24m2 studio is an ok size?

[DuchyCazalet]

Designing a studio for rent. It will be separate but attached to our house. Does 24m2 seem habitable for a single person? Architect wants to go bigger but that is going to cost more so rent would have to be higher than planned.

how much are you planning on renting out

and the link you post… same area?

it has a washing machine
a tumble dryer
it’s 8 min walk from dublin city centre

That's really really small. Ok for a night's hotel stay but not as a rental. For a single person I wouldn't go smaller than 55 sqm.

Give the OP a break, they are doing their best to ease the housing crisis in their area! Oh wait, no, I meant cash in on the housing crisis by renting out the smallest space they can possibly get away with.

Great, just what Dublin needs. More greedy fucking landlords. It's cheaper to commute from NI than live in the capital now.

I have an outbuilding that exact size OP and it currently houses two double sofa beds, a big Tv, a desk where I work and some heavy duty gym equipment. I'm planning to get rid of the gym and swap that for a small wet room and a kitchenette. There will still be space for the two double sofa beds. So definitely a useable space for short term letting or if my family need extra space and want to swap it for their bedroom. Too cramped for a long term let I'd say.

I think it’s doable but you’ll need to plan really carefully bathroom and kitchen area. All slim appliances/ multifunctional pieces of furniture will be more expensive than normal sized ones. The building works might come out expensive as you’ll need a personalised solutions (builders don’t like that 🙂).
The main problem is that just a few square metres might narrow down potential renters significantly and they will tend not to stay for long period.

However we don’t know how much more expensive/ long/ disruptive will be the architect’s option so it’s all about different pros and cons. Also your location might be very desirable and it will compensate for the size.

That is immoral and you should be ashamed of yourself for assuming a person should live in a room so tiny. And to charge them for it.

When I was first flat hunting in Central London I saw rooms smaller than that being let as 'studios', often with a sort of top bunk bed and a ladder fitted above a tiny kitchen, and a sofa with a TV on the wall opposite (which I could rest my feet on when sitting down, and I'm only 5'4").

There are some horrible greedy bastards around alright.

That studio on SCR is likely pre-63 OP. If you don’t know what that is, look it up or ask your architect. There’s different rules now.

I cant see how a 6m x 6m studio could meet building regs? Unless this space was already a studio then it’s going to be classed as either a material alteration or, if it’s new, then it’s a new build. So it has to meet building regs, including Part M for accessibility. Does your architect know you plan to use this as a separate dwelling? They should really be advising you properly.

Thinking more- what about fire safety? The oven has to be a certain distance from the bed and the exit afaicr. Unless you’re planning on putting in a sprinkler system?

This is a serious issue. Small spaces used to be very temporary. Students, new immigrants, temporary housing, people doing three jobs and studying so there were never there. But it's becoming the norm for everyday living. It makes people miserable.

If you can go bigger, please do. And if you can charge an affordable rent, please do.

After numerous changes and standards, the Nationally Described Space Standards are the current iteration. The smallest properties which can be built under these standards are 37 square metres (sqm) for those one-bedroom dwellings with a single bed space, and 50 sqm for one-bedroom dwellings with a double bed space.

https://www.centreforcities.org/blog/minimum-space-standards-housing-crisis/#:~:text=After%20numerous%20changes%20and%20standards,with%20a%20double%20bed%20space.

not. even. close. OP

That's half the size it needs to be.

Don't be greedy.

I'll not sure if the rules where you live are the same as England, OP, but if they are, don't forget to factor in the tax you will pay on the rental income.

Also, if let out to a non-family member, the resident may be eligible for council tax.

The OP is in Ireland, so the minimum for a 1 bed studio is 37m2.

But of course OP, off you go and build 24m2 - with the current housing mess, the council probably won’t even bother to inspect.
It’s people like you who give landlords a bad name - I’m not a landlord, but I see the need for a properly functioning and regulated rental market - which BTW, we do not have in Dublin (or anywhere else in Ireland).

www.dublincity.ie/dublin-city-development-plan-2022-2028/written-statement/chapter-15-development-standards/159-apartment-standards

Despicable behaviour on the OP’s part.

I bet they wouldn’t want to live like that themselves.

And how is the poor sod who ends up stuck there supposed to do their laundry?

But of course OP, off you go and build 24m2 - with the current housing mess, the council probably won’t even bother to inspect.

The tenant could bring the OP to the RTB at any point.

But they won’t, because then they’d end up homeless due to the housing crisis. They’d only take the place in the first place if they had no other choice.

Yes true. I actually thought that myself after I posted. It really is capitalising on the desperation of others isn’t it.

Yes - terrible!

op won’t be back

That's crazy, no wonder there's a housing crisis! I agree that 24m is too small for anything but students or aparthotels, but for a young couple in an expensive city, 30m is fine (yes, I've lived in such small apartments, not even studios, for years) . If you demand enormous houses, it drives up prices and pushes everyone but the wealthy out of cities.