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I always thought having both a family room and a living room seemed a bit...redundant.
In any case, to me, the "American Dream" of homeownership isn't necessarily the idea of being able to own a big house, but being able to own to own what works best for you.
What I find cozy and charming, some might call a shoebox (if they're used to giant "McMansion" homes). All in the eye of the beholder.
In your house. Not in others. We eat in our dining room three or four times a week. It is the nicest room in the house. I'm sorry yours doesn't suit you.
Last edited by hbdwihdh378y9; 06-06-2018 at 11:30 PM..
In your house. Not in others. We eat in our dining room three or four times a week. It is the nicest room in the house. I'm sorry yours doesn't suit you.
Our dining room is also my sewing area. And library. And exercise area. Small house, rooms must do double or triple duty.
My house is only 1172 sq ft with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and a single car garage. It was perfect for just me. However now that my son moved back in and his 9 year daughter spends every weekend here and every other week in the summer, it is definitely too small. I would love to get a bigger house but since I just bought this one and it's an older 2 bedroom, I don't expect it to be a simple thing to sell.
Hopefully my son will be able to find a better paying job and get his own place and then it will be fine again.
I have one of those big, unnecessary houses. And I love it. Do I use my formal dining room every day? Nope. But I love the heck out of it when we have family over. I love being able to have everyone in one room for meals when we need to. Do we use our game room much? No. But man do I love having it when one of my daughters has a sleepover. We also have a guest room and guest bathroom that aren't used much. But it makes hosting my in-laws every few months so much nicer. Everyone has some privacy, and they both have health issues, so they really need a real bed. Oh, and we are on our porch at least 3 nights a week
Do we use all of these rooms all the time? No. But we do use all of the rooms some of the time. And those times we do use them, they are wonderful to have.
In our area big houses tend to sell for much less per sq ft than mid-sized or smaller ones. But this isn't true everywhere.
I've seen the change and think it relates to:
Family size...or family at all....
Energy Use
Common Sense as per the OP....
Living in New England now (originally from Mid-Atlantic), "show off" is a vastly smaller part of the equation than others places I have been. It's the Yankee Mentality (thrift, understatement, etc.).
When my parents visited from Florida they felt like they were in a different world because down there everyone (in wealthier areas) struts around like a proud peacock based on their car model or the building or development they live in. Plastic surgery is an everyday thing. So when they came up here and saw women without makeup, without breasts poking straight out and without Corniche Convertibles (Rolls), they were somewhat shocked...although they liked it.
We started out in 1200 Sq. Ft but after two kids moved to 1800. At the third kid we added a Master Suite and den and probably ended up at 2500. That worked out well with 5 and a dog.
We now own multiple houses (retired), but love our FL house which is 1150 Sq. Ft.
It works fine for the two of us and we can even have guests (2 or 3) for up to a week or so at a time without feeling too cramped.
But, yeah, in many areas demand for smaller places outpaces that for larger. This is due to it being older people who have a $$$...and during the Recession it was tough to get a mortgage! Older people usually do want to downsize...and yet will often pay much more per sq. ft. for a smaller place.
I don't know what is considered a "large home" exactly, but according to that article, 2450 sq ft is now median. So I guess I'm relatively close to that. So, I guess that makes my home "not that large" then?
I spend a fair amount of time in every room. Other than my kids' rooms, we spend a good amount of time in the kitchen, dining room, office, living room, the backyard, etc etc. I guess that makes me feel good. I might have the perfect sized home for me!
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