Downsizing living space

[CuppaJoe]

.... Has anyone managed to successfully downsize from a house to an apartment and were you happy with your decision? By moving from a house to an apt. I would expect that we are going to cut our costs by 25% at least. I can't believe how expensive a house is to heat, my electricity bill has been running at $250 a month recently.

Size isn't everything. Believe that, I'll sell you the bridge I see from the roof. Last time I went apt. hunting, no one listed square footage, still don't know what mine is, don't care, let's just say I pay $35/mo for gas & electric in the coldest season, less the rest of the year. IMO, it is much harder to clean a small space because I need to move things around to get at the dirt. This morning I scanned just one item into the laptop--moved the cat bed off side table; moved table near printer; moved globe, phone and clock off of printer onto said table; scanned; then reversed. I hated moving from the larger space but would never consider going back to that overall situation. My smaller space does have much better views, windows in three rooms, which do make the space seem larger, Presidio on one side and city view on the other, haven't grown tired of those views in 16 years.

As Urchina says, it helps a lot to be able to get outside to parks, etc. year round. I also have a good layout and found that adding several large storage cabinets made a huge difference. I stock up on stuff and store emergencies supplies out of sight.

I always find it painful to downsize but feel a lot lighter afterward. btw, don't miss an aging George Clooney in "Up in the Air;" he inhabits that part, Great anti-super bowl activity.

Good luck, DM, keep us posted.

 

[chris2008]

Have you checked out the "not so big house" books by Sarah Susanka (www.notsobighouse.com)?
Lots of great ideas how to make best use of less space.

 

[Orchidflower]

Thanks for that post, chris2008. I just spent the morning looking at HGTV's site for "Small Space, Big Style." I prefer smaller places myself...less cleaning, less expense (I figure I have better ways to spend my time and money).

 

[audreyh1]

Now if the appliance and furniture stores would just get on board! It drives us crazy how "big" everything is - especially the smaller kitchen appliances. Makes it tough to find things that fit in a motorhome kitchen.

Audrey

 

[haha]

In my early 30s I lived with my new wife in a small 1 bdrm duplex in Venice Beach, 3 blocks from the ocean. I think it was about the size of my current apt, which is 500 sq ft. Our furniture consisted of her piano, a Goodwill dining table and 4 chairs, some big kapok filled pillows, a mattress on the floor and two small dressers painted orange.

Perfect in every way. We had a garden, we had the beach and the ocean and all the fun stuff on the Boardwalk, and we had the west (and best) part of LA a short drive away.

It would likely be hard for a middle aged couple to be happy in this situation, but I might be willing to try. The beach and all the activity there serves as the release valve that others may get from having many rooms.

Ha

 

[freebird5825]

I just spent 12 days in a 3BR condo, which was a free upgrade I didn't expect at all. I was a first time customer and they had a lot of empty condos.
I felt very comfy there all by myelf and not at all cramped. The design was full and open and very bright. The bedrooms were actually bigger than the ones in my own home.
I could easily picture myself living in smaller space than my bi-level 1700 sq ft house. But this will be many years down the road when I no longer want to have a big back yard and house in the country and a garden and open space all around me. As much as I complain about the cold weather, it is really beautiful where I live.
As long as dh2b and I can have our own [-]privacy and escape[/-] little hobby rooms, we would be just fine.

 

[Purron]

In my early 30s I lived with my new wife in a small 1 bdrm duplex in Venice Beach, 3 blocks from the ocean. I think it was about the size of my current apt, which is 500 sq ft. Our furniture consisted of her piano, a Goodwill dining table and 4 chairs, some big kapok filled pillows, a mattress on the floor and two small dressers painted orange.

Perfect in every way. We had a garden, we had the beach and the ocean and all the fun stuff on the Boardwalk, and we had the west (and best) part of LA a short drive away.

It would likely be hard for a middle aged couple to be happy in this situation, but I might be willing to try. The beach and all the activity there serves as the release valve that others may get from having many rooms.

Ha

Ha, this sounds like a beautiful dream. What wonderful memories you must have of the place. It reminds me of the small appartment DH and I first shared when we got married at the age of 19. It was filled with art, music and good friends. We were so happy there even though we were poor.

 

[yakers]

In my early 30s I lived with my new wife in a small 1 bdrm duplex in Venice Beach, 3 blocks from the ocean. I think it was about the size of my current apt, which is 500 sq ft. Our furniture consisted of her piano, a Goodwill dining table and 4 chairs, some big kapok filled pillows, a mattress on the floor and two small dressers painted orange.

Perfect in every way. We had a garden, ...

Ha

And what did you grow in your garden?

This is Venice Beach in the 60/70s, right?

There is a cover band doing Doors music there most nights. Great place in the day but not so good after nightfall.

Yakers, happy in Pasadena and remembering once being a young American male in London

 

[haha]

And what did you grow in your garden?

This is Venice Beach in the 60/70s, right?

There is a cover band doing Doors music there most nights. Great place in the day but not so good after nightfall.

Yakers, happy in Pasadena and remembering once being a young American male in London

It was a bit dicey at night back in the day too. We used to walk on the boardwalk late at night, but carried a club and kept our eyes open, and stayed at the central part.

Ha

 

[Nords]

I am hoping to downsize to a 2 bed/2ba. However, this morning I have been entertaining ideas of a 1 bedroom place. Has anyone managed to successfully downsize from a house to an apartment and were you happy with your decision? By moving from a house to an apt. I would expect that we are going to cut our costs by 25% at least. I can't believe how expensive a house is to heat, my electricity bill has been running at $250 a month recently.

I used to regularly downsize to a submarine stateroom... does that count? It takes a specific [-]psychotic[/-] psychological profile to live in such a small volume, let alone share it with a significant other, and downsizing will surely test the strength of any relationship.

My father lives in a 2BR with only one bed, so when I visited he insisted on sleeping on the LR floor with a sleeping bag. It's a situation crying out for a futon fold-out couch in the spare BR but he doesn't see the need. His bias certainly discourages repeat visitors.

Spouse and I have found that we both enjoy having our own room to hang out during the day, whether it's a LR or a spare bedroom. Like W2R, we use the rest of our house's space as noise insulation. We know how to hang out together in the same room, and we do just fine at it, but it's nice to have a choice.

I think you might find that you'd prefer the second bedroom just for the ability to shut a door. You could furnish it with a futon couch or a Murphy bed or even a sleeper sofa, but it also gives you someplace to put a desk, a file cabinet, and a craft table. Without a second BR you'd want a huge open LR/DR/kitchen plan with space enough to spread out from the second occupant a bit.

I don't know if it's a reaction to my former lifestyle, but I enjoy kvetching about maintaining a large home more than I think I'd enjoy the savings of a small one. But then we don't pay much in utility costs.

 

[CuppaJoe]

....

Yakers, happy in Pasadena and remembering once being a young American male in London

Ah, yes, I remember it well, the studio apt. I visited regularly in the early ‘70s, Madison, WI, Miffland (similar to Haight-Asbury), guy mellowed out saying a very slow “Hi” smoking something not Camels out on the sidewalk, pseudo-intellectual graffitied song lyrics on the lobby walls. Shopping at the nearby not-very-clean food co-op. I didn’t know those were considered small spaces.

 

[hankster]

If you're really serious about downsizing, this site has some ideas for you.

Tumbleweed Houses

I'd be happy with a 500 to 600 sq. ft. model as long as it had a big honkin' workshop with a man-cave next to it. Unfortunately, DW doesn't share my enthusiasm

 

[Lazarus]

Nearly 50K for this? Buy a used travel trailer for 5K.

 

[jdw_fire]

Have you checked out the "not so big house" books by Sarah Susanka (www.notsobighouse.com)?
Lots of great ideas how to make best use of less space.

i went to the website and clicked on "Sarah's Not So Big Showhouse in Orlando" and found out it was very big, 3500 sq ft. that website is bogus and should be reported for false advertising

 

[stevenst]

To make up for the 'not so big' big house site, here's another Tiny House site. I love the website name. Don't know if I could really handle 120 sq. ft. though.
Tiny Green Cabins

Steve

 

[DangerMouse]

My biggest complaint with smaller apartments - ie. 1 bedroom apts - is for some reason, architects seem to believe that they should downsize the living areas at the same time.

I really wish housing designers were a bit smarter as that would make it easier to live in a small space. For example, how many master bedrooms do you see where there is limited wall space to place your bed and dresser? What about living areas - everyone knows that the TV is the altar of worship in the majority of living rooms - so why not design the room so there is a wall for the TV to be placed on that allows sufficient space for the couch to be placed without dislocating your neck everytime you watch. Why not take sunlight reflection into account when designing where a TV is likely to be placed?

Also just because I want a 1 bedroom does not mean that I don't want an attached garage.

 

[dixonge]

We started our married life almost 20 years ago in a small one-bedroom third-floor apartment. Since then we rented a farm house, bought an old house in the city, and five years ago built a new house in an urban/suburban subdivision. Each house was larger than the previous one. Said subdivision is now over 5000 in population and about to incorporate into a city.

Unfortunately about a year after we built our current house (2000+ sq. ft. w/ 3-car garage) we decided to retire early. We paid off all debt and then began saving back crazy amounts of money. Next step is to get out of this beautiful, modern house which has started to feel like an albatross around our necks. Tomorrow we should sign a one-year lease very near the downtown square of the town we both work in. I'll have a half-mile walk or bike ride to work. The wife will have one mile. We'll sell one of the cars. We will have groceries, convenience stores, restaurants, bars, wine bars, a park and coffee shops galore all within walking distance. On top of that we will be cutting our expenses by around 45%.

The apartment is a ground floor one-bedroom, about 700 sq. ft. It's a great exercise in downsizing. Everything that won't fit will be sold or donated. In about a year or so, depending on investments, etc., we'll then downsize further into a travel trailer. Living space will shrink to under 200 sq. ft., but I'm looking forward to walking out the door, sitting under the awning and staring at trees, mountains and lakes for our 'bonus' room.

 

[haha]

The apartment is a ground floor one-bedroom, about 700 sq. ft. It's a great exercise in downsizing.

I have to applaud any older couple who can live in a 700 sq ft one bedroom apartment. Good going!

Ha

 

[dixonge]

I have to applaud any older couple who can live in a 700 sq ft one bedroom apartment. Good going!

Ha

define 'older'

we're 50-ish, but one of my younger co-workers described me as a "14-year-old girl trapped in a man's body" - I think young, so sue me.

we've been enjoying planning out the living space in the new digs. Living room with adjoining dining area, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom. It's easier to plan when options are limited...

 

[Moscyn]

I have a long history of downsizing because of either moving from countries or because of affordability in an expensive city and looking back, I think this has helped me to simplify my life. I've moved from a 1,400 sq ft house to a 300 sq ft apartment and then to a 500 sq ft apartment and then to a 750 sq ft apartment and finally to a 1,100 sq ft apartment (I'm using usable sq ft numbers here). The last one is the ideal size for 2 of us. An apartment is definitely quieter, easier to manage and lock up and cheaper to maintain. If you are not one for interacting with neighbours, apartment life is wonderful. I hardly meet my neighbours at all. Also, living in smaller spaces helps to minimise and simplify your life - less clutter. You tend to buy and store less. Basically, you use what you have rather than put them away in storage. As regards to guests, unless you are the type who loves to have lots of house guests, living in smaller places reduces the opportunity of house guests which is good for me. 2 bedrooms is fine as you can use the spare one as a reading room. If you want, you can place a sofa bed there in case you have guests. Otherwise, you can have afternoon naps or read on the sofa bed. I like the extra bedroom as it has lots of uses. A small storeroom will come in handy for storing things which you may need to buy in "smaller" bulks like toilet rolls (no point buying one roll at a time!), tissue boxes, tools, bottled drinks, etc.

 

[haha]

define 'older'

we're 50-ish, but one of my younger co-workers described me as a "14-year-old girl trapped in a man's body" - I think young, so sue me.

we've been enjoying planning out the living space in the new digs. Living room with adjoining dining area, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom. It's easier to plan when options are limited...

Well, I am not likely to sue you, I was trying to compliment you and your wife. I know I wouldn't want to be penned with a 50+ woman in anythig less than 3x your apartment space. But whatever you feel like, you are "older". Obviously you are younger than some, but you are also 15-20 years older than the American median.

Don't fret; I am over 30 years older than the American median and I am not suffering. Although they may not be true of any female who had to live with me in 700 sq ft!

Ha

 

[simple girl]

We downsized from a 4 bdr, 2+ car garage on 2 acres to a 3 bdr townhouse with a 1 car garage and very small backyard.

Then, downsized into a 2 bdr, 1.5 bath apt (about 950 sq ft) with a small storage locker. Then upgraded to 2bdr/2bath (much better to have second full bath) with a larger storage closet. Still around 1000 sq ft.

On this last move upgraded to a 1500 sq ft apt (2bed/2bath) b/c it was actually cheaper! No storage closet, though...so our sun room currently is holding our bikes, camping stuff, etc.

We love the extra space but storage is really important, too. I think we've discovered what we really need to be happy is about 1000 to 1200 sq ft with storage space. Must have 2 bdr and 2 full baths. However, we could give up some space and luxury if the apt happened to be on the beach or something...that would be worth the sacrifice!

 

[Glo]

We lived in a 2200 sq ft house for 27 years, then retired and moved 200 miles away to a small community. Our plans were to "downsize" and we got rid of tons of stuff before moving. Well, our "downsizing" turned out to be 175 sq feet--about 1 bedroom and 1 bath. Our ranch house is 2000 sq feet with 3 beds and 1-1/2 baths. I have a large dining room, but we entertain a lot and use it at least weekly, sometimes more. Since we're retired we do our own cleaning and yard work. Did I mention we "upsized" to a 1.1-acre lot? LOL We're very happy here in NE Ohio.

 

[Ronstar]

We started in a 1 bedroom apartment, then built a 1700 sf house, then built the 3500 sf house we live in now. I wouldn't mind downsizing in house sf, but I would still need garage space for 3 cars, boat and at least 400 sf workshop space on acreage.

 

[HsiaoChu]

We're UPSIZING IN RETIREMENT......

We live in a 1200 sq foot house now including the garage.

We're moving into a 3000 sq ft house including the garage. DW wants to have people visit us, and since the house is in a class resort national park, they probably will.

But in the winter we can live in the 1000 sq ft side and heat it with wood toasty warm. If we have a party we can use the propane heaters and heat the other side, or invite people in the summer to stay there.

Z