Sick of crap house layouts

[Naptrappedmummy]

A moan thread but probably deserves to be on AIBU…

Looking to buy, 2 kids (boy/girl) so need 3 bedrooms. Every single house without fail either has 2 bedrooms plus a room so tiny you can’t fit a bed and wardrobe comfortably in it, or they’re 4 beds and slightly out of our price range.

Add to that rubbish uphill tiered gardens where you’ll trip and nearly break your neck every 5 minutes, a lack of storage in almost every house (no utility rooms, cupboards, pantries or porches), and just absurd layouts in general which make no use of the space they have and are completely counterintuitive.

All I want is an actual 3 bed with some storage, an ordinary downstairs layout and a flat garden capable of holding a swing and some chairs. Why can’t I have it????

LOL my kitchen is behind my sofa, and the washing machine does indeed drive me completely insane despite being ‘ultra-silent’ (it really is not). I aspire to a washing machine in a cupboard.

It will be a builder not an actual Architect. Architects study how to design usable space etc., builders just know how to put bricks together. Most new housing developments in the UK don't use actual qualified Architects, so we end up with unusable homes.

Too many people on a small surface and a lot of privately owned land is why house are like dolls houses here. I am from Sweden, all the bedrooms are big, lots of storage, utility room (no washing machine in the kitchen), big hallway when you come in with lots of clever storage for coats and shoes. Just big and practical houses. Sweden is 3 times bigger than UK but only has a population of 8 million

You know they have doors? 🙄 It's the same as how using the family bathroom doesn't feel like going to the toilet in the hallway...

I thought I hated ensuites until I got one. Love it! And we're a couple in a 4 bed detached with no kids (DINK life), I can imagine they're so helpful if you have kids. New builds can be fine, but you do need to size up. We were looking at 3 bed semi detached older properties, but it made more sense in the end to go for the 4 bed new build. Our smallest bedroom is 9x10 foot, so not even that small, and we have reasonable storage plus a garage. However, the three beds in the development are tiny! Downstairs space is small and the third bedroom can be less than 7 foot wide. I just wouldn't pay what they're asking for what you get.

I agree that you probably just don't have the budget for what you really want. Like most of us! Would I have chosen this house if I had 500k more in the budget? No, but you compromise.

Yes, we found quite a few houses had 'half bedrooms', you couldn't even get a cotbed in the smallest room.

In some houses it was because there had a been a loft extension and the stairs to that had cut a chunk out of a bedroom.

@Lourdes12 yep- it was similar when we rented in Copenhagen- and houses in Sweden are even better. Virtually every house we looked at was really lovely- I had a laundry room in the basement that was much bigger than the average master bedroom in the uk-complete with clothes lines strung up. I also had 2 huge dry useable store rooms in the basement complete with full size freezer plus shelved and an outside 'shed' you could have lived in.

yes I know they have doors. I understand what an en suite is 🙄

if you’re happy lit by bin bed with someone else taking a dump in a room with a door to waft the stench into your bedroom, enjoy!

I know. I'm in a new build as well. And it's bonkers! I'm thinking of moving my washing machine to the downstairs loo as it already has water / electricity. And hopefully should not be costly. This will free up a lot of space in my tiny kitchen.

Sounds like we have a little more class than your family, not least as we'd never use that term 🤢

Improve your diet, less chance of a 'stench' then!

I think what you really need is a 1970s house. Yes, they tend to have limited kerb appeal, but the interior spaces were thought through to accommodate two parents and two children; they were generally decently built and energy efficiency was starting to be a factor. Rooms were also a better size normally and people lived in the same place for longer so tired 70s properties represent a lot of probate sales. I would always look at sq footage as a starting point.

My new built has ample storage space. On every floor. Even a larder (like a small pantry). I have space for everything including Christmas decor

I love our ensuite but sometimes think the space would have been better used as storage/dressing room.

In London (other cities exist), there are always trade-offs. But for what it's worth, it's difficult to find a place anywhere that is suitable to move down the scale. We are planning to find a smaller place that is worth less than our (IMO) lovely four bed family house (sorry, the garden ain't flat, but the view is stupendous) so we can give DC a deposit and still live somewhere that isn't cramped. Sadly the UK's assumption is that once you turn 65 or 70, you have no choices beyond sitting in one room and watching day time TV, popping tablets until you die. I just want two bedrooms, ideally both ensuite, with lots of storage and a big cooking-entertaining open-plan living dining kitchen, plus utility/bootroom. DH wants a garage. No ambitious outdoor space required.

Yes my parents are still in the house they bought in 1977. There's only one bathroom and the house is a bit grim-looking from outside (definitely lacks kerb appeal!) but has a big living room, reasonable sized kitchen, 2 double bedrooms and a third bedroom that comfortably holds a single bed, wardrobe and chest of drawers. Also lovely big windows so nice and light.

It was Kremlin architecture @rc22 built for functionality and not for aesthetic points. But the layouts worked, and planting/cladding/windows can make silk purses out of sows' ears.

I had 2 1970s houses.
One was 3 bed with a dog staircase, so no bulkhead. The smallest bedroom was 10x12.
The second was 4 bed with the 2 smallest bedrooms were 10 x12.

Where I live there are a lot of 50s and 60s built semi detached, bungalows or dormer bungalows with plenty of landspace - no en-suites or utility rooms though
Mine is 3 bed but all are double size, decent size kitchen/diner and large lounge
More modern houses always seem to have very small rooms, no parking and lots of toilets!

Round me there are a huge number of 1920-40s semis. 3 bed. But third bedroom is a box room. I never got why they built like that

Look at bungalows, flat gardens & possibly knock wall down between box room & 2nd bedroom & replace wall to make 2 small double rooms. I feel bungalows are often overlooked.

OP I would recommend looking at older houses pre 1970s built to get the space in the house. The older houses tend to have larger bedrooms and proper storage (pantry, airing cupboard, under-stairs cupboard etc). Some houses of that era may also have a utility area which keeps the washing machine out of the kitchen. IME older houses also tend to have larger gardens too.

Sadly, many houses built from the 1980s onwards really lack many of these attributes. The room dimensions are really small 😞

Agree looking for same. Also amazing the houses without a downstairs loo (need due to health). No room for wardrobes either. Lots of new build estates near us that also don’t have any pavements ! You walk from front door almost straight onto road and walk in the road (must be a nightmare if you have prams or wheelchairs).

Sounds like the new builds near us. 3rd bedroom you wouldn't even get a single bed in so can only be meant for a cot..and the tiered gardens are terrible :(

Most houses in the UK, certainly in the last 30 years or so, have not been built with actual people / families in mind … I know land is at a premium here but honestly compared to other countries our houses really are a bit shit. Certainly if all you want is a good sized 3 bed. Unless you have a budget of well over 600,00 that is.

I agree. It’s hard to find anything good

although whenever i am house hunting, I always seem to find what makes want for £50k over budget