BEACH HUTS AHOY
These cheery stalwarts of the traditional British seaside are on the crest of a luxurious wave . . .
Whisper it quietly but beach huts — unchanged for decades and regarded as nostalgic reminders of the British seaside circa 1950 — are becoming firm favourites with younger buyers who are ramping up the comfort, style and technology.
The revolution is already under way in Bournemouth where the UK’s first public beach huts were built in 1909.
There are around 2,000 huts on the town’s beaches, 1,400 of them privately owned. But it’s a small cluster of huts operated by the local council that is causing most excitement.
Fifteen new and distinctly upmarket huts are opening for business this month, all detached and located above their older, traditional counterparts on Boscombe beach.
each new hut has what the council calls ‘a spacious living area’, fully equipped kitchen and bathroom, wifi, TV and heating, plus timber decking for al fresco dining.
At around 11 ft by 15 ft, they’re large enough to accommodate a family — just about — and can be hired for between £275 and £625 for a four-night break, depending on the season.
Currently only for rent, the buildings nevertheless set a new benchmark in design and comfort. Bournemouth Council’s decision to let users stay overnight — previously banned, in line with the vast majority of councils with beach huts on their patch — means the humble hut has become a viable holiday option.
Lisa Brown, of Durrants, a suffolk agency serving the fashionable southwold, says: ‘it’s unfair to say buyers tend to be older.
‘it’s true that huts have, in the past, passed through generations of the same family. But this scenario is becoming less frequent, and we sell to a range of age groups.’
in exceptional circumstances, huts can fetch eyewatering prices: Denisons sold one at Mudeford in Dorset for £275,000 earlier this year.
But price is only one of the expenses for hut owners. Most are leaseholds so you can have hefty annual ground rent bills. Many councils base their levy on hut size, and charges can vary from £500 to £1,500.
There are also security costs as huts can be targets for vandals, especially during winter.
Then there’s wear and tear. Although some huts seem to last for ever — Bournemouth’s hut 2359 is regarded as Britain’s oldest surviving example at over 100 years and even has a blue plaque mounted outside — many have to be replaced at 12 to 15-year intervals because of salt, wind and water damage.
A new beach hut in traditional timber can cost £2,500 to £15,000; it’s much more for a custom-built modern example.
expect to pay more for the interior to be lined, glass in doors, security shutters and the removal of the old hut and erection of the new one.
There are thought to be 20,000 private beach huts in the UK, including ones owned by celebrities such as suggs, from Madness, in Whitstable, and the rolling stones’ Keith richards at West Wittering in sussex.
But contrary to common belief, huts aren’t a route to earning a fortune through appreciation. Mortgage firms will not lend on them as they are regarded as risky investments, so outside of a few honeypot beach locations prices have remained static.
On the other hand, if those swanky Bournemouth huts set a trend, the market may change as a new generation of users are drawn in. After the waxed moustache and skinny jeans boom, might the beach hut become the next hipster must-have?