at least to have the option of a properly designed and landscaped garden as part of the package. Where house builders offered a landscaping service, this was greeted with great interest.
Nowadays it's very popular to take an interest in your garden and spend money on your garden. People look on a garden as another room to the house so it's important. It's no good if all you've got is a tiny bit of land backing on to a wall after you've paid a quarter of a million or more for the house.
(Potential buyer, Warrington)
Properties not spacious enough
Although many brand new homes were liked because they were more spacious than in the past, many were seen as still far too small. This is partly due to Government policy, which is to encourage higher densities of housing than people are used to. Several respondents spoke of having to trade up to larger houses, in terms of bedrooms, than they really needed in order to achieve the spacious living accommodation that they would like. There is a demand for even two and three bedroom properties to have larger lounges and kitchens. This made new homes appear even more of an expensive purchase for those who had hoped to buy lower down the price range.
Problems with poor workmanship
Respondents were aware that things could go very wrong when purchasing a new home. They had seen television programmes which featured angry purchasers. Many had also heard directly from friends and family about shoddy workmanship and about problems in putting the work right.
It is clear that house builders need to pay even more attention to quality and after sales service.