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How much living space would you estimate 1 adult and 1 large dog (labrador) would require? I'm considering moving to another part of the country once my youngest is out of the house. Some of the areas I'm considering are more expensive plus I'm not sure how much space I will need or want when it will be just me most of the time. My sons would visit periodically so I would need a space that could accomodate guests.
Our current house is about 1600 square feet upstairs plus another 500 in the basement with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. I think it will be too much for just me.
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
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How can anyone else answer that for you?
There's some people that live in specially designed "tiny houses" that are the size of a garden shed and they live there with the children and pets. And in many parts of the world, 2 or more large families will live in a small hut.
What you will be comfortable living in is something you will have to determine yourself. How many material objects can you go without?
As for the dog, just as long as the dog's exercise needs are being met you can live in a hobbit hole in the ground although when it comes to potty, it's a lot more convenient to be able to slide open the door and let them do their business without having to take a 5 minute trek down an elevator, through a lobby and out the gates each time.
My apartment is about 650-675 sq ft and I have a cat. A large cat. But what works for me may not work for you so you should really think about how much space you and your dog will need and not base it on other people's opinions.
I think the main questions you need to ask yourself is will all your furniture fit? Are you willing to sell it to make room in a smaller place? Can you adjust to a small place from a larger one?
Don't know how OP lives, but I think it can be wasted space that costs money to have a room for overnight guests. How often do people visit, and how long do they stay? Maybe staying at a nearby B&B or something would be better. I know it was for me when I had a three-room house and two aunts and my sister came to visit.
I now have a guest loft/bath that got used for weeks when a friend left her husband, and when a European friend came for several weeks. But I also used the loft for exercise equipment (which I will use someday!) and my desk/computer. Haven't had overnight guests in years and have to remember to run the water up there now and then.
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brightdoglover
Don't know how OP lives, but I think it can be wasted space that costs money to have a room for overnight guests. How often do people visit, and how long do they stay? Maybe staying at a nearby B&B or something would be better. I know it was for me when I had a three-room house and two aunts and my sister came to visit.
I now have a guest loft/bath that got used for weeks when a friend left her husband, and when a European friend came for several weeks. But I also used the loft for exercise equipment (which I will use someday!) and my desk/computer. Haven't had overnight guests in years and have to remember to run the water up there now and then.
That's a good point. The less comfortable your guests are, the shorter their stay will be. And paying to heat/cool a room year round, plus paying more in property taxes because the extra room make the property more valuable, all just so a guest can stay very briefly, adds up.
You'd come out ahead putting them up at the Ritz Carlton for a few as long as possible.
then again, this is the OPs sons we're talking about. I'd imagine they want them to stay for a while.
The guests in question though include my sons, one of whom is Autistic. I was envisioning a home office / guest space for BR 2. I leaning towards a 2 BR maybe in the 900-1000 square foot range. Enough space if one of the kids needs to stay for a while but not so big as my current place when it's just me.
For extended family and friends, I usually would put them up in a hotel even in my current house.
KATMU, The dog will need a fenced back yard attached to the house. The house will need to FEEL as open as your current house, and wherever you watch TV and spend a lot of time, let's say the living room, it should be similar in size to your current living room. I think you should get at least 1-1/2 bathrooms (so you have your own spot) with two bathrooms being better. Sometimes when you consider a smaller home, you may wind up with a smaller sort of neighborhood, so it's key to get the location to be as good as where you are. Don't get a place on a yellow-lined roadway or main drag; get it on a side street.
I think the point brought up about how much stuff you have is REALLY important. If you pay attention to where you're moving, that it should have at least an attic or a garage, that will help with any storage items you want to keep. But you MUST (a) purge like a crazy person, room to room, and then (b) figure out how much of your current house would equal, say, 1000 square feet, and then literally move what you want to take, into that much of your current house. That will give you a VERY good idea of how much stuff you REALLY have (tons of stuff), and then you can either give it to Goodwill or Salvation Army or you can look for the extra square footage you would need to accommodate what you simply cannot let go of. If worse comes to terrible, if you have family heirloom furnitures that won't fit, consider giving some things to local family you may have now or something to each of your sons before you leave.
Do yourself a favor, go ahead and buy a new couch wherever you're going to be, and get a very comfortable but fold-out couch. You will of course need the second room for your young-adult sons when they visit, but it's good to have that extra option with the couch. Or you can get one of those single fold-out easy chairs. And when you get a place, get something CLOSE (half mile or less) to a quick-mart. Check maps online for crime areas, so when you move there, despite the neighborhood looking really great, you won't be right smack in the middle of a place that has too much risk, and same thing with flood maps, and don't move to tornado alley. If you're moving to where there will be snow, have enough cash and space to install a propane gas fireplace thing, or better yet if there's a fireplace already in it, you're set.
Make sure your car is in perfect running condition before you go. Put your TV set and computer in your car with you, and any other breakable objects that would destroy you if it broke in the move. And as you probably already know, you should visit the place you're going to live, things look totally different than ANYthing you can find out in books, mags, or online. Make that trip via plane or train. And remember, wherever you decide to go, if you live in a specific environment, like near a beach or large body of water now, you will MISS your current place if it's not where you will be going or at least within a couple hours' drive away. Probably too much information, but I like helping people, and since you asked... Thanks for listening! GG
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