Less is more; Living in less than 1,000 sq ft

[yakers]

We have lived for 20 years now in about 1,000 sq ft, (998) 2 BR 1 Ba house, was a little tight with two sons but youngest son left for college 3 years ago so it feels pretty big right now. We have a good sized lot so do have a garden and a place to put or small travel trailer. DW wanted more space but did not get on with her mom. All I had to do was, correctly, mention that if we had another bedroom her mother would want to stay with us a lot or even move in. The space has made us manage things but now that MIL is in a senior home DW really wants more space for her various crafts. The house has saved us a lot of money in that we were able to pay it off and put funds into retirement funds. I *hate* home maintenance, I would vote for a good condo but this place serves pretty well.

[haha]

A very happy middle aged couple live in my building in a one bedroom apartment. I think theirs is the same size as mine, about 500 sq ft.

He is a bike builder and a very pleasant guy. I don't know what she does, but she is one of the happiest looking 50 something women I have seen. His two teenage sons even stay over frequently for weekends.

Ha

[audreyh1]

1100 sq ft is what we have right now. Of course, we also have a 300 sq ft "rolling home" parked along side.

Audrey

[ziggy29]

Looks like a nice, low-maintenance yard.

[Sarah in SC]

yakers, I live in mortal fear of having people move in with us if we have more space! Yours looks lovely!
We have 1500 sq feet, really too big for the two of us, as we have two extra bedrooms we rarely use (with the exception of the friend we had move in with us for a year, see note to yakers above).
I hate having to clean it. We would have built smaller but felt like for resale eventually that we needed to build something that was marketable.
I'm probably building Katrina Cottage 576 (without optional bedroom) on our property in the next year or so, to get a full-time caretaker to stay here while we travel. Or maybe we'll move in and let them have the "big house".

[HFWR]

I currently have 1650sf 3-2-2 "ranch". One bedroom for the very infrequent guest, one bedroom for a home recording studio, and a "master" bedroom.

Not bad, though I moved here from a 750sf 2-1 apartment, which was big enough 99% of the time.

Getting tired of the maintenance, though.

[avengerki]

I started thinking about a newspaper article I read about a few month back. I couldn't find it in the archives for that paper(probably could of if I could of remembered the title for it) but it looked something similar to this home Tour of the Epu talk about thinking small but some people can make it work.

[Brat]

These tiny houses with lofts are cute but are not really practical when you get older and have mobility issues. My brother has a 400 sq ft studio with a lovely deck & wall bed. He is so happy with his home, his cost of living is low, he does't deal with maintance, is in a great neighborhood and it's accessable.

When we were looking at a move I noticed how many studios & small 1br were in the new condo buildings. I thought that was crazy because that wouldn't work for husband & I, but now I see the value for mature singles. For those of us who need more psychological space look for a deck, terrace or nearby park.

[Sarah in SC]

Brat, just an FYI, the Katrina 576 is universal design, with wheelchair accessibility for all rooms including the bath. As our current home is elevated 20 feet, it is a considerable concern for us later.

[calmloki]

Ah - an RV for the tiny house folks: cornelius comanns: bufalino

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by calmloki Ah - an RV for the tiny house folks: cornelius comanns: bufalino

That thing must be really hard to pedal...

[Dawg52]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yakers We have lived for 20 years now in about 1,000 sq ft, (998) 2 BR 1 Ba house

Very nice. I could be very happy in a similar home.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC I'm probably building Katrina Cottage 576 (without optional bedroom) on our property in the next year or so, to get a full-time caretaker to stay here while we travel.

I could live in one of those. If I could find the right lot in the country, that would be a good option. I really don't need much. I live in a 1100-1200 sq foot home now and 1/3 of it is just used for storage. I keep my furniture and other junk crammed in there. The rest of the house is furniture I inherited with the house. Only problem with the house is location.

Small is certainly the way to go if your single like me.

[ziggy29]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dawg52 I could live in one of those. If I could find the right lot in the country, that would be a good option. I really don't need much. I live in a 1100-1200 sq foot home now and 1/3 of it is just used for storage. I keep my furniture and other junk crammed in there. The rest of the house is furniture I inherited with the house. Only problem with the house is location. Small is certainly the way to go if your single like me.

Our house is a 2/1, and a little over 1100 square feet. It would be nearly perfect for me if I were single, though with the two of us and all of DW's shoes yarn stuff it's a little cramped, especially if we both need the bathroom at the same time.

[IBWino]

We live in a 1360 sq-ft, 3/2 that's just right for us while I'm still working (I use one of the bedrooms as a home office). I couldn't see us downsizing on living space unless I could get extra garage/work-shop space. In any case, two bathrooms are a must. Our yard is just right; easy to take care of, with a large patio and deck.

My only complaint is the location; the street we live on has higher traffic than I would prefer. Seriously, I doubt we'll move any time soon, if ever. We love the area where we we live (an hours drive north of the Golden Gate Bridge), and our current property taxes are very low.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IBWino We live in a 1360 sq-ft, 3/2 that's just right for us My only complaint is the location...

We have the opposite issue-- great location with a house that's about two rooms too big. It was great when we had five houseguests living here for a month, but the drawback was that five houseguests could live here for a month.

Now with our kid at college I have to drop by her bathroom once a week to make sure that the bathtub & sink drains don't dry out...

[aaronc879]

500 sq ft would be ideal for me. I was considering buying a house a few months ago that was 454 sq ft. By the time I decided to call the realtor someone had beat me to it. The house I grew up in was just under 1000 sq ft. It was comfortable even with 4 people that averaged 6'3" 195lbs.

[IBWino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords We have the opposite issue-- great location with a house that's about two rooms too big. It was great when we had five houseguests living here for a month, but the drawback was that five houseguests could live here for a month. Now with our kid at college I have to drop by her bathroom once a week to make sure that the bathtub & sink drains don't dry out...

Well, judging from the responses in the bedbug thread, a simple rumor might solve that problem.

[Gumby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg My minimum space requirement is 1600 square feet but I really enjoy our larger house .

How did you arrive at that minimum? I know how big my house is now, but I would be at a loss to come up with such a precise figure for how much I would really need. When I was in the Navy, I shared about 50 sqft with two other guys, so I know I can survive a fairly tight squeeze for a certain period of time, but I would have no idea how to determine my minimum acceptable size for a house in which I would be long term.

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby How did you arrive at that minimum? I know how big my house is now, but I would be at a loss to come up with such a precise figure for how much I would really need. When I was in the Navy, I shared about 50 sqft with two other guys, so I know I can survive a fairly tight squeeze for a certain period of time, but I would have no idea how to determine my minimum acceptable size for a house in which I would be long term.

I came up with that number after living in different houses . I could live in a smaller area if I was alone but with a partner that is my space requirement . When I moved from New Jersey to Florida we initially rented a 1100 sq. feet condo which I absolutely hated . We then moved into a 1800 sq. feet house much better but I could have cut the bedroom size . I now live in a three story house . The main living floor is 1600 sq. feet and just perfect . The other areas are just extras that could be eliminated . In Florida you need a little more space since you do not have basements or usable attics.

[Gumby]

I'm currently living in the one and only house I have ever owned and I have become accustomed to it, so I don't have any real basis for comparison (other than the generally crappy apartments we lived in prior to the house).