What Are The Defining Characteristics Of A 1980's House?

In the 1980's the drive toward private house ownership was boosted by the government's encouragement for people to buy their council houses. A lot less publicly funded property was therefore built.

Private housing development was characterised by windows that were a lot smaller than in 60's or 70's houses, often metal or plastic framed rather than wood, with the frames in white or brown. The reason for this was the arrival of mass-produced double-glazing units, used to make houses easier to heat, although they were still expensive, hence the smaller sizes.

Brick was still the most popular material and clay tiles were used for most roofs. House styles were functional, with simple porches and often no chimney, as there were no fireplaces. Adornment was often restricted to geometric patterns in the brickwork made by laying different coloured bricks. Gardens got even smaller as the pressure to fit the most units into the available area increased, and garages were often integral, i.e. contained within the footprint of the house.