What is a "Quarter House"?

zagubov

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

lincroft1710 said:

As others have said more usually called cluster homes, either 4 x 1 bed, or 3 x 2 bed (2 lengthways, 1 sideways). Very popular in 1980s/1990s but now replaced by apartment blocks.

Looking at them, I can see why the style has fallen out of favour.  The staircase simply wastes too much space in the sort of property where maximising the square footage is key.  It's probably all right for a single person, but I'd have thought it would feel cramped with a couple.

It is wasteful. There's so little living space, too much room is taken up by means of switching from floor to floor. In countries like the Netherlands, they save space by using spiral staircases, which are out of favour here.

Where I live now, cottage flats are rare and a bit unusual. They're practical though; you only use stairs to ender and leave your home or garden. Inside, all the space is yours. In pandemic times they're less scary than flatblocks with a central stairwell.

Fingerbobs

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

lincroft1710 said:

As others have said more usually called cluster homes, either 4 x 1 bed, or 3 x 2 bed (2 lengthways, 1 sideways). Very popular in 1980s/1990s but now replaced by apartment blocks.

Looking at them, I can see why the style has fallen out of favour.  The staircase simply wastes too much space in the sort of property where maximising the square footage is key.  It's probably all right for a single person, but I'd have thought it would feel cramped with a couple.

Surely the same is true for a "normal" terraced house though?

AdrianC

Fingerbobs said:

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

lincroft1710 said:

As others have said more usually called cluster homes, either 4 x 1 bed, or 3 x 2 bed (2 lengthways, 1 sideways). Very popular in 1980s/1990s but now replaced by apartment blocks.

Looking at them, I can see why the style has fallen out of favour.  The staircase simply wastes too much space in the sort of property where maximising the square footage is key.  It's probably all right for a single person, but I'd have thought it would feel cramped with a couple.

Surely the same is true for a "normal" terraced house though?

Quite.

You have 50m2 of living space across two floors. There are going to be stairs. Does it make a big difference what's on which sides externally?

I mean, a ladder would be a space-saver... Or...

Might be tricky while carrying a basket full of laundry, though, and the removal men are going to HATE you.

zagubov

AdrianC said:

Fingerbobs said:

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

lincroft1710 said:

As others have said more usually called cluster homes, either 4 x 1 bed, or 3 x 2 bed (2 lengthways, 1 sideways). Very popular in 1980s/1990s but now replaced by apartment blocks.

Looking at them, I can see why the style has fallen out of favour.  The staircase simply wastes too much space in the sort of property where maximising the square footage is key.  It's probably all right for a single person, but I'd have thought it would feel cramped with a couple.

Surely the same is true for a "normal" terraced house though?

Quite.

You have 50m2 of living space across two floors. There are going to be stairs. Does it make a big difference what's on which sides externally?

I mean, a ladder would be a space-saver... Or...

Might be tricky while carrying a basket full of laundry, though, and the removal men are going to HATE you.

Actually my first house was tiny but deceptively spacious, and I recall the stairs were almost about as steep as that photo!

RelievedSheff

Fingerbobs said:

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

lincroft1710 said:

As others have said more usually called cluster homes, either 4 x 1 bed, or 3 x 2 bed (2 lengthways, 1 sideways). Very popular in 1980s/1990s but now replaced by apartment blocks.

Looking at them, I can see why the style has fallen out of favour.  The staircase simply wastes too much space in the sort of property where maximising the square footage is key.  It's probably all right for a single person, but I'd have thought it would feel cramped with a couple.

Surely the same is true for a "normal" terraced house though?

Not just terraced houses either. Our last house was a small 2 bed semi and a lot of space in that house was taken up by hallway and stairs.

The same goes for any two/three storey house really. A portion of the living accommodation has to be given over to a means of getting between the different levels of accommodation.

Our current 3 bed house probably has the same amount of space given over to stairs and hallway as our last house. But in a larger house it just doesn't feel such as much a waste of space.

AdrianC

zagubov said:

Actually my first house was tiny but deceptively spacious, and I recall the stairs were almost about as steep as that photo!

Damn building regs, and their meddling 42deg maximum pitch...
https://www.pearstairs.co.uk/staircase-buillding-regulations/

silvercar

Very common to have the stairs in the lounge and the front door opening into the lounge, saves space and helps comply with access regulations. I remember looking at a new build house in the early 90s and commenting how large the hall was, to have the estate agent reply that I was actually in the lounge.

Ditzy_Mitzy

Fingerbobs said:

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

lincroft1710 said:

As others have said more usually called cluster homes, either 4 x 1 bed, or 3 x 2 bed (2 lengthways, 1 sideways). Very popular in 1980s/1990s but now replaced by apartment blocks.

Looking at them, I can see why the style has fallen out of favour.  The staircase simply wastes too much space in the sort of property where maximising the square footage is key.  It's probably all right for a single person, but I'd have thought it would feel cramped with a couple.

Surely the same is true for a "normal" terraced house though?

Not quite, or at least not for the ordinary Victorian terrace.  The stairs, generally, aren't included within the living space calculation.  One receives a certain square footage of living space plus non-living space such as staircases, halls and passages.  This means the building, as an entity, has to be bigger.  The quarter house design does away with all that by having the non-living space integrated with the living space.  This means the building can be smaller, but one loses significant amounts of square footage.  There's also the issue of the quarter house being hollow; there is no heat seal between the living room and the upper floor as the staircase is in there.  This causes wastage of heat.  

RelievedSheff

silvercar said:

Very common to have the stairs in the lounge and the front door opening into the lounge, saves space and helps comply with access regulations. I remember looking at a new build house in the early 90s and commenting how large the hall was, to have the estate agent reply that I was actually in the lounge.

Two of my pet hates there. Can't abide stairs off the living room or entrance doors that open into living rooms. The tiny little lobbies on new builds from the front door to the living room are just as bad. No room to swing the proverbial cat when entering the house!!

GBNI

The first house I lived in was a 'quarter house' but here we refer to them as quad townhouses. Downstairs was all one room, I lived on my own with some pets so it was ample space. Decent side bathroom and the double bedroom was bigger than the bedroom I have in my 3 bed semi detached I own now there was also a single bedroom. As mine was the back one, I had the use of a driveway (big enough to hold at least 3 cars) and a garden. Which got the sun all day, bonus I never had any issues with noise from other neighbours and certainly would live in one again.