House Critic

I've spoken to someone in the last week who is looking for land to place his pre-built Huf House. It's in Germany costing him storage at the moment of about £250 a month.
He can't sell his top floor duplex flat even though he's dropped the price by 1/3 because of the high service charges.
He was looking at a bit of land near me with a view to buying it. Me? I just wondered if it was suitable for keeping bee hives on.
The land in question is enclosed behind houses and probably a very glass filled Huf House is not what planning would consider. They might allow a bungalow that wasn't going to look in at anyone, but probably not a 2 storey building. The idea of squeezing builders lorries down the little alley, let alone getting services put on seems a nightmare. There was also the problem with people having adopted land over time.

Adverse possession - a very interesting subject! And not something I would want to embark on with solicitors fees!

Parker Morris 1961 minimum space standards - lovely page showing these figures
The wiki page for the Parker Morris Committee is worth a read too

If you're decluttering and don't want to throw everything away then look at self-storage as an option.
Decluttering allows you to rpesent your house better for a sale. By removing all your personal nicknacks that clutter up your home, or excess furniture you can leave more of a blank canvas for viewers to see how their lifestyle could fit in.
How much room do you need?
Safestyle sizes - which is similar size to:
Small [10sq ft]Estate car boot
Small [16sq ft]a telephone box
Small [25sq ft]a 1/4 of a single garage
Small [35sq ft]an average garden shed
Medium [50sq ft]half a single garage
Medium [75sq ft]a Luton van
Large [100sq ft]a single garage
Large [125sq ft]a 7.5 tonne lorry
Large [150sq ft]a double garage
Large [250sq ft]a 30ft articulated lorry
Large [500sq ft]3 x 20ft shipping containe

This helps you work out what size storage you might need. Upgrading is easy when you need more room. How does Self Storage at Safestore work?
You can store your goods or possessions from as little as a week for as long as you need. Storage rooms can be booked in advance to make sure the size you require is available on the day you need it. You can also easily switch to a smaller or larger room whilst in storage if you need to. Self storage at Safestore is flexible, secure and hassle free, and they can help and advise you to make sure you get the best service and value for money.


If you're downsizing you might like to use storage to hold on to items you can't bear to throw away. Or if you're about to embark on some major DIY project then you can protect your belongings by putting them in safe storage.

Elizabeth Hurley has put her Cotswolds manor house for sale for 6million pounds
The 48-year-old model, who bought property which is set in 450 acres of farmland for 3.3 million pounds is hoping to make a 3 million pound profit

Hurley, who also bought Donnington Hall estate in Ledbury with her former boyfriend Warne, revealed the reason behind her selling the property, admitting that she was keen to do up the house that bought with Warne

Story in today's MEN and on the BBC about a floor falling in on a student property. Sounds worrying? Possibly because of the few hundred students bouncing on it dancing at a party.
And a similar story from Birmingham on 18th May!