Why are new builds teeny tiny?

[Baptiste11]

Went to view a new housing estate yesterday and had a look round the show home. Well. It was tiny. It was a 3 bed semi with parking for 2 cars but inside I could not believe the room dimensions.

The kitchen/diner had a small table and chairs in, the lounge was so tiny it only had a small two seater and an armchair. The family bathroom had no window and was tiny. The master bedroom did have a small fitted wardrobe but the other two bedrooms had no wardrobe space and were furnished with only a bedside table and dressing table - no room for a chest of drawers etc

For the price of what was obviously meant to be a family home I couldn’t believe how small it was. The thought of spending lockdown in the tiny living room made me shudder. There was also nowhere anyone could work from home - no room for a desk and chair.

How do developers get away with building such tiny properties?

Apparently most of the development is sold out & there is a waiting list for the next phase!
And you have to pay a service charge and a grounds fee every year (which they can increase whenever they want) just for the pleasure of living there!

I think you're better off with a small tradition terrace than a new build semi. But people seem to really like brand new houses.

Land is expensive, so it cost the same for a three story new build as it does for an established bungalow.

and often new build houses have buying incentives which although long term make the property more expensive for some it's the only way on the ladder

@saywhatn

and often new build houses have buying incentives which although long term make the property more expensive for some it's the only way on the ladder

True.

And many new builds are bought by btl investors

@Onlinedilema

I don’t know why people are moaning about garden size. I’m a keen gardener and I see lots and lots of eye sores where people cannot be bothered to maintain their gardens. Quite laughable to read really.

It's not all about gardening. It's about space for you to comfortably lounge in, kids to play, etc. I'm not into gardening at all. Doesn't mean I'd want a small garden.

I think garden space has become a priority for many since the pandemic.

Because the developers are absolute greedy bastards and want to get twice as much money from the same piece of land by squeezing more houses in.
These houses are basically made from weetabix and I honestly wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.

Mine was built 14 years ago. It's actually pretty big, two bed apartment and it's 75sqm
However the two bed houses are tiny weirdly

@twinningatlife

The U.K. is one of the few European countries which doesn't have minimum space standards for private housing - there is sort of one but it's not statutory regulation and so is optional and actually most homes are bigger than the minimum that was set

Social housing on the other hand does have minimum space standards especially for bedroom sizes etc and has done for decades hence why ex local authority houses tend to feel roomier

There was something a few years ago which was part of obtaining Code points whereby a developer had to build homes with certain room sizes, light levels, airing cupboards etc but it's seems to have been diluted now

Also in the U.K. the housing market is valued differently to other countries - on number of bedrooms - whereas in other countries it's m2 - hence why developers will try and squeeeze in a 3rd or 4th bedroom as it can then be marketed at a higher value

As to the point regarding sound insulation - new build homes have to meet minimum sound insulation levels between party walls so yes they should be very well insulated compared to say a 1980s house and definitely 1960s/1970s etc

That does sound unfair. Really it should be for all houses

@Onlinedilema

I don’t know why people are moaning about garden size. I’m a keen gardener and I see lots and lots of eye sores where people cannot be bothered to maintain their gardens. Quite laughable to read really.

I am a keen gardener. Surely you can imagine many situations where people who aren't keen on gardening would still like a decent size garden.

@Wjevtvha

What area of the country is it? I viewed new builds on the south coast and they were tiny whereas in the midlands they’re a good size. The big pull for new builds for me is being able to move on in without having to do much snd getting to choose your kitchen, carpets, tiling etc without having to live in a house while the work is being completed

Unfortunately a lot of new build have a lot of snags, quite often hundreds, which need to be chased and fixed. There was one extreme instance recently where they actually had to completely rebuild the house.

Government policies like Help to Buy are often only available on new builds, so many people have no choice if they want to buy and developers take advantage by building small houses for high prices.

I recently walked round a new development, and all the houses seemed to be overlooking each other due to small plot sizes and estate layout. I'd previously viewed a 3-bed new build, and thought it might have been OK as a 2-bed. As a 3-bed, the 3rd bedroom could be mistaken for a large cupboard and the other rooms sizes were compromised.

Developers will develop a site to maximise profit, which generally (not always) means a greater density of housing, and local authorities will often approve the development because it maximises council tax receipts.

I'm in a 3 storey new build, it has 3 good sized bedrooms and a good sized living room, 2 good sized storage cupboards and a big garden.

My other pet hate in new builds is how many have a master bedroom on the top floor. I don't want to sleep on a different floor to my son. So that room would end up unused.

@NotMyCat

Mine was built 14 years ago. It's actually pretty big, two bed apartment and it's 75sqm However the two bed houses are tiny weirdly

I had two friends who lived in the same development built in the 00s. One lived in a 2 bedroom house while the other lived in a 2 bedroom flat. The flat is much bigger.

The upside of the house is it had a garden while the flat had a tiny balcony.

@RedMarauder sounds familiar! I am ground floor though and have the only garden (the other ground floor one doesn't have a garden) with patio doors out to it so best of both worlds I guess

@Mrs08, I agree re ex council houses.

A dd has one, 1950s, very solid, 3 good sized bedrooms, loads of storage, in a nice, quiet road.
Obviously you have to pick your area carefully. There were some areas she wrote off within minutes because of all too evident anti social behaviour - deafening music, old mattresses and other rubbish just dumped, etc.

Interestingly the previous owners (it was a probate sale) had lived there for 60 years and had bought it from the council in 1971 - well before Thatcher’s right to buy.
They paid almost exactly one per cent of what dd paid!

@Mrs08

It depends on the Developer.....I know some that we're offering 100% market value PX or even 105% market value

It certainly depends on the developer and the local authority, particularly in relation to parking spaces and associated works. They specify what they will accept at the planning stage.

My house has three double and one single bedroom, a family room that’s 20x20 and a living room not much smaller. We have a garage and drive and one car goes in the garage. We have two three seater sofas, two armchairs, coffee table, two side tables, an occasional table, TV and TV cabinet. The family room has a sofa, 6-8 seater dining table and chairs, TV unit, large sideboard and two side tables. I don’t regard that as small. It was built in 2017.

Look at the number of parking threads on here. Drives blocked, roads blocked, people parking far from their houses. I bet some of those are older terraces and semis.

A few years ago we had a look at some new builds. Quite aside from the sales people that had no idea what the square footage of the buildings they were selling were, was the fact that nothing less than 4 bedrooms matched our 1,500 sq. ft. 2 bed bungalow.

And don't get me started on "garages".

I always thought I'd never look at a new build but we've ended up buying one.

It's 4 bed detached, lounge is on the small side (but perfectly usable), really big kitchen/diner and has utility, study and downstairs loo.

Big understairs cupboard for storage. Lots of kitchen units and utility units.

Upstairs two of the bedrooms are fairly big, ours has a very large fitted wardrobe with a rail and shelving.

Garden is a reasonable size too - with large patio and plenty of grass left even after we've put in a deep raised bed and 11 x 12 sheds

Plus our estate has a mixture of styles and finishes so they don't all look the same - our has a lovely flint finish which is in keeping with the area.

So they're not all the same...

I always assume that new builds are very cheap to run, eg heating costs, are well insulated, and presumably no moving in costs eg new bathrooms, kitchens etc and that is what appeals. I've always lived in ancient terraced houses, not by choice but because I can afford them. They tend to have so many problems so are quite expensive in the long run. Plus they often have bathrooms downstairs or if they do have one upstairs , you get either two bedrooms or a teeny tiny third bedroom. Also building work, garden work in a mid terraced house is an absolute nightmare if there is no back entrance and your front door is super narrow. My main problem with new builds is that they are in the middle of nowhere and you need a car to live.

@DownstairsMixUp

I know persimmon are very bad for tiny homes!

In all fairness they specialise in entry level homes so are often smaller to attract FTB.

Because people are desperate for somewhere to live and the builders can get away with it. I believe UK homes have the smallest footprint of any homes in Europe by quite some way. Bloody disgrace.
I’d advise anyone starting out to try to buy an older doer-upset. 1950/60s council houses were a great size.