Retirement: Very Small Houses as Opposed to Condo or CCRC (marry, places)
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I look at it this way: We put "no stairs" on the wish list but it's not one of the top requirements. There are lots of other things on my list, too, and we know we won't find a place that meets them all. So if we find a place that really appeals to us in a lot of other ways and it has what I would consider "reasonable" stairs I would go ahead and buy it.
Good analysis. Very rational and very reasonable. A car accident, for example, could be the wild card that we aren't expecting in our future. I recognize that I could end up like the people you cited, but I still hold stubbornly to my position, all the while admitting that each person should do what makes sense for him or her. There is certainly nothing wrong with a house, condo, or apartment all on one level. As you point out, one can still be extremely active physically regardless of one's living arrangements. After all, I go the the gym six days a week, and that has nothing to do with the stairs or lack of stairs in my townhouse.
Or - with all that exercise you do - it could be a sports injury . They're more common than you think - and they can really mess you up. For example - my husband has a totally torn ACL - makes it hard for him to go down stairs - not up. Although his ACL got messed up from his MS - it's a pretty common sports injury.
The one thing that can't be disputed is a single story place gives people the most flexibility to stay in place if and when they're can't handle stairs for any reason. My 94 year old father moved into his current single story villa in a senior independent living facility about 6 1/2 years ago. He could handle some stairs then - but not very well. Now that he needs a walker - he'd have to move if he were in a multi-story place. Robyn
...I can't see paying someone to come and take care of your yard but maybe that's just me. If you can't do it yourself, then maybe it's time to downsize. Part of owning a home is the pride of caring for it yourself...
I don't agree - perhaps because we could never do all the yard work in our current place ourselves (especially in terms of dealing with the trees). As we get older - we do less - and pay other people to do more. Then there are certain things that it's inefficient for us to do. Things like cleaning our driveway with a normal residential pressure washer would take us a couple of days. Our pressure washing service takes about an hour. And when I discovered earlier this year that our pressure washing service could clean our large enclosed porch and the furniture there after pollen season in 5 minutes (it used to take us about 3 hours) - well that job that has been outsourced too - and not to China .
Also - neither of us is particularly handy. So we've always paid people to do odd jobs for us.
FWIW - we'd spent almost our entire adult lives in high rise condos before we built this house. And were more than ready to leave that kind of environment for a single family house. Have no desire at all to move back into that kind of living situation. I think that unless we get super old - we'll probably stay here - even when one of us dies. Robyn
I look at it this way: We put "no stairs" on the wish list but it's not one of the top requirements. There are lots of other things on my list, too, and we know we won't find a place that meets them all. So if we find a place that really appeals to us in a lot of other ways and it has what I would consider "reasonable" stairs I would go ahead and buy it.
After mulling this over for years, I think we've finally decided what we need to be satisfied, and that is smaller, and in the area we have always liked (NC coast), a manufactured home (1200 sf). We built our present home, a 2600 sf tri-level, in the northeast.After living here both our lives, we're ready for warm weather. Been visiting this area since 1989---and are looking to live near , but not in, the "touristy" areas.
Considerations: one level (I already have several joint replacements due to severe osteoarthritis) , small yard, we want to OWN the land. Since we plan to travel some, a place for our camper, and a gated community so our home isn't obviously empty to passersby. Near the ocean, activities, medical care, but not in a city.. A pool --- for when the grandkids visit. Near an airport. We reluctantly will have an HOA, but it's not one of those maniacal control-freak types. And not exorbitantly expensive. We've observed the community over several years, and it's been well maintained.
We started out in a 900 sf home, and had 4 kids there. So much easier to go from small to larger!!
Going from a "real house" will be an adjustment for me, but we'll be outside more and will have more "fun money". I'm tired of cleaning this place, and DH hates the yardwork. (1/2 acre, sloping) Working on buying a place now, pre-retirement---fingers crossed!!
Its great you have found your place. Regardless of what people say, the deciding factor is location. forget the other stuff. Not having a lawn to mow/maintain grounds, I have lived in 4 houses from Florida to the UP of Mi. only one place required lawn care, and, I hired that done anyway. Many people out there are doing what I did, let the area around your home go natural. I never owned a lawn mower....and I am 71.
There is a reason these town homes and McMansions have dangerously steep stares, its called building a huge looking home on a small lot. Behind all the fluff false fronts are lots of rooms, many bathrooms , great rooms.. They stuff a lot in a small space, which requires very steep stairs. These homes look more like a castle from the outside, it all a deception. There should be building codes against this, its dangerous m I don't want to have the wealthy folks left out ether, in fact is more common in high end Suburbs !,.A million will not get you much anymore as far a real safe living space. Its a shame, the builder, banker, developer, all win, you loose! I know I have in laws that live like this, I feel sorry for them,,,,sometimes but , they are after all part of the 1 per cent ! Their Chicago burb home ( that looks like all the others on the block) cost over 2.5 million, just to say they live in one of the wealthiest place in America.
Hi all!
just wanted to chime in here that DH and I live in a 1100sq ft townhouse - that is a ranch. we have a basement that we use now but if for some reason, some day we are not able to get down there it wont affect us. The laundry is upstairs. We can come and goes as we like as we "pay" the HOA to take care of the property. We have an end unit, at the end of the subdivision so it feels like we have acres of land that we dont pay taxes on or have to maintain ourselves, but can plant a garden or trees if we wish in the common area. I got on the board so that I could still have a say in what goes on here. more limited say than when we owned our SF, but this has worked for us. After my DH had some back problems we didnt know what he would be able to do so we moved here to think it out at the top of the housing boom...then got "stuck" here. It has actually worked out to be the best for us. Good luck in your search!
The subject of this thread is actually not a debate over one floor or two, but a consideration of a "very small house" (as in really very small) in advanced years as an alternative to a condo or townhouse—meaning to be in the easiest, most manageable place possible to face all scenarios in old age.
Now "very small house" it seems is open to a bit of interpretation. I'm learning that "very small house" means 2500–3000 sq feet for some people. When I was creating the thread I was thinking maybe 1500 sq ft max (no matter how many floors), and maybe more like 1200 sq ft. This seems unimaginable to most here, so I'm thinking that my original intention has been lost (or never gained).
The subject of this thread is actually not a debate over one floor or two, but a consideration of a "very small house" (as in really very small) in advanced years as an alternative to a condo or townhouse—meaning to be in the easiest, most manageable place possible to face all scenarios in old age.
Now "very small house" it seems is open to a bit of interpretation. I'm learning that "very small house" means 2500–3000 sq feet for some people. When I was creating the thread I was thinking maybe 1500 sq ft max (no matter how many floors), and maybe more like 1200 sq ft. This seems unimaginable to most here, so I'm thinking that my original intention has been lost (or never gained).
Well, I was surprised that you considered a 1200-1500 sq. ft. home to be very small.
BTW, I loved spending a few months in my kids' 3 room guest cottage. I'm guessing it's about 500 - 600 sf. My plan is to move there for at least 1/2 of the year and find something of similar size down south for the remainder of the year.
Well, I was surprised that you considered a 1200-1500 sq. ft. home to be very small.
BTW, I loved spending a few months in my kids' 3 room guest cottage. I'm guessing it's about 500 - 600 sf. My plan is to move there for at least 1/2 of the year and find something of similar size down south for the remainder of the year.
I think that I would love to live in a very small place....similar size that you have mentioned. My dream would be to have two places....one up north where I could garden and an extremely small place in a warmer winter area.
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. They're more common than you think - and they can really mess you up. For example - my husband has a totally torn ACL - makes it hard for him to go down stairs - not up. Although his ACL got messed up from his MS - it's a pretty common sports injury.
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