The small house experiment
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how my husband and I are moving to be closer to his new job. Well, it’s been a whirlwind of chaos and uncertainty ever since. Since I wrote that post, we put our house on the market and began the search for a new home. And despite the fact that we’re excited for the opportunity to move on with our lives, it hasn’t been pleasant.
First of all, something happened that we never expected. Our house sold for almost full asking price in 13 days.Yes, you read that right. Thirteen days. This was great, of course, because we were able to put that part of the move behind us. And anyone who has sold their home knows how big of a pain it is to keep their house in prime condition, especially with small kids. Regardless, the fact that our home sold so quickly meant that we needed to find a new home….and fast. Plus, the fact that the buyers of our home wanted possession in 45 days meant that we had 45 days to make an offer on a home, negotiate a price, and close the deal.Gulp.
Searching for Our Dream Home
So we started our home search by making a list of the features we wanted in our new house. Fortunately, we were mostly on the same page. My main concern for our new home was price. Since selling our current home meant that we would have almost 100K for a down payment, I wanted to find a home that was as inexpensive as possible. One of our dreams is to be debt free (including our mortgage) as soon as humanly possible; so the more we burden ourselves with debt, the further we’ll be from reaching that goal.
Greg’s wish list included features that we have in our current home — a home office, a play room for the kids, and a guest bedroom — and I agreed, adding that I’ve always wanted a Jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom. We also agreed that we wanted a nice back yard and a two-car garage with some added space for storage. We thought it would be nice to have an open kitchen, plenty of storage, and a fireplace, preferably wood-burning. So, with our list in hand, we started browsing real estate listings in the new area where we are moving. And, thankfully, we found a huge selection of homes that fit our criteria.
Champagne Taste, Beer Budget
Since the house we’re selling sold for $160,000, we were hoping to keep our budget somewhere near that amount, (hopefully) not to exceed 200K. But, we also started looking in the low 200s and were even willing to go as high as 230K or 240K to get exactly what we wanted. So with our budget in mind, we started looking for a home that would work.
Over the next few weeks, we looked at least 40 homes.I fell in love at least 10 times. I saw beautiful stone-stacked fireplaces, granite counter tops, and great rooms with vaulted ceilings and custom-built bookcases to boot. I saw Jacuzzi tubs where my problems would surely melt into oblivion as well as back yards that were beautiful, peaceful, and tranquil, like I’ve always dreamed of.
As I crunched the numbers, I also saw that I would be paying on these homes for way longer than I wanted. And, even though we had found what we were looking for, we were extremely hesitant to pull the trigger. Something was holding us back. Something was telling us to stop and really think about what we were doing.And one thing I’ve learned is that when that voice talks, I need to listen. What we wanted and what we needed were, as always, two entirely different things. So we started the entire process over. Except this time, we focused on what we need, not what we want.
What Did We Really Need?
The house we’re selling is 2,370 square feet, with nearly half of that unused most of the time. Our guest room is only used twice a year, when Greg’s parents come from out of state to visit. Our home office houses a beautiful desk set that I purchased off of Craigslist, but I rarely use it and prefer to work in the living room. And the kids’ play room? Sure, they love it, but most people I know don’t have a room in their home dedicated only to toys. I didn’t have a play room growing up, after all — nor did my husband, my best friend, or either of my parents.We all survived.
And, since most of the homes we were looking at were the size of our old home, or bigger, we began to wonder if we were even looking in the right place. We started asking ourselves what we really needed. Did we really need a home office or would a small desk in our bedroom work? When Greg’s parents visited from out of state, could they stay in one of our girls’ rooms for the weekend? My 4-year-old does have a queen-sized bed. And was a playroom really necessary or could the girls each keep part of their toys in their rooms?
The more we talked, the more we discovered that we could likely live without much of the space that we enjoyed in our old house. And, in a weird twist of fate, we would soon find out whether we liked it or not.
The Benefits of a Small Home
We wasted so much time looking at larger homes that we completely ran of time to find a home altogether. And as an experiment, as well as out of necessity, we’ve decided to rent a small home temporarily to see if we can make it work. Starting November 1, we’ll be living in a three-bedroom home with less than 1,200 square feet. Since we’re renting the home from a friend, we’re able to rent month to month without a long-term commitment. Not signing a lease will allow us to continue our search for a permanent place of our own. And, although we’re slightly nervous about the transition, we’re excited to see how it pans out.
It seems like most people who live in a small space become avid small-house enthusiasts, mainly due to the many benefits a small house can offer. First of all, many small homes are less expensive which can free up cash each month for other savings goals. Since small homes usually cost less, property taxes tend to be lower as well, which can add up to even greater savings over the months and years. And, as if that wasn’t enough, smaller homes generally have lower utility bills since they often require less energy to heat and cool.Maintenance and upkeep can also cost less as well. Think about it. The smaller the home, the fewer windows to replace.Less carpet. Less to paint. Almost any big-scale home improvement project will cost less in a smaller home, simply because there’s less space, less to tear down, and less to replace. Small homes are also easier to clean and keep organized, which can make them especially attractive to those who don’t have the time, or patience, to do much housework.
Could We Make a Small Home Work?
Of course, I had all this in mind as we moved into our temporary, smaller home. And, as we unpacked boxes and configured all of our stuff, I was surprised to find that it…ummm…works.For the most part, at least. The majority of our furniture does fit in the house, after all, and there’s still plenty of room for the kids to run around. And, even though my kids lost their play room when we moved, they haven’t seemed to notice or care.
One of my biggest worries was that we would feel cramped with only one main living area, and I was surprised to find out that wasn’t the case. I’m growing to like it, actually. And more than that, I love having all of the bedrooms on one floor.
Our old office is now in the corner of our bedroom, which has been quite a change, yet doable. Our kitchen table fits snug as a bug in the eat-in kitchen as well. And if we angle the table just right, the four of us can manage to eat a meal at the same time.
But, Is it Too Small?
Even though our stuff technically fits, something still doesn’t feel quite right. There’s no pantry in the kitchen, for instance, which means that all of our food is stuffed in the few kitchen cabinets that we have. There’s also nowhere to keep the vacuum, broom, or dust pan. The house does have a small linen closet but it only holds a handful of towels and supplies, nothing more. Since we’re pretty organized folks, we’re struggling with our inability to do what comes natural to us. Shoving things wherever they fit is against our nature and I’m longing for a few more closets, or perhaps some additional cabinets or drawers.
So, after thinking long and hard about why I’m not enjoying this space as much as I could be, I’ve come to realize that the size of the house itself isn’t the problem. What this house lacks is general storage space. Not places for loads of junk that I don’t need…space for necessities.Like pots and pans, for instance, and my extra sheet sets, toiletries, and beach towels. Storage space is something that I took for granted in our old house, and it’s apparently not something that I’m willing to give up.
What We’ve Learned so Far
I’ve got to be honest. We don’t have much of a future in a 1,200-square-foot home. It’s a little small when you’ve got two hyper little ones who whip through the house daily leaving total chaos in their wake. And it’s never quiet enough for anyone either, especially after the kids go to bed, mostly because you can hear everything that’s going on, even with all of the doors shut.
And, even though I thought I could live without an office, I’m finding it rather uncomfortable working in the corner of my tiny bedroom. And, I miss having plenty of cabinets, closets, and drawers in the house. Not so that I can fill them with Stuff, but so that I can organize the things we do use on a daily basis.
Finding Our Own Normal
Fortunately, we don’t have to choose between two extremes. And, as we continue to search for a permanent home, we’ve decided to look for a medium-sized home somewhere in the range of 1,500 to 2,000 square feet. We’re opting for something big enough to accommodate our growing family, yet small enough to make prudent financial sense. And while we can’t fully commit to the small-house craze, we’re staying far away from many monstrosities and starter castles that come off and on the market on a daily basis.
According to the National Association of Home Builders, most buyers are looking for a home with a median size of 2,266 square feet. Nearly half of buyers want three bedrooms, and another 32 percent want at least four. Sixty-six percent of buyers also want a full or partial basement. And more than half (53 percent) want at least a two-car garage.
Know what I want? A home that can be paid off quickly and easily. Low utility bills. To sleep at night. Peace. Security.
Although I’m annoyed that we’ll now have to move again once we buy, I’m glad that we got to experiment with smaller living, mostly because it’s something I wouldn’t have been able to do any other way. This opportunity gave us a chance to try something new without making a huge commitment or buying a smaller home without knowing, definitively, that we could make it work. In my opinion, the small house experiment was a success. Within a short amount of time, we proved that we can live comfortably, and be happy, with less. And now that we know that for a fact, that’s exactly what we’re planning to do.
Do you prefer a small house or a big house? What do you think are the benefits of each? And, do you have any small house living tips for me?
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There are 210 comments to "The small house experiment".
Go small, small, small! We live in 1900+ sq feet right now and we spend nearly every free (non-working) hour cleaning it, repairing it, and the majority of my paycheck *paying* for it.
That jacuzzi tub – my wife had to have one too. I don’t recall the last time I heard those jets start up. And cleaning it? Wow, a nightmare. The walk-in shower looks awesome. Cleaning it…another nightmare.
Cannot wait for just a couple of more years to downsize to 1,000-1,200 feet.
What I’ve learned in the few years that we’ve been here is that the stuff in here doesn’t make us happy. Having healthy family and friends, more free time, and more free mula is what really counts!
Keep us posted on how the “small” house works out!
My family and I live in Kotzebue, an Inupiat Eskimo village located 30 miles inside the Arctic Circle in Northwest Alaska. My wife and I are originally from the East Coast but have lived in Alaska together since 1983. (I also lived in NW Alaska from 1979 to 1982.)
In 1989, Myles, our awesome son, was born. Eighteen months later, along came Tiffany in 1990. In 1991, we moved into our current home, a three-bedroom, 900-square-foot ranch-style house with one bathroom and an attached garage and boiler room totally about 300 square feet.
In 1996, after going for a third child, we got twins!
We raised these four kids in this much space in a climate where it’s best to stay inside most of the winter, with wind chills outside often up to 60 below zero.
In 2000 we did a major renovation to our home, including new floors, doors, triple-pane windows, and four inches of extra rigid foam insulation around the entire house as well as more insulation in the attic. (We have no basement, as we live atop permafrost.)
A couple years later, we finally added an extra bathroom in the garage area, which we also upgraded but is really just storage. But we went about 12 years or more raising our four children with just one bathroom, not much other living space, and spending lots of time indoors over winters that lasted about nine months a year.
Our kids always shared a bedroom with a sibling. The older two kids are out of college now or just finishing up, and the twins are seniors at a state-run boarding school in Southeast Alaska (better education, not a need to have more room at home for the parents!).
What’s the point here? While now as my wife and I rattle around this house as empty nesters and cannot understand how we ever survived raising four children is such small quarters, we never remember feeling crowded or deprived.
We could have afforded to add on to our home, despite Kotzebue’s outrageous construction costs. But we chose rather to make our home more energy-efficient and believe we likely have paid for our renovation in fuel savings where heating oil goes for about $8 a gallon!
Our kids grew up truly learning the meaning of sharing and having minimal personal space, just like so many of the Native kids they grew up with whose families struggle to make ends meet. They learned how to live with a minimum of worldly possessions because there isn’t much that can fit in such small spaces.
They never looked at their lives as deprived and never demanded that they have more. As a result of saving money in living expenses this way, we have been able to send them to excellent institutions of higher education in the Lower 48.
Our son has learned that experience and education are far more important than material possessions, which he has very few of. But he has traveled all over the world, lived in the Netherlands twice, lived in Vietnam, Washington DC, traveled all over SE Asia, and just finished a year teaching English in China. (Now he just started a year teaching English in Belgium on a Fulbright.) He still only owns a few changes of clothes and whatever he can fit into a couple duffle bags. He’s never owned a car.
He wants to earn a Ph.D. and become a linguist with the goal of saving dying languages somewhere in the world. The first “foreign” language he ever learned was not French, or Chinese, or even Spanish. It was Inupiaq Eskimo, which, sadly, is one of those dying world languages.
Our children likely would consider living in a large home wasteful and unnecessary. We would recommend living in a much smaller home than might seem necessary according to middle class American standards.
Your kids might even love you more for it one day. And with the savings, give them a good education instead of allowing them to be saddled with student-loan debt that is tragically crippling our younger generation and likely will cripple our economy when they can’t buy any home, big or small, because so much of their income is paying off student loans.
My advice would be to buy that smaller home and pay off the mortgage as soon as possible. We have never regretted doing that ourselves. And now as empty nesters, we don’t have a too-big house to contend with, although we do wonder how we ever got by so many years with so many kids with only one bathroom!
I have never seen a point to buying big just because you can! Why spend money on space you won’t use? I am all for downsizing – and I agree with Kevin’s point about the cleaning aspect!!
We went the bigger house route, and I for one have a lot of regrets. As you mentioned, many of those extra rooms hardly ever get used. The next time we move we’ll be looking for something 30%-40% smaller. It pays off in so many ways if you downsize 🙂
Holly – you really want to take on more debt? Have you considered that it might not be the best thing to buy a home when you still owe huge amounts of student loan debt? I think its fantastic that your house sold so fast. And close to your asking. Its like a get out of jail free card. Mortgage…BOOM…gone.
How much of your loans could you retire with the down payment on a 230k home? I think its interesting that you both are even willing to upgrade from a 160k home to 230k – look hard at your own statement…”to get exactly what we wanted” – although I was very glad to see you started to look at what you really needed a paragraph later.
Here is the thing…you are in debt, those debts are significant. Why not pay them off, use the extra cashflow to jump start saving for a new down payment in a few years. I think you have a great opportunity to really supercharge your goal to get out of debt. Don’t get trapped by house fever.
I hope the renting works out for you guys – even if you both decide you want to rent something a little bigger eventually. There is nothing to say that the perfect house can’t be a rental – and if it makes it easier to kill of the rest of your debt in the process, its even better than perfect.
Hey Mike!
I think you’re confusing me with Honey Smith. She does rent, I believe, and is working on repaying her students loans. I have no debt aside from a small mortgage.
LOL – My Bad – ROCK ON THEN! That will teach me to post before I finish my first morning cuppa.
Good luck on the move.
No problem!
Haha, AWESOME.
Yes, Jake and I rent a small 2 bedroom apartment (he runs his business out of the second bedroom instead of renting an office/buying furniture/etc.).
While it is looking like we will probably move soon (for a variety of reasons that I will probably post about at some point), we are going to rent for at least two more years while we pay off some debts and save up for a down payment.
As someone who is currently looking for their first home while carrying $30,000 in combined car and student loan debt I hear this sometimes, almost always from people who haven’t been following the local real estate market at all.
The interest rates have been going up and they will go up again, especially once “tapering” ends. The house prices are going up, I sometimes kick myself for not buying last year as there were a lot more good homes available for “cheap” than there are now.
Yes I could pay off that remaining $30,000 in a couple years, assuming that I continue to live with my parents and don’t save any money for a home than the $27,000 I already have built up. But looking at the trend I may very well have a much harder time affording a home by then as the prices and rates could be considerably higher. I only pay $700 a month on those current debts, I don’t want to rush to get rid of that only to end up paying an extra $700 a month on a house I could have bought for tens of thousands cheaper just a couple years ago. It’s an opportunity cost.
I have to give you a well deserved kudos for taking a step back and re-evaluating … and acting on it. You didn’t succumb to the pressure of a fast-approaching deadline. Buying a home is (or should be) a long-term commitment … so the fact that you’re taking the “try before you buy” approach is fantastic. When I first started reading your story, it sounded like your average American consumer who wants more house than they really need (or can afford) … and then it took a sharp turn to some smart decisions that will pay off big time. Excellent story. Thank you for sharing.
We rarely used the Jacuzzi tub at our last house. I do miss the large closets and pantry, though. I’ve discovered that what I really want is to stay in a hotel with a Jacuzzi room when we travel.
Lol, Carol. I was about to say the same thing. We bought our house with a Jacuzzi tub and except to test it out occasionally, we have never used it to take an actual bath. I agree that it’s a nice hotel feature, but unnecessary in our everyday lives.
My parents raised 3 kids in a house with 3 bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths. Mom still lives there. The first thing we did when we bought our house 16 yrs ago was add a gas-powered fireplace in the living room. We then added a master suite and a dining room. My point is, once you have the house, you can alter it at your own pace. Just get a house with good bones.
Makes me realize how much of a bubble – or at least how crazy house prices are in Australia when reading things like this.
I don’t think i’ve even seen a studio apartment go for 160’000 in Australia.
I vote on going small.
The more space you have the more you will fill it with junk. Just search forever if you have to until you find something that’s practical and fits the budget.
Why spend time throwing money to a renter to something that isn’t even yours? I disagree with putting off owning a home because of significant student loan debt.
However, about the small vs. big house: I’d prefer bigger but in reality a large house just isn’t practical if all the space isn’t getting used.
Why spend time throwing interest to the bank for something that’s not really yours (which it isn’t until the mortgage is paid off – and even then pay your property taxes!!)
Because she is in debt. Taking on more debt is step in the wrong direction. You don’t get rich slowly upping your debt.
We are not talking about never owning a home. We are talking about delaying gratification until the financial foundation is solid.
EDIT – Holly pointed out to me I had her confused with Honey. I still stand by my thoughts on being financially sound before looking at home ownership, but sorry for the error.
Renting isn’t “throwing away money” — I’m really surprised people still believe that. (Other than real estate agents and banks, that is! This concept gets a lot of play in real estate marketing.)
People love to tell me how their mortgage payment is the same as their rent (or less) but they’re not looking at the big picture. Rent often includes things such as utilities, property taxes, maintenance, repairs and landscaping — things which they’re paying on top of their mortgage! Then there’s renovations, decor, all the time they spent maintaining their larger space, increased utility bills, etc. Not to mention that for the first five years of your mortgage, your payments are more interest than principle.
I think it’s important to look at total cost of ownership. The market is high where I live, so I’m biding my time and saving/investing the difference between what it would take to own versus rent.
Renting isn’t throwing away money and does offer some flexibility, but beyond having something you can sell later, owning a place provides more stability (in my opinion), which for me is very important as a business owner. Like to have SOME stability in my life. 🙂
I agree with you about stability 🙂 I do think renting or buying depends on the person/people and circumstances involved. Either situation can work to one’s advantage.
I do think it’s really important to crunch the numbers and not to let emotion (like the fear of missing out) take over.
For infrequent guests, consider finding a nice hotel/motel near by. You can rent a lot of days in the motel/hotel for the extra hundreds of dollars every month you save on not buying that extra room!
When our children were small we built custom (but movable) shelving for their toys. Each large toy had a spot. Small toys had special boxes, buckets or other containers, with a special spot. There was no decision making, just put it where it went. It worked well. Years later the shelves went in the garage and I stored stuff on them.
When our kids became teenagers we got a larger house. After a while they grew up and moved away to school, marriage and other life events.
My wife and I now live in a “medium” size house – – a little bigger than our first house, smaller than our second house. It works for us. Things change over time, why not where we live too? No house decision has to be forever.
We raised 2 kids in a 1300 sq ft, 3 bedroom house with one bathroom. They survived and went on to live fulfilling lives. All kidding aside we were frugal and living well below our means before it was cool. 25 years later it has certainly paid off being mortgage free for so many years as we get closer to retirement. And, no one refuses to come to our house for a party because of its size.
Yeah I grew up in a tiny bungalow (happened to be on the water which is why my parents bought it and kept it), three bedrooms, one bath. Again you make it work.
I currently live in a house that is 900 sq ft on 1/3 of a suburban acre. All of the homes around me have been renovated or knocked down over the past 15 yrs so I’m the smallest home on the block. I am raising 2 children, who share the larger bedroom and have their bunkbeds, dresserrs, desk and bookshelf in it. We are a tight knit family because of the size of the house. We spend most of our free time in the living room reading together, playing games or doing homework. We talk to each other more than other family’s that have more space to spread out or hide out. There isn’t any space that is unused in this house. I’m constantly decluttering because we only have a basement for storage but I don’t mind this. My rule is that when 1 bag of anything, clothes or whatever comes into the house, an equivalent bag has to leave, be donated or given to friends. Also, nothing goes on in this house, that I don’t know about – no fights, disagreements, secrets, anything. When I need to have a private phone call, which is rare, I do laundry in the basement. The taxes are low which has helped me to pay off the mortgage quickly. Utilities are minimal too. Because the house is small, we have a large backyard. Many of the neighborhood kids come to our house to play because their yards are so tiny. The money I save on square footage, has allowed us to go on excellent vacations every year. The biggest inconvenience of a small house is when it comes to entertaining. I only have people over in Summer when we can be outdoors and there is plenty of space. Holidays are done at my sister’s house. She’s in the process of expanding her 2000 sq ft house with an extra 500sq ft, even though her only child will be going to college in 4 years.
My parents are downsizing now from 4500 sq ft and they will be cleaning, donating, organizing for a whole year to get rid of the stuff that has accumulated over the years. They are trying to get me to take stuff, but I don’t have space for any more furniture. Now if they gave it to me 10 yrs ago… I would have said yes to it, but not now.
Overall, I’m very happy living in a small house. When my kids go off to school, I won’t be looking to downsize the way other families are realizing they need and want to do.
I used to rent a house with a hot tub in the master bat. What a pain it was, and it got used maybe twice. It would require the contents of a whole water heater and then some. I know someone who keeps a hot tub outdoors and it takes massive maintenance.
My advice would be: think functional, not aspirational.
Also with smaller house you don’t only save taxes, but utilities. And you buy less stuff to fill it up (which is why your credit score lowers when you move: you buy stuff).
On that note, I’m audio-reading “Unstuff Your Life” by some guy whose name I can’t remember. Aidan Quinn or something (no, that’s a 90s actor). Anyway, I find his Oprah-friendly tone and rhetoric **hugely*** aggravating, but I can take the medicine in spite of the bad taste. I suggest giving that book a thorough look and implementation before buying any permanent structure to put your stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac
^^ this I like.
I also second the motel suggestion: my parents visited last year and they loved the hotel nearby. It was hugely convenient and they enjoyed having some time for themselves (unlike at my brother’s, where they had zero privacy).
Okay! Busy day! Just installed a wood stove and got more renovations to do. Woohoo!
@El Nerdo — my parents always say it’s cheaper to rent a hotel room once and a while than to maintain a large home you don’t need the rest of the year!
And sometimes it’s nice to take a breather from all that family time 😉
We’ve gone the “small” home route for 3+ years now. Sometimes I think about the first house we “fell in love” with for 50% more than we paid for this one. Would I miss the laundry room (rather than closet) and garage? Maybe, but the bedrooms were upstairs, so that would be tough with little kids. And more bathrooms to clean? I barely find time to clean the bathrooms we have now. We LOVE our 1100 square foot 3 bedroom 1.5 bath house. I love being able to hear my kids wherever they are, and if something gets lost or misplaced, there are much fewer places for it to be! I also love the fact that we have been able to build up equity because we are paying less on our mortgage than we were renting a one bedroom apartment. We went to our “Tour of Homes” in our city to the neighborhood next to ours with 3000-6000 square foot homes and didn’t see a single house that we wanted to live in. They all had way too many stairs and rooms that we had no idea what they were supposed to be used for, and smaller yards than we have! We have two kids now (3 and an infant) and when my parents visit they sleep on a pull out couch in the living room. My 3 year old loves to help them “make the bed” every morning.
We’re in a good school district and have a large yard and sidewalks and friendly neighbors who are close enough to actually watch out for each other. I’ve had neighbors tell me when a delivery truck stopped in front of our house (yes, it was for us, we were getting a new roof, thanks for letting me know) and knock on the door to make sure our house wasn’t on fire (it was just the steam from the dryer vent). When you have a 3000 square foot house, you are much less likely to talk to your neighbor, because you never see them, you go from the garage to work and back to the garage (and again, they have much smaller yards too usually because the house is so big).
I’m not sure where this statistic came from, but someone said that the last time people in this country were mostly “very happy” was in 1959, and since then the average house size has doubled. Makes you think doesn’t it? Doubled house sizes and less happiness? Maybe we should all downsize, or move in with each other. I would love to live in a 3000 square foot house – as long as I was living with extended family or another family and we could share all the responsibility of a big house – chores and maintenance and all that.
We’ve just moved from a 1200 sq ft house to about 2000 sq ft…and I am loving it (though we could do without the additional living room since we now have a den). Our move was a little different because we purchased the home from the estate of my grandmother and while it is much larger than our old home, it is still just a 3/2 ranch (like our old house). It doesn’t FEEL big, if that makes sense. The main reason for our move was due to location and school districts, but we did want more space. I think we could have been very happy in our old home if we could have had a larger kitchen (we cook A LOT) and some kind of additional storage. With no basement, attic, garage, or shed, we really didn’t have a place to keep seasonal or outdoor equipment. If our old neighborhood was safer and the schools were better, we probably could have been happy adding a shed out back and renovating (expanding) our kitchen. I think 1500 sq ft with some storage would probably be an ideal size for our family.
We have been living for 18+ years in a 1700 (3 bed) house and there are three of us with family guests every few months. Yes, it would be nice to have more space occasionally, but the feeling of paying off the house and freeing up money and resources for other things are priceless.
I don’t know you but as I was reading this I was thinking why rush, why not rent, please rent, don’t rush this major purchase. So, I was glad to read that you ended up renting. Yes, it is a huge pain to move twice, but if you are moving to a new area (not sure if you are or are not) renting for a year can give you time to figure out neighborhoods, commutes, schools, lifestyle (close in town and walkable or further out with more land), etc.
And I like the idea of trying on the smaller home for size and seeing if it works in practice for your family. The problem with all these McMansion homes is having a home office, a play room, a big gigantic finished basement starts to feel like the norm, but its not the norm and it you can reject the peer pressure in favor of being debt free sooner.
I never understood the playroom desire. It seems like it’s more for the parents, but I feel like it segregates children. Many of the modern homes are designed to segregate people so they don’t have to leave their bubble or interact with anyone else in the household. It’s like you’re living with roommates, not your family.
My own house is less than 900 sq ft, with a detached studio building which is 300 sqft (currently used as a storage building, but was used as an apartment by the previous owner, and as a workshop by the original owners). The original owners raised their child in the main house, which is a one-bedroom with a bonus room off the kitchen (so I assume that was the kid’s room).
As a kid I loved going into my parents room and dragging my toys and drawing supplies outside, or whereever my family was. There are rooms dedicated to children, they are called classrooms and daycares. For some reason I feel weirded out by homes (unless maybe they homeschool) which have a mini classroom in them.
There are plenty of ways to incorporate special little areas for kids, that’s what tree houses, and play forts are for. You can even have a little tent in the backyard for kids as a space of their own, if they have to share a room with a sibling. Small houses encourage creativity and can breed great memories. When my aunt and uncle came to visit my grandmother, I would get kicked out of my room and slept in the dining room in a huge beanbag chair, underneath the skylights, with the dogs, birds, and cats. It’s one of my fondest memories. I remember feeling good that I got to host a guest in my room, and it taught me about sharing.
The other plus about small house living, you can upgrade to fine quality and designer finishes and materials (if that’s your thing), and it’s not so expensive. It really forces you to put a lot of thought into where everthing goes, and that care shows through in a nicely curated small home where only the best will fit.
I too am glad Holly didn’t rush into buying another house.
I will actually really miss having a play room. Mine has a tile floor which makes it easy to let the kids paint, play with Play-doh, etc. without having to worry about them getting it on the carpet or furniture. But, like I said, I can certainly live without it. They’ll jut have to paint in the kitchen =)
I grew up with a playroom and liked it. My sister and I shared a bedroom for sleeping and reading but then had a small playroom. The playroom didn’t have to be picked up every day if we were in the middle of an extended project and allowed us to play both together and separately, quietly or loudly.
Later on we decided to have separate bedrooms and the playroom went away but it was a nice option for siblings sharing a bedroom.
Playrooms are nice to keep the mess away, but you only need them when the kids are younger, so you’ll be buying something for 5-6 years of use.
My home office doubles as playroom doubles as extra guest room (all being in the finished basement). Kids are at school when I work and as long as my desk is clean I don’t mind stepping over toys. And it’s very helpful to send them there to play with friends when we have guests – I firmly believe in segregating the kids – when they learn not to make so much noise, they will be welcome to rejoin the adults
I have recently downsized from a property roughly 1700sq ft, to 500sq ft, its fabulous, i have two children, who are both teens still living with me, and i would not change my house for anything, cleaning is a doddle, it takes 30 minutes to clean, thats everything, hoovering, washing floors, bathroom etc, rather than all day, for my old house, its cheaper to run as well, i sometimes miss my big kitchen, but that is all, if you are able to find a smaller property that you all love, go for it, you won’t regret the small bills, smaller mortgage payments, or possibly no mortgage payments at all, how wonderful,
Go small! You will not regret it. Admittedly I come from a different perspective, having lived on a 36′ boat for 10 years. My husband and I bought a 900 sq.ft. house three years ago here in FL at almost the bottom of the market. Two bedrooms, one bath and a yard are PLENTY enough to keep us busy. I say hallelujah every time I pay my property taxes, utility bills and property insurance bill. Our new roof was 1/3 the price of our friends’ with a 2,000 sq ft+ house. The original cost of your house is just the beginning. It’s all the maintenance and associated bills that are the real killer with a big house.
Exactly, with my housing costs (the PITI payment, reno budgets, taxes, furnishings, utilities, cleaning products, TIME) I easily spend 50% less than my peers. My food bill is about as much as my total housing costs, including utilities…I need to work on that tho.
It amazes me how some people only think about the initial costs of a house as they scramble to scrape together as much as possible for the downpayment, and don’t really think about the direct effect on quality of life.
I wonder how many homeowners would have done it differently once they learned of the high prices typically attached to a high mortgage. The decision I made to buy a home nearly 1/2 the cost I was approved for, was the single best thing I could do for my finances and my quality of life. I sweat to think about what my choices in life would be limited to had I purchased all of the house I could “afford”.
Our family of three fits perfectly in our 1200 sq. ft. Cape. I have a study upstairs, DH has a man cave in the basement, and DS appropriated the back porch for gaming. The bedrooms are small but all you really need them for is sleeping, storage, and…
I don’t really understand why people think more space than that is necessary, although I wish we had a 2nd bathroom (someday!). The previous family raised 2 girls in that house, so it obviously worked for them.
I just wish a small house here went for the prices in your area.
(O.K., this next comment will sound mean but I don’t really intend it that way – your 4-year-old sleeps in a queen-size bed????? Does she really need it? I have never heard of a child so young in a bed so big. When DS was 4, he was in a toddler bed and liked its coziness. At 16, he sleeps in a twin-size loft bed (which provides extra storage space) and likes its coziness. He just doesn’t like making it.)
She definitely doesn’t need a queen size bed! She actually looks pretty silly in it. =)
But, it was a mattress that we bought and didn’t like. I have back problems and we replaced that one with the world’s hardest memory foam mattress. Instead of buying her a twin, we just gave her that one since it was almost new.
I was pregnant at the time so we just passed her baby bed and mattress down to the new baby.
When I was 4 I got a full-sized bed that I used until I was 23. It may have been big, but it meant me, Mom and Dad all snuggling together in my room before bedtime 🙂
My 2 sons (5 and 3) sleep in a king size bed. Its way too big for them, but they love it. We had to replace our soft foam mattress with a firmer mattress because of my back issues. Instead of buying 2 new beds for them, we just gave them our old king size foam mattress. Takes up most of their room, but they don’t mind.. yet.
I too really commend you for taking the time to think things out. You can’t return your purchase when you buy a house – for most people, it’s the biggest financial committment they will ever have, and it’s wonderful that you have the opportunity to rent short term to find a home that suits your needs. I would reconsider your position with respect to a family room. As your children grow, you and they will appreciate having a space where they can play video/computer games, watch movies and chill out with their friends. Of course, as others have written, you can always purchase another home when that time arrives. We currently live in a 3 bedroom, one bathroom townhouse that we rent at very low cost in a housing cooperative. It’s about 1000 square feet and we are presently a little cramped because we live with our adult son who is attending graduate school. He occupies two bedrooms (one is a proper bedroom and the other large bedroom is used as his study). Storage is the main issue, as we don’t have additionnal storage space save for the closets in our home. My husband is a construction worker and owns lots of tools. When our son will move out, one of those bedrooms will house IKEA storage units for all of our stuff. We love our son dearly, but at this point, we are looking forward to him leaving the nest in one or two years (he’s 23) so that we can take back our home.
We’re definitely in the quality over quantity camp when it comes to housing square footage. Our house is 1,100 square feet, and still our guest room (aka, my office – but like you I prefer parking in the living room/dining room) goes unused most of the time by everyone except the cat.
The thing that really matters is how the home is designed. The layout of my parents’ home is so wasteful that when we bought our house I swore to my mom that our 1,100 square foot house was bigger than the house I grew up in. (It sure feels that way!) Instead, their house is 1,600+ square feet – but large chunks of it are awkwardly laid out and wasted as a result.
I’m hoping that your 1200sf rental is well laid out so you can get an idea of what good use you can get out of a smaller area.
The key to space is buying a place with few or no hallways. They take up a ridiculous amount of room with little purpose.
I’ve owned houses from 900sqft up to 3000sqft, now we are in a 2000sq ft. Probably our next move will be a condo or rancher even smaller. Focus on the things you really use first. The 900sqft house was probably the best because it forced you to use space wisely.
A couple notes:
-Most people don’t use living room or dining rooms very often. Most of the action happens in the family room or kitchen even when guest are over. Thats why I prefer an open kitchen with dining area and A Great Room.
-Wanted the Jacuzzi tub, never use it and they are a pain to clean.
-Fireplace-rarely use it even though we wanted it really bad.
-Garage- Can’t understate how a 2-3 car garage is great especially if you live in a cold weather climate. Multiple uses for storage and keeps you from cleaning off the car.
-Offices rarely get used unless you have an intensive home business. We tend to do our work on the couch as well.
-The larger the house everything costs more; hvac costs, taxes, maint., beautifying, so on and so forth.
-Buy a smaller house in a great school district, values don’t go down and you dont’ have to send the kids to private school. Also check school ratings and charter school residency requirements prior to moving into or out of a school district if it applies.
-Depending on your situation if may be cheaper to rent than own, if significantly cheaper stick with it. Every study shows the long term costs of owning a home vs ROI isn’t that great, its not a good financial investment more of an emotional investment.
Unless your handy don’t buy a fixer-upper, egads the cost escalate quickly and make you want to move again. I’ve seen it with friends time and time again.
-If its an older home have the seller give you the year warranty. Its paid off for us more than once. Get a free furnace (cracked heat exchange), new stove and plumbing fixed.
-Also when looking at the home. Review the age of all appliances, water heater, hvac, get up on the roof yourself, in the attic, pull up carpets etc., the home inspectors don’t dig deep. Stay away from a finished basement. The vast majority of basements have water problems and they are costly to fix especially when it ruins your finished basement.
Renting is a great idea as it makes you really evaluate what you need vs what you want and decide on the things that are important to you. You may decide a large backyard for the kids with a smaller house is the way to go.
My parents moved a great deal and one thing they taught me was to rent for at least 3-6 months, maybe even a year, before you buy. This gives you time to look the new place over, figure out where you really want to be and what the market is really like before you commit to a new house. I’ve moved a great deal – 5 states in 25 years – and I’ve found that to be very good advice. It’s let me find the real estate agent that was a really good fit, given me time to really think things over and choose carefully. Also, with things as economically unsettled as they are right now, waiting a while to see how it all pans out could make a world of difference in the mortgage you take on. Moving companies will let you unpack a few things and store the rest. Living in a small apartment with minimal possessions will help you see how much of your stuff you need and how much of it you don’t miss, so if you decide to downsize, you will be able to do so with a lot more confidence. Personally, I’m huge on smaller places. How much time do you really want to spend vacuuming and mopping all that floor space? Not to mention all the money spent heating and air conditioning it. Life is too short!
Congrats on selling your home! In looking for your new one, I have some food for thought on home organization. Is it possible that the guest room and office could be shared? My husband telecommutes some days and it works great to have what was previously my bed in the “office,” a smaller bedroom away from the living areas with an attached half bath. If a room is small, a well-constructed pullout couch or futon could do the job as well. We do host a lot of out of town guests who are coming through or to visit us, so this has become a well-used space that we do appreciate more than many might. We are still renters, so when push comes to shove we might downsize in favor of another extra bathroom or more modern kitchen.
Given my (new) husband and I live in a 750 sq ft 1 bedroom apartment that I also work from home in, our goals are quite different moving forward. 1200 sq ft (for two people) sounds like a dream to me. Even 1000 would be great with a second bedroom. Having the separation from “work” and home would do a lot for my emotional well-being.
Everyone that has posted so far has a different opinion on what they/you truly need and I don’t think anyone but you can answer that for you and your family.
Carla, you got married? Congrats! This feels weird because I only know you from GRS comments and I rarely comment, but I’ve seen your progression from single to dating to we’re-making-decisions-together to now married, and I’m so happy for you!
Thanks, Samantha! We got married on the 5th! 😀 I have dreams of writing a budget wedding guest post, but I wonder if this is the right audience (lots of families here already).
After my divorce, I bought a home with a “small” yard. I soon discovered the yard wasn’t small enough. In the summer, I spent most of my free time doing yard work, which I dislike. Wanted a pool – maintenance on that took up the balance of my free time! I’ve now rented out that house and living in a tiny apartment. And I love it. Less space to clean, less clutter, no maintenance, tiny electric bills.
You stated what your true wants are. You want to be debt and mortgage free.
Now you are.
So 3 simple solutions to move forward
A)use the $100K net proceeds from the sale and buy the nicest house you can find for that $100K, and remain mortgage free.
B) continue renting and save monthly cash until you save up enough to add to the $100K to buy the house you want with cash and remain mortgage free
C) Use the $100K and build the house you want and remain mortgage free.
All three options keep you mortgage free, which is what you really want.
If it were me, I would build. If you are careful and know what you are doing, or are willing to learn, and can put in some effort and labor you can build a $200K house for $100K in cash in about 10 months. And it is alot of fun and you get the tub and counters you want. You eliminate the realtor fees, the builders commission, builders mortgage interest,etc. That alone saves you 25% of the cost of the home.
I would love to live in a smaller house! Our house right now is not very big (maybe 1200-1500 square feet? Not sure) but it is still too big for me. We have 3 kids, so right now we use most of the space, but in a few years they will be grown up and moved out and I fully intend to move into a smaller house. (Once the kids are gone the entire basement–half the living space–will be completely unused). My husband thinks we need a bigger house even after the kids are gone, so it should be an interesting argument. The only reason we would need a bigger house is because I’m the only one in the family willing to ever throw anything away! I really love the idea of a smaller house. Easier to clean, and you just can’t accumulate as much stuff either.
I can relate to this. Our house has some layout issues, especially regarding privacy for him when he is working on his business late into the evenings, but I think the size is fine. He is DETERMINED that twice as big as our current place would be barely enough. We’ll see what happens!
Our house is about 1500sq ft., with 2 adults, a 5 year old and a 3 year old. The toys are all kept in the living room, and that is where they play for the most part. Yeah, it is a bit messy, but I like that I can easily keep track of them when I am in the kitchen. We do have a “bonus room” that doubles as DH’s man cave and the guest room. We have a lot of family that live out of town, so our guest bed definitely gets its money’s worth. If we ever move to another area, honestly I would love to go back to renting a 2 bedroom apartment. We definitely underestimated the maintenance costs that come with owning a house, and I would love for all of us to be forced to not keep so much stuff.
My family recently moved from a little over 2000 sq. ft. to a little under 1300. We’re pleased with the decision. A couple things that made it a no brainer for us were- we didn’t use all the space in our old home, and the new place has a way bigger yard and a detached garage, where our old place had no outbuildings at all.
Great idea. I have thought about doing this myself. In the next couple of years we are planning to move from Kalamazoo to Ann Arbor, about an hour and a half away, to be closer to my parents, and I already have decided that renting a small place for about 6 months will buy us some time to investigate the area, figure out what neighborhoods we like and what schools we want our daughter in. Plus, if we could live with a very small rental house for a while, our monthly housing expense would be completely fixed (we had to call our electrician twice this summer when two different trees fell on our power lines) and we could focus on throwing money at our debt.
One comment I had about your guest room and home office, if you did decide you couldn’t live without the guest room or home office, why not combine them? Murphy beds are a wonderful idea so that you don’t have to have rooms dedicated to just one function.
Allyson,
I think that’s a great idea. We also talke about combining a playroom and office since I usually only work in the office when the kids aren’t home or when they’re in bed.
12 years ago, my husband and I bought a 3/2 1400 sq ft ranch as our first home. At that time, we had one young son and dreams of a larger home and more children.
Today, we have an 18 year old and a 6 year old and we still live in the same house. It has been a little crowded at times, but our house has provided everything we needed and we really have no reason to move. My oldest son will be moving out before too long, so it will just be 3 of us like it was when we first moved in.
A couple of things about the home we purchased,
1) It has a large yard and
2) Fantastic school districts
In not many much more time, our home will be completely paid off as now our mortgage is our only debt. I am so glad we bought small and simple and I believe you will want to go that way too.
what about installing a woodstove instead of looking for a fireplace? then you can heat your house as well as have the wood burning fire aesthetic. woodstoves are also more energy efficient than a fireplace and keep the indoor air quality cleaner. some of the calculation obviously involves where you live, whether you can get cheap firewood, and how much your current heating costs will cost, but I’ve always wanted a fireplace, but really love my wood stove!
Good for you for stepping back and thinking about what you really need vs. want. Most newer houses, IMO, are way too big. I don’t want to live in a house where I don’t even know where my kids are.
We have a 1940s cape cod, about 1800 sq feet when you count the basement and it has been plenty of space w/ 2 kids. We are remodeling to open up the kitchen/dining room because the closed off kitchen doesn’t work well for us. I do like having two living spaces — a first floor living room which is where we spend most of our time, plus the basement family room. That’s where the kids go when they are noisy or want to play video games. We also have a sofa bed there for our occasional guests (no need for a guest room). It’s also good to have the kids’ rooms on the main level– they mostly play in their rooms and so we keep most toys there rather than the basement. DH and I have our bedroom upstairs but I like that with the kids’s rooms on the main floor we have the flexibility to use those bedrooms when we get old if stairs become a problem. We do have one odd little room that is designated as the “office” but in reality it’s the junk room.
My husband bought this house when he was single and we debated buying something together but it’s in a fabulous neighborhood where prices have more than tripled since he bought it. Staying here made it possible for me to be a SAHM when our kids were born. Now that they’re in elementary, I’ve gone back to work and we’re finally able to spend the $$ to make some improvements. One advantage of living with it so long is that we really know what works and doesn’t. It definitely pays to take your time, both in buying and making renovation decisions.
We fell in the Jacuzzi tub trap too! We installed one when we renovated our bathroom. I can’t remember the last time it was used. What a waste of $$$. I think it great that you can rent month to month to try out a small house to see if it will work for you. Great idea. Good luck!
I like to watch those home reno shows (gosh the Property Brothers are good looking!) and I have NEVER understood why anyone would want a jacuzzi tub. Honestly I don’t need a tub at all, a stand up shower is fine with me.
A jacuzzi tub sounds like a huge waste and PITA. On the other hand, between the aches and pain I get at times I don’t know what I would do without a tub! I use mine about once a week and its my little space away from the world. 🙂
Yeah, jacuzzi tubs are ridiculous – the time it takes just to fill them up, I think, would discourage any use.
But baths are lovely! Actually, if I had my druthers, I’d install a Japanese soaking tub in my dream bathroom. Nothing like being immersed up to your chin in hot water!
@imelda – Now you’re talkin’!
The jacuzzi tub our place came with is nonfunctional. But we like it just because it’s an extra large tub. It’s deep enough that I (5’2″) don’t even fill it up all the way to be immersed up to my chin and wide enough for my husband (Mr. 54″ chest thanks to blacksmithing) to actually be comfortable. Previous regular bathtubs started a running joke about getting in first and then adding the required teaspoon of water to fill. And if we want to get all romantic, we can even enjoy a candle-lit bath together, which is nice.
It does take a while to fill up, but the faucet is placed so that it flows down the side of the tub and is not in the way if you want to start enjoying while still filling.
We used the tub when our 3 children were young all the time, and thinking my wife and I would have time for long soaks ourselves. It just never worked out that way. Lesson learned.
We just bought a house (1800sf 3 bed/1.5bath) and the one full bath has a jacuzzi tub and it is my least favorite part of the house. It is so tall, I have to step really high into and out of it. I actually have to pick my 4 year old up to get her in and out of the tub since she can’t do it herself. We have only used it as a shower so far, not tried out the actual bath portion. Now I am all freaked out by your comments about how to clean it, I didn’t realize I would have to do something special. Off to Google!
I wonder how much it would cost to get it removed and get a normal bath tub put in instead….
We have a 3 bedroom house and we put our 2 kids together in one room, so that we can free up a guest room. On one side, we do need a guest room – parents visiting from abroad stay for months, we’ve had a few times friends stay for a few months between jobs or between locations. On the other side, I believe having the kids together will teach them to share better, play together more and feel close (maybe I should mention that I am European by origin). The only challenge is that they are different genders, so in 5-7 years we may need to separate them again and survive for a few years without a guest room. But for the moment it works well.
I think you need to find a balance with the space. If it is too small it gets messier quicker and it is easier to clean if you can move. Also I have noticed that most of the posters had two children. Makes a difference if there are more. It also helps if there is no serious case of packratieness! DH loves to keep things because we may never use them again. The best was the cheap pool table that came with the house that we could not get rid of because it came with the house and now that it is broken we still have to keep because it came with the house and we have been in the house 20 yrs. It did make a nice dining table for the cats.
Having a guest room is very important to me. I’ve rented apartments/houses with a guest room and without, and to me, that little bit of extra privacy makes all the difference in an enjoyable hosting experience. I live in the DC area and lots of friends come through town for meetings or other occasions – I’ve really enjoyed being able to catch up with old friends over a low-key dinner/evening in my own house. Also, most people don’t really enjoy sleeping on the living room couch, especially when their sleep schedules are a bit different from the rest of the household.
My parents live close enough that they can come visit over the weekend, but too far away for day trips. Hotels are expensive where I live…and it’s just not as much fun to have them at a hotel as it is to have them at the house.
The guest room doesn’t have to be fancy – personally I would vote for some combination of guest room, home office, and play room – if designed properly, the same room could easily serve all of those functions.
re: a fireplace. They’re lovely, but what’s even more lovely is a woodstove — you can build a fire in it every once in awhile or use it as a supplemental heating system and lower your heating bills. you can even get a small tax credit on the purchase right now. It’s one of the more economical ways to heat (part of) a house. Of course, this assumes you need to heat your house in the first place!
My friend’s kid bought a house in Portland and is using the woodstove as a heat source. While it’s economical for him, I do wonder about pollution issues. I sleep with my window open, and I sometimes wake up choking because of our neighbor’s woodstove smoke. Don’t woodstoves contribute to inversions?
Dude, a tub can be added to a house, if you really want it. Buy a cheap house and you can have money left over to make the bathroom whatever your heart desires. Focus instead on location, price, the bones of the house, HOA rules, etc.
We bought a small house because it was all we could afford, now we love it! We’re going to love it more when it is paid off next year. I think renting something small is a great idea for you. Then, you can see if it works for your family.
I grew up in a 3 bedroom 1 bathroom house that my parents still live in and I shared a room with my sister until my brother moved out. The house is perfect for the two of them now and because of the low payments, they were able to remodel every room after we moved out. They have since paid off the house and have the ability to retire early at 60.
Our house isn’t big but it is bigger and much more expensive than my parent’s small house. They were smart for sticking to their needs and not buying because of the wants. I would rather have a small house and small house payment rather than a big house/payment.
Go small, you’ll love it! I have gone from 3400 sq ft to 2200 sq ft to 1100 sq ft and each one was better than the last. Less cleaning, all the space is actually used, and that Jacuzzi tub was a PITA and total waste of money.
Great article! I definitely agree that not living extravagantly is the first step to financial success. Having extraneous space still requires maintenance.
This is a great article and very timely as we are in the process of looking at houses to buy. The advice to think about what you will actually use is great, rather than going for aspirational touches. It’s interesting to see how many people have opted for a smaller house.
Going through the same exercise, though, my husband and I are actually looking for a much bigger place (which we had before this one), although not necessarily a lot bigger in the house. But we miss terribly the bigger garden, a large shop and other outbuildings, and acreage with space away from neighbors. When we moved here (higher COL than where we came from), we bought the best house we could comfortably afford while still being able to maintain an aggressive savings rate, but have been unhappy in the small house with small yard and not much garden and shop space. The next house doesn’t need to be a lot bigger, but needs to have lots more shop and project and garden space (which thankfully doesn’t require much extra heating). But we still don’t need or want granite or lots of bathrooms, and it’s surprisingly difficult to find a house on good acreage without lots of expensive touches in the house. So we keep looking . . .
Good luck, Holly, in finding the right house for you, that has the things you want and lacks the things you don’t want.
You sound a bit like us! I’m going to highly recommend looking at older farmhouses. These are MUCH more likely to have acreage for gardens, outbuildings for shops, and smaller, less fancy houses.
You can totally do that! I live in an airstream trailer with my husband. It’s not half as difficult as I thought it might be.
I sold a fairly large (2700 ft) place about six months ago. Housing market in my area was tight with little inventory available, so I moved into a smaller, 700 ft space for a while before eventually moving into a larger house again.
Overall a great experience. If I wasn’t working from home and living with a girlfriend who also works from home, I’d absolutely consider it for a more permanent arrangement. Beyond that though, it made me rethink what I need as far as things INSIDE my home, which I believe is also a good thing to look at.
Six years ago we moved from a 1800 sq. ft to 1100, with our 3 kids. And than we got two more kids (lovely girl twins). And we still fit in our small house! We had to be very creative with the space we have, but we managed. I have two tips which worked for us. 1. buy a storage unit (not rent it) and use that to get rid of seasonal stuff and junk you have to keep. Instead of moving to a smaller house once the children have left, we will just sell the unit. 2. Visit a boat-show or two. There are lots of good ideas on how to use space as economical as possible in life-on sailing yachts. It gave us a lot of ideas, especially for storage.
If you have to ask IF you really need a bigger house, you likely know the answer. Sounds like this rental period will help you better understand how small of a house you can be comfortable in. That little voice inside is the original Frugal Sage.
I’ve never had a house , but I think starting small and working your way up is a good idea!
“And the kids’ play room? Sure, they love it, but most people I know don’t have a room in their home dedicated only to toys. I didn’t have a play room growing up, after all – nor did my husband, my best friend, or either of my parents. We all survived.”
That is seriously one of the most level-headed things I’ve ever heard from someone while house-shopping. As another commenter mentioned, once you have had something it’s very hard to give it up. But you’re so right that there are more important things that a room just for toys, which, when you think about it, is quite extravagant.
Our house is around 1300 sqft. 3 bed, 1.5 baths. We have two small children, 2 and 10mo. I love our smallish house. It’s easy to keep clean (with kids that’s very nice) and it feels cozy. Our kids share a room. We have three but have chosen to keep one as a guest room as we have frequent guests. I love that they only have one bedroom to mess up and it will (hopefully) bring them closer. I don’t see us ever going much bigger than this. It really makes you think about the things you own and is freeing to live with less. Once you get used to it I’m sure you’ll feel the same.
I really enjoyed this article. I like to live by the rule, Less space, Less stuff, More life. We down sized from 2250sq feet to 1500 sq feet as a family of four and will never go back.
1200 is a small home? Here that’d be a decent sized house for a family of 6. (I know one living happily in that space). Also, to have only 3 bedrooms in such a house, they must all be big enough to remodel into 4, right? Have you considered that? American bedrooms are HUGE compaired to European; but what you really need is a bed, a closet, and (if you’re feeling extravagant) room to walk around the bed. Children with their tiny beds only need about 75 square feet each. Adults around 90. Less to clean! 🙂
Just about every house and apartment I’ve ever lived in had pretty small bedrooms. It could be the vintages of the places I’ve been in (current building is 110 years old) and I am ready for a bit more space. I find tiny, tiny rooms quite suffocating and frustrating if you have hobbies and work from home. 1200 ideally would be perfect for the two of us.
My husband and I and our four kids, aged 15-20, live in a 1100 sq ft 2bed/1bath house. The kids’ room is 336 sq ft and it easily holds two bunk beds, several dressers, and a couple of book shelves. We have both daughters and sons, so they change clothes in the bathroom when they shower, like I did when I lived in the college dorms. Sometimes someone has to dance around until the bathroom is free, but otherwise, things are pretty comfy.
The only way we see needing a larger place is if our kids want to live with us after they find significant others, which would be fine with us as long as they contribute to the household in some way.
We were able to pay cash for our house because it was a foreclosure that had been sitting empty for several years. It still needs quite a bit of work, but it’s habitable and we don’t have to pay a mortgage.
I recommend people consider doing what we did during our last house search (12 years ago!): Don’t try to move from house to house, but instead plan to have your stuff moved into storage and rent a temporary apartment during the bridge period. We did this, and it had a couple of benefits. The biggest was that we could wait to find exactly the house we wanted, rather than rushing to beat a settlement deadline. It turned out to take 9 months! The second was that living in an apartment (we rented a 2-bedroom; we had one kid and our second was born while we were in that apartment) taught us how little space and stuff we really needed. The houses we were looking at when we first moved into that apartment were far larger than the one we ended up buying 9 months later.
Yes, having a mover store your stuff costs money, and the apartment costs money, but combined they totaled no more than our mortgage payment, so it all nets out more or less equal.
Agreed! Did something very similar to this and it was an amazing experience. Even though I’m back in a larger place now, living for a few months in a smaller one has totally changed my mindset about what I need to be comfortable and consumerism in general.
My spouse and I live in a 1300sf place that is 2BR/1BA. We’re thinking about having kids in the near future and struggled with what to do with this place. But though there are no unused rooms here, there are rooms whose functions we would change to accommodate a growing family. The breakfast room (which has the sliding doors to the deck) would be turned into a keeping room (den) with a sleeper sofa for the rare guests that we have. The dining room would then remain the only dining space in the house, which would double as a work space for kids and adults alike. Thinking creatively about space options is a key ingredient to staying in a smaller place.
Small spaces are great lower utilities, less maintenance/cleaning, smaller carbon footprint, and cheaper upkeep. And you don’t have space to accumulate STUFF. But house LAYOUT and storage are major issues. Room design and multifunctional furniture matter alot more. You spend ALOT on furniture because it needs to have exact dimensions and be multifunctional which costs more than that craigslist find. You and your family’s ability to maintain organization will be tested. Also, 1 bathroom is much much harder than 2 bathrooms. And cheap and easy DIY fixes tend to be expensive emergencies if you only have 1 toilet. That stove that faces an interior wall will turn on your AC in the summer and will warm your entire house in the winter. Entertaining is limited to smaller groups not exactly the more the merry attitude. I live in 1073 sq ft condo grew up in a 2300 sq ft house. The condo has no yard for kids to play, no grilling, no composting, no line drying clothes, no outdoor faucet (I <3 when service people use the kitchen sink), no hose to wash a car, (electric cars are increasingly problematic with the HOA), no such thing as doing a renovation while still living there, and condo maintenance fees eat up alot of small space savings. Also for resale purposes the property value of condos fluctuates more as they are just more price sensitive than single family homes. Something to think about if you decided to buy a small condo instead of a small house. (Purchase my condo in '06 for 231k and have spent approx. $30k for condo fees and assessments which include my gas and water)
No one has mentioned the benefit of living where you want to live if you can manage with a bit less space. We live in a 1200 square foot house with one child. I would have liked one more bedroom and a bit more space (not much), but the most important thing to us was location. We live near downtown and don’t have to commute a long way to work, events, or friends’ homes. The traffic in our city is just getting worse, and I know that our lives are much richer because we don’t spend oodles of time in the car. And from a money perspective, we’re able to function with just one car, which is a huge money saver.
I hope I’m not too late to add a note about the “financial independence cost” of additional rooms, features, etc. This is from an article by Jacob Fiskar I linked the other day. Yes, yes, he’s “extreme”, but he makes a good cost analysis even “non-extremers” should consider. He writes:
The whole thing with links is here:
http://earlyretirementextreme.com/day-1-finding-a-place-to-live.html
Great article! Although I’m nowhere near ready to start house-shopping (I’ll still be in school for another few years), I love reading about the subject.
I grew up in a tiny house, and it worked. We had one bathroom for a family of five. My bedroom was either in a room that had enough space for my twin size bed, a desk, and about two feet of space to move around in, or it was in the unfinished basement with all the bugs. Still, I couldn’t imagine growing up in a larger house with more amenities – I feel as though that would have encouraged me to stay inside more rather than get out and explore the world.
One thing I’d say about a small house – try to get one with a basement. I realize basements may not be a thing where you live, but if they are, try to get one! Even if it’s unfinished, it’d be a great project or at least a place for storage to open up the rest of the house.
Also, keeping things clean helps with a small house. Especially keep counters and tables uncluttered – that makes it seem a lot larger and open.
Hi there,
I lived in a small condo with my partner until we upsized to a small house. Its about 1400 sq feet. Its just two of us for now, however there are still tips that come with small house living.
My tips are as follows: Lend our your books when your done reading. How often do you re-read a book? reference material can be found online, and if you LOVE a book, keep it, but for the most part, lend it out and don’t expect to get it back. Same for games, puzzles etc. Clothing can be an issue for storage but how much of it do you wear? If you have three pairs of black pants, and one is your favorite, do you ever wear the others? I know I don’t, so I donate them. It feels foregin in the beginning, but after a while it becomes very normal to not live in excess. Clear closets feel better too. I don’t like jamming hangers in.
Further than that: IMO, book purchase and storage is the public library’s job.
Man, I live in the wrong real estate market. We left our old city (Vancouver) because, when we had our second child and started looking for another bedroom we were faced with being utterly prostrate before a massive mortgage for the rest of our working years – to live in a complete dump.
We moved out of the city to a smallish house (1500sf) for our family of 4. But our mortgage is still large by the standards of this article. (We had a very nice downpayment after selling our apartment in an overheated market, but there was still a lot left over to live in anything more than a trailer home). Renting had its appeals (we did for a few months between homes – but rent for a 2 bedroom very small house was $1300/month, which meant that we donated $7000 to someone else’s mortgage while we shopped for a house.
Definitely shop around. I can’t imagine trying to live in a bigger house – with 2 people working and 2 kids we can barely keep this house clean and maintained.
My husband and I bought our first home this year and compared to everyone else we know, our home is tiny — 960 square feet. However, it fits our needs perfectly and I think it will work even when we have children. I do have a word of advice for purchasing small homes: pay attention to layout because it really matters. The kitchen and living room in our home are open to each other so it feels like one large room instead of two smaller ones. Anyone who walks into our house after hearing the square footage always comments on how much bigger it feels. Good luck!
We noticed a direct correlation between our house space usage and our entertainment budget. When we were stuffed into a small rental home, we always found excuses to go out and blow money at clubs/restaurants/theaters. Now that we’ve bought a home with the features we want, it seems more fun to stay in and enjoy our home.
I’m not saying a bigger house SAVES money over a smaller home…I’m just saying that you should be very clear what compromises you are not willing to make in order to downsize.
Holly where do you live where these huge houses are so cheap? I bet rent is cheap in the area too.
I don’t own a house (I live abroad, so that would be a mess!), but I have found that I prefer smaller spaces that are well utilized. I had a studio apartment and loved it, and I now have a studio-loft (not quite a studio, not quite a one bedroom) and the small spaces make it easier to not acquire so much STUFF. I’m much more intentional about what I buy and about when I get rid of stuff. My kitchen is small so I have to seriously plan my groceries and my meals which works out better for my budget (I don’t overbuy, produce doesn’t go bad, I don’t forget I have things), and I save money in rent.
Sometimes you need more space (for example, a home office is a great thing to have if you’re seeing clients in your home), but forcing yourself to effectively utilize the space you have often works out better.
And, for the record, I had a playroom growing up. My sister and I shared a room and the other one was a playroom. All the toys were supposed to stay in there and we also watched movies and things in there. When we got older and needed our own space (especially for studying and such) my sister moved into it.
I definitely appreciated a larger house with 5 kids, but see that now we don’t use a good portion of it now that our youngest is 15.
But when all 5 were 9 and under, having space to think was a blessing.
But our yard isn’t tiny either. I’m thankful to have a yard large enough to let the kids go out and play. Also other kids came over to jump on our trampoline as well.
I would go with “get paid off as quickly as possible.” We live in a country where we could move in our house as quickly as we wanted, so we moved in with only drywall on one side and no hot water. We worked on finishing it up as we could, as we lived in it. Yes, it was hard, but we needed our rent money to work on finishing.
But not having any mortgage payments makes a world of difference! (It’s all paid off now.)
My wife and I merged down into a smaller apartment than either of us were in when we lived alone, and it was honestly one of the best decisions I think we could nave made. We save tons of money, and we have less things. I think once we have children we will want to have another bedroom.
The only thing we wish we had was a little more space for entertaining and maybe a 2-car garage.
Good luck, is what I say. We first merged 2 households, then ended up moving into a house with half the space. I love the house itself, but living in the same bedroom with my 4.5 year old is getting old; fortunately our landlord is planning to add an extra bedroom in the basement.
But honestly, until you’ve moved into a smaller house and found that you are all basically hanging out in the same room where you keep all your stuff (except the teenager, who never comes out of her room), you won’t know whether it will work for you. It doesn’t really work for us, I’m still moving boxes of books every time I want to read something and it’s been 5 years. [Yeah, we read a lot. The alternative is stopping at the public library *every* day, and still not having the books we want to reference and re-read. This way we keep it down to a few trips a week.]
Declutter like mad, and have your local donation pickup on speed-dial. Good luck.
We searched for a house for years before finding what we needed. We always figured 2200 was the maximum space we’d need, but the house that fit the bill was slightly larger. Six years on and I could easily downsize by at least 500-800 square feet. Kids get older, they grow out of toys and don’t need as much room to play.
If you’re wondering how to live well in a small home, check out the Not So Big House series of books by Sarah Susanka. Great ideas, beautiful homes. Really helps put things in perspective.
It’s interesting to see all the family sizes vs. house sizes and the different priorities everyone has.
Our household is just the two of us and we ended up with just under 1500 sq ft and 3 bedrooms, 1 bath. This feels like as large a house as I can imagine the two of us inhabiting.
I think the author was very wise to take a step back and consider what they actually use. I can’t figure out for the life of me why you’d need a living room AND a “family room”, but can’t live without our home office. My husband would laugh you out the door at the merest suggestion of such a thing! We’re also very private people, almost never have guests, and would generally prefer they stay in a hotel anyway, so forget about a guest room. However, we do like having friends and family over for dinner, board games, holidays, etc, so our dining room actually gets used.
The key seems to be finding a house with as much as you need, but no more. Definitely question all those “extra” rooms you think you need. And look past the surface. Anything that can be easily changed shouldn’t be worried about (like jacuzzi tubs or lack thereof). Don’t be one of those people that turn down a perfect house because the living room is painted a weird color.
Maybe the biggest advantage of having lived in this house is then, that you will appreciate that little bit of extra space when you buy or rent a slightly bigger house in the future.
By the way, my mum used to keep the spare set of bed linen with our clothes in the cabinets. It doesn’t take up much space there. Maybe that helps?
Our home is 1100 sqft, and we love it. It’s well designed so it doesn’t feel small, and we also have quite a bit of outdoor living space that we are able to utilize pretty much all year round. That increases the footprint of the house to over 2700 sqft when you include the screened in pool area. But our tax bill is still similar to that of a small house, not a McMansion. =)
It’s a lot easier to live in a small space when you don’t have children. Try throwing 2 or 3 kids in there. It’s an entirely different experience.
I grew up in a 1000 sq ft house with 4 children so I don’t understand the mc mansion mentality. IMO the difference between then and now is most kids are inside glued to computers/tv playing games, etc. We spent our time outside playing with our friends and family.
Mrs. PoP makes an excellent point: the design of the house makes a huge difference. Our house is 1536 sq. ft. according to the County property tax rolls. It’s big enough for two adults and a kid, but I sometimes wish the design were better. The first floor main living area is c.600 sq. ft., and the three bedrooms upstairs are c. 900 sq. ft., which means we have huge bedrooms, which is nice, but a better balance might have made more sense. We do use one of the bedrooms as a computer/hangout room for our kid, and it also doubles as a spare bedroom if we need it.
I was going to chim ein with this as well. I think there’s a reason you hear so much about small home owners (or ethusiasts, as you put it): design matters and as small home owners, we need to actively search out design solutions.
Things like a lack of storage for basics like pots and pans, or a broom and dust pan, or even sound from the kids, aren’t reasons to trade up: they are reasons to invest in upgrading the QUALITY of your space.
If you’re saving thousands per year in maintenance, not to mention in property tax and/or mortgage costs, spending 1000 bucks to get good quality sound-proofing is a no brainer.
100% agree good design trumps brute force, and Kate wins the whole thread.
Sorry I am late to these comments. We are actually trading down, not trading up. Our old home was 2400 square feet.
We are looking for something smaller but with ample storage. I am confident that we can find something that meets all of our needs.
Holly, by ample storage do you mean you want the house to come with ample storage? If so, this is something I never quite understood with prospective buyers, or even renters. Storage can be bought separately. My house is a one-bedroom (and bonus room) one bath house less than 900 sq ft. And it was built in the early 60’s so other than the kitchen cabinets and the closet in the bedroom, there were no other closets. I got myself a big-butt armoire, chests which also function as tables, tall thin bookcases for books, and shoes, back of door storage etc etc. I have too much storage now and not enough stuff to put in them!
Yes, I realize that I can buy storage furniture or add storage if there’s room. We’re not going to do that here because we’re renting short-term and may only be here for a few months.
I’m confused why people think I am upgrading to have more storage. I just sold a 2,400 sq. ft. house and am looking for a smaller one. I don’t feel the least bit guilty for wanting a kitchen pantry or a coat closet in the house we buy.
With that being said, we’re considering a lot of things. I would be open to adding storage or closets if it made sense financially. It just depends on the total package the house we buy. I think we’ll know it when we find it =)
I totally recognize and congratulate your decision to downsize, but a red flag went up for me when you mentioned that storage was a possible deciding factor just because I know first hand that storage space is one of the easiest solutions to solve. It may require some creativity and breaking some of the rules such as using an armoire in the dining room (or just inside the livingroom, if open concept) as a pantry. Armoires come in any design, traditional or modern to fit any room style, and many come equipped with handy pull out shelving, perfect for food storage and easy access….best of all no one has to know there are cans of beans in there instead of fine china.
Personally I much prefer modular and standalone storage (vs built-ins) because it lets me decide the layout, style, and size to fit my needs. I understand that a place with no storage, nor space for storage may be a deal breaker, but if there is a blank wall that allows easy mobility even with a loss of 1ft ½ depth, you have endless storage possibilities at your finger tips. I’m an organizational freak so the idea of not enough storage being a factor in a house search just makes me scream “Nooo!” on the inside.
Also, I’ve found that it’s more beneficial (and easier) to pare down the stuff to fit the house, than it is to get the house to fit the stuff. For me personally, small-living is more than just being able to go as small as you can comfortably fit, with everything as is…the real small-house movement is a full-on ideology that makes one inventory their possessions, and challenge future material acquisitions; it challenges one to fit their environment vs the other way around and really makes you take stock in things that are only of the utmost importance. Regarding your office, I’ve seen some lovely climate-controlled garden shed offices in the backyard. Depending on the climate where you live, don’t discount the yard as usable space.
Those are all great ideas!
Fortunately, we are far past the paring-down phase. My husband always jokes that we don’t have anything left =) Almost everything we have is used on a regular basis or used often enough that we want to keep it (like luggage, a crock pot, extra sheets and towels, etc.)
Since I live and work at home and am here almost 24 hours a day, I’m being pretty picky about what we buy. And I personally don’t mind buying a 1500 (or larger) sq. ft. home if it meets our needs. At the same time, I know for a fact that our old home was too big. I’m perfectly fine with finding something in between. It’s all about balance.
Anyway, we’re in the unique position to wait until something perfect comes along so that’s what we’re going to do. There’s no need to settle yet, especially if I don’t have to. I would consider getting creative with storage if I found a house that was perfect in other ways….but we’re not there yet! =)
My home is 2,054 sq ft. We have 4br (3 up and 1 down), 2.5 ba (2 full up, .5 down), a living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, and a lovely 1970’s wet bar that is used as the cat area. We have a partial basement, as the house is a 4-level split. We have a 2 car attached garage.
We bought the house before we had any kids. Our line of thinking was we could buy a tiny starter house in a fancier neighborhood then have to move as soon as we had a kid (those houses were around $200k for a 1,000 sq ft house)- or we could buy in an average neighborhood and be able to accommodate a growing family.
Hindsight being what it is… those starter houses really increased in value and the ones in my average neighborhood have lost value. The neighborhood has gone downhill. The school system is going downhill. We have plenty of space though, which is good because we don’t always feel safe going outside, like when the police helicopter is hovering overhead 🙁
There’s more to home buying than space, after all 🙁
Two types of people LOVE small homes:
. . . Just Married (affordable) & Retired (both groups have no kids)
. . . . . . The Baby Boomers(Born after WW2, are Retiring by the millions)
. . . . . . and love small houses.
. . . . . . (easy to clean, no more stairs to climb, wheelchair accessible)
Holly, I’ve enjoyed reading about your experiment 🙂 Someone once told me that when it comes to real estate, sometimes you can’t tell what works for you and what doesn’t until you actually try it.
It always surprises me that many people who work from home full time consider a home office a “luxury”. I think Holly’s smart to consider a dedicated work space in her new home. I know Canada has tax deductions for “work space in the home” if you meet certain criteria — it might be worth looking in to in the U.S. It helps offset the cost.
When we bought our home 15 years ago, we had a 7.5 percent mortgage and about 1200 square feet in a split level home with a finished basement, two full baths, and three small bedrooms. We had a five year old when we moved in and it was fine. Then we adopted our daughter and, seven years after we bought the house, we added the master suite, a dining room, and a basement storage room and redid the kitchen (old appliances except DW). Lower interest rates have basically paid for the addition. Here in the NYC suburbs, we can’t afford the upkeep on a larger home. We bought before the bubble and couldn’t afford what our house would cost now.
We live AND work in a 650sq ft cabin — with a cat, but no children. The kitchen is outside in a separate structure, maybe another 100sq ft, which is great in the summer and in the winter it has the advantage of being like a walk-in cooler.
The great thing about the place is not the cabin itself, which needs work, but the 600 acres of woods around it, which are quiet and beautiful and priceless.
Wow. By comparison, my place sounds fancy :). It’s a really basic mobile home, also in the woods. I work from home, farm and also have tenants. I have divided up the home so that it works for me, both practically as far as enjoyment, office and privacy re tenants.
I appreciate what you say about your surroundings. To me, that is everything. This place is also a fixer upper, but will be paid off completely in just a few years. To have no mortgage is a dream come true and I know will benefit me for the rest of my life.
This is a great site!
I once lived in a Small house and i totally agree with you that they are easy to clean and keep organized but once your family grows, things becomes totally different. As much as you try to keep the house clean it becomes a bit tough because you get into the habit of shoving things where they can fit.
I live in Europe and here the houses are so much smaller than in the US. My three children (baby and 2 toddlers) shared a tiny bedroom together.
But thanks to an extension we were fine a few years later. Now they go to college and moved out but still come home often. So their rooms haven’t changed and we won’t move to a smaller house. I want them to feel welcome and having their own room is very important.
I’m near London, Saskia, and while European homes are smaller than US homes, here in the UK they’re smaller still – and smaller again in London! I just read that the average new home built in the UK is 925 square feet – and I bet they have no storage space!
I’ve never wanted a ‘big’ (relative term!) home, but I do miss my (relatively small) 3 bedroom house I had in Florida when I lived there, although my current 2-bed flat is quite roomy (for near London). I think what I miss the most is living ‘detached’ – I get so fed up with hearing everything my neighbours do 🙁
However, I have to say, I have smaller utility bills than *anyone* I know! Partly because I’m frugal, but partly because I live in a small place that gains heat from underneath and 2 sides!
I’ve heard that our ‘stuff’ expands to fit whatever size place we have, and many people these days move to larger homes just to accommodate all that ‘stuff’ they don’t need! Since I’m on a mission to overcome my natural hoarding tendencies, I guess a smaller place is better for me, but I wish it was possible to have a small home that’s detached 🙂
1960’s 900 square foot 2 bedroom bungalow. Tons of space for a single+dog, including a barely used full height basement.
I’m systematically renovating to remove walls to open up rooms, while adding more of the critical accessible storage you’re talking about, and it makes a HUGE difference. Example – pedestal sink in the bathroom means NO bathroom storage, and no nearby linen closet either. Swapping the pedestal for a 36″ vanity has made all the difference.
It’s not the square footage – it’s how well it’s used.
I agree on the pedestal sink. I just bought a 1600 sq. ft. 1950’s home and while the bathroom has a pedestal sink that everyone agrees is gorgeous, everyone also agrees that it’s a bad idea to have one. It’s so big that it makes the rest of the bathroom look/feel smaller plus we need the under-sink cabinets for storage and a place to set down razors, makeup, etc when getting ready in the morning.
Hello
I live outside of Paris, France.
Alone with 2 cats.
I have a 430 sq feet apartment. 1 bedroom, 1 kitchen, 1 living room and a tiny bathroom.
I sometimes think it is even too big for me. I barely use the living room. But it is handy when people come over.
I grew up in a house with 8 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 kitchens, 4 living rooms, 2 offices, 2 laundry rooms, 5 attics and a very large playroom. We were 6 kids, 2 parents and 1 large dog. I don’t miss that at all!
I love small spaces.
Pauline
Our home is just over 2K sq ft. It works for us. I have found over time that we have to de-clutter often. Just today I threw out 2 big boxes I was saving for over a year and I have no idea why.
It’s good that you have had the big house and small house experience. Now you know what just right for you and the family.
We stayed in our ‘starter’ house of 1200 sq ft. We bought before we had kids, and then added four daughters to our space.
While we do have and use a nice outdoor space, we’re in MN, so not necessarily an extension to the living space.
We used every inch of our space, looked at each space with new eyes as needs changed through the years (only the bathroom and kitchen space did not change) and don’t own much beyond what we use.
Our house has always been the friend hang-out too. Because our housing and related costs remained affordable, I could be flexible in my work situation, so as to be around when the girls and friends were (so we weren’t a hangout for other reasons.)
The two oldest girls are on their own now, but we remain a close-knit family. And I love that the house will work for my husband and I as we inch toward our retirement years. Our house is a very, very, very fine house!
Debbie,
Wow, we are in the same situation. A 1,200 square foot house in MN. Currently, we have 3 boys and we’re considering another baby – although I have hesitations about how we’ll all fit in a 2 bedroom house. We consider upgrading, but I don’t want to give up my flexible work situation to be chained to a mortgage for the next +20 years.
Also, I want to echo what Holly wrote about storage space. Not only were our closets very poorly designed, but we have no garage 🙁 Actually, there is the most awkward closet in our master bedroom that we didn’t even notice until our first night in the house – when we closed the bedroom door. That’s where our vacuum currently resides.
My wife and I lived around New York City for 20 years and felt grateful to live in a ~900 sqf two bedroom apartment. When we moved out of the city to travel full-time we downsized to a 300 sqf motor home and have grown accustomed to that space. If we ever move back into a traditional residence, our problem will be finding one small enough for us. But first we’re downsizing again, selling all of our remaining stuff, and going to live out of backpacks while traveling the world.
1st world problems
Those are the kinds of problems you want though– not sure GRS is qualified to discuss cholera, malaria, starvation, infant mortality, failed states, escaping from prison camps, fleeing genocide, etc.
@Dan, just about ever article here is a “1st world problem” article – I really don’t see your point.
We live in a historic home which is medium size by current standards and huge as compared to our neighbors (it is a eclectic neighborhood mostly filled with historic cottages).
Our main house is 2200 sq. feet, we have three bedrooms and two bathrooms. What I like is having an upstairs, b/c that gives us each separate space. When I want to go read, I go upstairs and I can’t hear the tv. We also have a small office and a small laundry room, but our living area is one space.
The negatives, since we are in South Florida, no basement and we are short on closets since the house is historic. We do have a carriage house garage so that helps with storage. Our kitchen is small, but it works b/c neither of us are big cooks.
I grew up in a historic cottage, three bedrooms, one bath, four people. So I appreciate the small house concept.
Our two-bedroom, one bath condo is approximately 1000sq feet. The square footage isn’t an issue at all but much like Holly, I wish we had better storage. Our closets are narrow and small. Our coat closet isn’t even deep enough for a hanger. We have to hang the coats facing us and not on the side. We don’t have a pantry which limits where we can house the brooms, mops, etc.
I love ApartmentTherapy.com for storage solutions and ways to make a small space work. We use a lot of under-bed storage, bookshelves, dual purpose furniture such as storage ottomans, and even the space between the couch and wall can be used to store long items like brooms and mops. I would prefer actual closets but all the financial benefits of living in s small space outweigh the storage problems. I may feel completely different after the baby is born!
“Know what I want? A home that can be paid off quickly and easily. Low utility bills. To sleep at night. Peace. Security.”
Well… that and a home office and more storage space, right? 😉
Yes! I hope I can find all of that in one space. A house like the one we’re renting would work if it had a small office and a few more closets.
We rent in an 1150 sq foot house. It has 3 tiny bedrooms, 1 bath, and a HUGE living area and kitchen. It’s just my husband and I and the dog, so we basically don’t use 2 of the bedrooms. Even with a kid or two, this space would still be very livable. When we’re ready to buy a house, I don’t think we’ll consider anything over 1500 sq ft. We live in Alaska and a big house to me just means huge heating and maintenance costs.
My husband and I did this from 2007 – 2011. Our house was 1195 square feet, but we had three children, three dogs, and a cat. Since we lived in Florida and could spend most of the year outside, we heavily encouraged all the children to play in the large yard as much as possible. But I’ll never forget when a tropical storm rolled through in 2008 and we were stuck inside, without power, for two days. It was your basic nightmare.
The house was built in 1975 as a standard 3BR 2BA tract home, in a neighborhood filled with almost-identical houses. It had great closets in the bedrooms, but almost no storage space in the living areas, including the kitchen. There was no pantry and limited cabinet space.
A small house is always far much advantageous compared to a large one. We also shared similar circumstances when we moved from North Carolina to California and had to settle for a 1620 sq feet house after moving from 2656 sq feet house. It’s easier to clean and decorate. But the disadvantage now sets in if you have several visitors spending the night.
Our apartment is about 600 sq feet and IMO, its too small for *us*. I work from home so I am here a fair amount of time. There is no space between work and home life. The kitchen is about the size of a postage stamp and though its fine for people who are not cooks (and utilizes microwaves most of the time) its frustrating for people like me that love to cook. I make it work but its definitely not easy, especially when you’re constantly smoking up the entire apartment.
Forget my hobbies. I would like to start sewing again but there is no room so my machine and equipment stay boxed up.
The lack of space definitely forces me to be creative and not collect junk but I really don’t feel that we can maintain this long-term. If I didn’t work from home, cooked daily or had hobbies, it could work.
This was my husband and I a year ago. We minimized as much as we could and kept hobby supplies to a minimum, but we got to the point where there was insufficient space for the stuff we wanted and used on a regular basis. We had a little more space than you, but not much and the entire “dining area” was taken up with my harp and piano anyway.
Now we have just under 1500 square feet with 3 bedrooms, a nice kitchen, dining room, living room, 1 full bath and a utility/mud room. So far it’s perfect for us. We’ve got room to cook (together!), relax, work, sew, knit, weave, draw, paint, blacksmith, board game, rehearse music and host 17 people for Thanksgiving with everyone sitting on a chair at a table.
Very much bigger would seem wasteful to me, but any smaller would be too small. And I think that’s the point to aim for.
@Slinky – I cracked a small when you wrote, “We’ve got room to cook (together!), relax, work, sew, knit, weave, draw, paint, blacksmith, board game, rehearse music and host 17 people for Thanksgiving with everyone sitting on a chair at a table.”
We can’t be in the kitchen together at the same time. I cook and he cleans but its never a joint effort due to lack of space.
I too play the piano but forget it, even a Korg would be too much space unless I eliminate a storage cabinet. Piano playing is on hold until we get a larger space.
I though I would be “just fine” with a small space with the two of us but now I see the error in that decision. One extra bedroom, larger kitchen and bathroom (and some storage!) would make all the difference in the world. No looking for 5 bedroom home, but a little elbow room would be nice.
Ha! “Two butts in a one butt kitchen.” Yeah. VERY familiar with this. There was no way I was leaving my 1907 antique piano behind though. I vetoed so many apartments because there was no way to get that monstrosity inside.
If you’re looking to buy a house soon though, I would encourage staying put until you’re ready to buy. The extra money for a bigger place, plus moving costs really add up. It’s what let us jump on this house when it came on the market, a whole year sooner than we planned on buying.
One thing that helped us get there was the idea of “alone time”. We each got time alone in the apartment while the other person went somewhere (anywhere!) else for a while. Not so much to get rid of the other person, but just to have some personal and mental space and maybe do something that you need a little extra room for – like sew, or watch that obnoxious movie the other person hates.
We face the same issue of storage space at our house Holly. The closets in the bedroom are too small and we don’t have places in other parts of the house to store items for our growing family. And I don’t like having our “office” packed into our bedroom either. It sounds silly but it is becoming a big enough issue (lumped in with a couple of others) for us to consider moving.
I just started a blog about living in our 850 square foot house with two parents and two kids! We do have a large garage and a shed for storage space, but every day it’s both a blessing and challenge to be in such a small space!
Small living spaces are tough when there are children, especially multiple children. I babysit quite a bit in New York City and whenever I walk into an apartment, it looks like the children have literally TAKEN OVER. There’s just not enough room to maintain a separate “play” space.
I bought my 696-square-foot home three years ago so my boyfriend could move in with me. Although we bought in a “transitional” neighborhood, we still pay half as much for our mortgage as many of our friends do in rent for a similar-sized space, so aside from anything it was the right choice financially.
But I love *everything* about my tiny house. It was fully updated before I bought it, but is in a hundred-year-old area full of interesting houses and lots of generational families. It has only five windows to clean, and only one bathroom, and takes about two hours to clean top-to-bottom. Since he showers at night and I in the morning, we never have bathroom sharing issues. We hardly even use the extra bedroom; the cat thinks it belongs to her, so I feel confident we’ll be comfortable when we finally add a baby to the family. Two babies might push us to find a bigger house, but not by much.
And the small house teaches both of us what we really *need* in a house, and what we really *want*. I would like more storage, but I don’t need it; under-the-bed baskets and lots of wall shelving help with that. Can’t store it? Don’t need it. It helps that my parents are willing to hold on to some old family-heirloom furniture for me, but I’d be able to incorporate them into our household or get rid of them if I had to.
I really lust after a front porch and a sit-down dining area, just as my fiance lusts after off-street parking and we both want a garage for projects. However, we’re very happy in our community, and if we never managed to find a bigger place, I’d still be content here.
I agree with Author, even after knowing it’s expensive we ended up moving it to big house, 3600sq ft from 1400 townhouse, we love it but lot of work in and around the house.. but many place in house still empty and not sure what to do .. so best bet for family of 4 would be 2k to 2200 sq ft..
Our family of 3 (4 counting our cat) live in an almost-1100 SF 3/2. No basement, but we do have an outside bonus room attached to our garage. The bedrooms and bathrooms are tiny, and we’re using one of the bedrooms as a play space. We prefer to think of it as “cozy” rather than small, because above all we’re just thankful that we were able to buy a house here in the ridiculously-priced Bay Area. Also something that puts these thing in perspective is the memory of friends in Japan who grew up in families of 3 or 4 in apartments (no yard) that couldn’t have been larger than 800 SF. It’s all about maximizing space and making things work, and being grateful for a roof over our heads at all.
Totally agree! Our family of 4 (soon to be 5 in April) lives together in a 980 square foot, 2 bedroom house in Silicon Valley. It’s small, but I feel blessed to have a manageable 15 year mortgage in this real estate market.
Everyone keeps saying that small houses are nice until you have kids. But sharing a small house has made our family much closer. We know how to coexist peacefully, both in living and sleeping space. And our small living quarters mean that when the kids need to run, we go to the park together.
Sure, a 2nd bathroom would be nice, but I’m in no rush to go into massive quantities of debt so I can shower without an audience. From what I hear, that’s just a part of motherhood, anyway. 🙂
“It seems like most people who live in a small space become avid small-house enthusiasts.”
I mean this is a slightly-joking way, but this is one of the most white-people-problems statements I have ever heard. Most people who live in a small space (think globally, not just America) are poor and would love nothing more than to have a bigger home.
That is all, nice article otherwise! I live in 1160 sq. ft. right now and for the same reasons you mentioned won’t be going much over 2000 sq. ft. once we complete the family (2 kids).
I rent a house that’s just under 1100 sq ft. It’s 3 bedrooms, and 1 bath, which are all upstairs, with a kitchen and open living/dining area downstairs. The house is also over 100 years old, so there’s little in the way of closet space (one in each bedroom, and zero anywhere else). I have found that with a family of 4, plus 2 dogs and 2 cats, that we don’t have enough storage space. Plus, my kids are old enough that they’re starting to take more time in the bathroom, and 1 is just not enough. Even an additional half bath would take a lot of the strain off. The actual square footage is enough, IF we had at least 2 more closets, a pantry, and an additional bathroom. I could actually live without everything but the half bath if our basement was full height, and not a creepy sandstone “root cellar”.
I lived on a 40 foot boat for about 7 years. Just me and a small dog. Best life I ever had. Growing up our largest house was maybe 2000 sq ft and there were NINE kids, a dog and the parents. We all thought it was a mansion!!! I have been looking at aft cabin boats 35′ – 40′ to retire to. Lots of upkeep to a boat, but for me it is fun working on them. I can get one I would be happy with for $25K – $30K.
Right now my wife, young son, infant daughter and myself live in 840 sf so I share your annoyance at the lack of proper storage space (though I agree with some commentors that this is more of a design issue than a space issue). I also appreciate your acknowledgment of the need for more space without going overboard and wanting the 2400 sf back. I feel like that would be a common reaction by a lot of people, but I guess that’s kind of what this site is about; stepping away from the consumerist mentality and taking an honest look at what is needed, not what helps us keep with the Jones.
One thing I’m looking forward to is that when we finally “upgrade” to a larger home (hopefully something around 1600sf), anything will feel like a palace!
I grew up in a house that was around 1,100 sq.ft. with 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths (the 1/2 was in my parent’s room) plus a utility room with cabinets. Carport, no garage. My sister and I shared a bedroom because my grandmother had the third bedroom that eventually became my sister’s room. Looking back, it’s difficult for me to see how we managed it, but it was fine at the time. Now two of us live in the same square footage in an apt., and we’re finding it difficult. Where to put kayaks (sadly, storage), camping gear, tools, etc.? Our retirement place is 1,362 s.f. with a front courtyard, back patio and a garage. It’s going to seem spacious after the apartment.
600 sq. ft. apartment for my wife and I (plus dog). No kids, so this works great.
Cannot accumulate too much ‘stuff’, not much to clean, great location.
To each their own, as long as if fits your lifestyle and you have the benefit of choosing it!
This cracks me up, since a 1200 square foot house seems pretty big to me, even with kids, and a 40 minute commute seems reasonably short. Oh well, people vary!
Being able to live in 1200sq ft is such an upgrade for me. But it’s true that depending on the storage, it can feel pretty cramped. Our closet doesn’t hold all of our clothes. And the linen closet in the hallway holds just enough. There are a lot of great sites out there though for getting ideas as to improved storage solutions.
My boyfriend and I live in an 800-sq ft, one bedroom apartment. We have dreams of some day living in a 2-bedroom space to accommodate visitors, but for now our space works for us.
For a while, my boyfriend’s brother was living with us as well– The living room was converted into his bedroom, and we had no common-space area (except the kitchen and bathroom. THAT DIDN’T WORK AT ALL. Anything that my boyfriend and I were saving on rent, we blew on eating out and going to bars all the time, because we were so stir-crazy living out of one small bedroom!
But when the brother moved out, our 800-sq ft space felt enormous and luxurious! And when we finally get a 2-bedroom apartment, that is going to feel huge, too.
It’s all about what you’re used to. 🙂
I’m still stuck on why you’d have to move with a new job only 40 minutes away. A 40 minutes commute is nothing if you love your neighborhood and school district.
Someone must really hate commuting. I consider myself lucky having a commute under 30 minutes, there are no affordable houses any closer to my work. Renting a 1-bedroom apartment just a few miles from my office would cost more than my monthly payment on my 1600 sq. ft. house with a full basement and 2-car garage on a half-acre lot.
Holly’s husband is a funeral director, and he’s on call 24/7, which means he needs to be at work a lot at different hours, so it makes sense for them to live very close if not at their place of work. That was covered in the first part of the story– not sure if the article or the comments.
I think the point he was making is that for some of us, 40 minutes seems very close!
I live in a 725 sq ft home that I bought in 2011 and will own outright in 4 more years. I’m in walking distance to downtown and have a large, fenced in backyard and 2.5 car garage. I live with one other person and a large dog. Once we have children, I anticipate needing 300 or so more sq ft, once they become mobile. Small house is perfect for my budget and life right now. <3
We live in an old relocated military house….no storage either but wonderful floor plan for a 1,000 sq ft house. I suggest the use of old fashioned linen chests….beautiful old wood boxes that also work as coffee tables or extra seating for crowds.
We have 1300 square feet and a little toddler (with more in the future possibly). We are taking a rather drastic approach to increase our space which only works if you own the house. As part of our kitchen remodel, we are pushing out some walls. While that only buys us a little more space in terms of square footage, it opens up a world of possibilities.
Now we have room to put our dinning room table where our “kitchen nook” was. By combining that space, we can move our office desks out of a bedroom and into our old dinning room area. It creates a larger living room and frees up a bedroom.
If you know a contractor and architect, it might be worth it to show them your space and get their opinion. They often see ways to redesign a space that you may not have considered.
I live in a condo that’s just under 1000 sf with my husband, 2yo daughter, and 2 cats. It was my husbands “bachelor pad” and I moved in when we married, moments later we were pregnant. We thought we’d move shortly after my daughters birth but we’re finding this space works great for our family and meets our needs so we’re staying for now. If we move, it will be for schools in a few years and will probably be to a similar home.
We’re ok with our storage, thanks in part to some useful furniture, some thoughtful planning and a lot of purging.
Sound is an issue. We bought headphones and very long cords so we can watch tv after my daughters bedtime, although I usually prefer to read. We’ve researched sound proofing and may invest in that if we stay long term and find it’s a problem as she gets older. We’re open to helping this home evolve with our needs!
We live right in Chicago with plenty of restaurants and bars within blocks, if we entertain in the evenings we do so out of the house for now.
My daughter and I are regulars at the local playgrounds, zoo, the museums – if we’re feeling stir crazy we get out of here! We’ve found a small house both allows us and forces us to use our neighborhood as an extension of our living space and that’s been a positive experience.
Overall, we love the family togetherness that a small space affords. We honestly appreciate being forced to really consider what material things we want and need. I love that we can clean top to bottom in under an hour.
Are there things on my wish list? Of course! Some can and will be added eventually (more hooks in the hall for coats, a washer dryer). Some aren’t happening here (outdoor space) but there are workarounds (community garden). No house is perfect but – contrary to a lot of the commenter opinions above – I think a small house is actually quite nice for our family with kids!
My husband and I live in 624 sq. ft. home. This was our cottage before the bottom fell out of the market and my husband was let go. It suits us. We knew the job would probably end, although we hoped for another year, so we had lots of conversations about how to manage. We moved from a 1400 sq. ft home with half an acre, a two car garage and a nice shed that was a garage in the 50’s. Here, we have no garage, a postage size lot and we had to build a very small shed. We do have two small bedrooms and an unlivable basement. Like everyone mentioned, we have no storage, but you figure it out. We’re constantly assessing what stays and what gets donated. Personally, i wouldn’t trade up if our finances improved. I’d rather travel. A house is a thing not who i am.
A just shy of 1500 square feet home for 2 adults, 2 kids, dog, and cat. Positives, it felt positively spacious when it was just my husband and I, low mortgage and property taxes, and nice old house esthetics (wood floors, plaster walls). Main negatives is wishing for yet 1 more bedroom, more closet space in the bedrooms, and a dedicated space for washer/dryer (ie a laundry room). It is a 1925 house and does have a walk in pantry, but there is no linen closet, broom closet, and bedroom closets are miniscule.
I have a 300 sq feet apartment, with a 10 sq feet floor to ceiling storage locker in the building.
I thought I’d live here for a year and find something better, but I’ve now been here 2.5 years and will probably continue renting until I’m ready to buy a house.
I wouldn’t make sense for me to spend an extra 300$ per month just for a slightly bigger apartment.
I’ve had friends and family over and up to 5 people its totally fine for hosting. There’s a huge closet near the entry and a walk-in closet that leads to the bedroom so lots of storage.
The key is staying organized.
I’m going to chime in with the people who said it’s not about the size, but about how it’s used. I currently live in a two-story studio (no real bedrooms, but my bed is in a little loft upstairs) and basically doubled my space from my last apartment. Yet, This place feels a lot smaller and certainly has less storage space.
We are going through the LARGE house experiment and right now and it’s not working out all that well. Our last house genuinely was too small, so we overcompensated by buying a six bedroom monstrosity with one teen and one young adult son who has now moved out. Now we are barely using half the house and paying a fortune to heat and maintain it. We love the setup and the neighborhood and hate even the thought of moving, but it certainly was a dumb move to buy such an enormous house.
My family of fours (2 toddlers) live in approximately 800 square feet apartment. In addition to this we have a small storage space in the basement of the apartment complex, a small cold storage, a shared stroller storage and a shared bicycle storage. The total space we use is probably less than 900 square feet. Because the storage solutions in this apartment complex are so great, we have absolutely no problems living in this space. We could even reduce the size of our two bedrooms and living room without problems. The bathroom is separated, so that the toilet and one sink are in a small room and the shower and an additional sink is in another. This way we have no problems with waiting to use the bathroom while somebody is showering or getting ready. We have a fan in the children’s bedroom that acts as a noise maker so that they don’t hear us when we’re in the living room. This also makes them sleep better. So I definitely agree with that it’s not the size of the home that matters.
The average FAMILY home in The Netherlands is about 1200 to 1300 square feet. This typically houses a family of four or five.
We live in a 1500 square feet house and we think it’s HUGE…and so do other people. Us Dutchies would consider your average 2250 square feet a McMansion! A very small percentage of us own a home that big. It’s unaffordable!
A 1200 square feet home is NOT a small house!
Sometimes you Americans crack me up in the way you feel about size!
I wonder how many Netherlands’ would fit in the geographic area of the USA?
And you realize capital letters are kind of rude, right?
(ETA: I just looked it up, because I couldn’t resist. The Netherlands is the 24th most densely populated country in the world. The US is number 179.)
Thanks, imelda!
Your point being that people who live in less densely populated areas automatically require more living space? More space, more stuff, more expensive…that’s getting rich extra slowly for ya!
My point also was your idea of size. Your smallest coke or dish at a fastfood restaurant is our largest size.
Bigger isn’t always better 😉
…My point being that people with less space inhabit less space.
I’m not here to get into an argument about the benefits of small vs large living, especially as I fall very squarely on the small side. My real point is that you’re being rude and culturally insensitive. I mean, bigger isn’t always better?? Thank you so much for teaching us! No American has ever had that thought before.
It drives me crazy when people call a 1200 sq ft house small, or say that only people without children an comfortably live in them. Families all over Europe do exactly that! (And older American cities like Boston) As an American in the UK, I am thrilled to be buying a 950 sq ft house (3br). It has 2 bathrooms and that is nearly unheard of around here. Land, housing and tax are all generally much cheaper in the US. Sorry, I know this is an American blog with an American readership, but to someone living in Europe it just comes across as whining and condescending. I mean, how could anyone be comfortable living like millions of (employed, middle class, happy) European families do? The horror.
But if we get sick, we lose it all! It’s all about risk. 😉
Of course I’m joking. I don’t know what it is, but I wonder. Is it American excessiveness? The massive quantities of stuff we have; maybe in Europe people have less stuff? Other (social) protections that make life for the average Western European a little easier? A simple matter of what one gets used to? Our enormous land? Better architectural design in Europe? The fact that the US is swiftly losing its middle class?
Me, my wife, and dog have a 4300 sqft house and love the space. No shared walls. No cars rattling through the neighborhood at 2AM with heavy, heavy bass beats.
Lots of storage. Great neighborhood. Great school district for future kids. <30 min commute for both of our jobs.
It's a newer home (<10 years old) with very good insulation, so the heating/cooling costs are similar to the 30 year-old 2000 sqft home we rented.
Keeping it clean involves 2 hours a week of vacuuming up after the dog and cleaning the hardwood. Getting a iRobot Scooba will help. Yardwork and landscaping I do on my own.
To each his/her own. I can't bear the thought of living in Manhattan in a 500sqft apartment with shared walls on all sides, just like many city-folk find the thought of a McMansion in suburbia nauseating 8D
I also agree…The thought of living downtown in a 600 square foot apartment is what I think of as horror. I think of it every time I drive around Warsaw (I live in Poland).
I’m grateful for my larger house. We’ve been able to host many people (overnight) big dinner parties and I didn’t go crazy when my 5 little ones were all at home. Also, we LIVED at home–plus home schooled, so we used the space–not just slept here.
Many people just use their home as a hotel–as they are gone all day long–come home at 6 or 7 pm and watch tv til bedtime, sleep, get up and go to work.
Our house is about 2000 square feet plus a full basement (another 1000 square feet).
I’ve lived in small (a 40 foot travel trailer)with three kids and prefer larger.
I think you’re right on: some of us LIVE at home. My DH commutes 4 hours a day (public transit) so he is hardly ever home during the week. I on the other hand, work from home and though I have other activities that takes me away, I’m in our apartment the majority of the time. There is limited space for activities other than reading (which I love) and no private outdoor space.
I’m thankful I live in a very walkable and friendly neighborhood or I would go nuts.
From a European perspective, this article is an inadvertently hilarious look at how Americans live. The 1,168 square-foot house you’ve moved into is 108.5 square metres – much, much larger than many European apartments.
I did a double-take at the sentence, “There’s no pantry in the kitchen, for instance, which means that all of our food is stuffed in the few kitchen cabinets that we have.” The German word for pantry, Speisekammer, has an archaic ring to it – it’s something people had in great houses in the olden days, but not a feature of modern life.
To each their own! I marvel all the time at how infinitely adjustable humans are. Thanks for this article.
Different strokes for different folks.
I don’t understand why desiring a larger living space is getting so much flack here. I don’t remember J.D. Getting half as many fists shaking when he was living in his HUGE house with his ex-wife – when it was just the two of them.
I am an American living in Poland and thought the same thing. My biggest question about the idea of storage was “why not buy a cabinet/wardrobe or moveable closet to use as storage”…
That is what we have to do here.
But they were renting, so probably didn’t want to spend the money.
This post really rankles because I would LOVE a 1200 sq ft house. I live in the UK, and am thrilled to be moving to a 950 sq ft 3 bedroom house as it is a lot bigger than the miniature 2-bedroom we’re in now. Since it is Thanksgiving, maybe be grateful to have so much stuff that you can barely fit it in such a “small” house.
Millions of employed, middle class European families live happily in 1200sq ft houses, and the whole “I just don’t know how people live in houses this small!” line just comes across as silly (at best) and utterly out of touch and condescending (at worst).
Don’t knock smaller houses just because this one doesn’t have storage space. We toured a house in our current neighborhood (before buying this one) and thought, no way, it’s way too small and there is NO storage space. But the house we bought is the exact same size but configured differently and has large closets (5′, 6′, and 7′ in the bedrooms) and plenty of extra “general” storage space above the laundry and plenty of cabinets (we counted cabinets from where we were moving from to know we would have enough). We may move in the next few years, but only if we are adding more kids to the family (we have two young kids). For a family of 4, this house is the perfect size. When my parents come to visit, they stay on the pull out couch in the living room, and it still doesn’t seem small. Granted everyone wakes up when the baby cries at night, but that’s better than not being able to hear the baby crying because you’re two stories away and forgot to turn the baby monitor on.
I hear you on the closet thing. I love my apt. — 750 sq feet for one person, but man what I wouldn’t give for a coat closet and a linen closet. I have a big chiffonrobe in my bedroom where I keep my linens, so it suffices, but still . . .
Rather than looking at square footage, per se, I’d look at storage. A small house can have amazing storage, and a big house can have very little. My parents went from our 2k sq ft house to a 4k one, and the closet situation is no better. The same amount of stuff fits the new house as the old house. Their stuff just has more breathing room.
I know there’s no search option for “lots of storage,” but perhaps emphasize that to your realtor. You never know when you’ll find the 1.2k sq ft house that has built-ins everywhere and plenty of room for your stuff. Or, find the fixer-upper that you can add the storage to yourself.
This question made me laugh! I got married for the first time (at the age of 54!) last year. Husband had a 2-story 1500sf 3+2.5 house. I had a 2 story 1700sf 4+2.5 townhouse. His dad died right after we wed and we quickly realized his mom has Alzheimer’s. She owns a tiny home that had major structural issues which is titled with another son, so we couldn’t fit into it and couldn’t sell it. We sold both of our homes and started house hunting. We ended up with a 2650sf 4+3.5 house. We are now four adults (his student son still lives at home) and two dogs. I can’t believe that at this late stage in our lives, we have upsized so dramatically, but this is what suits our current needs. When his mom has gone and his son flown the nest, we will downsize. I still can’t believe I’m living in the largest home I’ve ever owned at this stage in my life. I look at as a tool for what we need at this point in our lives. I have a fascination with tiny homes and hope we end up in one eventually.
Our house is a winterized fishing cottage in Brooklyn, NYC. It is under 1000 sq ft, 2 bdrms (so small I climb over my husnad or get in bed from the end of the bed), 1.5 bath, with a livving rm small enough I can sit on the couch & change the TV channel with my toes. Two things – small houses are NOT easier to clean, as you have to move every damn thing to do so, and even with this, though, we have tons of storage. Hurricane Sandy destroyed our basement – 8 ft of salt water & mud – and the puny yard, barely 4 ft sq front & back. But when we redbuilt, we got shelving put everywhere, & built a walk-in closet & pantry in the basement. Also, the attic is 3.5 ft high, the full length & breadth of the house. No broom closet – we put those in the foot-wide space between fridge & wall. No coat closet either – bought an armoire. 2 people, 2 cats. No dining table or room for even a dinette – we eat on TV tables. It works. For NYC, it’s affordable.
1,200 square feet on the nose. Small mortgage payment. Manageable taxes. With two kids and a dog.
Have thought about upgrading for space, but not ready or willing to “upgrade” payments or utility costs.
What about a 173 square foot apartment like this?
http://www.fastcoexist.com/3022184/enjoy-some-extremely-tiny-living-in-these-173-square-foot-micro-apartments
Glad to see this topic is back.
Sometimes, I think I’d be able to do well in a small home, especially if I didn’t work from home. But then a cold day hits like today, which is about 20 degrees, and I think, “How in the world would I survive in such little space when there is nowhere else to go?”
Not that I think it would be impossible…
Its been quite cold here these past few days and I spent very little time at home. I would rather be out of the apartment and cold than stuck at home and warm. Ha!
Maybe I’m a little to unemotional and detached, but I’m more interested in my primary residence as an investment. I’m disappointed that everybody is skipping over that side of things.
At least right now, I have a mortgage at 3.75% and my investments look like they will close up 25% or so for the year. Makes more sense to borrow the money. And why would I not buy a larger house closer to the limits of my (reasonable) monthly payment? I can assume (careful with that word) the house will appreciate, and if it does so at 5% while my cost of borrowing is 3.75%, knowing that I get a tax credit on the mortgage interest to boot, seems like a no-brainer to buy a larger more comfortable house as a semi-risky investment.
Sarah Susaka has great ideas for small living.
http://www.amazon.com/Sarah-Susanka/e/B001JPC3PK/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_11?qid=1387221830&sr=1-11
I live just outside of Boston in a 1280 sq foot 3 bedroom, one bathroom ranch (built in 1952) with two boys (11 and 14), two cats and a dog (and because we are only 6 miles from Boston, the house is worth $650,000!). We have no garage, but do have an unfinished basement. Generally we are doing fine. The boys even get to have their own room. My kitchen is the original 50’s kitchen and the storage in the kitchen and elsewhere reflects how life was in the 50’s – far less stuff! I try to keep that in mind and I do keep all of my rarely used cooking items like the roasting pan for the yearly Thanksgiving Turkey, in the basement.
I find that I have to really purge continually – I just went through the younger boys room and gathered up three large bags worth of stuff he no longer needs or uses, and I am about to move on to my linen closet (I try to do one closet/room a month).
I like that my heating costs are very low. I like that I always know what my kids are up to (no real place other than their rooms to escape!). I llike that we use every room every day. Of course since we have only one common room (living/dining), it gets dirty fast, however one plus with a house this small is that I can plug the vacuum in the hallway and reach the whole house without having to unplug it!
I think that our problem with “stuff” is that “stuff” is relatively inexpensive and that we buy it to try to make our kids happy and to keep up with what their friends have. The availability of credit is also part of the problem. In my parents generation there were no credit cards – you bought what you could afford and if you could not afford it, you saved until you could. Finally, technology has overtaken us. Again, my parents did not have (and therefore not need space for) all the things that we use everyday – microwaves, coffee makers, computers, Huge TV’s (with all the little “boxes” that go with them), cell phones and all of their chargers etc etc.
We bought a fairly small house (1700 square feet plus a basement, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms) when we were 2 years married with our first baby on the way. That was after 2+ years of renting while my husband finished school.
After 5 years, we moved into a LARGE house — 3500 square feet, plus a large basement. Well, I really do think it was one of the best decisions of our lives :-). We honestly use every square foot thanks to (now) 8 children, with #9 on the way. We homeschool so people are running around all the time here. Our personalities, plus the needs of napping babies and toddlers, means we are home a LOT. Our house is big but not fancy so it wasn’t horrendously expensive, and we have no debt except the house, and will have that paid off in 4 years or so. I really think a lot depends on financial situation plus personality. I totally applaud your decision to go small for now. If we enjoyed traveling more, or had more expensive hobbies, our home would be a bad deal. But for us, for our lifestyle, it is a good place to be.