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I know many folks downsize when they retire and I know I will have to so I've been looking around. One problem is every thing small I see I hate.
So currently I'm in a 3700 sq foot town home. The reality is it is not a house to grow old in. 4 floors, a bunch of stairs and I've got osteoarthritis with 1 knee replacement under my belt.
I decided to start looking around and have a realtor helping me but everything I've seen seems tiny and claustrophobic inducing.
lol, I haven't even tackled getting rid of 1/2 my crap.
anyhoo, has anyone had problems adjusting to a smaller house/condo/apartment? Did you eventually come to love it?
Maybe look for a single story house. They can be built quite large especially if you build one. Do you really need 3,700 sq ft? Do you have a huge collection or a major hobby? I ask because both myself and my husband have collections and hobbies. We've finally decided to forgo a major addition to our current home and instead build from scratch so we get everything we want and need. The majority of it will be one story. There will be a section with an upstairs as that's where he wants to be....I can't to see what he says when he's old or has more problems with his knees.
Maybe look for a single story house. They can be built quite large especially if you build one. Do you really need 3,700 sq ft? Do you have a huge collection or a major hobby? I ask because both myself and my husband have collections and hobbies. We've finally decided to forgo a major addition to our current home and instead build from scratch so we get everything we want and need. The majority of it will be one story. There will be a section with an upstairs as that's where he wants to be....I can't to see what he says when he's old or has more problems with his knees.
probably not. My main problem seems to be the kitchen. I'm an amateur baker (went to pastry school but didn't pursue it as a job) and I love to cook so I hate tiny kitchens, which seem to be the normal for smaller houses. If I could get one with a big kitchen and maybe no dining room I'd go for it. lol my stove is 6 burners and 48 inches. won't even fit.
probably not. My main problem seems to be the kitchen. I'm an amateur baker (went to pastry school but didn't pursue it as a job) and I love to cook so I hate tiny kitchens, which seem to be the normal for smaller houses. If I could get one with a big kitchen and maybe no dining room I'd go for it. lol my stove is 6 burners and 48 inches. won't even fit.
This is why you have a house designed by an architect to give you what want and need. An architect can design you the dream kitchen you want. I hear you about tiny kitchens....my current one is 10x10 with 2 doorways! You have to go into a different room to change your mind.
There will be a section with an upstairs as that's where he wants to be....I can't to see what he says when he's old or has more problems with his knees.
Have your builder design the staircase to be workable with a chair lift (adequate physical support on one wall plus a power source). When the time comes, you will be able to have one installed, and that solves the stair problem!
That's the nice thing about a custom build: you can design it right from the start, so you won't have to worry about retrofits (and whether they are even feasible) later. Make the doorways wide, have at least one entrance that's either wheelchair friendly or that can be easily fitted with a ramp, and put in a walk-in shower on the first floor, and you'll never be forced to move because you've become disabled as you've aged and the house just won't work for you any more.
A lot of new (though typically more expensive) townhomes are being built with a personal elevator, or at least designed for one (vertically stacked closets with utility access and reinforced floor at the bottom level) so use stairs for the exercise while healthy and the elevator to avoid heavy lifts up stairs or for when/if you are infirmed. Typical cost for a 3 story is about $30-35k. We are purchasing our townhouse with an elevator. We may or may not love living there, but it can only help the resale if we decide townhome living is not for us. About 1/2 the townhomes built there have the elevator installed during construction.
We downsized when we retired. We had a nice sized 2400 sq ft house that we we sold when we retired and moved. A 1600 to 1900 sq ft ranch was what we concentrated on. We would up buying one that is 1678 sq ft. It has two bedrooms, a den, two bathrooms and an oversized two car garage. It works just fine for us right now and it won't be too much for the last person standing. We also moved back home and bought another house that's 1561 sq ft. It's a little tighter fit, but still works for us. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an oversized two car garage. When it's down to just one of us, either house will be suitable to live in as a single person and won't be too much to take care of. I still think a 1600 to 1900 sq ft ranch style house is the sweet spot for a couple to retire in.
I wasn't conflicted at all about getting rid of all the crap. Probably because most of it wasn't mine. I think I was raised and lived with packrats all my life! I had a big stone house on the river, about 3500SF. The only thing I miss is the river. I sure don't miss shoveling a triple driveway, walkways, 2 patios, and a deck! I don't miss the stairs or all the cleaning either. Or mowing an acre on a hill.
No, I was happy to get a smaller place. My house now is 1500sf, 2 br, 2 ba, 2 car garage. Desert landscaping so no yardwork. I am still working on the remodeling but it is more than enough space for me. And if the closets get full it's time to get rid of more stuff!
I started to downsize many years ago when I moved out of my less than 2000 sq ft home and into an apartment in a house. Then I downsized more each time I moved. There is so much stuff that we don't really need, unnecessary accumulations of a lifetime.
The most recent move was into an independent senior apartment complex. I could not believe that I still had so much JUNK to get rid of! The sooner you start, the better. As you get older, this junk becomes a burden and you wonder why you thought you needed to keep it. My apartment has the necessities: a full sized washer and dryer, a dishwasher, big kitchen, nice window view, balcony and a little spot for gardening out front. And it's all on one level. I'm on the upper level and can have a stair lift installed for free if I want one. Everything is all on one level--I have stairs to get in or out, but maybe I'll get the stair lift one of these days. Going up and down the stairs once or twice a day isn't really a problem though.
If you want an example of what can happen if you hang onto to much stuff, my downstairs neighbor is stuck with two storage units full of furniture. His apartment is so crammed with things he's collected that there is only a path through and he has to eat his food, sitting on his bed! He has huge models of airplanes, military memorabilia all over the walls, and even a giant model of a ship in a glass case. He wants to get rid of it but is overwhelmed!
I guess I wouldn't be thinking of building or living in a large place. It's better to downsize and free yourself of all the stuff. Just keep the essentials and a few things for the memories and for beauty.
I don't think giving up the space is a problem. Less to clean and maintain is certainly a positive.
It's going through all the stuff. Right now I'm working on combining 4 peoples stuff down into 1 persons stuff, and its not easy. I'm going through the people I love's momento's as well as my own and its just hard to let go.
I went to clean out the garage last Fall. It was the domain of my husband and his father. I stood there at the entrance for a while, looking at all the tools and stuff, then shut the door again and went back in the house.
If you can get past the trip down memory lane, and make rules, like, 'if I haven't touched it in a year I need to get rid of it', you will be fine.
That ought to work, and it would work well for me, but I also have to get it past a husband who never saw anything he wanted to throw away.
I wait till he's not around, then toss/give the stuff away, then tell him I have no idea what happened to it on the very rare occasion he remembers he had the stuff.
I know many folks downsize when they retire and I know I will have to so I've been looking around. One problem is every thing small I see I hate.
So currently I'm in a 3700 sq foot town home. The reality is it is not a house to grow old in. 4 floors, a bunch of stairs and I've got osteoarthritis with 1 knee replacement under my belt.
I decided to start looking around and have a realtor helping me but everything I've seen seems tiny and claustrophobic inducing.
lol, I haven't even tackled getting rid of 1/2 my crap.
anyhoo, has anyone had problems adjusting to a smaller house/condo/apartment? Did you eventually come to love it?
We didn’t downsize house-wise, but property-wise we went from acreage to a small subdivision lot. I continue to struggle with this style of living,knowing people can watch everything I do outside or hear me if I talk too loudly. We went from a full basement home to a no basement home and I do appreciate not having any steps to deal with now.
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