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I did not even know that square footage is considered a status symbol......by some or by many.
Maybe you need to get out more.
Anything over 2000 sq feet is usually a) poorly planned [useless rooms; useless empty space, not even aesthetically pleasing]; b) show off stuff (ever hear the term "big box?") For empty nesters that's anything over 1700 sq feet. Heating and cooling (not to mention lights) are very expensive. 1.6 X what they cost just 10 years ago. (Another thing retirees need to plan on)
Anything over 2000 sq feet is usually a) poorly planned b) show off stuff. For empty nesters that's anything over 1700 sq feet. Heating and cooling (not to mention lights) are very expensive. 1.6 X what they cost just 10 years ago. (Another thing retirees need to plan on)
No. People need whatever size house they think they do for a variety of reasons. Lots of guests, hobbies, etc.
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Anything over 2000 sq feet is usually a) poorly planned [useless rooms; useless empty space, not even aesthetically pleasing]; b) show off stuff (ever hear the term "big box?") For empty nesters that's anything over 1700 sq feet. Heating and cooling (not to mention lights) are very expensive. 1.6 X what they cost just 10 years ago. (Another thing retirees need to plan on)
I have no interest in common status symbols in the U.S. nor do I necessarily respect most of them or find worth in them. Your comment is undue.
Last edited by matisse12; 02-25-2018 at 07:16 PM..
I'll never understand why people stuff their garage full of stuff and leave their vehicles outside. I understand that many homes don't have basements or attics, but get a storage unit and protect your vehicle!
That’s kinda like putting a clear plastic slip cover over the sofa in the never used living room (ala, old school Italians). A used car is a used car, like a used sofa. One exposed to the elements is typically worth only a little less than one garaged.
Not that folks should keep a bunch of crap in their garage instead of their car, but “protecting” your car is not really that valid of an argument.
Anything over 2000 sq feet is usually a) poorly planned [useless rooms; useless empty space, not even aesthetically pleasing]; b) show off stuff (ever hear the term "big box?") For empty nesters that's anything over 1700 sq feet. Heating and cooling (not to mention lights) are very expensive. 1.6 X what they cost just 10 years ago. (Another thing retirees need to plan on)
Meh. 1800 s.f. will probably serve as just fine. It certainly doesn’t feel sprawling or have any useless rooms, we love our art, books and furnishings and we use every room every day. The small garage and cellar comes in handy for storage. As Mikala43 points out, folks have different size requirements in their house for a variety of reasons.
We can rent out the lower level suite of rooms to a caretaker if we need to and still have 1350 on the main level. And even though we live in an uninsulated 90 y.o. house with among the most expensive utility rates in the nation we are a net provider of electricity with our modest sized solar PV system ($50/year) and our gas bill is usually about $9/mo., $25 for a couple of months in the winter.
You can do it right in a modest sized yet not diminutive house for retirement if you plan right.
That’s kinda like putting a clear plastic slip cover over the sofa in the never used living room (ala, old school Italians). A used car is a used car, like a used sofa. One exposed to the elements is typically worth only a little less than one garaged.
Not that folks should keep a bunch of crap in their garage instead of their car, but “protecting” your car is not really that valid of an argument.
It is if you live in Texas where hail is something we deal with. And car prowlers....We put our car inside every night, or if the weather is bad.
That’s kinda like putting a clear plastic slip cover over the sofa in the never used living room (ala, old school Italians). A used car is a used car, like a used sofa. One exposed to the elements is typically worth only a little less than one garaged.
Not that folks should keep a bunch of crap in their garage instead of their car, but “protecting” your car is not really that valid of an argument.
I wasn't talking about your everyday used car I was talking about people who leave out expensive cars like a BMW or Lexus. I've been in customers homes back east and have seen their garages filled with junk yet leave their high end vehicles outside buried in snow. I have a friend here who has a storage unit and besides some christmas stuff it's filled with junk. They moved here from PA. 7 years ago so at $120/month x 7 years that's an awful lot of money to store a bunch of boxes which he says he doesn't even remember what's in them. I guess some people just have separation issues but to each his own.
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.
I haven't been through all the posts in this thread yet. However I wanted to comment on the above^^^^
We solved the garage problem after we sold our house. A young, single man bought our house (his first house). I had my husband call the buyer's realtor and relay a message to the buyer. That message was, "does he want us to leave all the lawn and yard care equipment for him?" The answer was "yes".
I had a neighbor who used a radical process for downsizing.
He inherited a huge pile of money. He then divorced his old wife and and married his girlfriend. He built a new house, furnished it with new furniture, and kicked his ex out of the old house.
To deal with the old house, he just hired a mover to empty it out and most things of value went to Goodwill. The rest went to a dumpster. He did that in 2 days.
That’s kinda like putting a clear plastic slip cover over the sofa in the never used living room (ala, old school Italians). A used car is a used car, like a used sofa. One exposed to the elements is typically worth only a little less than one garaged.
Not that folks should keep a bunch of crap in their garage instead of their car, but “protecting” your car is not really that valid of an argument.
It is a TOTALLY valid argument. This comment ignores issues the rest of the US has to face, and which are encountered by over 90% of the people on this forum.
Issues like ice storms, where ice freezes the doors closed in winter, and you can't even get in. Snakes or mice nesting under the hood, and chewing on the wiring. Hail stone damage. Burglars breaking into your car and stealing things. Weathering of the interior plastics due to wide temperature swings, not to mention summertime temps and having a steering wheel too hot to touch. Waiting while the AC cools off the interior (Tucson, AZ) wastes gas and $$. In the cold, the car has to heat up for proper operation (Bangor, ME, again wastes gas and $$)- compounded by the issue of having to chip ice off the windows and mirrors just to go anywhere. Then there's the pain of having to unload groceries in rain or snow instead of a nice dry garage...the list goes on.
I have lived coast to coast, from San Diego to Maine, and have encountered every one of these issues; I will never leave a car outside again.
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