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I think a lot depends on what you are used to and your attitude towards it. Until I was 14, we (two parents, my sister and I) lived in a small two-bedroom house with one bathroom and a basement. This was not so terribly unusual at the time (early 1950's), but now the norms have changed and as the OP's daughters get older they will compare themselves to other girls with bigger houses.
When I was 14 in 1958 we upgraded to three bedrooms and one and a half baths, and that sure was a big improvement. It's ironic that I now live alone in a two bedroom plus loft 1600 sq. ft. townhouse with two and a half baths and a two-car garage and it seems just about right (yes, I have too much junk). For an explanation of why it seems right, refer to my first sentence of this post.
I agree, it depends on what you are used to. Growing up, I lived in pretty large houses (3000 to 4000 sqft) with my parents and two sisters. I had my own room for all of my childhood except for about a year after we had a total-loss house fire and rented a townhouse while our house was being rebuilt. I'm used to having my own space.
Currently, my husband and I have a 4000 sqft house and it's just the two of us, no pets. Some of the space is wasted and not used often, but most of it gets used almost every day. We have a lot of extras though; one of the bedrooms is set up as an exercise room, for example. I have a my jewelry work bench set up in another bedroom (that also has bedroom furniture and we use as a guest room). We have a 2 car garage, but it does not allow us to store much of anything besides our cars.
We want to move and are looking for a house that is pretty much the same size. The thing we want more of is unfinished space for a workshop and a place I can set up my jewelry equipment that I currently can't use because there is no place for it. I wouldn't mind it if our next house didn't have a formal living room since that's one space we almost never use.
Many people have posted, and I think it really comes down to
A) what you were raised in and are used to
B) what area of the country you're from
C) what you can afford
I think a basement that you can finish helps a lot. I think a second bathroom helps a lot. In my area 1300-1800 is normal for a family home. I grew up in 2200 sqft. I had a large house, it was nice and comfortable for the 4 of us. My house now is 2000 sqft we have 1 kid and I think its a nice size, we moved from 1000sqft house. Would I like bigger? yes but I definately can't afford bigger in my area
While our 3 kids were still home, our house had 2000 sq ft plus another 750 finished in the basement. Hardly ever used the living room and we lived in the family room/kitchen.
Now we divide our time between our 2 retirement homes one has 1500 sf, very open concept, great for entertaining not that great for sleeping arrangements, 2 bedrooms plus loft. The other has just under 1300 sf, but we built it for guests in mind, 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, and a great kitchen since that is where everyone always hangs out.
I just moved into a 650 sq ft apartment. Right now its just my cat and I and there is too much room. The apt is really well laid out with lots of extra storage area. My boyfriend will be moving in this week with his cat and I think we will have just the right amount of space. Having one bathroom might be an issue, but the complex has one down the hall anyone can use so that might help. I grew up in a 2000sq foot house with 2 adults, 3 children, 2 dogs, and other various animals. It always felt way too small but the layout of the house was poor and my parents hoarded a lot of junk. Then of course I've lived in my share of <200sq foot dorms with one other person.
What you need and what you want are often two different things. Teenagers don't NEED their own space or their own bathrooms, they WANT it. A lot of teenagers out there live in huge bedrooms with their own bathroom, and a lot of teenagers cram into a tiny bungalow with their family and have to share their room with one or more siblings. They don't die because they don't have their own private space, so it's not a necessity.
My cousin is actually really well off at this time even though he owns a business that is struggling in this economy. He and his wife and two kids live in a 1000 square foot home that he bought in 1998. When the bubble came and he could've moved up to a much much larger house (his current home is in a college town and houses that close are always valuable), he chose not to. When the bubble burst and people were losing their homes, he then used his income to purchase houses and condos and fixed them up and rented them out, and still didn't upgrade his house to a larger home. Having more square footage in his home just isn't where he wants to spend his money, because his family doesn't need it. Instead, he uses his income to spend time with his family outside the home, going on vacations and camping and generally being free to do whatever they want to do.
So maybe the house they own is really tight and cramped for them (they love to entertain and constantly have 25+ people over for get togethers), but it works. They'd rather keep their lifestyle and be able to spend time and vacation with the kids than have a bunch of empty rooms and bathrooms that aren't NEEDed.
I agree, it depends on what you are used to. Growing up, I lived in pretty large houses (3000 to 4000 sqft) with my parents and two sisters. I had my own room for all of my childhood except for about a year after we had a total-loss house fire and rented a townhouse while our house was being rebuilt. I'm used to having my own space.
And sometimes personality overcomes that upbringing. I was raised in a 6000 square foot house with 6 bedrooms, an office/library, a basement shop, MIL quarters, and a basement room big enough to have not only an entertainment center, but also a pool table, foosball table, and poker table, with space left over. I lived there for about 12 years. I was just a little bit spoiled.
Now, my husband and I and our 2 cats live in 1250 square feet, and love having lower energy bills and not having so much to clean.
And sometimes personality overcomes that upbringing. I was raised in a 6000 square foot house with 6 bedrooms, an office/library, a basement shop, MIL quarters, and a basement room big enough to have not only an entertainment center, but also a pool table, foosball table, and poker table, with space left over. I lived there for about 12 years. I was just a little bit spoiled.
Now, my husband and I and our 2 cats live in 1250 square feet, and love having lower energy bills and not having so much to clean.
It's also about priorities. I like having a big house where I can throw big parties. My husband and I can afford it and it's just what we want. Not everyone likes to be the host all the time. I definitely do; I have people over at least once a week and usually have overnight guests every week as well. The space I have would be completely wasted if I didn't do things like that.
Something as simple as a small "bonus room" can be the difference between cramped and comfortable.
Completely agree. We are three people - two adults and a toddler- in 1,900 square feet. My main issue is definitely downstairs. Our kitchen/dining area is one big room that runs along the back, which is fine. The problem is our living room is small. It's long and skinny and can feel very cramped when my parents come to visit, with only four adults and a toddler. Plus, it now has to double as a playroom. I would love to have another public living area, whether it be a bonus room, small den or office. And honestly, a bigger living room.
I grew up in a turn of the century, 2-bedroom, 1 bath farm house with about 800 ft2. All the children (2 boys and 1 girl) slept in one bedroom. The bath was on the back porch and we had to heat our bath water. We did however have forty acres of pine forest lands to play in.
My wife and I started out in a 2-room apartment (kitchen and bedroom), graduated to a 500 ft2 mobile home after my daughter was born, then to a 1300 ft2 home and then to a 1800 ft2 home. We now have three homes in two states with a total square footage of over 5000 ft2, 8 bedrooms and 5.5 baths. And although I don't have the forty acres I had as a child, I have 20 acres with over 3000 ft2 in barns. I had wanted to try and keep my "space" to give to my daughter and her family but find that health may require me to downsize and consolidate soon.
The question of how much space one has is relative to the area of the country you live, your salary, your desire for space and importantly age. I've had sixty years to accumulate a lot of space. If I were 25 years old again, I would have a 500 ft2 house on a small city lot between three people.
I had a friend that bought the two family house he was raised in from his dad. I knew the house well. Spent my youth there. While visiting he invited me to stay there with he and his brother and his brothers girl friend.
Well it was like old times and I suppose one might say cozy. 3 tiny bedrooms with beds against the wall and very little closet space. Small kitchen with little storage space, but the problem was it had only one small bathroom (sink, toilet, tub with shower) for the 4 of us. That was the most uncomfortable part. It was like we had to schedule, juggle, etc. the bathroom issue. When we were kids there were 6 in his family sharing that one small bathroom and I asked how did you do it? They said they do not really remember problems. I said I expect there were.
Made me realize how big a role the amount of bathrooms play now.
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