Living in a smaller house

**geojen** · 11-09-2006, 11:27 AM

Re: Living in a smaller house

I personally don't find living in my tiny house (which I rent) all that much fun. Actually, it wouldn't be that bad if it were layed out differently. But, I only have 2 closests, and they are the old fashioned kind that come out into the room. The rooms are small already--we have to have our bed pushed up against the wall and I hate it!! That is one of the thinks I hate the most. That being said, we resigned our lease for one more year, so we are dealing with the inconviences.

**Fern** · 11-09-2006, 11:31 AM

Re: Living in a smaller house

I'm all for it. Living in a smaller home has lots of financial repercussions, including, most obviously, the size of your mortgage payments but also heating and cooling costs, the cost of furnishing, the time spent cleaning, etc.

I guess everyone's idea of how small is comfortable is a matter of debate. I now live ina 1650 sf house, which most would say is "small," tho i could easily downgrade to 1400 sf and i don't think i'd notice the difference.

of course, i do have a full basement, full attic and screened porch which doesn't count toward the square footage.

**tinapbeana** · 11-09-2006, 11:34 AM

Re: Living in a smaller house

well, i went from 900 sf (TOO SMALL!!!) to 1700 (which feels cavernous!). i think it all boils down to perspective, how much junk you have, and how organized you can be.

**BCHGRL** · 11-09-2006, 11:39 AM

Re: Living in a smaller house

I disagree. When I lived in a 660 sq ft apartment, i never stayed home which meant I was out spending money constantly. Our home now is 1880 sq ft and it is rare that I leave the house other than for normal weekly errands. I just love staying home now. I have enough room for guests, and enough room to do just about anything I want to do. I save so much money staying home and enjoying my home! Plus, we were able to give my brother-in-law a place to stay when he was starting his career and had no money. It is nice to have enough room to help out family.

I guess when you grow up in an 800 sq ft house with a family of four, you value your space at home.

**boefixepa** · 11-09-2006, 12:01 PM

Re: Living in a smaller house

Um..unless I am by myself in the mountains some where...no. As a day to day living space I'd like more space. With a family, no way would I do it unless there were no other choice.

**MonkeyMama** · 11-09-2006, 12:02 PM

Re: Living in a smaller house

I am really curious how the small house society defines small. Not clear from their website.

We have a pretty large house - 2600 sf, and it didn't really cost us any more than something more like 1600 sf. NEw construction, the price difference was negligible. Maybe $20 or $30k on a $300k house. Plus the lots were all the same, but since ours is 2-story we have more land though we use the same amount of land as the smaller houses. Our electric/gas bill is nil. We don't consume more just because we have a big house. When we moved we had 2 or 3 empty rooms and they have since been filled with kids and hand-me-downs. We don't spend more on furniture or anything.

Overall going smaller to save materials and environmental costs, etc., is probably a worhty goal. I am curious how small they are talking though. A 1400 sf house would do my family just fine.

Living in such a pricey area, I know a lot of families crammed into little 2-bedroom 900 sf homes. I think I Would go nuts! Without the kids though it would be roomy enough for 2 adults. It would also depend ont he size of the land. Living in a teeny tiny house with no land doesn't sound very fun either. Unless you rather not maintain it. wE lived in a condo for a while when it was all we could afford it had many advantages when we were at work all the time - very low maintenance. With a family and spending more time at home, a little more room I think is important though.

**Joan.of.the.Arch** · 11-09-2006, 12:18 PM

Re: Living in a smaller house

The house I live in was 450 square feet until after WWII. That includes the one closet and the bathroom space. A family of eight lived here! After the war one of the grown children married and added two rooms and a half bath so that the new couple could live there with any children they may have and be near to help the aging parents with the grown, retarded brother. The addition made the house 900 square feet, still much bigger than some of the homes spoken of in the article. Other houses in my neighborhood are smaller, but rarely these days does a family of 8 or more live in them.

We are in the city in a very convenient place. Close to stores, parks, all sorts of entertainment, schools, work, doctors, restaurants, coffee shops, etc. This enables us to be a one car family despite four drivers.

I am a serious gardener of both edibles and ornamentals, so we chose a place with a great yard for that endeavor. Yet there is so little lawn that I could cut it with scissor-like grass sheers if necessary. Peaceful safe neighborhood, beautifully adorned with color this fall! I also love my front porch for peacefully watching the world go by and visiting. Last night a friend biked over around 8:30 and we sat on the glider and chatted in the dark. In the back, I have a too large concrete patio which I was inspired to enclose with shrubbery to gain the privacy of a walled Moorish style garden. A salvaged table and plastic chairs serve for occasional outdoor dining on the patio. At the back of the lot is a 2 car garage off the alley. I tore down the front third of the garage (there is still room for 2 cars) and over the remaining slab, built a huge attached arbor. It is about 16' wide X 14' deep X 7' high. In a couple of years it will be covered by a combination of grapes, roses, and annual vines.

We reroofed the house and garage recently and did not have to finance it as the job was relatively small. Utility bills are low, even though we have no insulation in these old foot thick brick and plaster walls. We do have updated, tight windows, so that helps. The small hardware store 2 blocks aways carries all kinds of items that an old house sometimes needs. Like--the chain that connects the ornamental iron ventcover to the metal closure flap . There are ugly awanings of two different material types over the south windows and front porch. But they all function so well, that I keep them. The previoous owners had access to quality work and materials for the house, and I really appreciate it now. Limestone front porch, steps, and faoundation. Three stained glass windows. The house was built to last and needs few interventions.

My family from Australia says we and our house would fit in there well. My friends from China say our house is big. My friends from Mexico say they would rather live in one of the luxury highrise apartments next to the park. My friends from the 'burbs [used to] say that it is a cute starter house, but after raising our kids I think they realize we weren't intending to move "up" or "out." My city friends think we have a peculiarity for liking small living spaces, having seen our even smaller apartments before we bought the house.

Tiny little house...great big satisfaction.

**Ima saver** · 11-09-2006, 12:23 PM

Re: Living in a smaller house

I live in a large house, (3200 sq. ft. ) and love it. I had to live in a travel trailer twice while we built, and I hated the small space. If someone gave me an RV, I would give it back. I don't like being confined. We also have an extra garage with a full bath and eff. one room apt. above it. So that is about 400-500 more feet. We have 4 cars, so need lots of garages.

**tinapbeana** · 11-09-2006, 12:28 PM

Re: Living in a smaller house

my house would be 1300 sqft if it weren't for the den that the previous owner added on in the 60s: it accounts for 25% of the house space! the original house at 1300 sqft 3BR 2BA is exceptionally large considering it was built in the 20s.

i agree w/ joanOTA about older houses: mine was built to last and was moved to it's current site 50 years ago. thick walls, just the right southern exposure, and rooms that aren't so big you get lost in them.

**JanH** · 11-09-2006, 12:44 PM

Re: Living in a smaller house

Those little houses were more expensive than I anticipated.....
My mother hated our little house growing up, but, now, has one she feels it too big. Ours is about 1800 sq ft of actual living space and is just about right for the two of us. The problem with this house is no closet space. Only small closets in bedroom and one other that is now our pantry. Keeps you from storing stuff I guess! I really enjoy the spaciousness of mom's big house when I visit. But couldn't afford one that size in this part of the country. Funny, growing up we really didn't mind the little house cos we spent all our time outdoors in all that space we had. It just seemed cozy to us. Now I have a bigger house, but a little yard. Do wish the bedrooms were much bigger. For some reason, builders here make small bedrooms.

**kealina** · 11-09-2006, 02:26 PM

Re: Living in a smaller house

it definately depends on your perspective and also i think on the layout of the house... the 3 of us are in an 11,000 sq ft townhome right now... if it was just DH and I this would be plenty of space but it honestly feels crowded with FIL and all his stuff (he's a major clutterer but it's his house so we live with it)....
i would also want just a bit more room than this for any kids we have... of course, i think it might just be the layout... i think my parents house has less sq ft in it's living space than this but feels much more spacious due to the layout with larger bedrooms, and the extra storage opportunities in the garage and storeroom... there are lots of factors that come into play...

**tinapbeana** · 11-09-2006, 02:28 PM

Re: Living in a smaller house

Originally posted by kealina

it definately depends on your perspective and also i think on the layout of the house... the 3 of us are in an 11,000 sq ft townhome right now... if it was just DH and I this would be plenty of space but it honestly feels crowded with FIL and all his stuff (he's a major clutterer but it's his house so we live with it)....

i'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you meant 1100 sqft? otherwise WOWSER!

**frugalmomof1** · 11-09-2006, 02:42 PM

Re: Living in a smaller house

Our first house was 660 sq. ft (it was all we could afford when I was 19 and DH was 24). We sold it 2.5 years ago and made $100k on it. When we bought our 1500 sq. ft house, with a full basement and garage we didn't know what to do with all of that space!!!
Sometimes I think I would like to own a larger house, but the idea of cleaning it gives me a headache.

p.s. we have since filled the house, the basement, the garage, the attic, and DH is building a 12' x 16' shed.

**Gruntina** · 11-09-2006, 03:18 PM

Re: Living in a smaller house

I am moving into a small cabin style house in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It�s going to be small and odd because it was built roughly more than 60 years ago. I do not know how many sq feet but I estimate it around 1300 comparing it with the 1000 sf apt I used to live at. There are three bedrooms but small. One is the upstairs room which is the only room upstairs but the ceiling is limited in height and not much can be done to that room to make it bigger. The house is gutted and being re-sheeted rocked. I guess I can use that as a positive spin and use paint somehow to make it cozy or sunshine happy feeling inside. I am just going to try my best to make it a happy home and make it work somehow.

There is just no way can we afford a bigger home as California housing is just beyond crazy.

Living in a smaller house