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.
I have not had any trouble getting rid of "stuff" and downsizing. I am currently in a 1771 sq ft. townhouse with the master bedroom/bath/laundry plus living, dining and a two car garage all on first level. Upstairs I have two bedrooms and a small lounge area with a full bath. I actually could live in something smaller. I sold some big items, gave away some big items, and then had a junk service come for everything else. The service cost was $700 and was worth every penny. I do not hold on to JUNK or anything not used. However, I am not a house person. I love the outdoors and I do not want to be tied to man-made things.
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.
It seems as though the layout of the smaller houses wasn't fitting your wishes, not exactly the size of the house. I wonder if researching floorplans would give you some different ideas. Maybe make yourself some prioritizing parameters....like that larger kitchen idea. Thinking spacially may help more than thinking by measurements. You may find that the arrangement of some houses will work for you regardless of size.
I never understand why people want palatial master bedrooms. All I do in mine is sleep and dress. I spend the majority of the day elsewhere, so I consider that a waste of space that needs to be heated, maintained, cooled, etc. To someone else, its a necessity. Unlike you, I spend little time in the kitchen, so a small efficient one is fine. The room that must be large for me is the living room, because I keep aviary birds and terrariums. I want to interact and watch them. If they aren't where I spend the time, why have them? I want them to have the best view, the best light, and as much living space as possible indoors. A defined library means more to me as I read every day and want to have the books at hand.
I recently retired and relocated, but didn't downsize exactly. Even though I did get rid of a lot of stuff, it wasn't stuff that was still important to me. I feel you can't really force that (unless its a financial, health or mobility reality). When you are "finished" with something you can let it go. Basically I looked for a house that met other criteria first, then double-checked that it would have the square footage to house the things I still wanted.
my wife and I must be waay ahead of ourselves. We downsized to a house where we could age in place, most of the important stuff is downstairs on one level. We have 2400 sq ft and I can see that after we become empty nesters that even this reduced size house will be on the large side. We may never go upstairs after 10 or 20 years.
We've been gradually decluttering and simplifying and we are still in our early 50s.
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?
Why do you have to downsize other than mobility issues? If you have the sq footage now and use it you will probably still use it once retired. With more time on your hand and home more you may use it even more. So how to address the mobility issues? Is there any possibility of renovation with a elevator and some other modifications how each floor gets used. Folks do add elevators to their existing home so they can stay in them.
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.
This is an excellent idea! We talked about making the stairs wider, but never thought about the support needed or electricity. Both things really should be done when we build...it would cost $$$ to retro fit.
I want all the hallways and doorways wide enough for a wheelchair. Hubby thinks I'm nuts, but I don't want to move again. I want to grow old in that house. His mom was in a wheelchair in her 50's. My mom is heading for one in her mid-60's. One never knows what health issues they will end up with! My knees have been in rough shape since high school sports and time hasn't improved them at all. First floor master suite here I come!
No, not at all. I love a small space. Moved to a very small apartment from a big ol' house. I love simple, uncluttered living. I could see myself even living in a tiny house.
This is an excellent idea! We talked about making the stairs wider, but never thought about the support needed or electricity. Both things really should be done when we build...it would cost $$$ to retro fit.
I want all the hallways and doorways wide enough for a wheelchair. Hubby thinks I'm nuts, but I don't want to move again. I want to grow old in that house. His mom was in a wheelchair in her 50's. My mom is heading for one in her mid-60's. One never knows what health issues they will end up with! My knees have been in rough shape since high school sports and time hasn't improved them at all. First floor master suite here I come!
You're not nuts, you're planning for something that many older people will face. That's why both of our houses are medium-sized ranch style. The funny thing is, our Arizona house, which is in a 55+ community has a standard 32 inch bedroom door, while our non-age restricted Alaska house has 36 inch doors everywhere except the two other bedrooms and the guest bath.
And don't just plan for wheelchairs. It's also easier for paramedics to get a gurney through a wider door.
I never get into a fight that I can't win. My wife inherited family antiques that I didn't want but she won't let them go.
I guess I don't understand "emotional" attachments. They remind her of her grandmother's house. Even worse, they are too fragile to actually use. We live in a museum.
The large house we're in has plenty of room but a smaller place would not. So we don't move.
But my observation is that quite a few retirees either stay put and some even build a bigger place.
I had a friend whose house burnt to the ground in a forest fire back in 2014. He was instantly downsized. He got a check from the insurance company.
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.
And, you don't have a large lawn to care for anymore. Something to be said for that, methinks.
One thing that helps a little, is that all our walls/ceilings are 10 ft high, so it might not appear as small as it is. All the utility fixtures, Baths, Laundry, Kitchen are designed into the sides of the building, the center of the living space is going to have some divider walls on embedded (lockable) castors that we can reconfigure. Walls will not have tracks, so they're free to move in any xy direction. We are designing in ceiling mounted AC receptacles that allow the walls to be connected once they're in the right spot.
We'll see if that works for a while.
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.
