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

[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]

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

That thing must be really hard to pedal...

 

[Dawg52]

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.

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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).

 

[JOHNNIE36]

Very interesting post on size (sq ft) of required living space. We've lived in 16 different units (apts, condos, homes) since we've been married. Anywhere from 1100 to 3000 as ft, some with the kids still around and most after they were gone. I don't see how WE could survive in anything less than 1200 sq ft. Had a condo once that was perfect at 1400 sq ft but we could eliminate the dining room and save 200 sq ft. If I was single, I could take that condo easily and eliminate the dining room and the den. That would leave me with about 1000 sq ft and I can see how I could live with that. In fact, if DW passes first, that is exactly what I'm going to do. Would have to have master bedroom and bath, guest bedroom and bath, kitchen/eating area and a living room. Yeap! Would have to be 1000 sq ft minimum. I'm sold.

 

[Nords]

Like Gumby I have only an imperfect concept of "personal space", yet I have very clear limits on the minimum standoff range between me and my neighbors.

But maybe our extra rooms can be converted to longboard storage. Hmmm.

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

Mercifully we avoided that this time. Three years ago we found out that our kid thought they were itty bitty cockroaches... they apparently weren't exsanguinating our teen but my spouse had quite the physical reaction to the critter experience.

 

[obgyn65]

Same here. I bought my current condo with "central location" and "walking distance to everything" as top criteria. Happy with less than 1,000 sq ft.

Our retirement condo is centrally located , a walking distance to everything. A big park area is two blocks away, the harbourfront is one block. I will walk lots!

 

[obgyn65]

+1

The key to enjoying a small space is good design.