lakehawk
Dryer sheet wannabe
Downsized home
If building new, ask about a zero entry home (no steps at entryway or in garage).
If building new, ask about a zero entry home (no steps at entryway or in garage).
Wish-list for Downsized Home
- Thread starter 6miths
- Start date
skyking1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
We are doing that at all three doors. They will have ADA thresholds and walk right out at grade. Each door is under a roof to protect it from weather.
Philliefan33
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2014
- Messages
- 1,677
OP, I think your instinct to have a smaller home, but not “2-bedroom condo” small, is a good idea. If/when your four children start having grandchildren, you will appreciate having a home large enough to accommodate family get-togethers.
We moved from about 3000 sq ft center hall Colonial to 2500 sq ft carriage home. It isn’t that much less space but it is used differently. We now have three BRs instead of two, no formal dining room, and instead of a formal living room we have a study. The primary BR/bath suite is on the first floor and has two large walk-in closets. We could live entirely on the first floor if necessary.
The open concept kitchen / family room / eating area is perfect when we have the whole family over for dinner. I can be working in the kitchen yet still be a part of the festivities (chaos?). We looked at smaller homes, but then where would our growing family of grandkids gather? Plus, DH and I prefer to have enough space to get away from each other. He gets the study, and I use one of the upstairs BRs as my sewing/ crafting space. The other upstairs BR serves as a guest room.
For some reason the new house feels easier to clean than the previous house. It might be the absence of the dining room and one BR, or it might be that we got rid of a lot of stuff when we moved. Fewer bookcases, less furniture, and no Knick-knacks means less time spent dusting.
We still have a two-car garage. Since we have an HOA that takes care of the yard work and snow removal, we do not have to store a lawnmower or snow blower. That clears some space. We also have an unfinished basement that we will use for storage and DH’s workbench.
Our HOA fee is $250/month and covers trash & recycling pick up, lawn maintenance (including the beds) and snow removal to our door. I am not missing the yard work at all.
We moved from about 3000 sq ft center hall Colonial to 2500 sq ft carriage home. It isn’t that much less space but it is used differently. We now have three BRs instead of two, no formal dining room, and instead of a formal living room we have a study. The primary BR/bath suite is on the first floor and has two large walk-in closets. We could live entirely on the first floor if necessary.
The open concept kitchen / family room / eating area is perfect when we have the whole family over for dinner. I can be working in the kitchen yet still be a part of the festivities (chaos?). We looked at smaller homes, but then where would our growing family of grandkids gather? Plus, DH and I prefer to have enough space to get away from each other. He gets the study, and I use one of the upstairs BRs as my sewing/ crafting space. The other upstairs BR serves as a guest room.
For some reason the new house feels easier to clean than the previous house. It might be the absence of the dining room and one BR, or it might be that we got rid of a lot of stuff when we moved. Fewer bookcases, less furniture, and no Knick-knacks means less time spent dusting.
We still have a two-car garage. Since we have an HOA that takes care of the yard work and snow removal, we do not have to store a lawnmower or snow blower. That clears some space. We also have an unfinished basement that we will use for storage and DH’s workbench.
Our HOA fee is $250/month and covers trash & recycling pick up, lawn maintenance (including the beds) and snow removal to our door. I am not missing the yard work at all.
NXR7
Recycles dryer sheets
How about more non-house suggestions for the "forever home"?
My dad always told me to always buy a home on a hill to avoid water problems. He was wise beyond his years, especially nowadays. I'll never own a home that needs a sump pump.
If considering a multi-family building note that some areas including Florida recently enacted laws that require buildings over a certain age (10 years, for example) and over a certain number of stories (two, for example) to have an engineering study every decade to assure the buildings will remain safe.
Some folks in Florida have been shocked to see their HOA monthly assessments increase over $500 a month when those studies found structural problems because those laws require a mandatory fund and repairs. Where my kid lives in VA it was a $700 increase. On condos that sell for $250K.
Then there are the issues with insurance costs blasting skyward, car and homeowners. And places with septic systems mandating that people pay for municipal sewer tie-in.
All of these and more can blast a gigantic hole in your finances from what you projected, even excluding inflation.
My dad always told me to always buy a home on a hill to avoid water problems. He was wise beyond his years, especially nowadays. I'll never own a home that needs a sump pump.
If considering a multi-family building note that some areas including Florida recently enacted laws that require buildings over a certain age (10 years, for example) and over a certain number of stories (two, for example) to have an engineering study every decade to assure the buildings will remain safe.
Some folks in Florida have been shocked to see their HOA monthly assessments increase over $500 a month when those studies found structural problems because those laws require a mandatory fund and repairs. Where my kid lives in VA it was a $700 increase. On condos that sell for $250K.
Then there are the issues with insurance costs blasting skyward, car and homeowners. And places with septic systems mandating that people pay for municipal sewer tie-in.
All of these and more can blast a gigantic hole in your finances from what you projected, even excluding inflation.
We downsized from 10 1/2 wooded acres, creek, 700 foot driveway, 2600 square foot colonial in a rural area thst we lived in for 32 years to an 1100 square foot one level cottage in another state on a .2 acre lot in an HOA community. Pool and clubhouse with resident arranged activities, trash pick up, lawn mowed and fertilized and mulching, private road plowed. HOA fee is $180 monthly.
We could have a small garden in the back if we wanted to but we don’t. We have 4 little bushes in the front of our home our in by the builder and a tree on each side of our property on the border line also out in by the builder. We choose not to plant anything else. Our driveway fits 2 cars side by side.
We have a one car garage and a full walk out basement. We are within walking distance to a huge very popular lake with a beach. A vacation area so lots going on and close to shopping, medical care, restaurants, theater, etc.
No state income taxes or sales taxes here either.
Yes- we have given up privacy but it’s really nice having neighbors to socialize with and not be secluded as we age.
Unlike you, we only have one adult child and we moved to this state partly because he lives here. He’s also single. We have no grandchildren either.
So- the house is essentially 2 bedrooms ( I use one as an office- no bed in there) and 2 full bathrooms, with an open living and dining area and a u shaped kitchen off the dining area. Full size Washer/dryer in hall right off the kitchen.
Pretty much cookie cutter. It was new construction. The ceilings are 9 ft, but we added a cathedral ceiling in the living/dining area. Makes it seem bigger and more open. In this design home I couldn’t have an island and I do miss that. My husband and I also agree we would have liked one extra bedroom as a multi use room.
Also I would have liked a few more windows even though for privacy I have window film on the ones we have. ( I don’t like curtains or blinds/ shades- dust collectors.)
We also put in a counter depth fridge to save space in the kitchen but I made sure we had plenty of cabinets and counter space when designing it. Have a nice size pantry also.
We keep a small chest freezer in the garage, but I hate it. I’d rather have an upright but it would have to go in the basement due to space limitations and I don’t want to have to go down there all the time to get good out.
With a small home - and as you age- you have to make compromises.
We put in a whole house generator as well. We have a front porch that fits exactly 2 Adirondack chairs.
The basement serves as a man cave where my husband keeps his work bench and a few tools and other stuff for his hobbies. I have some exercise equipment down there and, of course, we store things there.
We did not finish it and don’t heat it and no plans to- it’s a true basement. But many folks here have made extra bedrooms down there and a tv room and even a partial bathroom.
It helps to be very organized and neat in a home like this. It works for us - especially me, as I’m into simplification.
We can use the clubhouse if we want to have larger gatherings and if anyone comes to visit us from out of state- as my brother and his wife just did- we tell them they must get a hotel room as we don’t have the space or privacy for them. No way are we going to keep a guest room on an off chance that someone might want to stay here once in a blue moon. We don’t live close to any family or old time friends which makes it less likely for lots of visits. We’ve been here 3 years already and my brother was the only one to visit us once which was this month for the first time.
I’m glad for this small home at this stage of life. Easy to clean and maintain. I am 67 and husband is 68 and we moved in 2020 just as the pandemic started. My husband just retired at that time and I left work in 2018.
It’s a good thing because after being healthy and active I was diagnosed with severe spinal stenosis last year and had spine surgery this past January and with mobility issues bring in a small home on one level was a God send.
The funny thing is the community we live in, which consists of 85 homes, sits on 10 1/2 acres- the exact same size lot our one former single family home was on!
In the community photo our house is the 4th house in from the left at the tree line.
We could have a small garden in the back if we wanted to but we don’t. We have 4 little bushes in the front of our home our in by the builder and a tree on each side of our property on the border line also out in by the builder. We choose not to plant anything else. Our driveway fits 2 cars side by side.
We have a one car garage and a full walk out basement. We are within walking distance to a huge very popular lake with a beach. A vacation area so lots going on and close to shopping, medical care, restaurants, theater, etc.
No state income taxes or sales taxes here either.
Yes- we have given up privacy but it’s really nice having neighbors to socialize with and not be secluded as we age.
Unlike you, we only have one adult child and we moved to this state partly because he lives here. He’s also single. We have no grandchildren either.
So- the house is essentially 2 bedrooms ( I use one as an office- no bed in there) and 2 full bathrooms, with an open living and dining area and a u shaped kitchen off the dining area. Full size Washer/dryer in hall right off the kitchen.
Pretty much cookie cutter. It was new construction. The ceilings are 9 ft, but we added a cathedral ceiling in the living/dining area. Makes it seem bigger and more open. In this design home I couldn’t have an island and I do miss that. My husband and I also agree we would have liked one extra bedroom as a multi use room.
Also I would have liked a few more windows even though for privacy I have window film on the ones we have. ( I don’t like curtains or blinds/ shades- dust collectors.)
We also put in a counter depth fridge to save space in the kitchen but I made sure we had plenty of cabinets and counter space when designing it. Have a nice size pantry also.
We keep a small chest freezer in the garage, but I hate it. I’d rather have an upright but it would have to go in the basement due to space limitations and I don’t want to have to go down there all the time to get good out.
With a small home - and as you age- you have to make compromises.
We put in a whole house generator as well. We have a front porch that fits exactly 2 Adirondack chairs.
The basement serves as a man cave where my husband keeps his work bench and a few tools and other stuff for his hobbies. I have some exercise equipment down there and, of course, we store things there.
We did not finish it and don’t heat it and no plans to- it’s a true basement. But many folks here have made extra bedrooms down there and a tv room and even a partial bathroom.
It helps to be very organized and neat in a home like this. It works for us - especially me, as I’m into simplification.
We can use the clubhouse if we want to have larger gatherings and if anyone comes to visit us from out of state- as my brother and his wife just did- we tell them they must get a hotel room as we don’t have the space or privacy for them. No way are we going to keep a guest room on an off chance that someone might want to stay here once in a blue moon. We don’t live close to any family or old time friends which makes it less likely for lots of visits. We’ve been here 3 years already and my brother was the only one to visit us once which was this month for the first time.
I’m glad for this small home at this stage of life. Easy to clean and maintain. I am 67 and husband is 68 and we moved in 2020 just as the pandemic started. My husband just retired at that time and I left work in 2018.
It’s a good thing because after being healthy and active I was diagnosed with severe spinal stenosis last year and had spine surgery this past January and with mobility issues bring in a small home on one level was a God send.
The funny thing is the community we live in, which consists of 85 homes, sits on 10 1/2 acres- the exact same size lot our one former single family home was on!
In the community photo our house is the 4th house in from the left at the tree line.
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Jeb-NY
Recycles dryer sheets
We probably would have included a few more things in our retirement home from all these comments if we were building from scratch. We found an existing house, took a week or so looking with a realtor that knew the area and lots of internet searches. We started off with what we were looking for that made us want to move then what we added in what we wanted in the house.
Less Winter
Less Politics
Less Taxes
We wanted 4 seasons just less of one of them.
No HOA
Reasonable piece of land in the country
Smallish house not huge
All on one level
30 minutes or less from big(good) hospital
As a bonus moving into a lower cost of living area I didn't care as much about low cost of maintenance, made up my mind as we were moving that anything I didn't like to do or couldn't would be hired done.
Our house we were moving from was in the middle for 8 acres of woods for 35 years and liked the lack of close by neighbors and quiet. My Mother lived on a busy corner and my MIL lived in and apartment with neighbors that were not noise but could be heard, didn't like either place when we visited. Current house is on 7.5 acres of woods with federal forest behind that. One level but does have a few steps top to the deck/porch but when I had all the decks replaced with maintenance free material I made sure there was a place for a lift platform or ramp in the future. Laundry off the master bath. Our last house had a great room and we liked that so that was a plus on the current house. Extra bedrooms and bath ae off the opposite side of great room from master suit so when we have company we don't hear each other. Full basement where my shop is built. fairly tight spiral staircase to shop but being small it is easy to hold on to both sides going up and down. The plan is it could be replaced with a lift if ever needed. One decision we made was to spend the money to make the new place as close to what we wanted as soon as we could rather than spread it out. One of those was make one of the extra bedrooms into a sewing/craft room for wife with build in cabinets. We did take a long road trip to re-visit the places we thought could be our future area. I could go on but make a list of what would be your perfect home and start looking or designing. We moved into our place 8 years ago at 67YO and don't regret the house or the move to a new area at all. A bonus was an ambulance base is 3 miles away and we got to check that out a couple months ago. 45 minutes from calling 911 till I was in the emergency room. We can make the hospital by car in 20-30 minutes by car. The extra time was the ambulance getting to the house and taking care of me before loading. We were pleased and I am getting better.
Less Winter
Less Politics
Less Taxes
We wanted 4 seasons just less of one of them.
No HOA
Reasonable piece of land in the country
Smallish house not huge
All on one level
30 minutes or less from big(good) hospital
As a bonus moving into a lower cost of living area I didn't care as much about low cost of maintenance, made up my mind as we were moving that anything I didn't like to do or couldn't would be hired done.
Our house we were moving from was in the middle for 8 acres of woods for 35 years and liked the lack of close by neighbors and quiet. My Mother lived on a busy corner and my MIL lived in and apartment with neighbors that were not noise but could be heard, didn't like either place when we visited. Current house is on 7.5 acres of woods with federal forest behind that. One level but does have a few steps top to the deck/porch but when I had all the decks replaced with maintenance free material I made sure there was a place for a lift platform or ramp in the future. Laundry off the master bath. Our last house had a great room and we liked that so that was a plus on the current house. Extra bedrooms and bath ae off the opposite side of great room from master suit so when we have company we don't hear each other. Full basement where my shop is built. fairly tight spiral staircase to shop but being small it is easy to hold on to both sides going up and down. The plan is it could be replaced with a lift if ever needed. One decision we made was to spend the money to make the new place as close to what we wanted as soon as we could rather than spread it out. One of those was make one of the extra bedrooms into a sewing/craft room for wife with build in cabinets. We did take a long road trip to re-visit the places we thought could be our future area. I could go on but make a list of what would be your perfect home and start looking or designing. We moved into our place 8 years ago at 67YO and don't regret the house or the move to a new area at all. A bonus was an ambulance base is 3 miles away and we got to check that out a couple months ago. 45 minutes from calling 911 till I was in the emergency room. We can make the hospital by car in 20-30 minutes by car. The extra time was the ambulance getting to the house and taking care of me before loading. We were pleased and I am getting better.
And make sure you have hand railings installed on both sides.
We could put on a propane gas fireplace since we use propane to hear our home. But we opted to go the cheap way with a small electric “wood stove” heater with “flames” and a remote.
Turtle
Dryer sheet wannabe
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2007
- Messages
- 17
We did this in 2016. Unemployed and squeaked by 2007 to 2016 in RV then desert low cost house.
In 2016 moved back north to be near family and be outside, even if rainy, year around.
The list
1500 sq ft, finding it the sweet spot after living smaller most of our life together.
Absolutely 1 story
House building code requirement of 6" walls (WA ~ 1986 or so as I recall)
Two car garage even with only one car.
Window base ≤ 18"in main living area
Living room in back of house
Good natural light
Air conditioning
Heat source in living area like gas stove, fire place ///the only thing we didn't get it on our list. whew.
Other considerations
Decent access to medical care must have
Shuttle to airport ≤ 1.5 hours to airport or so
Ability to buy since no longer could qualify for a loan after years of not working. in a very fast market.
Our make-do house last year became our dream house with a modest remodel and a whole lot of white paint. Who knew! Everyday we count our blessings.
We really didn't want an HOA and ruled them out. The day we gave up that requirement we stumbled on this house, called our realtor and a few hours later drove up to see it while someone was putting up the for sale sign. Living in AZ we learned about community owned low cost HOA's so that's what we ended up with. $99 year. So for so good.
Best wishes, have fun, be well!
In 2016 moved back north to be near family and be outside, even if rainy, year around.
The list
1500 sq ft, finding it the sweet spot after living smaller most of our life together.
Absolutely 1 story
House building code requirement of 6" walls (WA ~ 1986 or so as I recall)
Two car garage even with only one car.
Window base ≤ 18"in main living area
Living room in back of house
Good natural light
Air conditioning
Heat source in living area like gas stove, fire place ///the only thing we didn't get it on our list. whew.
Other considerations
Decent access to medical care must have
Shuttle to airport ≤ 1.5 hours to airport or so
Ability to buy since no longer could qualify for a loan after years of not working. in a very fast market.
Our make-do house last year became our dream house with a modest remodel and a whole lot of white paint. Who knew! Everyday we count our blessings.
We really didn't want an HOA and ruled them out. The day we gave up that requirement we stumbled on this house, called our realtor and a few hours later drove up to see it while someone was putting up the for sale sign. Living in AZ we learned about community owned low cost HOA's so that's what we ended up with. $99 year. So for so good.
Best wishes, have fun, be well!
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skyking1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
it is a balance to get the staircase wide enough and yet narrow enough that you could put a hand on both rails.
mtpisgah
Dryer sheet wannabe
This is a very timely thread for us. We downsized from 4,000 sf to 2,800 sf about eight years ago. While it is not too big, it is more than we need. And it has stairs we have to use to access most of the house (darn split level).
We are on an 1.25 acres now and own the 2.5 acres next to us, so we are making plans to build this year. We like the privacy it affords. We looked at some new homes recently and they are just too close together.
We have to build 2,000 sf min per the HOA, so we are going to slide right in there. Due to the slope of the lot, it needs a basement or huge crawlspace, so we will probably have a basement that will be mostly unfinished. All necessary living will be on one level with no more than two steps to get into the house, probably just one. My wood shop will go in the basement and I will have a cart path on the outside in case I cannot negotiate the stairs one day, but can take a golf cart down. Or we install a small elevator or stair lift. We are considering a three car garage for the shop, but will likely still have a basement.
I like the idea of making it as ADA compliant as practical with wider doors and hallways, no shower sill, etc. I really want to be able to stay in the next house as long as possible.
We are on an 1.25 acres now and own the 2.5 acres next to us, so we are making plans to build this year. We like the privacy it affords. We looked at some new homes recently and they are just too close together.
We have to build 2,000 sf min per the HOA, so we are going to slide right in there. Due to the slope of the lot, it needs a basement or huge crawlspace, so we will probably have a basement that will be mostly unfinished. All necessary living will be on one level with no more than two steps to get into the house, probably just one. My wood shop will go in the basement and I will have a cart path on the outside in case I cannot negotiate the stairs one day, but can take a golf cart down. Or we install a small elevator or stair lift. We are considering a three car garage for the shop, but will likely still have a basement.
I like the idea of making it as ADA compliant as practical with wider doors and hallways, no shower sill, etc. I really want to be able to stay in the next house as long as possible.
OldShooter
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
FWIW in our new lake house the stairs to the loft/guest bedroom are 36" wide and the hand rails are 35" center to center. I have no problem at all (6' male) using them both though I rarely do. IDK if a small woman would have a problem or not.
skyking1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I have them drawn in at closer to 40 inches apart so I'm thinking I'll be bringing that in a little bit.
OldShooter
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
This might be a good place to make a 100% scale model with a couple of pieces of PVC pipe. See what is comfortable. An ounce of data trumps a pound of theory.
skyking1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
yes or we can take a tape measure to some existing stairs. We have done that for rise and run.
Yes isn't this the ironic thing. It seems that builders have recognized this market and the fact that many of those downsizing may have be in 'blow that dough' mode. We will wind up with excess funds unless we decide to go truly crazy but I doubt it as we already have our waterfront retreat (on a much nicer waterfront than even the most expensive on our local Great Lake). The surplus will go to travel over the next 10 years or so.
Thanks again to everyone. My list is growing! Now to develop some weighting/ranking system!
I would seriously consider staying where you are, and adapting it for your future needs. It is hard to predict what those might be. I'm guessing single floor living, or a mechanized way to change floors as needed.
Ask yourself this. What is wrong with where you live now?
I know what it wrong with my house. Washer and dryer need to be moved upstairs. We will probably need a walk/wheel in shower one day. I'm very tempted to stay here. Have a bedroom converted into master bath/closet. Have old bathroom converted to laundry room and half bath. That would cost money. And would likely be inconvenient.
Sometimes I wonder. What would be more inconvenient. Moving, or adapting our current house?
In your shoes I would be very tempted to have a hard path down to the stream (I call them babbling brooks, I wish I had one!). You can fill in the pool if you want, turn it into a patio, or just add a cover.
I've lived in my house for more than 30 years. My dad has lived in his for probably 50 or more years. I like the idea of keeping the family home.
Fermion
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Go for it! I think that would be a cool idea, I have also thought about making an artificial stream. If Disney can do it, why can't we?
folivier
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2009
- Messages
- 2,037
Fermion, I just turned 69 and still absolutely hate the heat and humidity. So much that when we bought a mausoleum space it is in an air conditioned section.
When you figure out what age please let me know!
When you figure out what age please let me know!
Teacher Terry
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2014
- Messages
- 7,100
Count me in as another person who hates heat and humidity.
Fermion
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
It just seems like everyone 65+ gravitates toward Florida so I was wondering if that was the magical age
At 52, this is what I enjoy:
