my wife has reluctantly agreed to go look at a house. we want to move, had a great house lined up earlier this week and then got totally shafted by the vendor, so this is option B.

except its in my dream location, favourite part of this area and even better right on the beach! literally i could cross the road and go surf.

wife’s objection… house is ugly and she does’nt like that its modern. we’ve always lived in old places, currently in the sticks surrounded by fields. so modern to me means insulated, warm and cheaper by far to run.

its going to result in someone’s toys out the pram, any tips!

Stone cladding?

any tips!

give up now.

if one of you doesn’t like it find somewhere you either both equally dislike or both like.

if you love it and she doesn’t and you move there you’ll just have years of simmerign resentment and recriminations to look forward to.

don’t buy it.

or, if it is ugly think about whether you can modify the exterior enough to make it ok, like plastering – garage extension to the side, put a bay window in or rework the one that is on there, better door/windows, etc.

might well be cheaper than the stamp duty when you have to move again later.

Tell her you’re having an affair.

we bought an old victorian terrace against my wishes. my wfe regrets it now. not enough money to do it up. she wishes she’d gone with my 1940’s semi with garden and garage now. use that one.

you can argue, but I can save you some time and sum it up for you, “you discussed it, summed up the pro’s and con’s and your wife decided you were wrong”

wwaswas has it nailed

Better to have the worst house in the best location etc

Wot jam bo says. Who care how ugly it is when you are inside looking out 🙂

Find some links to websites of these companies that renovate exteriors to make them look swish.

Such as

http://www.erincastle.co.uk/

What Jambo says too and If you like the house and want to change how it looks, Ignore companies like those above (they just make ugly houses look like different ugly houses having spent a lot of your money) Use your imagination or employ a good architect instead!
paint, cladding, windows doors etc all make a big difference

Ugly can be fixed easily with windows, paint, trellissing, etc.

my view is that if you are looking at the house you are looking at the wrong thing.

mock-tudor cladding and faux-leaded windows, i like it!

i’ve tried suggesting the affair thing in the past, she said i’m not allowed.

i also offered to go live in our holiday rental place (also on a beach) one time, but apparently that was not allowed either – even though my lad was up for moving in with me too so he could surf all day, or was it my sly bribing offer of a popcorn machine in his bedroom if he did!

How bad does the house look ?

modern beach house sounds very desireable to me .

where is it ? link?

As many have said there is loads you can do to the outside of the property to improve it, these guys are local to us, and although I’ve never used them some of the improvements they have made are pretty impressive –

you firstly need to accept that you are too old to be surfing.

If you’re not thinking about kids one day, look away now…

We had an old house with stone walls, original stone floors downstairs and exposed floorboards upstairs, inglenook fireplace, open cellar etc etc.

Then had a baby.

Learning to crawl on slippy floorboards – fail
Learning to walk on stone floors – fail
Smacking head on stone hearth/ walls – constantly
Cold – always

We now live in a 5-year old house. It’s warm, clean, safe, has a garage and is in a much better location. Life is good.

Edit: and my life is infinitely better now I don’t spend every waking moment in Wickes/ B&Q or at screwfix.com

Double edit: now I spend my time here 😳

your tips please (as in how to win)

You’re not really married are you?

New houses are a bit like Ikea furniture. Good now, but unlikely to be in a future Antiques Roadshow.

Also, have you considered what you’ll do when sea levels rise and regular Tsunamis happen?
🙂

you firstly need to accept that you are too old to be surfing.

i’m the oldest ripper in the village my boy!

Don’t show your weakness!
Husbands weakness smells like farts to women. If she know you like it, she’ll purse her lips, screw up her nose and say no without emotion.

does she not like it enough that she’ll never take half of it off you?

you firstly need to accept that you are too old to be surfing.
i’m the oldest ripper in the village my boy!

I’d live in a shed if it was within sight of a decent spot. Being able to walk to the beach makes you a proper local….

Correct me if I’m wrong, but at the moment you’re only going to have a look at it right..?

Go to the wardrobe.
Look at your trouser collection.
Select a pair.
Put them on.

I’d live in a shed if it was within sight of a decent spot

that was the 1980s for me, real shed too. happy days!

The Shack – Millook by chill, on Flickr

Always fancied this one….

If something material is more important than your partner’s happiness, I’d say you have bigger problems than choosing a house. Time to move on perhaps?

Time to move on perhaps?

then i should take oliverd1981’s advice, good call! : )

jam bo, those ones at milook are stunning aren’t they. whenever i drive past i admire hugely.

Let the other half lead. It’s easier.

I lived on the beach and most of the year it’s rain, salt spray rotting everything and damp. In spain it wasn’t as damp but beach bars and scooters at three in the morning wear thin after a while. Even a morning dip is not so tempting in January.

You see it’s easy to find fault but hard to promote. Anyhow, if you do find a half way decent place it won’t take any persuading at all. When Madame found our current abode I took one look from the road and said “I don’t care what it’s like inside you can have it if you want it”. Previous visits had been:

“I don’t want to spend a weekend here let alone the rest of my life”.

“I am not renovating that”.

“OK it’s cheap, but I don’t want to live here”.

“Too much and where do we put the car?”

Get her looking.

jam bo, those ones at milook are stunning aren’t they. whenever i drive past i admire hugely.

Just looked it up properly £1200 to rent for a weekend and that’s not in high season!!!!!!