Phil Spencer has revealed the home design mistakes that have stood out during his 26 years on television, including toilets positioned directly off kitchens, badly planned corridors and doors that open into one another.
The Location, Location, Location presenter has visited hundreds of properties alongside his long-time friend Kirstie Allsopp, helping homeowners decide whether to renovate or sell in shows including Love It or List It.
It is while filming the latter programme, he said, that he has encountered some of the most impractical layouts.
“We’re going to a house that doesn’t work for some reason, and the family can’t decide what to do about it. And so we do see a lot of houses that are just badly laid out,” Spencer said.
Among the features that have remained in his mind are bathrooms opening straight on to kitchens.
“Particular things that are noticeable, that stick in my mind, are when toilets are off kitchens. How does that happen so often?” he said.
Spencer also criticised homes with long corridors, which he described as a waste of valuable space. Other recurring problems included doors in unsuitable positions, doors hung the wrong way and corridors where doors open towards each other.
The property expert, who is also an ambassador for Wickes, said changing lifestyles were influencing the way homeowners viewed their interiors, with open-plan living no longer enjoying the same popularity it had before the Covid pandemic.
“Open plan was such a popular thing Pre-COVID. But it’s gone slightly the other way now, with more people working from home realising that being completely open plan can have its disadvantages,” he said.
For families combining remote working with school and home life, a lack of separation can quickly become impractical.
“If somebody’s opened up their kitchen through to their living room, and they’re now working from home, and the kids come home from school – that’s a disaster! So we are seeing some people closing space back up,” Spencer added.
He has also stressed the importance of outdoor space when homeowners are preparing to sell. The garden, he said, should be treated as an extension of the house rather than an afterthought.
“The garden is as important and as valuable as a room,” Spencer said. “And it needs to be treated as such. So, it does need to be looked after, it needs to be presented.”
A neglected garden can make an immediate poor impression, particularly if it is dirty or requires extensive maintenance.
“You walk into a garden that’s full of dog poo, it’s an immediate turn off. And I see it. It’s such a basic ‘don’t do that’. Clean up after you go,” he said.
Spencer said he preferred gardens filled with plants, greenery and wildlife, but warned that an overgrown or overly elaborate outdoor space could deter buyers if it appeared difficult to maintain.
He also cautioned that water features can become a liability when they are not properly cared for, leaving them looking mossy and untidy.
For homeowners seeking simple improvements, Spencer recommended installing a water butt and adding features such as bird houses to encourage wildlife, particularly as summers become increasingly dry.
