How Big Is Your Home?

[JakeBrake]

3,000 square feet. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, formal living room and dining room, den with fireplace, separate study with fireplace, laundry room, large front porch, large screened back porch, 2 car enclosed garage. everything is on one level, which is good for the physically impaired.

We're on acreage, so we are not too close to our neighbors.

 

[FreeAtLast]

I have a 2400 sf home 4 br 2 1/2 ba plus a 2 car garage attached that I have been in for 25 years. I live her with my son who will be off to college next year. It is too big for daily needs, however, the thought of having to do something with 25 years of stuff being accumulated makes it easier to stay.

 

[unclemick]

1152 SF one bath, 3 bedrooms, unfinished basement, no garage. 1970 tract home - the kind they raised families in back then. Should be 864 SF plus garage but it became a room addition somewhere in the past.

Currently one person, two dogs and a cat.

heh heh heh - thinking of downsizing. Or finding a nice garage with a house attached.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

1950 sq. foot 2-story home built in 2004. It has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, EIK with small den, and a vaulted ceiling great room which houses the dining room and living room. Two car integral garage, small utility room, no basement.

I am one person with a small dog. I really only make use of one bedroom, 1.5 baths and the EIK and den. The great room is just a pass through space, only used about once a year when I have a group over. Two bedrooms are giant walk-in closets for my burgeoning purse, shoe, clothing collection.

I do park my two cars in the garage, hate to have a car sitting out.

I think a one bedroom condo in some great location will be my final home.

 

[mountaintosea]

Being single I don't need more than what I have. It's around 1400 I think. That would mean more cleaning! It's really dusty up here. Each cat has their own room. That's enough!

 

[Beryl]

2715 sf living space w/3car garage for me, one car, and pets. I don't use most of it except when I have visitors which I enjoy. No plans to downsize soon.

Considering these improvements:
1. Basement finishes - spa, theater, gym, indoor pool (I don't do public pools)
2. Elevator for 3 levels
3. Terrace off 2nd level bedroom
4. Sunroom

I don't plan to recoup any investments but just want to enjoy my home and possibly move in my mother. I like my neighborhood.

 

[Purron]

Current abode = 2040.

Soon to be abode = 1250.

Downsizing baby!

 

[Lakedog]

1450 sf, 3 br, 2 ba, attached garage, 200 sf screened porch on lakeside. The spare bedrooms and bath are rarely used so would do fine with approx 1000 sf (since it is just me and the pup).

 

[MichaelB]

A big house is costly in so many ways. Taxes, upkeep, maintenance are higher. The space invites some to buy more stuff and fill it up (like someone close to me).

The only problem with a small house is it sometimes is too small for 2 people. DW and I get along much better when we have our space...

 

[scrabbler1]

Studio apartment in a co-op complex. One large L-shaped room, small kitchen, bathroom, a few closets, ~625 square feet. Moved here 22 years ago. Single, no kids, no pets.

 

[Ronstar]

About 3,500 sf. Can't remember the last time I was in our living room. Last time in the dining room was Thanksgiving. I would like to downsize (DW does not), but I like our location.

 

[mountaintosea]

Wow Midpack hot thread!

 

[obgyn65]

About 1,000 sq ft condo.

 

[steelyman]

My home is big enough

 

[W2R]

My home is big enough

But are you sure?

 

[steelyman]

But are you sure?

Indeed. It's all about contentment, right?

 

[W2R]

Indeed. It's all about contentment, right?

So right.

 

[Packman]

2,500 SF now, but will downsize to between 1,500 and 1,900 when DW retires. We have been lookng at new homes and it is really annoying that the smaller the home, the crummier they build them. I wish builders would wake up and build a luxorious smaller single family home (not just condo's or townhome's). With all of the empty nesters and retiring boomers, it shouildn't be too hard to figure that out.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

Amethyst has a great point relative to the lot size complementing the size of the house. Our house, 2065 sq ft, is on a 1/4 acre lot. Also, there is an easement on the east side that puts us about 40 ft from that adjoining house. Probably 25 ft on the west side. And the house sits back quite a bit from the street. That's the thing we like about the house the most, the space around us. In the back we butt up against an environmental area that separates our house from the golf course. Being in an 55+ community, you don't see a lot of cars in the street or driveways, kids bikes, a mishmash of mailboxes and just plain unkept yards. We love it here.

 

[ksr]

Mine is 1700 sf and honestly it's a bit more than I need or want. I think around 1200 sf would be ideal - roomy enough but with no unused space. It kind of bugs me that there are 2 or 3 rooms we rarely use.

 

[carnivalday]

Mine is 1800 sq. feet; I designed it myself and had it built in 2004, on 10 acres. Very open floorplan. I had it built with lots of windows so there isnt anywhere on my property that I cant see from one of my windows. Ill never have larger, but I could have smaller if a very open floorplan. Just me and 3 puppies. I dont know how long Ill stay here, but for now no plans on leaving. If I ever decide to downsize on acreage, I could see me moving to western NC to a nice log cabin, 1200 square feet or so. Plenty of room for me and pups.

 

[Dave C.]

Our home seems a perfect fit....at this time. 1800 sq ft main floor, 1200 more with finished lower level, split bedrooms (3)' three baths. In anticipation of downsizing out of state in a few years i finished the lower level and added the third bath. All improvements done with selling/moving in mind....maybe 3-4 years. Three of us now live here, my bride, my 18 year old daughter and me. Next home in southwest will be 1500 sq ft...or less, one level, 2 BR, 2 bath

 

[eytonxav]

Much too big, 4300 sq ft, 3 air conditioners, < less than 1/2 acre.
Looking to downsize next year.

 

[SteveR]

At least two of us with homes >4000 sq.ft. have spoken up. Mine is a "down size" to 4200 sq. ft. Our previous home was 6400 sq. ft. so we feel we down sized a whole house. Actually, the reason for the extra space now is family. DW has parents that could end up living with us at some point so we got the cassita model so if they do we have room for them to not be underfoot. It is all on one level and has zero steps...even from the outside to the inside so it can easily accommodate wheelchairs as the previous owner's mother lived in the cassita and was wheelchair bound.

We hope we don't have to be an Assisted Living home for her parent(s) but if worse comes to worse we have the space for now. Our plan has always been to downsize again in under 10 years from when we moved in...sooner if possible.

With all the visits we get from family and friends it has been a boon to have the space to house them and be able to visit more with them than if they were staying in a hotel or not stopping by at all.

We got rid of quite a bit of stuff when we moved to this house since there was no place to put it or store it. We are now working through the remaining stuff as we can to sort through it and dispose of it so we can downsize again in the not so distant future.

Stuff is hard to deal with when it comes with sentimental attachments. We seem to have more than our share of that kind of stuff. Also, I seem to not be able to make much progress on the garage which is stuffed with tools, spare parts and decorations for every holiday.

 

[Walt34]

Ours is a tad over 1700 sf, 2-car garage (love that part!) 3 bedroom, 3 bath (one in the basement) screened porch off the kitchen with a small deck for the grill, large storage shed under the porch for mowers, rakes, etc.

Much of it we don't use and when we do move it will be to a smaller home. But we like the area, it backs up to a creek and overlooks a flood plain that will never be built on and that was worth a lot to us. It's also at the end of a court/dead end so there's little traffic and that's important too.

The garage is terrific to have. No clearing snow/ice from vehicles in winter or getting into a heat-soaked car in summer. I fail to comprehend why so many people with garages store junk there instead of keeping their expensive vehicles under roof.