To think new builds are too small

[Neuroticmillenial]

Especially social housing.

Much prefer old style council houses with the smaller kitchens but larger living rooms and dining rooms.

I’m in a rented new build and I’d trade a hallway/porch and grassy garden for our bigger kitchen (bigger than living room) and downstairs toilet. Our stairs is less than 2 metres from our front door and it’s a pain with the buggy!

Getting smaller: houses.

Getting bigger: phones, cars, people.

Yes, I know I want 100 sq m for my next house but a lot of the time that info isn't on the listing. Not very helpful.

I never understood why isn't sqm or sqft more important than number of bedrooms here.

We live in a new build now and did find when trying to choose one that you have to really pay for having any kind of actual space rather than ticky box room’s that are as small as they possibly can be. The cheaper 2/3 bed semi’s there was just no space at all really, nowhere for storage, garden’s were tiny, living room would fit 1 sofa and then not much else, no space in the kitchen for a dining table unless you got a space saver one and put it flush against the wall, the 3rd bedroom tiny, no hallway or porch etc. The more expensive ones though the difference in space is huge, we have plenty but we did have to pay £££ for that, every house should have at least some storage space. Lots of the 3 bed semi showhomes we viewed didn’t have any at all and we both said I don’t even know where you’d keep the hoover!

The open plan layout can make homes appear bigger than they are, but yes they are tiny. Often with the weirdest layouts, too, and no storage space.

1960's homes on the other hand weren't the prettiest, but they are lovely and light and spacious!

I think there's a typo. The house is about 15' wide internally, and if one bedroom is 7'1" wide, the other (after a few inches for the wall) is probably about 7'9.

What I can't grasp about new builds is the plethora of bathrooms. If I was buying a 3-bed new build, I'd rather have one bathroom, one good-sized bedroom and 2 decently sized bedrooms than two bathrooms, 1 good sized bedroom, one okay bedroom and 1 cupboard with a window.

This is why they have IKEA 😂

And if I was buying a two bed flat I’d rather have more living space/storage than an ensuite and a “family bathroom”.

Agree re the bathrooms. I understand the requirement for the accessible downstairs loo, and that is nice to have for guests. However, even 2 bedroom houses now have the downstairs loo, a family bathroom and an en-suite for the master bedroom. The en suite really isn’t necessary in a 2 bedroom house - it would be better used as a cupboard or to make the bedrooms a bit bigger. En suites only really make sense for 3 bed and larger.

I got told that they use specially made furniture in show homes that is on a smaller scale to make rooms appear bigger. So there’ll be a sofa with three cushions but it’s really only the size of a normal 2 seater etc. Then when you move in with your normal sized stuff everything’s suddenly very cramped!

Bought a new build 4 bed about 10 years ago. it annoys me that youve to edge around the bottom of the bed as the rooms are small. still the harron home i got had higher ceilings than bellway i could place my hand on the roof in those it was crazy

Yes they are - but we are an island trying to cram 70 million and counting plus a million a year of arrivals somewhere.

Urgh. Never newbuild is my mantra: large (overlooked) gardens that need digging up to grow anything, small rooms, odd storage arrangements (no, I don’t want a double garage). That’s before we discuss how ugly and poorly fitted out they are. Shame since newbuilds in other countries are of a lovely quality and are beautifully done.

This is mine (built 2007)
Apparently the builders didn't like square rooms or something
I got the awkward corner in bed 1 boxed in with doors for storage

Some are really small but there are lots of big ones too. Old houses can have this problem too. My Edwardian terrace has what is technically a third bedroom but it is tiny and only just fits a single bed and the master bedroom is enormous so the proportions are all off!

That's why no one ever leaves them , mine is ex council and it's so big it's ridiculous, but it was built when families were a lot bigger , the houses and plots on the older ones are very good value for money.

Remember it is profits first for house builders. They would sell you a cardboard box and call it a spacious studio

But the largest proportion of British houses are terraced.

Some are tiny. Some are not.

Mine is pretty large.

It adds greatly to everyone’s stress levels.

According to this the average new build is 68m2 but the average UK home is 96m2 about 40% bigger
Britain's Shrinking Homes: What Size are Homes in Your Region?

So? I don’t get your point, someone on an average income should expect an average house so an average 3 bed semi not a large 6 bed detached at 1.3 million.

It's not just new builds though. I live in a house built around 1812. Two bedrooms, one had a large double bed and a single bedside cabinet and there's not room for anything else, one has a small double, and that's just so I can get out of bed on either side. One bedside cabinet and I had to cut down a chair to put the other side as all cabinets were too wide.

On the plus side, I am allowed to keep a pig in my garden should I so choose (very small garden though).

This!

I live in a pretty huge new build….

It’s not all new builds, it’s new builds at the more affordable end of the market.

They are only recommendations, not legal requirements. Housing associations stick to them, private developers don't. There are minimum dimensions for bedrooms.

The flat/houses sizes recommended depend on the number of people, number of bedrooms, number of storeys and include storage space.