To think new builds are too small

Agree. Low ceilings, narrow hallways, cramped gardens, squeezed up against the neighbours’ even when detactched. We don’t have the space to build on that we used to and what we do have comes at a premium. There is a new build estate near me and for the price of some of them you could have a lovely, haunted looking older house with decent gardens. I know some people love them and you move into a ready built community sometimes which is nice for families but I know where I would rather spend my money. DH has a building company and feels the quality of certain companies seems to go down year or year as the price increases.

Unlikely because the demand for houses in this country will always outweigh the supply. You might not like new builds but they are built to a standard of compliance and are perfectly fine, admittedly there are some shoddy developers but slums they will not be.

People thought it was odd but when we were looking for our house the priority was where the hoover and ironing board would go. You need them frequently but don’t want them on show.

The new builds, usually shoddily built will age.they might be all shiny now...they will be the slums of the future and families unable to 'upgrade' will be stuck

But the cost of housing isn't the design fault of new builds. New builds are a style of house people can choose, and often do, in favour of larger and older properties. And typically aren't riddled with damp.

8 million people in this country live alone and the average household size is 2.36. So there a market in this country, where the preference is for houses rather than flats, for homes that don't need to accommodate the number of people you describe. And this smaller design doesn't meet the threshold of some Victorian slum hellscape jeopardising the health and well being of its inhabitants.

Yep, absolutely, but I bet families that can't afford rentals with enough rooms and have multiple kids in one bedroom and parents on a sofa bed in the lounge with no room for a table and damp on the walls would love to have shoe space as a problem.

Sadly, the decent stock was sold under the ridiculous right to buy scheme. Councils were forbidden to build new stock for decades.
Now we have spit and kleenex built houses

Yes, Dickens wrote at great length on the cramped and miserable conditions of the Victorian poor and the harrowing lack of shoe storage.

Even the Victorians worked out cramped, overcrowded housing isn't a good idea. Good quality, secure housing isn't something that should be only for the privileged, it should be available and accessible to all.
The modern shoebox will be the slums of the future.
Homelessness and poor housing is a shame that everyone government for 40 years carries. Every MP should be accountable for it in their constituency.
'Affordable' needs redefining. It's not a term fit for purpose. If someone on NLW can't afford accommodation to suit need, it's not affordable.

Like rooms in a “boutique” hotel.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/house-size-by-country

According to this, and various other bits of internet research, UK house sizes have been shrinking and are now smaller than most of Europe.

Just to add. That's apartments

Where in Europe.
Because where I am from 2 beds are 60-90 generally.

Clearly touched a nerve on your personal situation unless of course as per your post, you are one of the mega rich in your area. Unless you are mega rich it’s shoe boxes all the way here.
Funny how you have to declare your comfortably above average wages and Victorian house to strangers on the internet, who knows or cares if that’s true or not, but whatever makes you feel better. Maybe you could provide advice to the less fortunate in your expensive area on how to be so mega rich as you so they don’t suffer the dreadful fate of a shoe box new build? Or maybe they could follow my patronising advice and erm, let me think 🤔 don’t buy one?

The problem is they try to put a larger houses floor plan in a small building. A home the size of most three beds with an en suite round here are the size of older 2 bedroom homes. When we bought our house out we ruled out most new builds due to this. In the end we bought an older home in a private development with plenty of space and adequate outdoor areas too.

There are million of massive houses all over Britain

Don't agree with any of this. Normal family homes all over Europe are 40 to 60 sq m and everything above this comes with a higher price.

Absolutely! My back garden is pretty much the size of a standard allotment. It is really quite ridiculously huge. The front garden would be considered a generous back garden by most modern standards. I would still rather have some storage and a dining room!

There’s lots of “you have to buy a smaller house”; “you can’t expect to earn an average salary….”; “you can’t afford it” comments in your reply. It’s as if you think I’m a bit dense and I need you to personally give me this groundbreaking information.

You also seem to, rather patronisingly, be telling me to earn more or move house.

Actually, I have earned comfortably above average for quite some time and I happen to have lived in a Victorian house for many years with no intention of moving any time soon.

What I was managing to do was sympathise with people who aren’t as lucky as me because I can understand that others are struggling.

This entrance is the same as what I have in a 1970s terrace and what I had in a 1950s council house, a proper hallway/entrance is my dream!

I was watching an interesting documentary about the history of council housing in the UK recently. Apparently, the very generous gardens of old-school council houses was connected with the assumption that families would use these to grow a lot of their own vegetables, potatoes and so on, even chickens. Of course, this was back in the days when "respectable" women tended not to be in employment.

Greedy builders squeezing as many little boxes in as they legitimately can!

Is that even a legal bedroom size!

I actually think the measurements on that floor plan must be wrong. They just don't add up in several different ways.

As you could see from my original post I was responding to someone who was defending new builds by saying lots of them being built in her town are massive, which she felt was a viable reply to the op complaining that new builds are too small.
But it’s true, many new builds are massive they just cost a lot of money, small money you have to buy a smaller house whatever the age of the property.

My point was the larger new houses in my small town are being sold at a cost totally beyond the average person, so just saying some new builds are bigger is an unhelpful point to make when only the rich can afford them.
Larger expensive houses have always been out of some peoples price range whatever the age of the property, as I have said average salaries won’t get you large houses these days, you can’t expect to earn an average salary and get a large house in an expensive area, the world doesn’t work like that anymore.

Housing here is so expensive the average person here can, at best, only afford the shoe box sized two or three bed semi that the op was describing.
That’s market forces for you, it’s frustrating I understand but no one is going to sell their large house to you on the cheap just because you can’t afford it

To cement my point further I don’t think people working hard on average incomes in my area should have to live in tiny houses with no storage. An average house should have bedrooms big enough for wardrobes, reception rooms big enough for a dining table, somewhere to store a hoover, etc.
Then if the new builds are that small in your area at your price point it’s best to find somewhere else to buy that is larger, new builds are not the only properties available they are generally more expensive so you could buy a cheaper older terrace or a large flat or an ex council house and get more space, no one is forcing you to buy a small new build house.

Also, did you miss the four bed at £800,000? Lots of people might hope to get a couple of promotions and move up the ladder from a three bed semi to a four bed one day. What income do you need to achieve that in my area? Unless you are mega rich it’s shoe boxes all the way here.
Again market forces, you have options, try to earn more, move to a cheaper area if viable, buy a run down larger property you can do up over time. Many people think older properties are much cheaper and larger so just stay away from the small new builds.