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Costing the Earth

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Costing the Earth: Living It Small

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15/04/2014

Living It Small

BBC Radio 4 - Costing the Earth, Living It Small

Tom Heap squeezes into micro-homes to see if living compactly has environmental answers.

With both house prices and demand rising, many of us are considering - or being forced into - smaller homes. Tom Heap (6'2") asks if the environment is reaping the benefit.

Did you have a tree house or a den as a child and think you could happily live there? What is the smallest space you could live in without being driven doolally? As the demand for houses and the cost to buy and run them shoots upwards, it seems more of us may be thinking small and bijou is cosy and obtainable...and the environment could be benefitting by default. 

Tom Heap (6 foot 2 inches tall) explores the world of the micro-home - compact spaces often skimming minimum space standards. Some offering a cheaper way for people who work in expensive areas to live nearby or others boasting their green credentials or amazing design. 

But is space in the eye of the beholder? Designers claim use of light, storage and some clever little tricks and twists can make a home feel bigger than it is and possibly even make it more desirable for the cool kids. Let's face it, the modern TVs and music and reading collections all require far less space. Using movable walls or mezzanine levels can mean we re-use space, don't waste heat and light and saving on expensive land could mean it's a solution for those priced out of the countryside as well as the city. 

As our expectation of space has grown over the last century Tom asks if an Englishman's (or anyone else's) home is still his castle. Do the cool kids with clever design have the green answer to housing crisis or are they simple buying into overcrowding? 

Presented by Tom Heap. 
Produced in Bristol by Anne-Marie Bullock.

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