To me this is the perfect layout for a compact 4 bed 1960s house

[LindorDoubleChoc]

www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/details/england-85411699-12195007?s=60b2bbe70bb9d60f003ca05271107d9be51c42893569dd3d5f48978cab6e5ca4#/floorplan

I'm putting a link in for a property that is no longer for sale, but just wanted to illustrate how you can have a 4 bed house and garage with 4 decent sized bedrooms on a compact footprint. The dining table and chairs goes in the part of the L-shaped living room that comes directly off the kitchen. In effect the living room and dining area look directly onto the garden, but the downstairs isn't open plan as the kitchen can be closed off. The kitchen looks out onto the street at the front and there is a separate side door. There is no box room, all the bedrooms are a reasonable size and all except for bedroom 3 have a built-in wardrobe. There is even a pantry in the kitchen. And a downstairs loo.

A friend of mine lived in a house like this when we were children and I always thought, even then, it was a great design!

I like the layout but I think only 1 bathroom for a family of 4 would be a problem as the children grow older. So maybe convert one of the bedrooms into a bathroom or shower room/dressing room.

That would suit me perfectly. Shame there is not door from the horse to the garage though.

Yes, such a huge waste of space! I'd much rather have floor space or even a built in wardrobe. And the cleaning!

It's all about being able to say there are en suites and the "desirability" of that, even if you have to edge your way sideways around your bed and wardrobes to get to it.

@RhadamanthNemes then maybe it’s a reality check to you as to how the rest of the country live and how privileged you are. That house was on the market for more than half a million pounds and I can assure you the majority of house buyers are not spending £550,000 on a home. Most 4bed new builds are smaller and actually the op wasn’t asking about the size just the layout so you essentially just came here to brag about your large home… rather crass. Big house but no class I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️

@ChesterDrawsStickmen i think it’s because landlords can charge more for rooms and get a multiple occupancy license so rent rooms rather than a single home. All about making money rather than what families want.

What do you regard as a small room?

My living room is 17x15, master bedroom roughly the same and the en suite has space for a bath and double shower. I don’t think that’s small.

We're hoping to buy a 4 bed next year (3 teens, living in rented 3 bed at the moment) and I've spent hours and hours looking at floor plans of available houses in our chosen area, to get an idea of what's available in our price range. I had no idea what we wanted apart from 4 bedrooms and a garage. But after looking at hundreds of floor plans, I have a good idea of what I don't want!

I like this OP, I'd probably buy something with that layout if it came up.

I much prefer no ensuites and bigger bedrooms. As long as there's a downstairs toilet, that's fine. Ensuite in the master would be nice, but not if it was a choice between that and a usable 4th bedroom (seen some less than 6' wide!).

I'd want a utility room. Is there kind of one there? I like utility rooms.

I like the built in wardrobes, not having to buy furniture and having it built in is a huge plus.

I don't like open plan and ideally I'd rather a separate dining room, but lounge diner is acceptable on some layouts (we currently have one but the dining area isn't attached to the kitchen, you have to walk down the hallway and through the lounge). I always thought I'd prefer dining table in the kitchen as it's more convenient for serving up and clearing away, but I see PP arguments re keeping the kitchen mess separate to eating area and that is actually a really good point.

Yes, @ the Derbyshire long house dwelling poster who can't imagine living in such a tiny house - I did say in the thread title "on a compact footprint". So my post isn't about size of house, it is about making best use of living space. To me this seems like a vast improvement as I live in a London terrace, desirable to some, but the long narrow shape drives me nuts. And we have 3 bedrooms but one of them is enormous when it would be nicer if there were 4 more equal sized bedrooms. And I would love my living room to look out onto the garden, rather than the kitchen looking over the garden. And I can't stand everyone congregating in the kitchen when I cook so make it an efficient utility space please, not another sitting about space watching someone else cook/clear up .

My house is like this and I love it. I am with OP, I prefer not to eat in the kitchen.

Our bedrooms all have en-suites (it’s not a new build) and whilst I’d never consider it a necessity, it does work well for us as a family.
Our eldest DC is a girl followed by 3 boys so when she hits her teens, it’ll be so nice for her to have privacy in her en-suite. My middle 2 boys share a Jack and Jill bathroom which means our bathroom is thankfully bath toy free and they keep all theirs in their bathroom. I probably wouldn’t like it as much if it meant small bedrooms but they are all quite generous rooms so we do love the layout.

I've only bought houses from the 60s and 70s. They are not good looking from the outside but have been spacious and always in good locations. We were very close to buying a new build last time but the houses are so close to each each other.

We've had lounge / diners in our last 2 homes. I prefer having the kitchen a separate space, close off the mess and smells, it's just not a social space for us.

We had a 1960s house v like this until my kids were pre teen and we moved (me v reluctantly) to a house with more bathrooms.
We had a wall between lounge and dining room. With double glass doors. Huge windows on the back looking at the garden. Loved standing in my kitchen watching the world go by (nice big plot so didn't feel exposed).
All of my 3 kids had a good sized room and all mine had built in wardrobes in the space where each pair of bedrooms backed onto each other. So clever. Had a walk in understairs cupboard fully shelved out. Beautiful period bannisters and woodblock floors.
What I remember loving the most was the light. Such a light house. I'd def buy 1960s again.