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.
An open floor plan sub 1200 sq.' is (for us), very livable, but the idea of including separate hobby rooms has really grown on us. Just a thought for your consideration.
The separate hobby rooms might work out well. I've known writers and artists who've built stand alone studios and loved it. They claim they can get into the creative zone easier in a dedicated space away from the hubbub of household activity and noise.
Friends who have downsized to townhomes love having someone else manage the yard work and exterior maintenance.
What takes some getting used to is being on top of each other all the time. Usually they turn one bedroom into a hobby room, office, man cave -- a place to retreat to.
Another problem with smaller space is what to do when the kids all come home with their spouses/significant others. With any luck at all, before long there will be babies too. When everyone is home for the holidays or even when one or two visit for a week or so in the summer, our home is full. I guess we could put everybody on futons and air mattresses, but where do they put all their stuff? It's nice to have spare bedrooms where they can corral their belongings. Also nice to have a family room where everyone can sit and a dining room big enough to stretch out the table.
We've thought of renting large VRBO homes for family gatherings. If we all didn't have dogs this would work as few places will allow someone to rent with seven dogs.
We could put the kids up in local hotels I guess.
One of my cousins rents a community center for their holiday gathering. In the summer, they all rent cabins at a local state park. She and her husband rent one of the larger ones and they use that for meals.
To the posters who are enamored of the open concept format in a smaller (1200-1400 square foot house), let me offer this word of caution:
There may come a time during retirement, when the husband's football game is too loud, or the wife's 2 hour phone conversation becomes too much of annoyance. Be sure you that you build into your home a place where each of you can happily escape the annoying habits of the other. Once you start to be around each other 24 hours a day year after year, you may start noticing things that had escaped your attention earlier in the marriage.
Excellent point. The layout is everything. We will always be doing some kind of freelance and will want our own spaces, not near each other. I've seen some nice house designs that separate the rooms well. The other option is an out-building that can accommodate a work space. I know artists who have this in a barn or other structure and it works out really well, allowing a completely separate workspace from the house.
OP: A timely topic; we're considering relocating to warmer climes (central MD to southwest SC) and have been designing the "ultimate retirement cottage". Basic design(s) are running sub 1200-1400 sq.' but with a kicker. Our 1600 sq.' foot split level with 2 acres goes for about $350K here, with RE taxes mid $3K. Chapin/Aiken SC - 1600 sq.' runs about $160K new, with RE tax $800 or less.
The kicker is to include one (if not two) "out rooms", my totally inept term for a free standing cute mini cottage type room (12'x16/18/20') outfitted with electric and heat/AC. (if 'ya need a pit stop, hit the main 2 bathroom house) One for me, one for DW. Two is looking really feasible.
An open floor plan sub 1200 sq.' is (for us), very livable, but the idea of including separate hobby rooms has really grown on us. Just a thought for your consideration.
Absolutely love your idea. It echoes what I just said about the separate out-building, b/c this gets you out and away from the main house and able to concentrate on your work. Norman Rockwell had a fabulous separate studio on his property, as do many others.
Friends who have downsized to townhomes love having someone else manage the yard work and exterior maintenance.
What takes some getting used to is being on top of each other all the time. Usually they turn one bedroom into a hobby room, office, man cave -- a place to retreat to.
Another problem with smaller space is what to do when the kids all come home with their spouses/significant others. With any luck at all, before long there will be babies too. When everyone is home for the holidays or even when one or two visit for a week or so in the summer, our home is full. I guess we could put everybody on futons and air mattresses, but where do they put all their stuff? It's nice to have spare bedrooms where they can corral their belongings. Also nice to have a family room where everyone can sit and a dining room big enough to stretch out the table.
We've thought of renting large VRBO homes for family gatherings. If we all didn't have dogs this would work as few places will allow someone to rent with seven dogs.
We could put the kids up in local hotels I guess.
One of my cousins rents a community center for their holiday gathering. In the summer, they all rent cabins at a local state park. She and her husband rent one of the larger ones and they use that for meals.
Wow, you hit on a topic there. Balancing out the holiday thing is tough--but for many of us, the issue is should one week per year mess up how you live the other 51 weeks?
Want easier maintenance and upkeep? Yes. Smaller? No.
I'm single, and my house is 3200 SF. Where would I put all my stuff if I moved to a smaller house? I have a home office set up in one spare bedroom, and some exercise and ham radio equipment in another. A pool table in the game room, and bunch of tools and woodworking equipment in my 3 car garage. The closets seem to be full of stuff, too. And nope, I'm not cleaning out (but then, I'm not that senior, either ).
I like my bachelor pad. Perhaps a French maid is the best solution for me.
That is about 1000 square feet too much for me. It is me and my husband and we are currently designing our home to built built in a few months. Right at 800 square feet if that big, only what we need, need what we have as far as material possessions go. Nothing more is required but we are sick of all the "stuff" cluttering up our lives.
Will the city you are planning to build allow an 800sq ft. house ? Here where I live it wouldn't.
We've loved our home for 11 years, but recently, I've been thinking maybe we should think about down-sizing. We've almost 1800 sq feet, which isn't huge. However we rarely use the formal living room or dining room...we live in the family room which has a cute dining nook.
And with warm weather coming, what makes me want to move is the upkeep on our third acre...it's a lot of work. And hiring someone to mow and prune and plant is not really in the budget.
Think I'd be quite happy in around 1200 SF and minimal yard...just enough room for some container veggies..and perhaps on one level, looking forward to a future with possible mobility challenges.
Anyone else thinking along these lines? Wanting easier maintenance and upkeep--and smaller space?
Love to hear your thoughts and experiences.
I see alot of housing in my pet sitting business. In Florida.
Depending on where you live, there are lots of floor plans that meet your requirements.
The best ones I see are one floor, OPEN concept where the "living space" IS the living room and adjacent dining area, with the kitchen adjacent to that dining area. (but we still have traditional separate room building going on so it must be in demand a little bit).
Sometimes the kitchen is in the open and overlooking the entire floorplan, which I like. I hate being stuck in a formal kitchen "room" and not seeing anything else. But alot of people don't want their kitchen open for people to see dirty dishes etc when entertaining I guess.
Then what would be considered "extra space" is a screened or enclosed porch or lanai with indoor/outdoor living space outside. The outside spaces vary from courtyard size to open or fenced yards with small pools or normal sized ones.
Some people make a second bedroom an office or "tv room".
This week I worked in what looked like a one story house with all the living laid out in the open with one master bedroom on the side BUT they had a staircase to a single bedroom/bath and screened balcony. Not my choice for retirement but a good idea for visiting kids, an office or live in caregivers or something like that. It was an attached home in a row of three.
Also in FL you can have a normal "yard" (NO not three acres, maybe half or a third max) in an HOA and they do the lawns/landscaping. Each HOA community has different bylaws depending on what the people want. You also have the option of really no grass, all concrete pool surround patio with even just a little border of grass or none. And "birdcage screening" over the entire pool/patio is very popular. Keeps the trash, leaves, animals etc out.
I lived on three acres up North and it is an adjustment having neighbors close by but you're not normally going to be neighbor free if you don't have acreage. Not unless you get lucky and buy one of the premium lots that overlooks an estuary or dedicated community space then you only have usually ONE neighbor next to you. But the others are still next to THEM on your block LOL. THat's why HOAs are so popular, here, the community shares the values they want. Like not allowing toys all over the front yard, or side yard spilling over onto yours, or cars parked on the grass or whatever.
My condo overlooks open densely wooded space I was told was a dedicated estuary when I bought it. NOPE. I later found out it belongs to ONE LADY who owns a huge amount of property butting up against our property line right at my building. So any day now, if she sells it, it could turn into who knows what. Buyer beware and get information YOURSELF from the township. We also had wild hogs digging up out there so they had to dig it up in front of my "view" and put a ravine and metal fencing anyway. sigh. LOL
Last edited by runswithscissors; 03-16-2014 at 08:10 AM..
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.
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.
).
