Smaller UK Homes

Smaller UK Homes

Did you know that the size of our homes has been shrinking?
New housing developments have become a familiar sight in towns and villages across Suffolk and the rest of the UK.
But still there are insufficient homes to meet the rising demand, at least none at the size needed for single people, couples and the “affordable” end of the family housing market.
How much does size matter?
It seems also that over the last 15 years or so the size of homes has been shrinking.
According to research by The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) published in June 2016 most new build homes are now smaller in square metres by the equivalent of one whole room.
Not only that, but the size of new build three-bedroom homes varies significantly compared with the Government’s recommended minimum, depending on where they are in the country, according to these figures published in 2016 in the Daily Mirror:
North West: 87.3sqm, 5.7sqm smaller than Government target
East Midlands: 86.9sqm, 6.1sqm smaller
South East: 93.9sqm, 0.9sqm bigger
Yorkshire & Humber: 84sqm 9sqm smaller
West Midlands: 85.7sqm 7.3sqm smaller
London: 108.5sqm 15.5sqm bigger
In February this year the government published a White Paper on housing, in which it proposed to review the guidance on minimum sizes for new homes “to ensure greater local housing choice”. At an average of 76 sq metres the UK’s new-build homes are already the smallest by floor area in Europe.
All this means that something has to be sacrificed in terms of space and those who live in new build houses and flats frequently complain that what has gone is adequate storage space.

But what do we do with all our stuff?
Families grow and change and if you can’t or don’t want to move to a larger space and you’re not a ruthlessly unsentimental minimalist most households sooner or later face the problem of too much stuff.
It ranges from souvenirs and heirlooms holding fond memories to household records and documents you have to keep. So are we all going to have to emulate Marie Kondo, who advocates massive de-cluttering in her best-selling book “The life-changing magic of tidying”?
But what if It’s all stuff you either can’t or don’t want to get rid of, but you don’t use a lot of it every day? There are only so many boxes you can stash under the beds, or cram into the garage and when they are full, what then?
Well then, of course, you talk to HomeStore and check out our options for secure, 24-hour access to safe self-storage spaces in a range of sizes to meet your needs.
If you only needed to store household and family paperwork – such as deeds to the house, bank statements, agreements for products and services, perhaps the children’s education records, certificates, trophies and the like, then you probably only need a locker. A one-meter cube will take roughly eight plastic crates or a few suitcases. 200 cubic feet will take a small amount of furniture, say a roomful if you’re redecorating.

Image courtesy of fantasista at FreeDigitalPhotos.net