In 2021, we moved from a flat in a Grade I listed building to a brand new home which was built to the current government standards and recommendations.
Old House
There are eleven apartments or flats, heated by radiators in every room plus the communal corridor areas, served by a huge gas boiler housed outside the main building. The Grade I listing meant that upgrades to the building were carefully controlled - for example, windows were single-glazed, metal framed, leaded light style, and therefore could be draughty at times. Additionally, a septic tank took care of all the waste.
Except for the occasional times when the heating system was off, it was quite comfortable. Nothing that couldn't be fixed by another couple of layers of clothing.
New House
It is fully insulated with British Standard glazing. To counter this, there is an air-flow system which brings in fresh air and pumps it around the house after warming or cooling it. The heating is underfloor throughout.
It was an error to believe that the air-flow system would be a substitute for air conditioning, as its temperature is only adjusted within a maximum of +/- two degrees centigrade. This renders it all but useless in extreme heat so we purchased two mobile air-con units (ugly but effective) plus two large fans for the summer. As a fall-back option in case of heating failure in a cold winter, we opted for a log burner to be installed during the build.
Lifestyle
We can't compare running costs as the years between have seen price hikes for pretty much everything. However, we can list some pros and cons for each.
Old home - pros: spacious flat, quiet, several acres of lovely grounds, a committee takes care of organising such things as gardeners and arborists, window cleaners, cleaners for the communal areas, building maintenance and insurance, compliance with governing rules for gas boilers, emptying the septic tank and so much more.
Old home - cons: service charges, no control to override heating when off, no balcony and no lift which means that weekly shopping has to be carried up 50 stairs, often two it three times per shop (however, this could also be listed under pros as it contributes towards fitness). Also, there was no w.c. on the ground floor, which was a problem when using the conservatory and terrace for a gathering of friends - older family members could not easily manage the stairs up to the flat.
New home - pros: stepping out from the house directly onto the patio, wheelchair-friendly (although this hasn't applied so far), parking within a few steps of the kitchen doors to carry in the weekly shopping, fall-back option of a log burner. Our particular location is walkable to a mainline rail station.
New home - cons: rooms are either too hot or too cold (can't work out why), should we want carpets, this would hamper the underfloor heating, there is a lack of storage - mainly because the local council would only approve homes of a certain height, which means that three bedrooms are effectively in the loft with very few vertical walls (which means, for example, that we have to store paintings that would otherwise be displayed, as there are few places where we are able to hang them).
All in all, you choose the home that suits you at the time and hope you enjoy the best of living there.
