Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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.
Location: Sodo Sopa at The Villas above Kenny' s House.
2,492 posts, read 3,021,371 times
Reputation: 3911
I lived in Belvedere Park and loved it. Lots of recent remodels in that size range as well. Sometimes it may be a less then 800 sqft but with a sunroom added. Excellent location!!!!
If it was just my DH and I ,we could of made the size work. However with the addition of a child and an inside dog we were kinda tripping over ourselves sometimes. Then there's the one bathroom!
Not really -- it's still an investment to own property -- and many smaller homes can be built for lower cost which means a shorter time to being mortgage and rent free. It's about priorities -- if you have a lot of "stuff" (the "American way") but are single or a couple then maybe you need a place to keep it, but most people who want to downsize want to purge "stuff" and live more simply; 1,300SF is way more space than people who are serious about simplifying life would need. I had a 1,600 SF home in Seattle with my partner; we actually used about 3 of the 6 main rooms, and 1 or 2 of the 3.5 baths. The rest was basically space to store our "stuff". I left that lifestyle behind; now I travel and he works to fill and maintain the space. I got the better deal. :-)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grizzmeister
Doesn't it make more sense to move in to an apartment if you're only looking for 800 square feet?
I like smaller houses too although I don't think anything less than around 1,300 square feet is practical.
If some industrious developer started building sub 1,500 sq ft houses in a nice rural area around Raleigh people would probably be tripping over themselves to buy them. Tons of retiring Baby Boomers want low maintenance ranch homes that forgo things like granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances to help make the houses more affordable.
This kinda shows that you don't know too much about building "ultra-small" houses (which would not be 800-1000sf, but more like 300-600sf); some of them can cost $100,000 easily, especially with the land included and the customization required. And, to be honest, you seem to be insinuating that "poor people" don't take care of their property -- which is a whole other assumption -- I know plenty of "well to do" people who are "unkempt" or slobs (primarily because they don't value what they have). I also know plenty of well-to do people who have chosen to downsize so they can spend their money traveling and helping others, versus consuming and taking care of property.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wheelsup
The problem with ultra small houses is they are cheap. Being cheap means certain socio-economic groups tend to own them. You're not going to find the well to do single or married retired couple that take really good care of their homes living in an 800-1000 sq ft home in most areas, except maybe Washington DC, NYC and LA (due to home prices).
I'm huge into efficiency in every day life, but I'm also realistic too.
I think about the only way to accomplish what you're looking for is to buy property and build it on your own.
If you insulate and design it correctly (ie take advantage of sun in winter, shade in summer) you can achieve similar results with a larger home, while having a much greater resale value as well.
this kinda shows that you don't know too much about building "ultra-small" houses (which would not be 800-1000sf, but more like 300-600sf); some of them can cost $100,000 easily, especially with the land included and the customization required. And, to be honest, you seem to be insinuating that "poor people" don't take care of their property -- which is a whole other assumption -- i know plenty of "well to do" people who are "unkempt" or slobs (primarily because they don't value what they have). I also know plenty of well-to do people who have chosen to downsize so they can spend their money traveling and helping others, versus consuming and taking care of property.
I've been beginning the research on this too. While owning a tiny/smaller home is probably 8-10 years out for us, I love the concept. We downsized from a 3000 sf house into a 1300 sf townhome. After the kids are gone, I don't see the need to keep up this much space if I can go smaller and less expensive.
I'm with the OP on those loft bedrooms though - just don't care for that at all.
I just found a lot of great info on YouTube - if you search for NC Tiny Homes you will come up with several videos. There was recently a Tiny Home workshop near Wilmington back in November.
Location: Sodo Sopa at The Villas above Kenny' s House.
2,492 posts, read 3,021,371 times
Reputation: 3911
My former house was 768sqft and consisted of 2 bedrooms,lr,kitchen and one bath. All one level,no loft. I always joked that in my kitchen I could do the laundry and fry eggs at the same time. ITB Raleigh and sold 2 years ago for 120k pre- renovation.
I've lived in a cute place under 1000 sq ft. Loved the lifestyle and basically less space for things I don't need anyway. Right off six forks between sawmill and strickland there are a bunch of small square footage townhomes. And Cameron village has a bunch too.
But what the city doesn't know won't hurt. I know a guy that has two of his older kids living in his backyard in small storage building conversions. Each building complete with kitchen galley and bath. I hear there's plans for a third.
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.