Am I the only one fed up with houses being so small? do others feel the same way?

PasturesNew

Mine's plenty big enough, just laid out poorly for my wants.
The trouble with storage is that most developers could turn good storage space into an additional small box bedroom, so that's what they do, so they can charge more.

Small and large are subjective too.... I see in the US "tiny homes" that have a bigger square footage than many UK houses!

Surrey_EA

hazyjo wrote: »

When you say '15 miles outside the M25', that would put you in some of the most expensive boroughs in the country! If you're comparing Berkshire to say Essex, you'll notice a vast difference with what your money will get you

There are some lovely parts of Essex that are very expensive, and some nasty parts of Berkshire that are cheap though!

hazyjo

Surrey_EA wrote: »

There are some lovely parts of Essex that are very expensive, and some nasty parts of Berkshire that are cheap though!

You know what I mean though. Generally as an average. I'm in a pricey part of Essex myself and it's pricier than my friend's in Reading. Just saying if he's trying to buy in a nice part (of anywhere to be fair!), he ain't gonna get much bang for his buck.

PasturesNew

What IS annoying in modern smaller houses is the building regulations meaning you have to have a "disabled accessible" downstairs loo and doorways. While I've nothing against this and think it's great, for me it means that instead of being able to have a 20'x12' living room the house has been designed as a 12'x12' living room and an 8'x8' downstairs loo and hallway round it... it's bang in the middle of the house and I have to walk round it to get from the living room to the kitchen and back...

ProDave

Do as we are, build your own.

The small bedroom will be 14ft by 9ft. The other two are both 15ft by 13ft.

It's no mansion, just a reasonably comfortable familly house.

PasturesNew

ProDave wrote: »

Do as we are, build your own.

We all would if we could finance that, pay to live somewhere else while that's going on - and find an affordable plot within 20 miles of where we'd like to be!

Anybody finding a plot that they like the location/price of is in the "Bl00dy Lucky Club".

Smodlet

Quizzical_Squirrel wrote: »

I think you can adapt to very small if the outside environment is good. Whether it's a city or a village, I think it's important that you can fully participate in a greater experience beyond your walls.

In Japanese cities, for example, people tend to regard the whole neighbourhood as home and their own little place is just where you sleep etc. They do much of their daily living externally.

If you can get into that mindset and are able to expand the concept of what you consider to be home then it can work.

We once moved from an 8000 square foot remote multi-acre country house to a one bed flat in a major city (NYC).
Despite the initial huge culture shock and claustrophobia, it did actually work because we barely needed to spend any awake time in our home. Everything was there for you outside; there was little value in actually being at home. Obviously I speak of good neighbourhoods.

Ultimately, that environment wasn't for me but I'm glad we tried it and I understand completely why it's perfect for so many people and I get it now when people talk fondly about city neighbourhoods. The whole place is their home not just the four walls within which they sleep.

However, when I see tiny homes stuck in the middle of nowhere (whether urban or suburban and sometimes even rural) with no community spirit or facilities, I really worry for the mental health of the people inside as they have no choice but to withdraw. Humans aren't meant to live in solitary confined spaces. It's very concerning.

Tiny only works when the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

This also works better in a location where the weather does not suck for two thirds of the year. Yes, I do know it is more extreme in NYC than in most of England... But have you lived through a winter in Newcastle upon Tyne? Brrrr!

Ultimately, OP, the reason houses which are not on Escape to the Country/Downton Abbey are so small/expensive is because this tiny, little island of ours is hopelessly overcrowded, therefore every square inch is at a premium. It seems you have the luxury of the choice to emigrate; most of us don't: The choice is yours.

stator

AdrianC wrote: »

It's now 28 years since she left office, and there have been five prime ministers, split between both main parties, since.

At what stage will that stop being waved around?

As soon as the government abandons Thatcherite policies.
We've had Thatcherite governments for the last 28 years, very little has changed.

ProDave

PasturesNew wrote: »

We all would if we could finance that, pay to live somewhere else while that's going on - and find an affordable plot within 20 miles of where we'd like to be!

Anybody finding a plot that they like the location/price of is in the "Bl00dy Lucky Club".

There are advantages in living in the Highlands. There are always plots for sale up here at realistic prices. We are building 2 doors up from our previous house, and currently living on site in a static caravan while we build.

AdrianC

stator wrote: »

As soon as the government abandons Thatcherite policies.
We've had Thatcherite governments for the last 28 years, very little has changed.

You yearn for a return to the halcyon days of Callaghan and Wilson?