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SPACE AND SANITY
Location, location, location. That’s what sets the price of a home whether you’re buying or renting, right? Up to a point. The property professional prices on size. Listen in on them and you’ll hear how a £ per square foot value for each neighbourhood is multiplied by a property’s floor area to arrive at a price.
So why do most property details gloss over dimensions to highlight location or number of bedrooms? 
Wouldn’t it help to publish accurate total floor areas so we can compare on a £ per square foot basis? Then we’d know how each neighbourhood affected square foot values and be well enough informed to trade off between space and location. Focus on size also exposes surprising patterns: 3-bedroom mansion flats built in the early 20th century are bigger than 4-bedroom houses on late 20th century estates.
SIZE MATTERS
The dimensions of the property could define your life. Property size is one of the main reasons why people move†. Size can dictate not just how comfortable you feel in your home, but also how much privacy you get. Many open-plan flats and houses are designed that way because there isn't enough space for walls as well as furniture! Size, and the privacy offered by separate rooms, affects everyone's stress levels and could shape a child's future: children need a quiet space to do homework. So the few extra square feet to house a desk can make a big difference. This website will share what the property professionals know about how much space you need in your home to feel comfortable, not cramped.
Information featured includes:
- how much space you need according to how many in your household
- advice on the difference between quoted dimensions and usable space
- tips on assessing the different needs of different ages
- research into which internal room layouts make homes more usable
- rules of thumb for adequate storage
- the safety valve features that make homes feel bigger than they are
†. Preferences, quality and choice in new-build housing: Leishman, C et al for JRF 2004.
Shape and Layout:
What you need to think about
How rooms are connected defines how much each room will be used. Read our eye-raising research that suggests you'd get better value from booking the very best restaurant in your area to eat out a couple to times a year than buy a home with a layout isolating the dining room.
Space and storage:
What you need to think about
Storage is so important that the right to enough of it was once enshrined in legislation. Today we take a stab at guessing what we need. Feeling lucky?? If not, read our handy guide for measuring your storage requirements.
