Thursday, 17 May 2012 08:11
New research reveals extreme measures some Brits take to squeeze into their homes and highlights what people really want and need from their homes.
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The vacuum cleaner stored at Mum's house a 20 minute drive away; BOGOF supermarket food deals kept in the boot of the car; these are just two of the real-life examples of how some British households are constrained by the design of their homes. Some homeowners are not just in need of storage space for seasonal or nostalgic possessions such as an artificial Christmas tree or their old wedding dress, but their homes lack space to store very basic household items, which means ironing boards, recycling bins and even food are being stored in surprisingly inventive ways.
More storage space is one of eight key features that people need when choosing a home as revealed in a new Ipsos MORI research report published today for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
The eight key features that people need and want from their homes today, as revealed by the RIBA/Ipsos MORI report, are:
1. Long-term and short-term storage for functional items, and for personal possessions people have chosen to keep during their lives.
2. Dedicated space for domestic utility tasks, such as vacuum cleaners, washing, drying and ironing clothes as well as storing rubbish and recycling.
3. Large windows for natural light, large rooms and high ceilings – these are typically referred to as 'period features'. A 'sense of space' is vital to people’s wellbeing, and expectations of a new home are often shaped by the homes we have lived in previously.
4. Large main living area - for social functions such as eating and entertaining and relaxing. People typically prefer to have an element of open-plan layout to accommodate entertaining friends or family, regardless of age or lifestyle.
5. Layouts which take into account technology used within the home - we want our homes to have enough sockets and storage for technology to enable us to arrange furniture and rooms in different layouts.
6. Space for private time away from other members of the household – across all age groups, and especially where generations live together, private space makes an important contribution to our sense of wellbeing within our homes. Noise reduction within and between households is also essential.
7. Private space outside or access to green public space in urban locations – this is important for wellbeing for all, and particularly crucial for families; parents like a safe place for children to play outside.
8. Options for different home layouts. Despite some universal needs such as flexible space to entertain and socialise, there were different needs and expectations according to the life stage or the size and age of households and families, which meant that there was no single, standard layout that would cater for all people.
Harry Rich, RIBA Chief Executive said:
'It has been over half a century since a government-tasked committee researched how households live, yet the size and designs of homes being built now are still defined by that great but out-of-date report – from a time when we had sewing boxes in our living rooms and indoor toilets needed regulating.
Until today there has been no evidence base that sets out how we are living now and what we want from our homes. This new research provides important evidence on which we can base some changes to the way our homes are designed, delivered, marketed and sold to us.'
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 07:20
The background
Britain’s housing crisis shows no sign of easing off, and with demand for new properties outrunning supply, the Housing Minister is now suggesting we do the building ourselves.
Grant Shapps has issued a flurry of press releases and statements in recent weeks calling on more Britons to consider donning the hard hats themselves, in a campaign designed to double the size of the self-build sector.
Central to this campaign is the claim – repeated in several variations – that ”a budget of £150,000 is adequate, in most instances, to get a three-to-four-bedroom home built”.
The analysis
Mr Shapps has helped launch a new website, The Self Build Portal, for people thinking about building their own homes.
The site features a handy budget calculator that enables us to put Mr Shapps’s sums to the test using current cost estimates from industry professionals.
But – and it’s a big but – construction costs alone aren’t the whole story.
These figures miss out the cost of actually buying the land you are going to build on in the first place, a fairly serious omission.
The verdict
Taking land costs into account, the average cost of a three-to-four-bed self-built house rises to £158,800 in Northern Ireland to £618,000 in London. Across the UK the average is £281,116.
If we accept that it’s just too expensive to build in London and leave the capital out of our calculations we get a final average of £250,490 – more realistic but still well above the £232,000 average cost of a ready-made house, according to the government’s own figures.