What makes UK homes distinctive from the rest?

8 years ago

We're very proud of our homes here in the UK, and for good reason - with not much space to work with, we've got history, character and plenty of innovation!

But what would you say makes UK homes distinctive from other countries and theirs? Whatever it is, we'd love to hear!

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Featured Answer

Tim Price

8 years ago

I think the UK has plenty of examples of the best and the worst of housing. Of course there are the stately homes, the mansions, the historic of everything from croft to castle. Then there are the architectural delights, from 1930's to today. I don't personally like all of them but there are some real gems. The conversions from windmill, lighthouse, wool mill, barn and so on also provide some wonderful houses and homes.

Sadly there are also all the "Coronation Street" rows of horrible houses, the back-to-backs, the 1960s concrete flats and of course the thousands of Barrett box type hutches built as cheaply as possible with serious corner cutting meaning they are not comfortable, nor well built when compared to countries such as Sweden for example. Energy costs for running even a moderate home in UK are high due to poor building standards. Low insulation, cheap and inefficient heating systems and so on. If UK wants to retain the image of having great housing action is needed.

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Comments (29)

honeypoppet
8 years ago
I think the thing we are most renowned for is the quintessentially British country cottage look..
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honeypoppet
8 years ago
Apart from that isn't even in England! But I think you get the jist ;-)
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I've just come across this thread and it reminds me of two incidents when I first moved to the rural market town I live in (about 20 years ago). I had been living in London and found it quite a culture shock, in an endearing way, as it was often like stepping back in time. Whereas many of my London friends had jobs, a lot of the mums at my daughters' new school did not and were very into coffee mornings or afternoon teas. The second day of dropping the girls off I was invited back to the home of someone who subsequently became one of my dearest friends. She was obviously incredibly proud of her home and gave me the grand tour, only problem was a) I didn't like it and b) I am the world's worst liar. It was a very valuable exercise in trying to find the good in any interior, even if it isn't to your taste. I was a bit worried that I blew it when we got to the garden, which was delightful, as I was able to really enthuse! The second was another mum who I used to chat to for ages in the playground but who never invited me back. Eventually just as I was starting to get paranoid she suggested I come back for coffee and then spent the whole walk there apologising for the lack of 'character' in her house. I had, by then, become known for my quirky taste in decor and she was worried that I would condemn her home for being too bland!!! What gives a house it's soul is the people who live in it, whether they have flamboyant taste, minimal taste or don't give a monkey's about design and those of us who are just a little bit obsessed with interiors should never forget it :)
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Amy Brook
8 years ago
As a non-native I think the true Tudor style and thatch cottage are very distinctive - it's all about those beautiful timber framed houses. I figured if I was going to move to the UK I had to have a barn conversion, farmhouse or Tudor!

On on the negative, row after row of crumbling 1930s terraced houses all with white double glazing and weed filled gravel gardens. They'd look so much better with a little love and maybe a potted plant or two
jackydahlhaus
8 years ago
What always strikes me is that the houses in the UK are so small! With tiny kitchens and tiny living rooms and tiny bedrooms. I get claustrophobic just thinking about it... Obviously there are great mansions as well, but I have never lived in these.
Tim Price
8 years ago
@Jackdahlhaus, well, about 70 million people in such a small country will do that I suppose. The cost of space. Don't get me started on some of the cigarette packet sized flats in London! Still, where I am now in Malaysia is no better space wise and building regs are too weak too.
Jo DP
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Harrogate planners, actually, to be fair, the councillors-older middle class, golf club member types, only really like neo-Georgian, neo-victorian styles or executive style homes with huge garages & no gardens, like builders erect in hoards. People then move in & put a bay tree either side of the door. Job done.
Jan Lustro
8 years ago
The poorest and the richest people in the country live in terraced homes. You could buy a 2 bed terrace in Hull for £30k.

Or you could splash out on this tall, skinny 5 bed terrace. It has no garden, no garage (i.e on street parking)...but is in Belgravia, and will set you back a cool £13.95 million.
Lauren
8 years ago
I think as others point out the country cottage look is what we're most associated with.

It also seems we're seen as a bit dated from an interiors point of view because many generations slavishly follow a big trend too far but don't update again for 15+ years. Other parts of Europe seem to have a much more timeless and individual chic style than most properties here do.
Sandra Walsh
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I love the iconic homes of the U.K.! I think of cob, brick, stone, thatch and Tudor, but many cultures use these materials and principles. It is the layout / design that makes the difference. I believe the cosy cottage and row houses have their place as architectural icons and the Victorian era has had such a huge influence that Americans are always trying to recreate it. Yes, some homes suffer from small rooms & neglect, but generally speaking, the UK has beautiful iconic examples of houses which many people all over the world try to emulate. However, there is the outdated stuff. What I do notice is that there is a preference for closing everything off and keeping a cosy but cramped feeling to it. That can always be remedied with a skylight and knocking down a wall or two and still remain cosy. Small! Have you ever lived in a Dutch closet which they call a cosy home? or the sleeping storage closets in NY? Tokyo's coffins? All major cities AND suburbs suffer this smallness - It is not U.K. exclusive.
Sandra Walsh
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Some U.K. icons. All 3 pictures are from the U.K. I also think that townhouse extensions built with glass and other modern materials are typically contemporary English.
jackydahlhaus
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
@Sandra Walsh; I am actually of Dutch origin, grew up there. I have seen many homes on the inside and I can't recall that I thought of them as small as UK ones and I lived there nearly 30 years (I have lived in Surrey, Sussex and now live in Scotland). But maybe I've just been very fortunate not to have seen these closet homes you talk of.

Now the modern Australian homes, that's the kind of size I like! With glass windows from top to bottom, open plan living, everything ground floor... need I go on? Unfortunately, the Australians put as many houses as close together as possible, with your neighbour's head bobbing above the fence just a metre from your window. And they have so much space, I just don't get it!
Tim Price
8 years ago
@Jackydahlhaus - you just don't get why they pack things close together yet you understand why city centre housing gets crammed in? Its all about distance or travel time from the desired point of location. Sure, there is a massive amount of empty land in Australia but who wants a 10 hour work commute?
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New Home Finder
8 years ago
For us, we think it is the innovation in UK properties that really makes them stand out from the crowd. And our homebuilders have always been innovators even in the early days. Look at the steeply pitched rooves of the wattle and daub houses designed so the rainwater ran off the rooves preserving the walls, to the stone houses in Bath which featured candle snuffers on the railings and winches down into the basements for efficient living. Today the innovation continues with ten foot wide homes and single story living to eco houses, hidden houses and all the rest.
minnie101
8 years ago
Tom, I think you covered it in your comments. I'm not sure others countries have the same surviving architecture as us nor perhaps such a wide use of materials? I live down a Roman road so there are houses of all periods but the oldest date back to the 13th century. I personally find it amazing just to look at the different style of houses and think about the history within the walls. I also love contemporary architecture and perhaps its the juxtaposing with old buildings that works so well although perhaps not so unique. I think our gardens are worth a mention as we're well known for them. Not specifically houses but so many of our villages are centred around the local pub or they're on a street corner in a town. I know our house used to be an inn, as did a few others in our street, and I would love to know the ratio of inns/pubs to houses throughout the centuries as we are of course so well known for them although sadly recent years have seen many closures.
Sandra Walsh
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
@Jackydahlhaus, I'm from N.Y, and have lived in several countries including NL. I'm officially a Dutch national. I agree it would be unfair to compare the cities with suburban and countryside areas. I have not been to Australia yet, but I will surely check out the suburban and inner-city solutions for housing when I'm there. I still think the Netherlands has a lot of small living spaces... It is, in fact, infamous for it. - "Gezellig, toch!" I should add that I like small cosy living but that I like light and space too. I loved living cosy in the Netherlands and wouldn't have had it any other way. :) Also, I believe the U.K. and the Lowlands have a lot of similar earmarks in their buildings/homes.
Sandra Walsh
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
@minnie101, I totally agree. The gardens are definitely a hallmark of UK homes and I do think of the UK as innovators of juxtaposing the new with the old!
embzop
8 years ago
Is there any country that is so fond of recreating the past? Neo-georgian, gothic revival, follies, stockbroker tudor, stone cladding. We do like to make our new properties look like old ones.
jackydahlhaus
8 years ago
I agree with embzop and minni101 that the UK has an enormous variety in their styles of accommodation. Maybe that's what makes UK housing so distinct from other countries, Tom?
User
8 years ago
The wonky walls and sloping floors! Well in my house at least...
163 hrd
8 years ago
When I read the question I never expected the comments to revolve around architecture or space. It is what is inside that makes our homes different. I never feel I truly know someone until I have been inside their house.
tavolla
8 years ago
Tiny for the price
Gerry Rust
8 years ago
I think it is the diversity of ages and styles that people associate with British housing. I've lived in everything from a Tudor cottage, through Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian to 1970's. However for many people the reality is poorly designed relatively new builds on 'estates' with about as much originality as lego homes. Quite a number of these are vaguely 'Tudorbethan', 'neo Georgian' or 'pseudo Victorian' styles but I suspect that is more due to laziness/lack of motivation on the part of the developers and planners than people's unwillingness to live in more innovative designs. I live not far from Milton Keynes which has plenty of examples of average design but also some really unusual developments, I don't think they have any trouble selling them. However at the end of the day you only spend a short amount of time looking at your home and an awful lot of time in it, so if the interior is well planned, comfortable and decorated to your taste that is more important than the aesthetics of the exterior, hence our love of home improvement!
Jan Johnson
8 years ago
Britain and some Sydney and Melborne houses are terraced. i like to see daylight on all four sides. 2 up 2 down reminds me of city living. i think the people are doing a wonderful job with re-decorating. keep the pages coming. thanks.
Coco
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
What is VERY distinctive, is the individual hot and cold water taps. I could be let blinded in any house in the world, and if I touch a cold and a hot tap in the bathroom, I KNOW i'm in the UK.

xDD
Jenny Salisbury
7 years ago
Not SO ....we live in France and have a hot tap and a cold.....I love them and got rid of the ghastly vulger mixer tap and sent to UK for mine.
PRO
The JOY of Blinds and Shutters
7 years ago
I read an article some
years ago that said UK homes come across as being very 'garden proud', no matter how small the property. So even a small terraced
home might have a miniature garden on their balcony - much like your photo above
Tom - or a tiny indoor garden.

For homes with more outdoor space, the UK appears to have the greenest lawns, perhaps because of the amount of rain we get annually. I guess that's why UK gardens can look so stunning when colourful flowers are seen against the bright green backdrop.
PRO
Ecoflap
7 years ago
Sadly I have to agree with the comments about the poor energy efficiency standards of new housing in the UK - they're criminally low in the first place and sometimes aren't even adhered to properly, which can make living in them expensive, miserable and unhealthy. Historically energy conservation hasn't been an issue as so much of our housing, particularly social/council housing, was built decades ago when energy was plentiful and cheap and hardlly anyone thought about the effect on the planet.

On the other hand, the UK has a rich architectural heritage which comes in part from the mix of housing and thanks to the efforts of the conservation movements which arose from the threat of bombing in the C20th wars and then the possibly even worse vandalism of the 1960s town planners! Reading and Glasgow suffered terribly at the hands of the planners but happily now many - though far from all - historic buildings across the country are loved and protected. We're fortunate in the UK not to have a mindset of 'new is better' so bulldoze the old, but there's always a place for innovation and making old houses comfortable and efficient places to live in in the C21st. *gets off soap box*
Coco
7 years ago
Edinburgh is suffering now the attack of horrible builders. Is so sad...

What makes UK homes distinctive from the rest?

Tim Price

Comments (29)

honeypoppet

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