New Homes Have Shrunk BY a Third Since the 1920s

1st May 2003

T. Wyn Jones

The size of the average new house has shrunk by about a third in the past 80 years with the traditional high ceilings and spacious rooms making way for more compact homes crammed onto tiny plots of land - or so a survey recently revealed.

The size of the average new house has shrunk by about a third in the past 80 years with the traditional high ceilings and spacious rooms making way for more compact homes crammed onto tiny plots of land - or so a survey recently revealed.

According to figures released by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the average five-bedroom home built in 1920 would boast four reception rooms and occupy 3,440sq ft however the equivalent newly-built house has three reception rooms and just 2,409sq ft, plus the ceiling height has fallen from 11ft to 8ft 9in.

The same is true for a typical semi-detached house from 2 reception and four bedrooms at 1,650sqft to two receptions and three bedrooms at 925sqft with ceiling heights down from 10ft to 8ft.

Terrace houses are also shrinking at a similar rate. In 1920 a small terrace home would have three bedrooms occupying 1,020sq ft while today such homes have shrunk to two bedrooms and 645sq ft.

But while the size may have gone down, the prices have gone through the roof. An average newly built five-bed detached home cost £2,074 in 1920 but now costs £278,000, nearly a £200-a-foot increase.

Whilst the decline in house size reflects the change in Britain's family structure, with more smaller families, single parents and young singletons living alone the major factors for the reduced living areas are, according to the report, the squeeze on available building land by government regulations restricting development and building regulations allowing house builders to build smaller homes.

New houses are now crammed into small plots of land, with smaller rooms and with the garden size shrinking dramatically there could even come a time when it will be unusual to be able to buy a “newly built house” with a garden! What of those people aspiring to a family home with garden and garage?

So it could be said that houses are similar in many ways to fine wines in that older is better.

Wyn Jones is a partner of McCartneys, Property Agents and operates from their Ludlow, Tenbury Wells & Cleobury Mortimer offices. For further information on Property Matters he can be contacted on Tel 01584 872153 or wyn@mccartneys.co.uk