There may be an unexpected silver lining to the housing market's downturn: we
could end up with larger rooms in our homes as a result. It has been well
documented that British new-build homes are the smallest in Europe. The average
floor space of a new home here (this includes houses as well as flats) is just
818 square feet; Denmark is highest with 1,475 square feet, and Greece comes
second with 1,361 square feet. In France, it is more than 1,200 square feet.
Data complied by the Home Builders Federation and other organisations shows
that a typical new-home built in Britain this year will be 55 per cent smaller
than one built 80 years ago. And there are now 20 per cent more rooms than a
quarter of a century ago, meaning we have moved from a country of few large
rooms to one of numerous small ones.
Four reasons lie behind this trend. First, unlike most nations, Britain has
no legal minimum-space standard for homes. Second, many schemes of flats built
since 1999 have included smaller-than-usual studio and one- and two-bedroom
units aimed at landlord buyers who have assumed tenants would make do with small
rooms. Third, high land prices have obliged developers to pack in vast numbers
of tiny homes to maximise the profitability of schemes. Finally, the
Government's build targets have effectively forced local council planners to
permit ever-smaller homes.
This trend has not been without some public support. "In recent years, people
have asked for home offices, which tend to be small," says Chris Fayers of the
West Country developers Eagle One. "Until now, they've also eaten out more, so
some kitchens are smaller. There may now be more small rooms where there were
fewer large ones."
"Remember, design is as vital as space," claims Julian d'Arcy of the Leeds
office of the estate agency Knight Frank. "I've known well-designed smaller
apartments that appear and operate in a bigger and better way than a poorly
designed larger one."
In addition, small rooms are cheaper to heat. "They may give tenants and
owners more flexibility to heat some areas and not others, therefore optimising
their fuel bill," says a spokeswoman for the Citizens' Advice Bureau. But in the
long term, rooms in new houses will almost certainly get larger.
Some politicians – notably the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who says the
capital's new small homes are "shameful" – want a return to the so-called Parker
Morris standards, introduced for council housing in 1967. These say that there
should be 355 square feet of internal space for the first occupant, with each
additional resident getting another 140 square feet. So a one-bed flat for two
people should be at least 495 square feet.
Contrast that minimum with a converted studio flat on sale near Gloucester
Road in central London. It has just 170 square feet and costs a cool £225,000,
even in today's declining market (Douglas and Gordon, 020-7581 1152). The same
agency has a flat in Queens Gate Gardens, also in central London, that is
slightly smaller still at 169 square feet. It also costs £225,000 and is,
according to the publicity material, "thoughtfully designed to maximise the
space".
Even if you accept that a studio flat has only one resident – and many
actually have two – these examples are less than 50 per cent of the standard
promoted for social housing more than four decades ago by Parker Morris. But
more influential than political pressure may be the financial squeeze hurting
developers.
Small flats are simply not selling because in many areas there are too many
new-builds or properties still under construction. Few housing associations are
bailing out private developers by buying surplus stock because, even with price
reductions, it is too expensive, has costly service charges and is – critically
– too small.
The phenomenon of a long-term glut of unsold flats is happening just as land
prices for residential development have plummeted.
Knight Frank says that after years of steeply rising values, building land
outside of London has now fallen by 33 per cent over the past year and by 15 per
cent in just a three-month period to late 2008.
That means that while today's developers of flats have had to pack in small
units to justify the cost of the plot, developers of future schemes will be
buying land at much lower prices, thus ending the financial requirement for
high-density development and its consequent small homes and rooms.
Private developers, unsurprisingly, are not happy at the prospect. The
chairman of Countryside Properties, Alan Cherry, has already gone on the record
claiming that any insistence on larger rooms "inhibits designers to some
extent".
But anyone who has been lived in a tiny new home or a converted flat may well
look kindly on the credit crunch inadvertently producing a more expansive
lifestyle. And if they have a cat, they may at last have room to swing it.
Recycling could soon be a far easier and quicker task thanks to a high-tech
waste disposal system that shoots rubbish through an underground tunnel at
50mph.
Residents at a new housing development in London have three small recycling
bins built into their kitchen cupboard. These are for non-recycling waste, dry
recyclables (glass, plastic, paper), and organic waste.
They empty these bins into three corresponding chutes at the base of the
building and once the chutes are full, the rubbish is dropped into a tunnel
below.
Giant fans then create a vacuum effect, sending the rubbish bags through
underground tunnels up to 1 km long to a central collection building where the
waste is removed by Wembley council.
If trials are successful, the tunnels could be used across the capital to
allow housing estates to recycle easily, without having to employ staff to
collect rubbish.
It could also provide a solution to the problem of encouraging recycling in
tower blocks where collecting waste is a problem.
Currently 286 apartments in one block use the system, with plans to expand it
to all 10,000 apartments in the development when they are completed.
The Envac system, which was designed in Sweden and is already used in
Disneyland, transports the rubbish through a series of underground pipes before
collecting the entire development's waste at a central collection building.
From there, it can be sent for recycling as normal by the local authority.
'This is a very novel approach, but it has been working very well,' said
James Saunders, managing director of commercial ventures at Quintain, which is
building the development.
'This system cuts the number of vehicles we need by 90 per cent, as they
simply visit the central waste building every few days, rather than having to
drive around the development.
'At the moment the rubbish doesn't travel very far, but as we add new
buildings to the scheme, we think it will work at distances of up to 1km.'
Joakim Karlsson, managing director of Envac's UK operations, said: 'The Envac
system will help Quintain reduce pollution, including unpleasant odours, noise
and traffic-related problems and also encourage the sorting and recycling of
waste.
'Like the other areas in which this system has been installed, Wembley should
become a cleaner, tidier and healthier place to live.'
Residents will also have access to the fastest internet connections in a
British home.
The 100Mb connections allow residents to download films or TV shows in a few
minutes, and are also used to provide TV channels and phone services.
Users can choose to sign up when they move in, and pay a monthly charge for
standard speeds of up to 32Mb per second. However, by pressing a 'boost' button,
they can access super-fast 100Mb speeds at a cost of £1 per half hour.
As property prices continue their downward slide, more people are finding
that their home is worth less than the mortgage secured on it. Negative equity
is back with a vengeance: Citigroup estimated last week that 1.2m people have
fallen victim to it, up from fewer than 100,000 a year ago – and predicted the
number could eventually hit £3m.
If you are among them, rather than simply bemoaning your fate, why not make
the most of your home by improving it? Choose wisely and you will not only make
it a much more pleasant place to live, but, if you keep a close control on
spending, you will add enough to the property’s value to get you back into the
black.
George Clarke, who presents The Home Show, on Channel 4, is convinced of the
financial benefits of well-chosen improvements. “You can improve your way out of
negative equity if you maximize the space available without spending too much,”
he says. His favourites are loft conversions. He cites the case of a woman who
spent £7,500 doing one – and added £25,000 to the value of her home.
Here are our 10 top tips:
1. INSTALL AN ENSUITE BATHROOM
If you have three or more bedrooms, people these days expect more than one
bathroom. The best option is to squeeze an ensuite bathroom into the master
bedroom, leaving the original as the “family” bathroom. This could mean shaving
a bit off your bedroom with a stud wall or, if you’re lucky, pinching a bit of
the landing.
Bathroom companies have clever designs for tight spaces. Look for “quadrant”
showers, shaped like a quarter-circle to fit in corners; you can also get corner
loos and sinks. If you must have both a bath and shower, go for a combination
bath with a curved screen at one end to give you more showering space.
Cost: From £2,000, depending on how involved you get.
Can you do it yourself? A competent DIYer could do the flooring,
tiling and painting to keep costs down. Plumbing, and probably electrics, are
best left to the experts.
Money back? Yes – unless you go crazy. The National Association of
Estate Agents says that a second bathroom or ensuite can add up to 5% to the
value of your home.
2. CONVERT THE LOFT
This is one of the most cost-effective ways to add space – especially if you
turn it into an extra bedroom and bathroom. Bear in mind that you need to have
at least 2.3 metres of headroom, and think about where you will put all the
stuff you’ve been storing up there.
It’s probably better to use a specialist loft conversion company than a
general builder, as whatever problems you have, they will have solved them
before. Julie Eveleigh used Outlook Loft Conversions (www.outlooklofts.co.uk) to
add a bedroom and a bathroom to her Edwardian house in Wandsworth, southwest
London. “In our area, it’s a huge leap to move up to the next level, the
five-bedroom houses, even if it were possible to move in the current market,”
she says. “Instead, we’ve bridged the gap and made ours into a five-bedder with
the loft conversion. The builders were great. They said it would take five weeks
to get it done and it took exactly that.”
Cost: The most basic conversion starts at £7,000, but the price will
run well into five figures if you need to put in a mansard or a dormer – though
it is still much cheaper than digging out a basement. Try www.loftquoter.co.uk for
quotes, but be sure to shop around.
Can you do it yourself? Not the structural work, but you can keep
costs down by decorating yourself.
Money back? Yes, particularly if you use it to add a bedroom.
Depending on the area, this could add between £20,000 and £50,000 to the
property’s value.
3. EXTEND THE KITCHEN
Open-plan kitchen/diner/family rooms remain in vogue – and the bigger the
better. Building an extension should be easier thanks to changes in the rules,
introduced last October, allowing you to extend terraces and semis by three
metres and detached properties by four metres without planning permission (www.planningportal.gov.uk).
Chris and Jan Wright, who bought a fairly standard four-bedroom new-build
detached house 10 years ago in Heswall, Wirral, knocked the kitchen and dining
room together and extended to create three areas. “We’ve got the kitchen area
with an island, a dining table that seats eight and two three-seater sofas at
the other end,” says Chris, a financial services consultant.
The Wrights, who used Architect Your Home to plan the extension (www.architect-yourhome.com), use the new space to entertain in,
too. “Our guests can get comfortable on the sofas with a drink and talk to us
while we get the meal ready,” Chris says.
Cost: About £15,000 for a small extension, plus the cost of kitchen
units and appliances, if needed.
Can you do it yourself? Probably not, unless you are a builder. If you
touch a supporting wall, you will be closely supervised by the local
building-control service and will probably need a structural engineer, too.
Money back? Probably: kitchen/dining spaces are in demand, especially
if you have a small kitchen. Get advice from local estate agents.
4. CONVERT THE GARAGE
Does the car really need a room of its own? Turning a garage into a playroom,
study, extra bedroom or games room is one of the easiest and least expensive
ways to extend – as long as you still have somewhere to park. If you have a
double garage, convert half of it. The structure is already there, so all you
need is heating, insulation, a window, plastering and decorating.
Cost: As little as £5,000, all in.
Can you do it yourself? Possibly, but you will need electrician’s
skills and will have to meet building regulations.
Money back? Yes: the extra space can add 10% to the value of your
home.
5. PUT IN A SKYLIGHT
There is plenty you can do to your home on a smaller budget. With prices
starting at less than £100, skylights can transform loft and attic rooms,
corridors and stairwells, flooding the house with light. You’ll need blinds if
the skylight is in a bedroom. If you’re a light sleeper, be warned that
raindrops can make a racket in the middle of the night. Competent DIYers could
fit one themselves, but if that’s not you, get the store to recommend someone,
ask a glazier or pay a specialist company to do it.
Cost: B&Q has a 45cm x 55cm skylight for £80 (www.diy.com), but you’ll pay much
more for Velux and other brands. Having a skylight installed costs about £600
with a specialist such as www.simplyroofwindows.co.uk.
Can you do it yourself? Yes – if your DIY skills are up to it.
Money back? The price is so small relative to the cost of a home that
it should be a winner. The property will also be more attractive to prospective
buyers.
6. ADD A UTILITY ROOM
Reclaim your kitchen by getting rid of laundry clutter and cleaning kit. Like
ensuite bathrooms, utility rooms are becoming de rigueur – especially as the
kitchen turns into a living and entertaining space. The good news is, creating
one is cheap.
The ideal time to create a utility room is when you’re extending the kitchen.
Otherwise, section off a corner with a stud wall or commandeer the back of a
garage. Utility rooms in cellars are another option. Jude Tugman, an architect
based in London, has also fitted them under stairs: “Even if the space only
allows for one appliance and somewhere for the mop and vacuum cleaner, it’s
worth it.”
Cost: Minimal if you are sectioning off the back of the garage or
fitting a washing machine under the stairs.
Can you do it yourself? Yes, with advice from DIY websites.
Money back? Difficult to say, but it should make the house more
saleable.
7. FIRST APPEARANCES
Giving the door and woodwork a fresh coat of paint will make a big difference
and won’t cost much. It will make you feel better about your home and, when you
come to sell, should impress potential buyers. Choose blues, greens or a smart
black, but avoid pinks, oranges and purples, as they’re too personal a choice.
And don’t neglect window boxes or pots near the door in winter – there’s always
something with bright berries or glossy leaves to be found at the garden centre.
Cost: You can keep it to a minimum by painting the door and
windowsills and planting up a couple of pots.
Can you do it yourself? Yes.
Money back? In a weak market, a smart front can be the difference
between a potential buyer walking past and coming in for a viewing.
8. TREAD THE BOARDS
Ripping up that tired fitted carpet to reveal the boards beneath is the
easiest and most cost-effective way to update. “Renovating floorboards, like
opening up fireplaces, increases the saleability of your home,” Clarke says.
You can hire a sander and do it yourself, but it’s noisy, dusty work and
might be worth leaving to a pro. Staining or varnishing is a nicer job. Test a
small patch first to see the effect – the more coats you use, the darker it will
become. Now for the fun part: go and buy some new rugs to complete the
transformation.
Cost: Hiring a sander, buying varnish and doing the whole job could
come to about £150. Getting someone in will cost about £400, depending on the
number of rooms.
Can you do it yourself? Yes – if you can stand the dust.
Money back? Easily.
9. LANDSCAPE THE GARDEN
A patch of lawn with a tree at the end is old hat: anyone who’s ever watched
a garden makeover programme wants an outdoor space that will seem like an
extension of their living room – which means glass sliding doors or french
windows leading to paving or decking with nice furniture. Now is the time to
plan, so you can plant in early spring.
Cost: It can easily run to thousands. Plants are pricey and so are
designers; save money by hiring a student on a garden design course.
Can you do it yourself? Yes, with the help of green-fingered friends
and by watching TV garden makeover shows.
Money back? Yes, provided you keep costs under control. It will
certainly provide enjoyment in the meantime.
10. OPEN UP THE FIREPLACE
A working fireplace adds focus to a room, and most period houses have one –
although, if it hasn’t been used for some time, the hearth may no longer comply
with building regulations. This must be made of a noncombustible material such
as stone, tiles or brick, be 48mm thick and project forward at least 30cm.
The Solid Fuel Association (www.solidfuel.co.uk) offers a step-by-step guide to get a fire
working. You’ll need the chimney swept and checked for cracks; make sure you
cover all your furniture and carpets, as soot can make a real mess of a cream
sofa.
Cost: Minimal if you don’t need a new grate or hearth. It can cost as
little as £25 to have a chimney swept.
Can you do it yourself? Yes, with the exception of the sweeping. Don’t
be tempted to use the kids.
Money back? Who cares? You haven’t spent much, and it’ll make winters
something to look forward to.
Britain's slide into recession is making people think about moving abroad in
an attempt to escape. According to immigration specialist GlobalVisas there has
been a 50 per cent increase this year in enquiries from those wanting to
emigrate to countries perceived as offering a better quality of life.
"Canada and Australia are receiving a great amount of interest," says
GlobalVisas' director Liam Clifford. "Canada recently asked for a million people
to migrate there, while Australia continues to require up to 300,000 skilled
workers." New Zealand is another popular choice – last year it was voted the
best place for Brits to live abroad – and is currently encouraging applications
from skilled workers, particularly nurses and police officers.
All three countries operate a points system that grades an applicant's
suitability for residency. Criteria include education, occupation, languages and
health. It's possible that, with the global economic downturn, unemployment in
these countries may soon limit how many immigrants they're willing to take.
However, Clifford says anyone with an occupation that's in demand, such as the
medical profession or IT specialists, shouldn't have a problem.
In most cases the quality of life is better and cost of living lower than the
UK. Property prices in the most expensive Canadian cities, for example, have
dropped in the past year and it's possible to find city centre apartments and
solid suburban homes from around £150,000 to £300,000.
"There's more space in Canada," says Kevin Gregory who moved his family from
Kent to the Three Sisters resort in Canmore, Alberta, last year. "And you get
more for your money. It's a different way of life."
Australia's property boom also seems to be faltering, bringing costs down.
Average prices of suburban family homes hover at around £200,000 to £400,000 in
the major cities.
New Zealand offers far better value, with suburban houses in Auckland from
around £200,000. "New Zealand holds great appeal for Brits looking for a slower
pace of life," says local estate agent Grant Harris-Rhodes. "It has a similar
culture, so is relatively easy to emigrate to."
* If you have corporate sponsorship but lose your job you'll have to leave
the country. If you're accepted as a skilled worker you have the right to remain
even if unemployed.
* One residency option is starting a business. For Canada you must invest at
least CAD$400,000 (£230,000), while Australia requires you have assets of at
least AUS$250,000 (£117,000) and New Zealand simply requests you have enough
means to establish a business.
* To get a business visa you'll need to prove you have relevant experience.
Streetwise Maps this month just want you to have a little fun. Go to this website to create your very own slogan or just send it to a friend for a laugh.
QUICK CONTENTS
Will British room sizes finally increase? There may be an unexpected silver lining to the housing market's downturn: we
could end up with larger rooms in our homes as a result
Recycling could soon be a far easier and quicker task thanks to a high-tech
waste disposal system that shoots rubbish through an underground tunnel at
50mph.
