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 like your house, it doesn’t look small, it looks cozy. Very good for one person.
My space is too big for one, but I like a larger yard. That comes with bigger house in my area.
I like higher ceiling more than bigger space.
As I wrote up-thread, it's a bit small now that my girlfriend is here. We really need to add a half bath and an office/studio.
As I wrote up-thread, it's a bit small now that my girlfriend is here. We really need to add a half bath and an office/studio.
Your house looks great and a nice size though not huge. May I ask how many sq ft it is? What does a single person generally consider too small? There are some really nice small houses out there available for good prices if one doesn't need more than 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. Plus if you have a basement, it gives you the extra space for storage and other things.
Our home, a single story 3br/2ba open concept LR/DR/Kitchen was pretty much just a box with new appliances when we bought it. We put in hardwood floors throughout, an island with storage and 3 barstools in the kitchen (where we have most of our meals), crown molding and floor molding throughout, a back yard deck with patio furniture and market umbrellas off the kitchen. Drapes furniture, lamps, area rugs, thin blinds and sheer cutains on all the windows, paintings and accent pieces on all the walls, gave it a homey feel. We've been here 12 years already, since we retired. Who know what the future will bring, but we have no plans to move.
Quote:
Originally Posted by katharsis
This is a "just curious" question.
We are in the process of having our retirement home designed and built, and I am noticing that the current trends are, imo, ultra modern -- meaning sleek almost to the point of sterility, almost no clutter, and usually just two or three colors -- whereas we prefer a warmer and more comfortable look, which I guess is now completely out of date.
So, again, just out of curiosity, what is the look of your home now, and do you intend on keeping it or changing it in the years ahead? And if you do think that you will change it, what do you envision?
We live in a well built 2300 sq ft subdivision house that is about 15 years old. The people who had it built were themselves old, and it incorporates some accommodations for older people. It is one level, with minimal steps, and wide halls. I immediately liked the floorplan because it is not chopped up into tiny spaces, and does not require one to make a decision as you walk in the front door.
The house reminds me of a cottage with its large front and back porches. The back of the house is open, with large windows that face South. I have fat baseboards and trim which give the house a traditional look. I have furnished it with some new more modern styles, and many old and older pieces. To me it looks like a cottage hybrid.
All of my chairs are comfortable, and that is a point of pride with me.
My kitchen is huge but more functional space than designer showcase.
My small back yard has been fully planted by DH and me.
Of the four houses I’ve lived in as a married person (almost 49 years) this is my favorite.
When I bought it in December 2009, my best friend who did all my remodeling described it as a "chicken coop".
After four years systematically gutting everything and starting over pretty much reconstructing it from the inside-out, it's a 992 square foot single level cottage. From a personal finance point of view, I should have torn it down and built a new house.
When I remodeled, I kept walker/wheelchair in mind. I widened all the doorways and used pocket doors on all the interior doors. I have a 3'x5' shower that could be converted to roll-in in a couple of minutes.
It was great for one person. When my girlfriend showed up, it's a bit tight. The plan is to add a half bath and convert a slice of the garage into an office/studio.
I love it! You can tell you are a sailor, no space is wasted.
Your house looks great and a nice size though not huge. May I ask how many sq ft it is? What does a single person generally consider too small? There are some really nice small houses out there available for good prices if one doesn't need more than 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. Plus if you have a basement, it gives you the extra space for storage and other things.
My place is 992 square feet. It was perfect for one person. A spare bedroom for guests. An office wing off the master bedroom so I had delineation between work/telecommuting and the rest of my life. It's a crawl space under the house so I don't have storage. I have a townhouse ski condo that's a bit bigger than my house with a basement. I recently purged 26 years of accumulated debris out of that basement.
With a blank sheet of paper, I think I could make 700 square feet work for one person.
With two people, we find we really need a second bathroom. We also need another office.
I love it! You can tell you are a sailor, no space is wasted.
It required a bunch of creative solutions to stuff it all in. I wanted to preserve the general layout of the original U-shaped kitchen but it didn't quite fit. I had to recess the countertop-depth refrigerator, dishwasher, and a lower cabinet into the wall. The countertop on that side of the U is 21" deep instead of the standard 24". It's still a bit tight when two people are in the kitchen at the same time.
I had to stack a washer/dryer in a closet. My current thinking is I'm going to put a half bath in that space and relocate the washer/dryer to a utility room that has the water heater and boiler. I may need to go to a tankless water heater to create the space.
I played all kinds of games to make a 5' x 8 1/2' bath feel spacious and luxurious. Vaulted some ceiling with a skylight. 3'x5' shower enclosure. Wall hung toilet and sink so there's a 5'x5' open floor.
I snuck a shallow cabinet into the bathroom wall framed 2x6 for storage.
I heated the bathroom floor with a separate forced hot water zone and PEX tubing in the floor
I vaulted the bedroom ceiling and updated to three windows.
Nice if you did all that work by yourself. I’ve seen smaller homes in UK.
I've seen smaller homes in So Cal. I once owned 2 rental homes that were just about 900 sq ft each. They were built in the late 1940s. They were well built, had curb appeal with good sized yards. Each had 2 bedrooms, one bath, kitchen and living room and detached garage.
Building homes like this was fairly common and affordable after the war in some cities.
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.
