'A life lived in tiny flats' -BBC magazine

[Erebus]

here

Why do we put up with it??!

[Badvoc]

Totally agree about the bathroom thing!

[noisytoys]

Me, DH and 2 DD's live in a tiny 1.5 bed flat. Housing is very expensive (especially in the SE where we live) tiny houses are very common around here and a lot of people live in them.

[expatinscotland]

People put up with so many things here that few others in the West would.

[specialsubject]

I'm only surprised that they were surprised that a new build has shoebox rooms - they have done for years. And not realising before moving in????

glad the BBC have linked to the article about Hong Kong housing.

would never buy a new build for just this reason.

[Erebus]

Yes, I thought it was common knowledge that the developers put 3/4 size furniture in their show homes!

But I guess the fact remains, you either grit your teeth and buy or go without as you'd be unlikely to be able to buy anything 'proper' sized on a first-time buyer's money.

I still think it's scandalous. I wonder if there ever was a rule about house or bedroom size and whether that got overturned quietly somewhere along the way?

[Badvoc]

My brothers friend bought a new build 2 bed detached house for £160k
It's so small!!
My brother and I were sat on the 1 sofa in the lounge and I could have reached out and touched the tv!!
My sister lives on the same estate and has a 5 bed 3 storey house with 3 bathrooms and 2 en suites.
I mean....why!?
Her kitchen is smaller than mine!
There is zero storage, you can't even get the smallest car in the garage (seriously) and there is no front garden.
Margaret thatcher got rid of the legislation regarding minimum room sizes in the wary 80s.

[architectming]

There used to be a well documented space standard called Park Morris Space standard who set out minimum room sizes.

Our lovely Iron Lady's government decided to abolished that and trust the market / developers to 'Do the Right Thing' to the best interest of the consumers.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker_Morris_Committee

[Badvoc]

Yes. That's the one.

[architectming]

If interested, see the current campaign organised by the RIBA.

www.withoutspaceandlight.com/

[Tizwozliz]

Parker morris standards were drawn up in the 60s for public housing

en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/parker_morris_committee

[HarrietSchulenberg]

When we were buying 10 years ago we couldn't believe how small the newer builds were than anything pre-1960s. And anything built in the last 30 years gets progressively smaller yet more expensive. We bought a mid-terrace that doesn't have a garage, drive or multiple bathrooms yet has more living space than any if the newer houses we looked at and it's easier to heat as it's mid-terrace. Having been brought up in a shitty little new build with paper thin walls I never want to live in one again. There are lots of houses similar to mine for sale round here yet everyone moans there aren't enough houses for young families. What they mean is there aren't enough new builds to keep the builders happy, as the older housing stock is considerably cheaper, and therefore more easily mortgagable, than the new builds.