Real Estate
Are new houses in the UK big enough for everyday life?

Are new houses in the UK big enough for everyday life?

A range of families across the UK were interviewed for a study by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) who have been involved in a long-running campaign to draw public attention to the lack of adequate living space. in the new homes that are being built. built in the UK today. Several people reported storing food and household items in the trunk of their cars because the available storage space in their homes was simply insufficient. However, others stored their vacuum cleaners permanently in their living spaces due to a lack of adequate storage space. It seems that it is becoming more and more difficult for a family to store their basic possessions in a typical newly built 3 bedroom “family” home.

The report also provides important evidence to reinforce the general public’s perception that new homes are simply not big enough and is intended to instigate changes in the way new homes are planned and marketed. The report reveals in detail just how poorly planned and cramped many new homes in the UK are. This RIBA/IPSOS Mori Report is intended to be used by the Housing Future Commission, which is investigating the quality of new homes being built in the UK today, including from the perspective of storage space and space for everyday life, particularly for families. .

Space is recognized as a very important issue when buying or renting a new home because lack of space substantially affects basic lifestyle needs such as storing personal belongings, living comfortably with our family, and entertaining friends.

New homes in the UK have been revealed to be substantially smaller than the rest of Europe and the US, where homes are generally marketed based on available living space as a measure of square feet (or square meters) to help the consumer assess value more easily. for money. In the UK, houses are still typically sold based on the number of bedrooms and reception rooms, which can be misleading figures in terms of the comfort and ease with which a family can occupy a house.

Surprisingly, RIBA found that the usable floor area of ​​a newly built 3-bedroom family home on average in the UK is just 88 square metres. This is 8 square meters less than the minimum floor space recommended by the Greater London Authority in July 2011 in its report ‘The London Plan: Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London’. This space deficit is the equivalent of a single bedroom with room for a bed, nightstand, wardrobe, desk, and chair. But because this is an average figure, there are many newer 3-bedroom homes that are even smaller and fall short of the recommended space for the equivalent of two double bedrooms. The introduction of minimum standards for space in the capital is an effort to ensure new homes have sufficient storage space in London, in particular, where the problem is most acute, but there are currently no standards across the UK. Storage in London is even more pressing than in the rest of the UK due to the high cost of land and property.

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