New build layout, is this typical?

[blup]

Planning policies require ever denser developments because of demand for land. There is plenty of land in rural areas but the nimbys are against it

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

My place (bungalow) was built mid 80s, it's fine but is only stud partition internal walls so you tend to hear things no matter where you are in the property.

My place, mid-50's semi, you cannot here the TV when it's on, when in the bedroom directly above. Likewise, kitchen, to the living room next door, via a solid brick wall, and two doors between - Av has to knock on the wall, if she wants me.

 

[motorbiking]

I'm bored so perusing some of the new builds online around my area.

4 bed detached house, ground floor layout as below:

View attachment 403661


If I'm looking at this correctly, the WC is essentially in the kitchen/diner, albeit with its door in a sort of recessed area.

Is this fairly typical? I wouldn't have thought it's ideal having a WC in the same space as where you cook and eat. I appreciate the designers have to fit x rooms into the given overall footprint, but nevertheless, not great.

someone comes in through the "hallway" while someone exists the loo?

would make more send to have the "kitchen" door on the other side of the WC wall

 

[MNW67]

someone comes in through the "hallway" while someone exists the loo?

That sounds like an existential problem.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

My place, mid-50's semi, you cannot here the TV when it's on, when in the bedroom directly above. Likewise, kitchen, to the living room next door, via a solid brick wall, and two doors between - Av has to knock on the wall, if she wants me.

I used to live in an ex council semi, built 30s I think. Solid walls throughout. Like your place, it was great at isolating sound from room to room.

 

[MNW67]

My place, mid-50's semi, you cannot here the TV when it's on, when in the bedroom directly above. Likewise, kitchen, to the living room next door, via a solid brick wall, and two doors between - Av has to knock on the wall, if she wants me.

Sound transmission through ceilings is terrible on more recent housing. We used to have a classic 1930s detached, which was much better. Apparently, plaster and lath was far superior in this regard:

AI Overview

Yes, traditional plaster and lath ceilings are generally much better at soundproofing than modern drywall (plasterboard) ceilings due to their greater density, mass, and irregular surfaces, which effectively block and absorb sound, especially lower frequencies, making rooms noticeably quieter. This superior acoustic performance comes from the heavy lime plaster filling the spaces between thin wooden laths, creating a solid, dense barrier.

Why Lath & Plaster is Superior for Soundproofing:

• Higher Mass & Density: Traditional lime plaster is significantly denser and heavier than gypsum plasterboard, providing greater mass to block airborne sound, say experts at the Mute Group.
• Irregular Surface (Keys): The plaster oozes through the gaps in the laths, creating irregular "keys" (plaster nubs) on the back, which disrupts sound waves and reduces echo and reverberation, similar to acoustic foam, notes Adaptavate.
• Acoustic Efficiency: The entire system creates a solid, dense layer that is far more efficient at blocking noise than lighter plasterboard, even when multiple layers are used, say SoundService Oxford.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Sound transmission through ceilings is terrible on more recent housing. We used to have a classic 1930s detached, which was much better. Apparently, plaster and lath was far superior in this regard:

We have plaster and lath, over-boarded with plasterboard, then skimmed.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

Isn't it funny how 'progress' doesn't always mean 'better' depending on the criteria.

 

[noseall]

the WC is essentially in the kitchen/diner, albeit with its door in a sort of recessed area.

Is this fairly typical?

Yes.

I wouldn't have thought it's ideal having a WC in the same space as where you cook and eat

It's why we have walls and doors.

. I appreciate the designers have to fit x rooms into the given overall footprint, but nevertheless, not great

It's not awful either.

Remove that cupboard door and frame in the corner, fit a slider and stack your washing machine and (condensing) tumble dryer in there.

 

[Dec27]

I'm bored so perusing some of the new builds online around my area.

4 bed detached house, ground floor layout as below:

View attachment 403661


If I'm looking at this correctly, the WC is essentially in the kitchen/diner, albeit with its door in a sort of recessed area.

Is this fairly typical? I wouldn't have thought it's ideal having a WC in the same space as where you cook and eat. I appreciate the designers have to fit x rooms into the given overall footprint, but nevertheless, not great.

Make the living room open plan and block the wc off

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Haven't they added a regulation, where it needs to have an extract fan? That, would cause a negative air pressure in the room, removing the 'fumes'.

...which only works if air can get in elsewhere. Which can be difficult in a modern house.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Planning policies require ever denser developments because of demand for land. There is plenty of land in rural areas but the nimbys are against it

I'm very sure it's not nimbys, that's just governement/builder spin as normal citizens really don't have any power.

That's a convenient excuse. I'm sure the builders absolutely love cramming insane numbers of houses in, they're making a fortune from it.

There's a newbuild estate here. The houses look OK until you drive right up to them and realise just how tiny they are - they're really carefully scaled so look like decent houses that are further away! If you count the bricks between the windows and multiply by 225mm you can appreciate just how small they really are. And that's on the outside - then there's the extra-wide cavity and more block or frame on the inside.

Another thing they do is build semis where one end is turned 90 degrees, to hide just how tiny they really are. It looks like a decent sized detached house from the front, until you spot the extra door round the side. Some that look like a generous detached house are actually 3 in a terrace, there's a front door on each end.

 

[motorbiking]

I saw a staggered terrace advertised as linked detached recently. Estate agent argued its not terrace unless the whole wall is connected.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I'm very sure it's not nimbys, that's just governement/builder spin as normal citizens really don't have any power.

That's a convenient excuse. I'm sure the builders absolutely love cramming insane numbers of houses in, they're making a fortune from it.

There's a newbuild estate here. The houses look OK until you drive right up to them and realise just how tiny they are - they're really carefully scaled so look like decent houses that are further away! If you count the bricks between the windows and multiply by 225mm you can appreciate just how small they really are. And that's on the outside - then there's the extra-wide cavity and more block or frame on the inside.

Another thing they do is build semis where one end is turned 90 degrees, to hide just how tiny they really are. It looks like a decent sized detached house from the front, until you spot the extra door round the side. Some that look like a generous detached house are actually 3 in a terrace, there's a front door on each end.

That's just not how designers design these estates. There is no hiding their size.

 

[blup]

I'm very sure it's not nimbys, that's just governement/builder spin as normal citizens really don't have any power.

That's a convenient excuse. I'm sure the builders absolutely love cramming insane numbers of houses in, they're making a fortune from it.

There's a newbuild estate here. The houses look OK until you drive right up to them and realise just how tiny they are - they're really carefully scaled so look like decent houses that are further away! If you count the bricks between the windows and multiply by 225mm you can appreciate just how small they really are. And that's on the outside - then there's the extra-wide cavity and more block or frame on the inside.

Another thing they do is build semis where one end is turned 90 degrees, to hide just how tiny they really are. It looks like a decent sized detached house from the front, until you spot the extra door round the side. Some that look like a generous detached house are actually 3 in a terrace, there's a front door on each end.

Torey influence in parish councils helps determine national policy. Lots of other factors, flood risk, services both physical and human etc etc. But brexxers shout loudest when their rural idyll is threatened. The countryside is a most dangerous place to live.