British Housing is rubbish

Bargain_Rzl

olly300 wrote: »

The thing I've noticed in lots of properties particularly flats is lack of storage space.

If the rooms are big fair enough you can put in more furniture but if they aren't and you don't have a loft where are you suppose to store stuff?

I know this can be a pain, and causes real inconvenience to some people particularly families, but personally I find lack of storage space to be an advantage

I'm a clutter hoarder and I don't need any additional excuse not to get rid of things, thank you very much I live alone in a one-bed newbuild flat whose only built-in storage is the airing cupboard (my shopping trolley and hoover fit in next to the tank, while the shelf above is used to store the bedding I use for the sofa-bed when I have guests).

Having no storage concentrates the mind wonderfully

prudryden

It is next to impossible to build larger homes for the masses, due to economic restraits. Items such as building materials (google copper, lead, zinc etc), labour costs, liability insurance (yes, the US affliction of punitive damages law suits is here), costs of adhering to all the rules and regulations of the various building codes and on and on.

Guy_Montag

prudryden wrote: »

It is next to impossible to build larger homes for the masses, due to economic restraits. Items such as building materials (google copper, lead, zinc etc), labour costs, liability insurance (yes, the US affliction of punitive damages law suits is here), costs of adhering to all the rules and regulations of the various building codes and on and on.

How much copper, lead & zinc is used in a typical house? Not very much, we're not looking at more than £3 or 4k surely.

Labour costs - kept nice & low by immigration in case you hadn't noticed.

Liability insurance - we don't routinely have punitive damage lawsuits - they're very rare & employers who use good practice will see their insurance bills drop.

Can you provide any examples of rules & regs that are cost significantly extra.

The real cost is land with planning permission Land without goes for 5-20k per acre, land with costs £1m+ per acre.

Phirefly

Guy_Montag wrote: »

Sounds idyllic - lucky you, is all I can say.

Thanks I do count myself lucky (although we pay about 20k more on my development for a 2 bed than elsewhere nearby). My point is I shouldn't be the lucky one, this kind of new build should be the norm not the exception. The building space issue aside, its just symptomatic of the shortsighted greed that prevails across UK business. Unline some of our European counterparts, UK big cheeses will always opt for short term maximum profit over thinking about the bigger picture, sustainability, quality of life, locality and long term returns.

pamaris

Well... I am from Texas... enough said really. Spent 25 years of my life there. (I'm 30 now).

The thing that really dumbfounded me when I arrived here was the lack of closets. Many, many closets where I am from are the size of "bedrooms" here. You just plain do not get a bedroom without a closet. In fact I had never seen one before! Whenever you do have a "closet" here, it is an abysmal DIY job.

I was also surprised at the lack of mod cons. Who knew I would take a bath every day because the house had no shower? No biggie, I've learned to live without. Now I actually prefer baths.

I understand that this is an island; and that there are space constraints. However so many houses are just not suitable to today's lifestyles (apparently, not even today's houses, from what you all have written). You guys were complaining about kitchen diners but currently we are staying with my mum in law in a 30's semi and the only eating area is in the front room, down a hall, through two doors from the kitchen which is in the back. This drives me crazy!! The kids leave a trail of rice crispies every morning. I can't stand for the eating area to be detached from the kitchen. I am used to a semi open kitchen, eating and living area... if not open it is at least a natural progression. That said, just because the dining area is attached to the kitchen does not mean it can not be a nice room.

I keep thinking of what I would do with one of these 30's semi's if I ended up with one. They just feel a bit clumsy to me. And... where do you put the computer area?? I can't figure out how to work the living situation with a family of 4.

Oh well I did come here for a reason, and it wasn't housing!

Phirefly

pamaris wrote: »

I keep thinking of what I would do with one of these 30's semi's if I ended up with one. They just feel a bit clumsy to me. And... where do you put the computer area?? I can't figure out how to work the living situation with a family of 4.

My sister has a good solution on her 30s semi. They have a single storey extension right across the back to make a kitchen diner. They use the middle reception room as a cosy living room, its a bit dark cos of the extension on the back but that has sky lights and they have windows to the side of the living room too. The front reception room (your Mum-In-Laws dining room) is used as a kind of recreation room with the playstation, cross trainer, my brother in law's decks and a double sofa bed for guests (sounds cluttered but its tastefully done!) Upstairs they only have 3 bedrooms but a really spacious bathroom and could easily extend above the existing extension....

olly300

pamaris wrote: »

The thing that really dumbfounded me when I arrived here was the lack of closets. Many, many closets where I am from are the size of "bedrooms" here. You just plain do not get a bedroom without a closet. In fact I had never seen one before! Whenever you do have a "closet" here, it is an abysmal DIY job.

This didn't use to be a problem cos British people who lived in such small houses didn't have many clothes and shoes.

However now many newbuild properties have fitted closets which also acts as a form of sound proofing. Someone I know has a closet in a new build house on their master bedroom which is as big as some of newbuild single bedrooms I've seen.

pamaris wrote: »

I was also surprised at the lack of mod cons. Who knew I would take a bath every day because the house had no shower? No biggie, I've learned to live without. Now I actually prefer baths.

Yep you and everyone I've met from Scandinavia and the Far East.

pamaris wrote: »

I understand that this is an island; and that there are space constraints. However so many houses are just not suitable to today's lifestyles (apparently, not even today's houses, from what you all have written). You guys were complaining about kitchen diners but currently we are staying with my mum in law in a 30's semi and the only eating area is in the front room, down a hall, through two doors from the kitchen which is in the back. This drives me crazy!! The kids leave a trail of rice crispies every morning. I can't stand for the eating area to be detached from the kitchen. I am used to a semi open kitchen, eating and living area... if not open it is at least a natural progression. That said, just because the dining area is attached to the kitchen does not mean it can not be a nice room.

I keep thinking of what I would do with one of these 30's semi's if I ended up with one. They just feel a bit clumsy to me. And... where do you put the computer area?? I can't figure out how to work the living situation with a family of 4.

Oh well I did come here for a reason, and it wasn't housing!

You knock everything down or build an extension making your garden smaller. Then you put decking in the garden. :rotfl:

Oh and if you want a computer room you buy a house with an extra bedroom.:D

pamaris

Phirefly wrote: »

My sister has a good solution on her 30s semi. They have a single storey extension right across the back to make a kitchen diner. They use the middle reception room as a cosy living room, its a bit dark cos of the extension on the back but that has sky lights and they have windows to the side of the living room too. The front reception room (your Mum-In-Laws dining room) is used as a kind of recreation room with the playstation, cross trainer, my brother in law's decks and a double sofa bed for guests (sounds cluttered but its tastefully done!) Upstairs they only have 3 bedrooms but a really spacious bathroom and could easily extend above the existing extension....

Kinda OT, but about how much would this sort of extension cost?

Phirefly

It was there when she moved in lucky for her

Guy_Montag

Don't get me started on the lack of sound-proofing in modern houses. & for that matter en-suite toilets where you can hear EVERYTHING your nearest & dearest is doing!