Box rooms

[Beansonapost]

Why is it that houses in the U.K. are still being built with box rooms?


... and still being built with no laundry/utility room?


I grew up having all massive bedrooms... kitchen diner... lounge/living room... utility... garden... garage etc. This is in the Caribbean. My childhood bedroom could fit two uk sized box rooms.


I've lived in other countries almost all of them had utility rooms... except China where the washing was housed in the bathroom; which to me makes sense. Why would you want to do laundry in the kitchen?

Husband is British so is used to this way of life... but I am confused as it's 2018 and I am certain the way people use their homes has changed. Why are people still being forced to have a box room and do the washing in the kitchen? That slot could be used for extra storage.

We went to look at some new builds... while the house was nice for almost £500,000 it just didn't provide what I would want in a family home (based purely on my experience). I think when people buy a home they don't really intend to move anytime soon unless they have to... so why put a room that is useless beyond the age of 10? Then force people to either sell of "create additional space" why not just build a house people can live in for as long as they need or want?

Also where utility rooms are concerned... in a country where it rains so much, wouldn't a dedicated space for laundry be standard? Wash, dry, iron... leave clothes to dry with windows open. Clothes out of sight.


Why is this the norm in the U.K.?

Also... why are homes still built with such poor storage options? You might get an under stair cupboard, an airing cupboard but that's it?! Why aren't built in wardrobes standard in all bedrooms? Gives you back your floor space and means less furniture to buy.

It seems developers are more concerned about how many people they can cram into these developments than how people will enjoy their homes/space.

[AutumnMadness]

OlennasWimple, I am totally with you. I think many people, when the purchase a house, just do not think about these little but very important practical issues. Loads of houses I've seen do not have the space for basics like the hoover unless you want one to sit in the corner of your kitchen so you can stumble over it all the time. Washings machines in kitchens I also do not get, especially in open plan layouts - it's constant noise!

SoyDora, good for you, but only a small minority of the population can afford massive new builds with 5 bedrooms and 3 reception rooms. Most of us are just after three decent bedrooms with a utility room and some practical storage.

[AutumnMadness]

LoislovesStewie, I love the bigger Victorian/Georgian terraces (not the tiny mill workers' terraces). They usually are arranged over four floors - the bottom being the basement with a massive kitchen, utility and storage, then the ground floor with two receptions, and then two big bedrooms on each of the two upper floors. Much more logical layout than the 30's semi design that seems to be enduring until the modern days. (Disclaimer - I know that now all 30s semis are the same, but the more affordable ones are those with the tiny box room and no utility space).

[BackforGood]

@BackforGood some people will never earn that big salary to afford a bigger mortgage... that's the reality in this country. Therefore whatever home you buy or can afford should meet your needs and I believe should give you the opportunity to do in the future

Well, presumably if it didn't 'meet your needs', then you wouldn't buy it.

I haven't worked out if you are being deliberately obtuse or not yet, but you are being ridiculous to suggest that, in a free market economy, every house should be luxurious enough to meet, not only everyone's 'ideal home criteria' for the time they are buying, but also for the rest of their lives. Of course some people won't be able to afford to upsize. I don't know if it is news to you, but lots of people will never be able to afford to buy any home. Most of us are thrilled to be able to buy our first home - be it a studio appointment or a terrace in need of lots of work and renovation. For most of us that is a huge achievement and very exciting. At that point, you don't expect to still be as thrilled about it in 15 years time, as, for a lot of people it is a chance to start paying down a mortgage rather than paying someone else's mortgage.
Nor is it difficult for most people to understand that builders are looking to maximise their profits. If they can squeeze and extra house or two, or even an extra road onto a new estate and still get past planning permission, and still dress the houses nicely enough so people buy them, then of course they are going to. In built up areas, that is the reality of town planning. If you are buying / building in countries which are less densely populated, then the margins are going to be different.

[bluerunningshoes]

other countries (thinking germany/netherlands) are very densly populated too. but they have minimum room sizes.

a 'box room' size room would be a pantry or utility cupboard. not a bedroom.

[OlennasWimple]

In the US (some states at least) a room has to have a built in closet to be called a bedroom - makes a huge difference if you only need to be able to fit a bed and a chest of drawers in the room

[TroubledLichen]

That’s really interesting OlennasWimple. In our American apartment I have to go to a basement laundry room to wash my clothes, only have the 1 bathroom but both of our small double bedrooms have closets bigger than your average UK box room!

[AutumnMadness]

Jesus, BackforGood since when is a house with three decent sized bedrooms and a small utility room a luxury?

And if the free market economy cannot provide its citizens with a decent standard of living, then it sucks a bit, no? Perhaps we should be thinking of alternatives.

[OlennasWimple]

Same when I was living in a US apartment, Trouble - I don't miss the schlep down three flights of stairs with a washing basket at all!

[SubtitlesOn]

I think basements would be a very good improvement to new builds

[DobbyisFREE]

Also where utility rooms are concerned... in a country where it rains so much, wouldn't a dedicated space for laundry be standard?

I haven't had any space for a tumble dryer EVER or a garden so my laundry pile resembles Mount Everest. We spent a year house hunting and the first house we saw with a utility room we booked the first viewing and put an offer in immediately.

Obviously it wasn't all about the utility room, it was very modestly priced and they were looking for a quick sale so accepted our offer without bothering with other viewings. The 3rd, "box" room is big enough for a double bed and wardrobe as well, and we're getting a conservatory! We really struck gold .

Every new build we saw had 3 bathrooms (we were looking at 2 beds ) and not even an airing cupboard, it really is ridiculous

Oh and we are being given a tumble dryer as a moving in gift. Literally the most exciting thing happening in my life right now - I think I'm finally a proper adult.

[Sonotcivil]

Honestly I think the priorety should be affordable 1 and 2 bed places as starter homes for the younger population, then we need more affordable family homes.

[SilverySurfer]

Well it's obvious really OP, you presumably can't afford to buy one of the many houses in the UK that DON'T have box rooms and DO have utility/laundry rooms and a garage sufficiently large to house a car and many other wondrous things.

You pays your money and you makes your choice.

[Mightymucks]

other countries (thinking germany/netherlands) are very densly populated too. but they have minimum room sizes.

Germany is not densely populated. It has 235 people per sq km compared to 395 for England. The Netherlands house size is only 8sqm bigger than ours.

[peacheachpearplum]

Have a look on Rightmove, lots of Australian properties without utility rooms, do a Google search for shanty towns in Jamaica and then tell me how wonderful housing is in the Caribbean.

I don't have a box room, 4 bedrooms and the smallest has a bed, a wardrobe, a bookcase, a chest of drawers and a chair in it. My house was built with built in wardrobes in all bedrooms as were all the houses on the development where I live. We have a double garage because my husband uses the garage so a big garage was a must.

We buy or rent houses we can afford and I am sure that goes for Australia and the Caribbean as much as for the UK. Sweeping generalisations don't really give an accurate picture and the OP obviously didn't want to give an accurate picture.

[FASH84]

Because it's a small island, land is at a premium and fitted wardrobes are ugly

[AutumnMadness]

FASH84, if it's such a tiny island, then perhaps we need to be thinking more creatively about how we live and move towards apartments with spacious rooms, quality sound insulation and comfortable communal utility spaces and large communal gardens as opposed to the land being taken up by one soulless 'estate' of rabbit hutches with guinea-pig sized gardens and no community facilities after another. There are different ways of living in a high-density population. The UK approach seems to be the least logical one.

[SaucyJack]

IME 99% of families would rather have their own guinea pig sized garden outside their kitchen window than share a communal garden four floors down.

Which makes sense TBH.

[peacheachpearplum]

SaucyJack I agree but apparently we aren't logical.

[Mightymucks]

FASH84, if it's such a tiny island, then perhaps we need to be thinking more creatively about how we live and move towards apartments with spacious rooms, quality sound insulation and comfortable communal utility spaces and large communal gardens

Yes. We tried this in the 1960s and most of the resulting buildings are being torn down now because everyone hated living in them and they led to huge social problems.

They tried to transplant the Barbican Centre flats to Sheffield with Park Hill which was an epic failure. ChiChi apartment living for middle class pensioners and childless couples does not translate well to skint families with small children or bored teenagers.

[snewname]

You can get all your requirements but you need to pay for it. It all boils down to cost.

[monkeymamma]

I live in a new build. My second actually. My current place is lovely, masses of space and bedrooms, but GOD YES I’d trade a bedroom for a utility room.

There was a report a few years ago into damp problems in Scotland and the recommendation was that all new builds should factor in a ‘drying room’, possibly heated, to try and combat the major health issues that run alongside drying laundry indoors. However this has clearly been ignored as far as I know.

Love, love staying in Australia where there is usually a decent utility area even if just as part of downstairs bathroom, and a really GOOD dryer as well!

[BackforGood]

Jesus, BackforGood since when is a house with three decent sized bedrooms and a small utility room a luxury?

Since for ever. Blimey some of you live in a bubble.
I cba to look up the % nationwide, but millions of people never own a house with a utility room and 3 good sized bedrooms. I suspect far more never do, than those that do. Millions never own their own property. Of those that do, millions never reach (or even want to reach) a 'level' on the property ladder that means they own these things.

[AutumnMadness]

SaucyJack, and what would you do with your guinea-pig sized garden outside your kitchen window? At best, put some outdoor furniture in it an a couple of plant pots (if it's not north-facing that is). Can you child run in it? Can your child ride a bike in it? Can your child play easily with friends in it (without having a troupe of kids stomping through your whole house first)? Can you put a set of swings and a sandbox in it? The obvious answer is no and this is one of the reasons that presently across the land children are stuck in front of ipads as opposed to playing outside with friends. Because there are no spaces for them to play in, especially on the densely packed new build estates.

[AutumnMadness]

Mightymucks, I don't think the building standards in the 60s were what I am advocating. I am not talking about massive hive-like highrises with one and two-bedroom flats. I am talking about 3-4-floor buildings with family-sized apartments with soundproofing built around quality green communal areas and supplied with appropriate amenities (schools, clinics, underground parking, etc.) and infrastructure.

[SaucyJack]

Well, speaking as someone who actually lives in a block of flats with a communal garden- you can't have any of the things you list either as you're not allowed to leave sandpits/slides/playhouses outside as it's..... communal (!)

Seriously. There are no advantages to living somewhere where you have to drag the whole family downstairs every time one of the toddlers wants to play outside, and then back upstairs every time one of them needs a wee, or a drink.

I cannot imagine why you think a communal garden is an advantage over a small private one where you can sit on the sofa or make dinner while your 4 year old potters outside 2 metres away through open patio doors.

Plus, don't even get me started on neighbours using the communal gardens as a dog toilet.

You are wrong on this one, comrade.