What do you look for when choosing an area/house?

[pitchshifter]

So following on from my previous thread about building your own home, I'm wondering what people would look for when moving to a ready made home? I don't mean things like local schools, recreational activities etc. as although I know these things are important and will have bearing on decision making I don't think they're so relevant here. I know that if money (and work!) were no object, quite a few here might move somewhere rural or islandy, like the lovely little Scottish island I saw for sale recently, but assuming you have to stick to more of a budget and can't leave your job!

Currently we live in a flat in the centre of a coastal city. Whilst this is great for being near the shops etc. we really want a garden so that our baby can toddle about in it and we can grow food, so we're looking to move. We're interested in 2 areas, a town further along the coast and a suburban area further inland, both are about the same distance from the city centre for work. So what do you look for in an area from a prepping/future planning point of view? Coastal or inland? Closer to a rural area or to larger towns? Closer to motorways? Other things that you'd consider?

Then what do you think about when looking for a house? Terraced (likely to be warmest but possibly worst in a fire as may spread?), semi or detached (loses more heat)? Bigger garden or more square footage? Backing onto and flanked by neighbouring gardens (possibly more secure?) or not overlooked at the back/sides? South-facing garden? A cellar, garage or loft for extra space and storage? In a cul-de-sac or on a busier street? Are there any other things that you'd think about?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

[Deeps]

I can't see past the hollowed out volcano lair with liquid hot magma, sharks with giant frickin' lasers etc.

I did fancy moving to a more rustic setting with an acre or so but Her Maj put the mockers on it, we're in a nice detached gaff on the edge of a small town now which is ideal for modern living as long as the zombies don't descend on us but I fantasise about moving out to a small holding. Maybe the next wife will be more understanding.

[junmist]

Kitchen north facing to help keep the food cool if electric goes out, and talking of kitchens I'd die for a walk in pantry, living area sould be south facing for pacife heating, never get a house that is east/ west facing if you can help it, we find them to be cold. South facing garden if possible can be a pain if there is no shade but I'd rather be warm than cold and so would plants, a place for a wood/coal burning stove( they don't have to go into fire places) a celler would be nice but only if its waterproofed already. Smie/ detached or terreced lived in them all doesn't make much diffrence. We like living in a culdisac but parking can be a pain unless everyone has parking for 6 cars Area about 5 miles from the sea, I like the idea of making my own salt but don't like the thought of winter stormes.
Think I need to start doing the lotto again

[sethorly]

Big garden for the kids. More important than bedroom size.

On a hill to avoid flooding risks.

[ukpreppergrrl]

Kitchen north facing to help keep the food cool if electric goes out, and talking of kitchens I'd die for a walk in pantry

Yup..this is very often overlooked. I grew up in a semi-detached house which had a north facing kitchen and walk-in pantry. The neighbour, therefore, had a south-facing kitchen and pantry. It made a noticeable difference to food shelf-life in our two houses, and to how unpleasant their kitchen was to work in in the summer. The reverse wasn't true in our kitchen in the winter though.

Whilst I have to work:
On a hill with no water above to lessen flood risk as much as possible. South facing garden (as big as possible). Room for parking on the property. Not on a main or even busy road (noise and pollution!), but also not a dark back-alley that would be dangerous to walk down alone after dark. Near public transport. Near shops for convenience but not too near so that rioting and looting would spill over into my street (saw that happen in 2011!). Storage areas (attic/basement). I really like that there is an area of grass in front of my house where the local kids play football (despite the No Ball Games notice!) as this means during the day when I'm out, lots of little eyes are watching the front of my house and I figure that makes me less of a target for burglars. I've never yet had a broken window, but even if a loose ball did break one, I figure it's a small price to pay for the added security! Ditto the fact that there are a large number of retired people around who twitch their net curtains a lot! Good neighbours are a must

Money no object:
Isolated baronial manor somewhere in the Scottish highlands (with no water above but a stream running below or an artesian well, or preferably both!). South facing walled kitchen garden and greenhouse(s). Parking space for several Land Rovers. A helipad complete with helicopter. Own peat bog (much lower down the hill as peat bogs are always a flood risk!). 100 acres or more of woodland. A small freshwater loch. A large deer herd. A gun room. A snooker room. Walk-in north-facing pantry with plenty of space to hang meat and cheese. A distillery. Good staff are a must

[pitchshifter]

Thanks there are some really interesting thoughts here, I'd never have thought about looking for a north facing kitchen. In my previous houses the kitchen has been at the back of the house overlooking the back garden, but my friend has a house with the kitchen at the front and a lovely south facing back garden so I'll keep a look out! I'd also not thought about the elevation of the house so that gives me something to keep in mind.

ukpreppergirl your money no object house sounds awesome, but I think Deeps has nailed my dream house, especially the bit about the sharks...

[JDandCoke]

Cul-de -sac rather than busy street, dining kitchen, possibly some small storage at the kitchen, or utility room, at least 2 toilets (I have toilet on ground floor, bathroom on 1st floor and shower room on second floor, each has toilet and it is better than having just one bathroom on 1st floor and have a bath after somebody had shit or not being able to piss as somebody's taking shower) bigger than small garden (enough to do extension towards back if needed or to build tool shed), nice neighbours, therefore www.police.uk and check crime statistics for the area, plus before deciding to buy, drive around area in different times, like Saturday night and check what is going on, are there drunk people wandering on streets, are there any "single mums" on benefits (I mean mouthy benefit culture people as I've nothing against single parents) visited by their boyfriends and their friends dressed in sports clothes with Lambrini or cheap cider in hand (chavs I mean), are there any druggies living close, do you smell weed on the street or see people who look suspicious in general. Also check what cars are parked at neighbours houses, and how their gardens look like, as you don't want to have scruffy neighbour. The surroundings are in my opinion more important than the house itself. What would you prefer? Nice big house in hi crime rate area? or rather small house in good neighbourhood? The choice is up to you, but personally I was always avoiding "cheap" areas as I like safety for me and my family.

[sniper 55]

Not too near shops, schools, community centres or parks etc or you get noise and parking problems. Not at the top of hill as you get the worst of the wind and hassle getting in or out in the ice and snow, and not low lying so you might get flooded.
As others have said check out the neighbourhood if you don't know the area.

[grenfell]

In the end it all comes down to making a compromise. Several of the factors mentioned above are present in our house. We have a large south facing garden and living room. The kitchen does unfortunately face the same way but then we have additional storage that we didn't have in our previous house. In fact the increase in space was one of the main draws , that along with the presence of a drive. No good having a bug out vehicle and nowhere to put it. As it is I don't actually have a dedicated BOV but do have the space for a couple of trailers , a van and a couple of cars and there's still room for to put a couple of log boxes . Downside is that the old house was in a quite back street whereas this one is more busy . That's partly because we are quite close to the school a fact mentioned in another post. However , the plus side of that is it's our daughter's school and she can walk there in less than five minutes so safer than a long journey and very easy to get to should there be a problem.
One other thing I did pay attention to when buying both this house and the last was the existence of old mine workings. Some houses around the area were built above mines and as a result have suffered subsidence. Some are really bad , out of level with great big steel braces running around them . Still makes them cheaper I suppose. Our house doesn't have workings beneath.

[pitchshifter]

Thanks for the replies all. JD I'd definitely go for a smaller house in a nicer neighbourhood rather than the other way around. Grenfell I don't think I'd even have thought about old mine workings and the like but I will now keep that in mind so thanks .