Latest news with #newbuild
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
£1.6m home where buyers can customise the interior hits the market in south Essex
A five-bedroom detached house in south Essex has hit the market with the option for buyers to personalise the interior before completion. Listed at £1,600,000, the newly built property on Westley Road, Langdon Hills, is described as an "exceptional new build" and is currently under construction, with completion expected in early autumn. According to the listing by Binks and Brown, buyers can choose their own fixtures, finishes, and design touches, or opt for the developers to complete the home to the same standard as the neighbouring house. Arranged across four floors, the home includes an open-plan kitchen and living area that extends across the rear of the property. The proposed open-plan kitchen space (Image: Binks and Brown / Zoopla) The listing states this space is "perfect for entertaining". The basement level provides a dedicated cinema room, while the upper floors boast the bedrooms, each with its own en-suite bathroom or shower room. The listing describes the bedrooms as "spacious" and arranged across the upper floors. Located in the Langdon Hills area, the property is positioned in a semi-rural setting with access to local amenities and transport links. The proposed cinema room (Image: Binks and Brown / Zoopla) Langdon Hills Country Park, which covers over 400 acres, is within walking distance, and the listing highlights views of the Thames Estuary from the park. Laindon Railway Station is nearby, providing connections into London. At the front, the house features a driveway with space for off-street parking. One of the proposed bedrooms (Image: Binks and Brown / Zoopla) A rear garden is described as "beautifully designed" and is intended to extend the kitchen and living area outdoors. The listing says the property offers a "turn-key opportunity" for buyers seeking a new home without the need to manage planning or construction. According to the listing, the developers are known for "meticulous attention to detail". One of the proposed bathrooms (Image: Binks and Brown / Zoopla) A spokesman for Binks and Brown wrote: "Finding the perfect plot, navigating planning approvals, and selecting builders all the hard work has been done for you. "This is a rare "turn-key" opportunity to acquire a brand-new home in a thriving location, with the freedom to make it your own. "Don't miss the chance to create your dream home in this prime Langdon Hills setting. Contact us today to arrange a viewing."
The Sun
2 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Newbuild owners show before & after of ‘garden nightmare' that went from green & fluffy to muddy pit after pest invasion
A NEWBUILD homeowner has shared a shocking before and after look at her 'garden 'nightmare'. Charley Mary, a mother from the UK, explained that when she and her man moved into their newbuild property, the grass in their garden was perfect. 3 3 But, before long, a horrifying pest invasion turned the luscious lawn into a muddy pit. Posting on social media, the content creator shared a close-up look at her garden 's downfall, leaving many totally stunned. Alongside the short clip of her 'garden nightmare', the savvy mum begged: 'Send help.' At the start of the video, viewers saw Charley's garden shortly after she and her partner moved in. She wrote: 'What it looked like before…so fluffy and green.' But moments later, alongside a crying emoji, Charley added: 'Then the leatherjackets came …and now this is what it looks like.' The stunning grass was practically nowhere to be seen, with her garden merely soil with a few patches of sparse grass. What are leatherjackets? As recently reported by Fabulous, Ben Agnew, a grass expert at Lawnsmith, warned gardening gurus to be on the lookout for signs of leatherjackets - a common pest that destroys grass from the roots up. The gardening pro said: "Although small, these grubs can be a nightmare for your lawn. 'An infestation can undo all the hard work you've put in and leave you with nothing. Nature's Defenses: Organic Solutions to Garden Pest Problems "They thrive by eating the roots of grass and plants, killing their food source as they go. 'As they exist under the surface of your lawn, the first sign of an issue is your lawn dying, leaving yellow patches that then turn brown. 'The damp, wet conditions experienced in the UK during winter create the perfect environment for the eggs to hatch into leatherjackets." Common garden pests Common pests in the garden don't need to be a cause for alarm. If you can identify them, you can work on getting rid of them and preventing them from returning. Aphids (Greenfly, Blackfly) Aphids are extremely common and can impact plant growth. They have tiny soft pear-shaped bodies, and are usually green or black. You may spot them clustered on the stem of soft shoots – look under leaves in particular – or may find a sticky substance on your plants that gives away aphids have been there sucking at the sap. Whitefly These small white-winged insects are related to aphids, at just 1 or 2 mm in length, and look very much like white moths as adults. They can be found on the underside of leaves, preferring younger, fresher leaves. They fly in clusters when you disturb them. Their lifecycle is only three weeks long, which means an infestation can occur very rapidly. Slugs An unmissable, squashy-looking body plus small sensory tentacles on its head. Slugs move along on one muscular foot. They range in scale from surprisingly small to terrifyingly large; limax cinereoniger species can grow comfortably beyond 20 cm in length. Cabbage Moth Caterpillar Cabbage moth caterpillars happily make their way into the heart of the vegetables, The caterpillars are distinguished in shades of yellow or browny green with no hair. Mealy Bug Mealybugs are tiny oval-shaped insects that have a white, powdery wax coating. There are several different species, many of which have what looks like legs coming from their sides and back end. In their earliest stage of life, it's entirely possible to mistake them for fungus and not recognise them as insects at all. Leatherjackets are legless grubs with tough, leathery skin. They are typically grey or brown in colour and can grow up to three cm in length. For those looking to take action to avoid maximum damage, Ben advised: "Prevention is easier than the cure for a leatherjacket infestation. 'Effective treatment comes in the form of microscopic bacterial worms, called nematodes, specifically 'Steinernema feltiae'. "Nematodes get rid of leatherjackets by infiltrating their outer casing and subsequently killing them. "Leatherjackets can cause considerable damage, and even after treatment, it can be challenging to restore your lawn to its former state. 'It can take your garden some time to return to its former glory." Additionally, Ben recommended: " Aerating your lawn can help improve drainage. To do this, simply create holes in the turf to allow it to breathe and encourage water to disperse.' Tips for keeping pests from your garden Plant companion plants such as peppermint to repel rats. Place Garden Netting Pest Barrier, over your flowerbeds. Fill open-top containers with beer and place in soil to repel slugs. Spray plants with Neem Oil, to repel ants, flies, and spiders. Dust your flowerbeds with Diatomaceous Earth. Mix 1 tablespoon dish soap, 10 drops peppermint oil, and 4 cups water and spray on flowerbeds. Place eggshells around your plants to protect from slugs and snails. Not only this, but Ben also acknowledged that heavily shaded gardens can also suffer, so removing thick branches of overhanging trees and bushes can help more sunlight reach the turf. Ben also stressed: "Some soils are better than others for drainage. For example, nutrient-dense clay soils can make gardens more prone to flooding. 'If you often see water pooling in your garden, investigate the type of soil so you know how to nurture the lawn correctly." Social media users react Charley's TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ charleymaryy, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly gone viral and racked up 9.9 million views. Not only this, but it's also amassed 482,700 likes, 2,722 comments and 19,000 saves. Social media users were gobsmacked at the garden nightmare and many eagerly flocked to the comments to share their thoughts. Not only this, but other newbuild homeowners also confessed that they too have experienced the same issue with their grass. One person said: 'Reason why I would never buy a new build number 10287399.' Another added: 'We have the same. Heard it's a mixture of clay soil, lack of drainage, not enough topsoil, no vegetation and non stop rain.' Alongside shocked face emojis, a third simply commented: 'Brutal.' Meanwhile, another homeowner shared: 'The EXACT same thing has happened to all the gardens on my estate too.' Not only this, but someone else claimed: 'It seems like every new build has this problem.'
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Irish Times
New detached four-bed home on Silchester Road in Glenageary for €1.895m
Address : 1 Silchester Gardens, Silchester Road, Glenageary, Co Dublin Price : €1,895,000 Agent : Sherry FitzGerald View this property on When the stately Victorian houses on Silchester Road in Glenageary , Co Dublin , were built in the 1860s, developers gave them long back gardens, gardens that have unsurprisingly come to attract the interest of property developers today. Tanglewood House at 34 Silchester Road, for example, was sold with its 272ft-long back garden for about €2.5 million. Its new owner then secured planning permission to develop three new detached homes on a third of an acre of the garden. They then sold that site with planning in place to the developer, Waterlight Homes. Tanglewood House, with its reduced garden, was subsequently sold for about €2.4 million. Waterlight Homes named its exclusive infill scheme Silchester Gardens and one of the houses remains for sale: Sherry FitzGerald is guiding €1.895 million for 1 Silchester Gardens, a 190sq m (2,045sq ft) detached four-bed. It's a new-build with a smart modern kitchen and bathrooms, staged for sale by interior designer Muriel Simpson and decorated in neutral shades. The house, with air-to-water heating and a mechanical heat-recovery ventilation system, has an A2 Ber. Windows are Nordan double-glazed and there's underfloor heating throughout. Architects Cantrell & Crowley and Adrian Hill of Wilson Hill designed the three houses, which have cream brick and render facades. READ MORE Entrance hallway Livingroom Kitchen and breakfast room Family room The front hall of number 1, like most of the downstairs rooms, has wooden floors. There's a convenient built-in coat stand with seating on the right of the entrance hall; a family room opens off the hall on the left. It's bright, with two large windows. There's also a downstairs toilet. The livingroom opens off the hall on the right, and runs from the front to the back of the house. It's fitted with a wide shelving unit, painted pale grey. Floor-to-ceiling wall-to-wall sliding glass doors open on to a patio, as do sliding doors from the kitchen, making the patio into a kind of courtyard. The kitchen/breakfastroom – from kitchen designer Michael Farrell – has smart charcoal grey units which conceal pretty much everything, including a decent-sized utility room, where a tall panel turns out to be the door into it. A quartz-topped island divides the kitchen from the breakfast room; it's beside the wide sliding doors that look on to the patio. Study/fourth bedroom Main bedroom Main bedroom walk-in wardrobe and en suite Rear garden A timber staircase leads up to a wide, bright landing with two roof lights windows over it. Four bedrooms open off it, two with en suites, and a family bathroom. A single bedroom is fitted out as study. The main bedroom looks towards the back of the original house; it has a walk-in wardrobe on the way into a smart en suite where a walk-in shower has a long mosaic-tiled bench. Another double bedroom has an en suite where wood-effect tiles line one shower. Sanitary ware in the house comes from bathroom designer Bath House. There's a strip of lawn at the back of the house, off the patio, and room to park two cars beside an EV charger.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Nationwide changes mortgage rules to let first-time buyers buy new builds with just a 5% deposit
Nationwide Building Society is offering first-time buyers the chance to get a mortgage covering up to 95 per cent of the purchase price when buying new build houses. The mutual says the mortgage product will be available from Thursday and will also enable buyers to borrow up to six times' their annual income, when they do so via its Helping Hand scheme. Many banks and building societies ask for a minimum deposit of 10 per cent or more when buying a new build, as the properties can fall in value in the first few years. Nationwide's change means a first-time buyer couple earning a combined £80,000 combined might be able to borrow up to £480,000 to put towards a new-build house, as long as they have a 5 per cent deposit and can afford the monthly repayments. Nationwide is also increasing the maximum loan-to-value cap on new build flats. From Thursday first-time buyers will be able to buy a new build flat with a 15 per cent deposit as opposed to 20 per cent previously. Mortgage offers on all new builds will also be extended to nine months, to take account of the fact there can be construction delays. The longer offer period lowers the risk of needing to reapply for a mortgage in the event the property takes longer to complete. Nationwide says its Helping Hand mortgage products have supported more than 57,000 customers since its launch in 2021, with more than 26,000 customers using Helping Hand between April 2024 and March 2025. New build sales have suffered since the end of the former Government's Help to Buy scheme, which was only available on new builds. Mortgaged new build sales in 2024 were around a third lower than in the last full year of the Help to Buy scheme in 2022. Nationwide says tough deposit requirements and affordability challenges have also played a major part in this, but claims its latest change could help 10,000 more first-time buyers onto the ladder. Why does a new build require a bigger deposit? New build houses have historically been seen as riskier properties by lenders. Just like a new car depreciates in value, new builds have sometimes had a tendency to fall in value during the first few years of ownership. 'Historically, new builds have carried more risk for lenders, especially flats, because of the initial over-valuation risk,' says Ravesh Patel, director and senior mortgage consultant at broker Reside Mortgages. 'There was perceived to be a risk that the property could depreciate following completion, often with developers' incentives distorting values in the first instance.' Aaron Strutt of mortgage broker Trinity Financial, added: 'A new build first-time buyer 5 per cent deposit mortgage at six times salary is pretty punchy,' said Strutt. 'Many of the other lenders would not be comfortable offering a product like this. But from a borrower perspective, it gives many people the chance to get on the property ladder and buy a new home.' Nationwide is not alone in offering 95 per cent mortgages on new build houses. Accord, Barclays, Halifax and Skipton are among the other lenders that offer them. The Labour Government's 1.5million homes target could also encourage more lenders to change their rules on new-build mortgages. 'There's a political and regulatory encouragement for lenders to support first-time buyers, particularly with the ongoing housing shortage,' says Patel. 'After volatility in 2022-23, the property market has also stabilised in many areas. Lenders now feel more confident about long-term property values.' Perhaps not surprisingly housebuilders have welcomed Nationwide's announcement. Ceri Pearce, sales and marketing director at Taylor Wimpey said: 'The increase in the maximum loan to value on new build houses to 95 per cent will make it easier for buyers to secure a mortgage with a smaller deposit, and the extension of mortgage offers to nine months will give borrowers greater certainty and flexibility during the construction process. 'These changes reflect a strong commitment to supporting the housing market and responding to the underlying demand for new homes.' Adrian MacDiarmid, of Barratt Redrow, added: 'Improving affordability and access to home ownership helps underpin housebuilders' confidence to invest in order to deliver the homes that this country needs. 'We look forward to continuing to work with Nationwide Building Society to support our mutual customers.' Best mortgage rates and how to find them Mortgage rates have risen substantially over recent years, meaning that those remortgaging or buying a home face higher costs. That makes it even more important to search out the best possible rate for you and get good mortgage advice, whether you are a first-time buyer, home owner or buy-to-let landlord. Quick mortgage finder links with This is Money's partner L&C > Mortgage rates calculator > Find the right mortgage for you To help our readers find the best mortgage, This is Money has partnered with the UK's leading fee-free broker L&C. This is Money and L&C's mortgage calculator can let you compare deals to see which ones suit your home's value and level of deposit. You can compare fixed rate lengths, from two-year fixes, to five-year fixes and ten-year fixes. If you're ready to find your next mortgage, why not use This is Money and L&C's online Mortgage Finder. It will search 1,000's of deals from more than 90 different lenders to discover the best deal for you.
The Sun
17-06-2025
- Climate
- The Sun
Watch the moment home owner walks over their new-build's lawn and shows how landscaping turned it into a water bed
EVERYONE advised them to get a new build. But one thing mum-of-two Lu wasn't prepared for was the state of the garden. 3 3 3 She took to TikTok to share a look at the green space outside the back of the house, with her other half demonstrating just how dangerous it was. As he walked across the grass, the floor underneath him was seen wobbling dramatically - with Lu admitting it was "like a bloody water bed" than a garden. "'Get a new build', they said," she wrote over the top of the clip. "What's going on under there?" one person asked in the comments section. "After speaking to the site manager they think it's from the car wash behind," Lu replied. "So a drainage problem causing my garden to fill with water." "That's a cop out- what is the building manager planning on doing to rectify?" " someone else said. "This seems like poor drainage for your lawn - which is what they should be addressing, otherwise it will happen often." "Site manager is just trying to pass blame on there, get an independent guy to check it out - bet he will have a different answer," another wrote. "Definitely a drainage problem, but still builder's fault," someone else agreed. I hate my new build garden being overlooked so found a 5 METRE privacy fence to block out nosy neighbours for under £30 "Water getting trapped between the subsoil and top soil, subsoil is a hard pan, groundworkers should have de-compacted ground before putting top soil in." As another warned: "That's going to turn into a huge sink hole." "The retaining fence at the back - that's where all the water's coming through," another wrote. "And then it's flooding your garden, so you need to say to the developer that you need a proper soak-away, built in and dug in approximately a metre underground and done correctly." "After speaking to site manager we have a car wash behind our house and we seem to think it's a drain to do with that coming into our garden," Lu added in another comment. "For anyone wondering it was built on an old car park so no flood plain. "Hopefully drainage issue is sorted and new garden with no built in trampoline."
