How many of these facts about homes do you know?…

This month we’re taking a look at some interesting facts about homes. See if you knew any of the answers!

1. What’s the smallest house in the UK?

The smallest house in the UK is in Conwy, Wales. It was created in the 16th century and was occupied by a fisherman until 1900. The floor area is only 3.05 x 1.8m, and at 6-foot-3-inches the man couldn’t even stand up in it!

2. What’s the largest house in the UK?

The largest house in the UK is Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire. It has more than 300 rooms and over 250,000 square feet of floorspace.

3. What’s the most expensive house in the UK?

The most expensive house in the UK is owned by John Cauldwell in Mayfair, London and is worth around £250m. The property covers over 45,000 square feet and boasts a ballroom, a bar, and a cinema.

4. What’s special about how some Chileans move house?

On the archipelago of Chiloé in southern Chile, moving house is very literal. In a process called a ‘minga’, the whole community help uproot a house from its foundations and transfer the whole building to its new location, sometimes across water.

5. How much difference can haunting make to a house price?

Having a ‘haunted’ house could reduce as much as a third off the value of a home. As much as 50% of people would be put off living in a house that had reports of ghosts.

6. How does your front door impact your house price?

Small details like the front door of your house can have a big impact on its value. Having a blue door could add as much as £4,000 to the sale price, but painting it brown could knock off £700.

7. Do old houses creak more?

Creaks in your floorboards don’t actually have anything to do with the age of your house. It’s most likely a result of temperature and humidity changes that cause the wood to expand and contract.

8. Why are hot and cold taps separate?

There’s a reason that we historically have separate hot and cold taps. To avoid contamination, the cold water was connected to the mains supply that was safe to drink, while the hot water came from a tank in the loft which could be contaminated by bugs or rats.

9. What’s the steepest street?

The steepest residential street in the UK is Vale Street in Bristol at nearly 22 degrees. It’s most famous for having an egg-rolling contest every Easter Sunday.

10. How many garages have cars in?

Most of the 11m garages in the UK aren’t used for storing cars as they’re too full of other stuff. In fact only around a quarter of garages are used to store the car they regularly drive!

11. Where does ‘housewarming’ come from?

A ‘housewarming’ has very literal origins from a time before electricity. When a house was built or bought, guests would bring firewood and light fires to christen the house and ward off evil spirits.

12. Where does a ‘threshold’ of a house come from?

When people used to cover their floors with straw, they had to find a way to keep the straw in the house. They decided to put a wooden floorboard in the doorway to ‘thresh’ (or separate) the straw from the outside, which is where we get the term ‘threshold’.

BONUS: 13. Why did the Walkie Talkie building cause problems?

The ‘Walkie Talkie’ building in London, completed in 2016, had a bit of an architectural oversight. The concave profile managed to reflect and concentrate the sun’s rays onto the pavement on the side of road so strongly that it reached an air temperature of nearly 70°C which melted cars and could cook an egg.

How many did you get right? Check out for the rest of our blogs for more information and useful tips about insurance.