1200-1500 sq ft apartment too large for elderly lady? (bathrooms, condo, square feet)
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Honestly, it's none of your business unless you're paying for it. Every place will be laid out differently and have a different feel. 1200 sq ft isn't that big especially if there's 2 bedrooms, bath and a half (or 2 full baths), living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry, entrance.
It's HER apartment. SHE needs to like it. The layout needs to work for HER.
If you get smaller than that, there isn't a spare bedroom for guests or live-in health care help. There isn't space for an office.
I've lived in a smaller house and it becomes more difficult to clean because there is no longer a place for everything to be put away and so in order to clean, you must move stuff around.
I agree. Heck, if the second bedroom isn't being used at the time, she can just close the door and not use it until a child or a grandchild (or two) stay overnight.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ss20ts
Honestly, it's none of your business unless you're paying for it. Every place will be laid out differently and have a different feel. 1200 sq ft isn't that big especially if there's 2 bedrooms, bath and a half (or 2 full baths), living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry, entrance.
It's HER apartment. SHE needs to like it. The layout needs to work for HER.
I agree.
While I live in a regular apartment building (not one for seniors), there are a number of older couples living in our building. We are the youngest, in our mid 60s, but with severe health issues, to several couples in the 70s to a couple in their 90s. And, we all love having two bedrooms. I recently met a new neighbor, a single woman, probably in her early 70s, who mentioned that she moved in the only one bedroom apartment on the floor "because there were not any two bedroom apartments available at the time".
While ok, it feels smaller because the major living space is smaller. It feels more like an apartment which I would hate.
Let her decide what she wants not what you want.
My grandmother has an apartment like this. The living room is ridiculously small. She tried having a regular sofa, but you couldn't walk around it. So she had to switch to a loveseat.
The dining area is practically nonexistent. She has to have a small table and it's always pushed against the wall.
Having any company is a nightmare. There's nowhere to sit! Having dinner there is awful because no one can move. And this place was built to be condos for seniors. Their design is AWFUL! They couldn't sell the units so they converted them into apartments.
The worst part is the kitchen. There's so few cabinets. There's no drawers. The cabinets go up to the ceiling! Why on earth would anyone put cabinets that go to the ceiling in a senior apartment? Are they trying to see how many hips can be broken or dislocated?
1200 square feet is big for an apartment. My 3/1 home is not even that big, the 2/2 half a duplex I lived in for a few months was about that size but the master was really big and had a walk in closet.
Maybe she wants a guest bedroom. I can't imagine a one bedroom that big. She must also have a lot of money or live in an area where rentals are cheap.
There are things you and your sister can buy that will help your mom maintain her home as she ages. Roomba vacuums, you just push a button and they whirl around cleaning the floors, she can use it daily and it really does work. Irobot Braava mop, its excellent for washing floors. I am 60 and I use these daily my house is 3115 sq ft, 2 story. I can keep up with my house pretty easily with the help of 4 robots and 2 robot mops. Since there are 2 of us we keep things in their designated areas, and pickup after ourselves, load dishwasher after eating. It really isn't a huge chore like when you have young children or teenagers. We also have a stair lift, it was put in when my husband was paralyzed after a surgery he is walking fine now but we have it for later in life if we need it.
Something that no one else has mentioned: if mother moves into an apartment, there is no guarantee that she will be there in 20 years time, when she actually starts to qualify as "elderly". Unless she is buying a condo, and no one said anything about condo or co-op, they said apartment.
People generally do not stay in the same apartment for the last 40 years of their lives. So it is not like she is going to spend the rest of her life in the apartment that she chooses now. As she gets older and her life changes, maybe she will move to a different type of apartment than she wants right now. She might decide that she wants to move to a place with better weather.
She might want to move. The landlord might kick her out. The rent might go so high that she can no longer afford it. I doubt that the apartment chosen this year is going to be her final and last place she ever lives.
I don't think so - maybe too embarrassed by the lack of support?
I would really like to know what he meant by the comment about a too large apartment being unhealthy...I wonder - is OP afraid that if mom spends too much money on that large apartment, there won't be much left for him when she is gone?
If my dh were to pass away first, I would definitely want an apartment/house that size. I would like the space for exercise equipment (I might be a little ol' lady, but I like to lift weights!), for sewing, and for a guest room. Things like that. Even if you don't have a lot of *stuff* - dh and I don't - it's still nice to have space.
I know a couple who, when they were about 60 it was thought now was the time to move from their nice size house to a condo. And better to get one with an elevator or a direct walk in, no steps for when they are "even older".
Were they...and their advisors....surprised when the kids started getting married and having children. It was always thought grandma and grandpa would take care of the kids before they went to school..and even then, meet the bus. Funny, no one considered where this would happen, including the 60 year olds.
Maybe they were just sort of letting life happen or unfold. But even the most zen person needs to make some sensible plans.
We were acquaintances at the time and became closer when they needed help finding another home.
When we walked in their condo, they were juggling two babies and two toddlers. Even they had not forseen the dynamics of everyone getting proper rest (including grandparents) and proper play time in a two bedroom condo. They said they really should have thought this through and were extremely stressed. They also wanted their grandkids to have fun at their place and not feel restricted by size and noise complaints.
They moved nearby to a beautiful sizable townhouse. They loved it, the space was great for them. Grandkids turned out great.
Eventually they were ready for a smaller place. But this time they remembered family visits overnights and lots of space for family dinners and socializing.
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