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I suppose I will have the opposite problem, I live in a city apt about 840 sq.ft, considered quite ample around here. If I move to a 1200 sq ft place with a yard I will feel like a king! But I'm adamant about being in a safe neighborhood & able to walk to amenities like the grocery, restaurants, cafes, etc... so that will limit my choice of smaller cities in the States most of which were built with the auto in mind.
My apt is 700 sq ft and very ample for me and even if I had a spouse who was not a packrat. Love the neighborhood, close to everything if I want that.
I actually despise the idea of "open plan" or "open concept" houses. I looked at a few and never was comfortable in them so I finally found a Spanish Revival house that has space divided into livable rooms but still a little open in the public areas. I live alone and dropped 1,100 sq. ft. to a house with 1,600 sq. ft. (on a slab) four years ago. Storage is a problem as is workspace for minor carpenter or hobby projects. I can pull my car and truck into the garage -- it isn't loaded to the ceiling -- and I have two outbuilding sheds with electricity and water. I enclosed an unused portion of the back portal (southwestern jargon for a covered porch) to become a small office. I probably brought too much furniture with me or maybe too much big furniture. Some of my books are in boxes in the garage because I don't have space for them yet. I think this is the perfect size house for one person who occasionally has house guests (for weeks at a time) or sometimes entertains. I probably could use some expert advice on how to organize better.
I moved 1,000 miles and got rid of a bunch of stuff that I didn't want to move using Craigslist. Much of what I have is family antiques or a few antiques I purchased years ago with my wife. It is hard to imagine from that far distance what will fit into a smaller space.
I actually despise the idea of "open plan" or "open concept" houses. I looked at a few and never was comfortable in them so I finally found a Spanish Revival house that has space divided into livable rooms but still a little open in the public areas. I live alone and dropped 1,100 sq. ft. to a house with 1,600 sq. ft. (on a slab) four years ago. Storage is a problem as is workspace for minor carpenter or hobby projects. I can pull my car and truck into the garage -- it isn't loaded to the ceiling -- and I have two outbuilding sheds with electricity and water. I enclosed an unused portion of the back portal (southwestern jargon for a covered porch) to become a small office. I probably brought too much furniture with me or maybe too much big furniture. Some of my books are in boxes in the garage because I don't have space for them yet. I think this is the perfect size house for one person who occasionally has house guests (for weeks at a time) or sometimes entertains. I probably could use some expert advice on how to organize better.
I moved 1,000 miles and got rid of a bunch of stuff that I didn't want to move using Craigslist. Much of what I have is family antiques or a few antiques I purchased years ago with my wife. It is hard to imagine from that far distance what will fit into a smaller space.
We are just loaded with Stuff...on another similar thread I had going I posted George Carlin's youtube on "Stuff"...boy is he spot on. Was spot on...
The more we have, the more we need to protect, the more it costs us...a vicious cycle and it can become a major albatross. But everyone does what they do for their "NEEDS"....and "WANTS"...
There are many on Zillow. I don't believe the OP was asking for referrals. Better yet, hire a realtor and let them do the legwork.
No, I like the responses. They have all been helpful I enjoy hearing everyones experience. i do have a realtor, I just dont seem to like what I've seen and I am worried that I'll feel squeezed.
Sounds almost exactly what I did. I sold my 2250 sq ft home on 3 acres back east and bought a 1674 sq ft ranch style home here in AZ. This house utilizes every sq ft perfectly, I never collected a lot of stuff like some do but I do miss not having a basement. Though I'll never understand why some will leave a 50K vehicle outside while their garage is stacked to the ceiling with boxes of junk!
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!
Get rid of the clutter and you won't feel so claustrophobic! Americans have too much STUFF and then we need gigantic houses to hold all the stuff. Less stuff = less need for space = less hassle = liberation!
This isn't necessarily true. Yes, some people have a lot of stuff. Why should they get rid of it? I mean yes the hoarders who have 55 year worth of newspapers in piles lining their hallways, that should go. But a person who has a collection or a hobby, why should they get rid of those things? That's part of their life. It's not bothering you.
I suffer from claustrophobia and it has nothing to the size of the room and the stuff in it! I've been in small rooms without furniture - just frame photos and paintings on the wall and started to panic.
I'm curious. How is 1200 sf not large enough? Pets, kids, etc? I'm single living in a 1200 sf rental and I'm comfortable. What are you doing with so much space? do you use all of the rooms? I hope to buy a 12-1800 sf house in a year or two.
We're currently in the smallest place we've lived aside form our first 2 apartments....decades ago! Our current house is just shy of 1500 sq ft and we both agree that it's far too small for us. We each have a collection. We each have hobbies.....hobbies that take up a great deal of space. We have no desire in giving up our hobbies.
We also have a library. My husband loves his books and has hundreds. I have some as well. We have a large dvd collection also. Yes, we watch them. We have already parted with our records and cds. Everything was moved to our computers and put on our iPods. Haven't found a way to do that with the dvds....yet.
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!
Storage unit = more money lost!
Get rid of the stuff!
I knew a lady that paid for storage for 13 years after downsizing to a smaller place in Florida. She returned to Chicago to check on her "stuff" only to find the lock cut and an empty unit. Now she has no idea if it happened the day before she got back or worse the day after she moved that stuff in. Insurance company paid her zero because she couldn't inventory what was missing!
IF you are going to store short term, 1-6 months great. If you don't have a plan beyond that then just get rid of the stuff now and save the monthly payment!
We downsized in the last move by quite a bit, but there is still the hobby stuff that we use - the spouse has a small, mostly part-time business which requires a lot of test and measurement equipment gear plus a small shop with metal- and wood-working equipment. He also has a music room with recording gear, I have a craft room/office. The expense of having a separate location/building for the business would make the business not worth it - or mean that he needed to work it full-time, which he doesn't want to.
Our next move will be when we don't need those specialty things anymore. Until then, this house is 4br + a 2.5 car garage that only 1 car will fit in. But the part of this house that we really "live" in, the main floor of the house (as opposed to the daylight basement, where his office and music room are) is pretty much about 1,300 sf and it is perfectly adequate.
2br, master bath, bathroom, laundry, office, living room, dining room, kitchen w/large pantry would be fine. Maybe a 3rd br to be a TV room, as I like having a quiet living room without a TV.
I downsized from a 3000+ sq ft to about 1100 sq ft when I moved to Denmark 22 years ago. Later I also bought a 650 sq ft summer cottage. I've never looked back. Now I don't have to run up and down and three flights of stairs to find my glasses, keys, etc. in retirement.
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