How small a house?

[bill123]

Is anyone raising a family in a small house? A tiny fixer up house went on sale near me. It is 700 square feet.

I enjoy the idea of living in a cheap, simple to maintain small house, but I don't know if I could raise two kids in a place that small.

[Tonyall]

anything is possible

Not sure what it would be in feet, but here in Japan, people raise kids with a fraction of the space on average. It is just what you get used to.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Depends on layout honestly. 700 sq ft isn't bad. Lots of friends are doing it. But usually 2 bd and 1 ba.

[riverwed070707]

We are! Our house is 600 sq feet. We only have one kiddo but if we happened to have another, I wouldn't upgrad our house because of it. You get creative with storage, only keep what you need, stay on top of the clutter -- but all of that just kind of works its way into everyday living so its not a big deal.

I will say two things are making this possible for us. One we do have a basement and a garage we can use for storage which, while I don't keep a bunch of unnecessary stuff, it helps for rotating clothes through the season, kitchen overflow (my pantry is in the basement), etc. Secondly, we have a nice sized back yard. For 2/3 of the year we use our outdoors like an extension of our living space -- we dine outside, cook outside, play outside (my kid has more outdoor toys than indoor!) and it allows us to entertain friends and family which we otherwise would not be able to do.

Sometimes in the dead of winter when we've been cooped up a while it starts to wear on me that I'd like to have more space, but overall I really love our house and we have no plans for moving anytime soon.

[riverwed070707]

Also, the $450 mortgage payment is nice

[riverwed070707]

Depends on layout honestly. 700 sq ft isn't bad. Lots of friends are doing it. But usually 2 bd and 1 ba.

Also agree with this a lot. Our layout is perfect. We have small bedrooms and don't have a bathtub (just a shower) in exchange for a few decent sized closets and a kitchen large enough for a table that seats 3-4. When you're looking, make sure the living spaces are large enough and functional or you're constantly going to be brainstorming which walls you can take down to make it more functional. (although I admit, I still do this sometimes even though I think our space works for the most part )

[bjl584]

My last house was 1800 square feet and had a detached 2 car garage. I lived alone, but I thought it was the perfect size. Any less, and I wouldv'e felt cramped.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I always marvel that two generations ago, six kids and two adults lived in this house. It was 450 sq ft at the time.

The house was added onto by the time we got it and raised one child in 990 sq ft. We are cluttery people, too. My gardening takes a lot of tools. DH's teaching takes a lot of storage. Son's hobbies took a lot of space. We homeschooled so we had lots of stuff around that some families might not have had.

You learn to maximize your use of space and not worry about having rooms that function in a decorator magazine way. For example, our dining room is the only place to eat, so it really is a dining room. But it is also an office for two people. I conducted an online business from this room for 7 years; now DH teaches online. DH's storage for teaching is all in this room, too. The tools for his art are stored in the buffet and also in an old waterfall style wardrobe in this diningroom. That's where CD and DVDs are too. We don't have multiples of china to put away, nor second sets of holiday table sets and cookware. I think we could manage that if we wanted to, though.

Similarly, books are floor to ceiling in both the living room and bedrooms. It might feel more organized to have a separate study, but it is not a big deal to have books wherever. Got space? Use it!

Our phone (landline) is in the tiny entry hall. That sounds weird, but it really is quick to get to from any of the rest of the house. Plus, there is nothing else in the room (phone and phone table--really a tiny secretary that houses DSL box, router, phone books, and stuff ready to go to Goodwill), so it is the quietest place to take a phone call.

I think the extra half-bath is a tremendous help in making the place livable. So is the garage and basement which allow for all kinds of storage (tools, paint, camping, canoeing, garden harvest, canning, out of season clothing, holiday decorations, fans, emergency water), laundry space and sewing space. At one time we had even carved a primitive little guest room out of the basement.

My spouse and I agree that our very inexpensive house was one of the best decisions we ever made. We reduced our housing expenses by a factor of 4-6 compared to some of our friends and colleagues.

Um, but we also enjoy each other's company!

[MonkeyMama]

Layout is *everything.*

I think it largely depends on personality. While I come from a super expensive area and cramming a family in a very small apartment is pretty normal, it was just not for us. WE are introverts and homebodies, and we like our space.

We will literally sell our house the minute our kids move out. I am not into super big houses, but we all highly value our personal space. With the two of us we only, there is no need for this house. Of course, the extra square footage is pretty darn cheap - so weighed heavily in our decision. IF we stayed in our original city, we'd no doubt be raising our kids in a small condo. We might not be quite as happy, but it wouldn't be that bad, either. I like space, but I like financial security even more, I guess.

[kork13]

It's not quite an exact comparison, but my family of 7 (five kids, with a range of 10 years between the oldest and the youngest) grew up in a house of somewhere around 1100 sq. ft. For us (and the massive furniture my mother is fond of), it was definitely small, but as stated, it's all about layout and what you do with the place. The kids were in bunkbeds, and we shared 2 bedrooms between the 5 of us. Open common rooms helped (few dividing walls... living/dining room/entry just one big room), as you could use furniture as dividers to make the rooms whatever you want. Not knowing anything different, it was perfectly fine, and we all became very close as children. Really, if you're happy with it, your children probably will be as well. Just from my experience, though, so take it for what it's worth.

[MiaVitug]

Not sure what it would be in feet, but here in Japan, people raise kids with a fraction of the space on average. It is just what you get used to.

I agree. You'll just have to get used to it. There will always be new homes/spaces available in the future in case you want/need a bigger home.

[Radiance]

You learn to maximize your use of space and not worry about having rooms that function in a decorator magazine way.

Joan, I can use your help!

Maximize space will be the name of the game for me now that I am moving to a 350sqft, me and my 4yr old.

I am renting right now, but if I buy, I know it will be a small one too.

I am very pragmatic and detached, I dont need photogenic rooms, but they need to be inviting and somewhat breathable.

[BudgetSurgeon]

Is anyone raising a family in a small house? A tiny fixer up house went on sale near me. It is 700 square feet.

I enjoy the idea of living in a cheap, simple to maintain small house, but I don't know if I could raise two kids in a place that small.

Bill, my advice to you is to never think in terms of how "small" a place is in square footage, but rather, think in terms of what your monthly payment will be, and if that fits your budget. 700 square feet is not the most spacious place in the world, but you can certainly manage 3 people living there. Why go for double that size and double those payments as well? Stay out of debt as much as possible. Once you pay that place off, and/or once you attain a decent amount of equity in the place, you can always roll it over (for profit) for something larger. Until then, save, save, save.

Sincerely,

BudgetSurgeon

[Radiance]

. Once you pay that place off, and/or once you attain a decent amount of equity in the place, you can always roll it over (for profit) for something larger. Until then, save, save, save.

Sincerely,

BudgetSurgeon

I love this, I am renting now, but I want to buy is a couple of years, and I DO NOT want to buy "as much home as I can afford" I want to buy something VERY comfortable to pay.

Then, as BudgetSurgeon says, roll it over (fot profit) to something larger...
or, how about buying a second affordable home and rent it?

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Hi, Radiance. I don't really think I can help much with organizing your small space, because I don't have an innate talent for it. My family just gradually worked out our methods over time, sort of hit and miss style. You'll do okay.

I do remember that when we lived in a small apartment and had only a few pieces of furniture (2 kitchen chairs, a small recliner, one combo chest-of-drawers/changing table, one desk, one kitchen table, one futon, on three bookcases used as a room divider) our place felt calm and intentional. However, I think it was not welcoming to guests because it did not have chairs for them to come in and sit on. My sister pointed that out to me when I was puzzled why guests never stayed long. I was young and up to that point it seemed like my friends and I all sat on floors a lot anyway. So the place felt welcomimg to me, but not welcoming to others.