BEDROOMS
Size the bedrooms first
A double needs at least 11.5 m², a single at least 7.5 m², and both have a minimum width too.
See the two roomsTHE NUMBERS BEHIND A HOME
Sketch a home
that fits.
Every good doodle of a house starts with a few honest numbers.
How wide is a double bedroom? How high is a ceiling? How much floor does a family of four need? Here are the figures UK architects and planners work with, in plain English, with every source linked.
Check a home size Read the basicsAn independent guide, not design or planning advice.
01 Measure the room02 Mind the width03 Check the headroomDraw it to scale
THE BASICS
Area, width, height.
England's space standard for new homes
sets all three, not just square metres.
WHOLE HOME
Then the whole floor
Minimum floor areas grow with bedspaces and storeys, because stairs and landings take room.
Try the size check
HEADROOM
And look up
Ceilings of at least 2.3 m over three quarters of the floor. Low eaves count for less.
More factsA QUICK SIZE CHECK
How much floor
does a home need?
Pick a home. The figure is the minimum gross internal floor area for a new home in Table 1 of the nationally described space standard, published by the UK government in 2015.
Gross internal area is measured between the inside faces of the outer walls, and includes partitions, cupboards and stairs. The standard applies where a local council has adopted it for new homes.
TWO ROOMS WORTH KNOWING
Single or double?
Check the width.
Area alone can mislead. A long thin room
can hit the number and still not fit a bed.
SINGLE BEDROOM · ONE BEDSPACE
Floor area and width
7.5 m² × 2.15 m
To count as one bedspace under the space standard, a single bedroom needs a floor area of at least 7.5 m² and must be at least 2.15 m wide.
DOUBLE BEDROOM · TWO BEDSPACES
Floor area and width
11.5 m² × 2.75 m
A double or twin room needs at least 11.5 m². One double must be at least 2.75 m wide; every other double at least 2.55 m. Any home for two or more people needs at least one.
A built-in wardrobe counts towards a bedroom's floor area, but it should not narrow the room below these minimum widths.
ARCHITECTURE FACTS
Five things worth
knowing.
01
The oldest rulebook is 2,000 years old
Vitruvius wrote his treatise on architecture around 25 BCE, in 10 books. It is the only architectural treatise to survive from classical antiquity.
02
"Architect" is a protected title
Under section 20 of the Architects Act 1997, using the title architect in business or practice without being on the Architects Register is a criminal offence.
03
About 42,000 people can use it
The Architects Registration Board reported 41,886 architects on the Register at the end of 2023, up from 41,240 a year earlier.
04
The average English home is 94 m²
The English Housing Survey 2018-19 put the average floor area at 94 m². Homes in London were the smallest on average, at 84 m².
05
Eight stages, numbered from zero
The RIBA Plan of Work splits a building project into stages 0 to 7, from strategic definition and the brief to construction, handover and the building in use.
START SKETCHING
Four habits for
a better doodle.
- 01
Pick a scale and keep it
On squared paper, let one square stand for half a metre. Every wall, door and bed then has a true size you can check.
- 02
Measure width, not just area
Write down each room's shortest side as well as its area. Width is what decides whether a bed and a path beside it will fit.
- 03
Shade the low ceilings
Under sloping roofs, shade anything with less than 1.5 m of headroom. The space standard leaves it out of the floor area unless it is used only for storage.
- 04
Check the register before you hire
If you want a professional to turn the doodle into a design, search the online Architects Register first: the title is protected by law.
QUICK QUESTIONS
Homes, answered.
Short answers to the questions people ask most.
How big is a double bedroom in the UK?
Under the nationally described space standard for new homes in England, a double or twin bedroom has a floor area of at least 11.5 m². The first double bedroom must be at least 2.75 m wide, and any other double at least 2.55 m wide.
What is the minimum size for a single bedroom?
The same standard counts a single bedroom as one bedspace if it has a floor area of at least 7.5 m² and is at least 2.15 m wide.
How high should a ceiling be?
The space standard asks for a floor-to-ceiling height of at least 2.3 m across at least 75% of the gross internal area. Floor area with headroom under 1.5 m does not count towards the total unless it is used only for storage.
Can anyone call themselves an architect?
Not in the UK. Section 20 of the Architects Act 1997 makes it a criminal offence for someone to use the title architect in business or practice unless they are on the Architects Register kept by the Architects Registration Board.
What are the stages of an architecture project?
Many UK projects follow the RIBA Plan of Work, which splits a project into eight stages numbered 0 to 7, from strategic definition and the brief, through concept, developed and technical design, to construction, handover and the building in use.
SOURCES
Where the facts come from.
A NAME WITH ROOM TO GROW
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