Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > Austin
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 02-28-2013, 01:01 PM
 
361 posts, read 1,159,217 times
Reputation: 218

Advertisements

I live in tarrytown. We have street parties, weenie roasts and bbqs. We also have an exemplary elementary school and it's a 5 minute commute to downtown. We have old bungalows if you don't need/want much space, and there are newer homes that do have more space.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 02-28-2013, 01:12 PM
 
7,742 posts, read 15,044,929 times
Reputation: 4295
Quote:
Originally Posted by tildahat View Post
I know people *like* to, I'm just trying to understand what they do with that space they couldn't do in less just as well. Our family of four is perfectly happy in 1400sf. I wouldn't mind going up to 1700 or 1800, but much more than that and it seems pointless. And we'd downsize to get in a truly walkable and transit oriented community.

I'm asking a genuine question to try and understand. I mean add a second living area 200sf, game room (basement replacement) 300sf, extra bedroom 150sf, and a random 200sf to kitchen and bathrooms and you *still* are only at 2250 and I've just described my "If I win the lottery house".

We are at 2800 sq ft so are on the small side of most of our neighborhood and friends. Our downstairs is 1900 and before we had kids we rarely went upstairs so 1900 was more than enough space for two of us. Once we had kids we started to use the upstairs much more.

1) We have 4 parties a year that are around 40 people, we use our entire downstairs for that. We dont really have enough space for more than 50 so we have to limit our guest lists.
2) We have a formal dining room (around 300 sq ft) that we use an additional 4-5 times a year. We can seat 12 in the formal dining. Dining room houses the china cabinet and wine refrigerator
3) My wife and I have our own offices. My office is my "man cave" and she cant complain if it is messy
4) We have an upstairs play area that houses toys, the downstairs living room is semi formal and is always clean and ready for guests but we also use it daily since it is the one by the kitchen. The play area is very small, would be nice if it was twice the size
5) We have a laundry room that is actually quite small but has a sink and cabinets for storage
6) Each bedroom is a bit small without much closet space except the master. Would be nice if each bedroom was about 50% bigger and the closets were 3 times bigger.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-28-2013, 01:13 PM
 
2,627 posts, read 6,549,462 times
Reputation: 1230
Quote:
Originally Posted by tildahat View Post
I'm asking a genuine question to try and understand. I mean add a second living area 200sf, game room (basement replacement) 300sf, extra bedroom 150sf, and a random 200sf to kitchen and bathrooms and you *still* are only at 2250 and I've just described my "If I win the lottery house".
If only the homes around here were designed with efficient and usable floorplans. My house for example, is about 2400 square feet, but the foyer, dining room, and the master bedroom take up way too much square footage. We use the 4th bedroom as a second living area because there isn't a second living area. The second bedroom is too large as well, but the third bedroom is too small.

I agree that we would be happy with 1900 square feet if I could design the house exactly the way we wanted it. I'm going to spend more time really looking at how the floorplan works for us in our next home instead of looking at square footage. But, it's one of those things that doesn't really sink in until you've actually lived in a home with your family.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-28-2013, 01:16 PM
 
2,627 posts, read 6,549,462 times
Reputation: 1230
Quote:
Originally Posted by Austin97 View Post
6) Each bedroom is a bit small without much closet space except the master. Would be nice if each bedroom was about 50% bigger and the closets were 3 times bigger.
I would welcome smaller bedrooms in exchange for larger living areas. Our kids are still really young, but we really only sleep in our bedrooms. Larger living areas are more valuable to us.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-28-2013, 01:16 PM
 
227 posts, read 364,794 times
Reputation: 170
Quote:
Originally Posted by Austin97 View Post
3) My wife and I have our own offices. My office is my "man cave" and she cant complain if it is messy

Well, this one, I understand.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-28-2013, 01:21 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,241 posts, read 35,440,091 times
Reputation: 8572
For actual space usage:
2,400 sf house, about perfect for us (2 kids, 2 adults), we could easily go a little smaller, but would trade some space for a bigger kitchen (4/2.5)
- Master bedroom
- Kids currently share a room (will likely change at some time)
- guest room - in used at least twice a month
- 1 bedroom is an office.

We have a den that is a sun/plant room and we have a 'bonus' room that is the kids playroom upstairs. If we were to cut back on space, the sun room would be it - 300 sf or so, I would guess - but another 100 or so sf in the kitchen would be really nice.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-28-2013, 01:29 PM
 
Location: USA
4,426 posts, read 5,299,747 times
Reputation: 4114
Quote:
Originally Posted by amsmith825 View Post
Thanks for the condescending lesson on BBQ/BBQing, hound 109. I thought your response was rather rude. I'll take Webster's definition of barbecue (below) over yours... thank you very much. Please note it can be used as both a transitive verb and a noun. Everyone else, thanks for your helpful and informative responses. I can only hope I will be lucky enough to have kind, helpful neighbors like you in the future!

bar·be·cue transitive verb \ˈbär-bi-ˌkyü\
bar·be·cued bar·be·cu·ing

Definition of BARBECUE

1
: to roast or broil on a rack or revolving spit over or before a source of heat (as hot coals)
2
: to cook in a highly seasoned vinegar sauce
— bar·be·cu·er noun
Examples of BARBECUE

We barbecued chicken and ribs.
We barbecue often during the summer.
Origin of BARBECUE

2barbecue
First Known Use: 1690
Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel
Rhymes with BARBECUE

aperçu, avenue, babassu, baby blue, ballyhoo, billet-doux, bird's-eye view, black-and-blue, buckaroo, bugaboo, callaloo, caribou, catechu,...
[+]more
2barbecue noun
Definition of BARBECUE

1
a : a large animal (as a steer) roasted whole or split over an open fire or a fire in a pit
b : barbecued food <eat barbecue>
2
: a social gathering especially in the open air at which barbecued food is eaten
3
: an often portable fireplace over which meat and fish are roasted
See barbecue defined for English-language learners »

While the posters tone was a bit off he/she is right. We never say were going to a bar-b-que simply a party that serves barbecue.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-28-2013, 01:36 PM
 
Location: Warrior Country
4,573 posts, read 6,744,708 times
Reputation: 3978
Quote:
Originally Posted by amsmith825 View Post
Thanks for the condescending lesson on BBQ/BBQing, hound 109. I thought your response was rather rude. I'll take Webster's definition of barbecue (below) over yours... thank you very much. Please note it can be used as both a transitive verb and a noun. Everyone else, thanks for your helpful and informative responses. I can only hope I will be lucky enough to have kind, helpful neighbors like you in the future!

bar·be·cue transitive verb \ˈbär-bi-ˌkyü\
bar·be·cued bar·be·cu·ing

Definition of BARBECUE

1
: to roast or broil on a rack or revolving spit over or before a source of heat (as hot coals)
2
: to cook in a highly seasoned vinegar sauce
— bar·be·cu·er noun
Examples of BARBECUE

We barbecued chicken and ribs.
We barbecue often during the summer.
Origin of BARBECUE

2barbecue
First Known Use: 1690
Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel
Rhymes with BARBECUE

aperçu, avenue, babassu, baby blue, ballyhoo, billet-doux, bird's-eye view, black-and-blue, buckaroo, bugaboo, callaloo, caribou, catechu,...
[+]more
2barbecue noun
Definition of BARBECUE

1
a : a large animal (as a steer) roasted whole or split over an open fire or a fire in a pit
b : barbecued food <eat barbecue>
2
: a social gathering especially in the open air at which barbecued food is eaten
3
: an often portable fireplace over which meat and fish are roasted
See barbecue defined for English-language learners »
Just trying to inform....not sure how informing a newbie that BBQ is a slow smoked meat (& not a party where one grills) would be considered condescending (rude??)

You run with that definition from Websters though. When I visit a new place, folks always are appreciative when I tell them they're wrong & I'm right.

Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-28-2013, 01:46 PM
 
Location: Greater NYC
3,176 posts, read 6,186,777 times
Reputation: 4570
BBQ, barbecue or grilling, or smoking, or what to call a party/get-together where meat of some sort is likely to make an appearance should be the last concern of any transplant considering all the crazy-a** pronunciations they will have to learn in this neck of the woods.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-28-2013, 02:21 PM
 
912 posts, read 1,278,046 times
Reputation: 1143
Quote:
Originally Posted by mark311 View Post
If only the homes around here were designed with efficient and usable floorplans. My house for example, is about 2400 square feet, but the foyer, dining room, and the master bedroom take up way too much square footage. We use the 4th bedroom as a second living area because there isn't a second living area. The second bedroom is too large as well, but the third bedroom is too small.

I agree that we would be happy with 1900 square feet if I could design the house exactly the way we wanted it. I'm going to spend more time really looking at how the floorplan works for us in our next home instead of looking at square footage. But, it's one of those things that doesn't really sink in until you've actually lived in a home with your family.
I agree - but I don't think it's just this area. I look at house plan books for fun - it's amazing how much wasted space there is once you hit 1800 sq. ft. in most plans. Once you cross the 3000 sq ft. mark, the wasted space actually gets names like "gallery". Yeah, no thanks. I wish architects and designers would work more of the lessons from the small house movement into larger houses.

Our house is slightly smaller than yours, and has the perfect amount and kind of living space for us. The bedroom/office space is not as well designed. The closet space is awful. If we were to change things, we'd add 40 sq ft. in the kitchen to make the breakfast area larger, add 50 sq ft. to split our office into a two rooms to get another bedroom, and add an attic for storage.

We're actually looking at a way to do the latter two items on that list now - we were originally looking to move, but even with our neighborhood going up in value, there's just no way to get what we want in our budget. On top of that, all the houses we've seen at open houses and such have floor plans that are so much worse than ours that I can't fathom moving.

(Sorry for the off-topic-ness. I'm staying out of the bbq thing though!)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > Austin

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top