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

NeilCr

I guess another thing is that more and more people are living on their own. A number of my friends do and some of us don’t want a big place. One of my mates lives in a really big 4 bedroomed house and I’d hate that. I’d never find the cat for a start!

I’ve got a nice but small(ish) two bedroomed house. One main room downstairs (kitchen/lounge) with a loo by the front door. Two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. Small outside space.

Suits me living by myself down to the ground. Not too expensive to heat, enough storage for one, little maintenance (including garden) and, unless my knees go, should be able to live here for a long time (64 now)

AdrianC

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

But since then, houses seem to have got even smaller. I remember visiting one newly built house where the main bedroom could only just accomodate a double bed and a small bedside cabinet. Literally no room for a wardrobe and chest of draws. I've also been in a lounge which was so small you could almost touch the two long walls if you stretched out your arms.

To me, it's all a matter of builders putting as many units as they can on a particular plot so they can maximise profits, which are already scandalously high.

Yep. Of course. You say it like it's a bad thing. Remember, every private company has a legal duty to maximise value for their shareholders...

And do you know why they build houses like that? Because they know that people will buy them. Worse, they will fight over the chance to buy them...

If the general public want to change things, then the route is simple. STOP BUYING THEM LIKE THEY ARE... Sure, new houses will cost a bit more - of course they will. Because the land cost and the other fixed costs of construction are divided by fewer plots. But buyers will be getting what they want, not what they somehow think they have to put up with.

moneyistooshorttomention

NeilCr wrote: »

I guess another thing is that more and more people are living on their own. A number of my friends do and some of us don’t want a big place. One of my mates lives in a really big 4 bedroomed house and I’d hate that. I’d never find the cat for a start!

I’ve got a nice but small(ish) two bedroomed house. One main room downstairs (kitchen/lounge) with a loo by the front door. Two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. Small outside space.

Suits me living by myself down to the ground. Not too expensive to heat, enough storage for one, little maintenance (including garden) and, unless my knees go, should be able to live here for a long time (64 now)

There's probably an element of "horses for courses" here. On the other hand some of us "singles" have discussed before now things like we are perceived as needing/or wanting less space - but that isnt necessarily so. We still need a lot of the storage space that a family does for instance. One of my storage cupboards holds house paperwork/house "bits and pieces"/2 hoovers/ironing board/etc - and a family would have the exact same amount of all that, for instance, as single me does. That's just one example.

Personally - I'll admit I'd still like a 4 bedroom/large bathroom or 2 bathrooms/large kitchen/large garden house - but, on my own, can't afford it.

NeilCr

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

There's probably an element of "horses for courses" here. On the other hand some of us "singles" have discussed before now things like we are perceived as needing/or wanting less space - but that isnt necessarily so. We still need a lot of the storage space that a family does for instance. One of my storage cupboards holds house paperwork/house "bits and pieces"/2 hoovers/ironing board/etc - and a family would have the exact same amount of all that, for instance, as single me does. That's just one example.

Personally - I'll admit I'd still like a 4 bedroom/large bathroom or 2 bathrooms/large kitchen/large garden house - but, on my own, can't afford it.

Oh sure. Although I might say - half the clothes, half the pots and pan, a smaller hoover, half the bathroom stuff etc etc.

As I say one of my mates has a big house and another, who is thinking of moving, will be looking for a four bedroom one. On t’other hand quite a few of my friends like small as it’s easier. My OH moved into a smaller place when her last son left home as it is far easier to maintain

I agree with you about horses and courses - I’m really saying that the number of people who live by themselves is growing and I’d expect it to continue that way which will have an impact on the housing market. Quite a few of those will want somewhere more compact

moneyistooshorttomention

NeilCr wrote: »

Oh sure. Although I might say - half the clothes, half the pots and pan, a smaller hoover, half the bathroom stuff etc etc.

As I say one of my mates has a big house and another, who is thinking of moving, will be looking for a four bedroom one. On t’other hand quite a few of my friends like small as it’s easier. My OH moved into a smaller place when her last son left home as it is far easier to maintain

I agree with you about horses and courses - I’m really saying that the number of people who live by themselves is growing and I’d expect it to continue that way which will have an impact on the housing market. Quite a few of those will want somewhere more compact

Indeed - it is down to "each to their own" in many ways.

Actually - I find "smaller" is harder in a variety of respects personally. Any work on the bathroom, for instance, is a problem if there's only one bathroom that only has room for either a bath or a shower. In a 2 bathroom house one just thinks "Never mind - I'll use the other bathroom meanwhile". Personally - I think the "renovation work" stuff is one of the most difficult points of living in a small house. Everything is everywhere and one is sometimes literally climbing over it whilst "some work or other" is being done in the house.

For everyday living - small homes presuppose one has few/if any hobbies or interests and so little/if any room is required for those things. Cue for upset if the person is expecting to "have a Life" and getting upset about not having room for stuff they've decided to have in their home for said hobbies/interests/studies/etc.

Guess it does depend, to some extent, on the person - as to whether their viewpoint boils down to "Is it reasonable to have/expect room for whatever-it-is in my home" and want the home to adapt to them OR looks at the size of the home and thinks "Well - I can't have that then - no matter how much I want or even need it" on the other hand.

I'm firmly in the "If I've decided it's reasonable to have room for x and I need or seriously want it - then I'll get it first - and wonder where to put it later" school of thought. Others will let the available space influence their decisions. No value judgements either way...:rotfl:.

I'm certainly watching some on here now wondering just-how-the-heck they could manage with a smaller home and are basically refusing to move to anywhere smaller. They have a standard size (eg 4 bedroom place) and they've got hobbies/interests - and I can see there is a problem there.

Smodlet

AdrianC wrote: »

Yep. Of course. You say it like it's a bad thing. Remember, every private company has a legal duty to maximise value for their shareholders...

And do you know why they build houses like that? Because they know that people will buy them. Worse, they will fight over the chance to buy them...

If the general public want to change things, then the route is simple. STOP BUYING THEM LIKE THEY ARE... Sure, new houses will cost a bit more - of course they will. Because the land cost and the other fixed costs of construction are divided by fewer plots. But buyers will be getting what they want, not what they somehow think they have to put up with.

Just how on earth do you expect anyone who is not minted to do this? You said yourself, people fight over the chance to buy hopelessly inadequate, substandard properties... because they struggle to afford those! Do you really see properties becoming bigger ever? When councils are already under pressure to build more and more and more "affordable" (sick joke) housing?

It is about overcrowding. We do not have enough space for sufficient quantity of decent-sized housing plots and therefore for decent-sized, let alone decent quality housing for anyone who has less than a quarter of a million pounds to spend! That is not most of us. You can't get much for that if you are at all fussy about where you live.

Crashy_Time

http://www.propertyindustryeye.com/foreign-investors-left-nursing-huge-losses-as-they-scrabble-to-get-out-of-off-plan-deals/


Basically it is all a finance/debt bubble, and it will all pop, looks like the top end is going to go first. If you can convince people (and they did) that any property you can get hold of is going to be a goldmine in the future people (sadly) will line up to buy any old rubbish.

AdrianC

Smodlet wrote: »

Just how on earth do you expect anyone who is not minted to do this? You said yourself, people fight over the chance to buy hopelessly inadequate, substandard properties... because they struggle to afford those!

I think you're forgetting that new-build properties are rarely cheap, relative to pre-existing properties. They have a premium price because of the "aspirational" marketing and the shiny-shiny new-build factor.

Davesnave

Was ever an age when ordinary people had loads of personal space at home? If there was, I missed it.

Back in the middle of the 20th century, I recall many of my school friends sharing rooms with siblings.

My village contains about 600 people, but at its peak there were 1100 living here in far fewer houses. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that things would have been a little cramped in these 19th century homes.

Smodlet

It does not alter the fact that space in this country is extremely limited, AdrianC, so it stands to reason that most non-millionaire-bracket new-builds (with perhaps some regional variations) will probably be smaller and smaller and smaller...

I agree about new builds in general, though. Would not touch them with a barge pole, probably even if I were to win the lottery.