how much happiness should your house bring you? (room, cleaning, compare)

[Lillietta]

My house - a cottage-like home - is the place I love most in the whole world. It is truly my sanctuary, refuge and gives me a feeling of ultra-tranquility. I have not really looked into Feng Shui but I must have lucked out!

[Ohiogirl81]

Congratulations on your new house!

It's not shallow at all to love your home. After all, it's where you're going to be spending a good deal of your non-working time, where you're going to create memories and build a life, it's where you go to get away from the world (and when no one else will have you!).

Geez, that sounds sappy!

Don't be ashamed if your house makes you happy. You should enjoy spending time in it, even if that time is spent on mundane things like fixing a faucet (which will make you happy in ways you never imagined!). And if nothing else, be happy that you're not supporting your landlord!

After I bought my first house, I was as anxious as heck the first weekend I went away. I couldn't wait to get home! Isn't that nuts?? Got over that right quick.

[cdelena]

It is relative to a certain extent.

We were in a condo for over ten years that was well located but not especially comfortable. Over the years the maintenance issues drove up dues and assessments while new owners insisted on expensive changes. The neighborhood became more congested and noise and crime a bigger concern.

Our new single family home is situated on a green belt with quiet private backyard. It is in a quality neighborhood without congestion and crime issues. Since I have neither shared ownership nor an active HOA, I am without excessive external interference.

My new home brings me much happiness.

[Briolat21]

My first home - which was an alternative to rentals was a mobile home, in a mobile home community (read: park). I bought when I was a college student, and then quickly found - due to the number of repossessions in the neighborhood, that I would NEVER be able to sell it for anything other than a deep deep loss. I married, my husband came to live with me, and we spruced the place up. Due to job change, and - lucky for me - a severance package from the previous employer - we finally sold the house (for a DEEP DEEP DEEP loss).

We were happy there. Not thrilled with the surroundings. Not thrilled with the quality of the infrastructure of the mobile home. But - happy with our paint choices, our new flooring, our landscaping, our patio. I was happy when I turned into my driveway and saw how neat and handsome my house looked.

Now - we are all relocated, new jobs for both of us, new state - and closing in 2 weeks on our new house which we have had built. It is not a starter home, as essentially - that's what our mobile home was. It is a large home, on a large lot, in a lovely community - as we learned from our mistakes in the mobile home community.

I CANNOT WAIT!!! I know that I will be happy each day I turn into my driveway. I am not materialistic, particularly. But at the same time - I am a homebody. We travel some, but not a lot - and spending our money and our enjoyment on our house - is just more practical for us. So - why not be happy with it? Those are your light fixtures, the chair you picked for reading on a cozy winter night, the flooring you decided would be practical and beautiful. All those little decisions that make it YOURS instead of someone else's - that's why my home DID make me happy, and my new home WILL make me happy.

However - never become so emotional that you make more business decisions. Ulitmately - it is a thing. But, as long as you keep perspective on things -- who's to judge me (or you - OP) for rolling around on th e carpet in my new family room and giggling!!

Everyone with home love/contentment/pride - enjoy it!!

[DanielChang]

I was thrilled to move into my first house. It was my first major purchase and I did it with a lot of emotional support and encouragement from family and friends (although they did not contribute financially).

[ivanabacowboy]

Happiness is about how you feel when in your home. It isn't about having the designer kitchen or high end appliances or fancy fabrics. It is about having what you like, what is comfortable to you and when you walk through the door says "this is MY castle, a place where I feel really good".

As far as those hgtv type shows, I use them to get ideas, things maybe I would not have thought of, ideas what products are out there. Maybe a certain color scheme or furniture placement or what styles work well with others. I would never try to "duplicate" one of their efforts because it is theirs. I would maybe take pieces of it and incorporate into my OWN design to make it something personal that I could feel good about.

[tao]

My house isn't a house, it's a home. And it's my physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual sanctuary.

It brings me great happiness to have created a space that's serene, beautiful, cozy, warm and comfortable yet light and airy, inviting to others, and very zen. People have said, "Walking into your home feels like walking into a big hug." People tell me they always feel good in my home - something about it relaxes them and makes them feel peaceful and happy. Perhaps it's because of my decor (I'm an artist so I've created a very attractive, balanced space) but I'm also into feng shui and I worked very hard on "activating" all good feng shui in the house. You might describe the style of decor in my home as a fusion of earthy modern zen (lots of simple, clean lines and warm, earthy colors), organic (lots of organic and natural materials), and world traveler (lots of ornaments and special keepsakes from our travels all over the world).

So it's not about the materialistic factor at all. I do love my "things" - like my books, DVDs, my collection of Buddhas and crystals, etc. but they aren't just things to me. The books and DVDs take me to another place, the Buddhas represent peace, enlightenment and serenity, and my collection of crystals are beautiful to look at and give me great pleasure. I love my comfy but elegant furniture because it's inviting and gives off a great vibe and people comment all the time how cozy yet beautiful my home is. Some "material things" are what makes a house a home - your personal things that you've collected over the years.

I will say though, I LOVE my new 73" tv! Our family room is so big and tall with 20 foot ceilings and our chocolate brown microfiber sectional sofa is so huge (the long part of the "L" is 13.5 feet and the shorter part is about 8.5 feet) that the tv doesn't stand out. But we love watching movies and certain tv shows (like Lost) and sports games so much that the investment in a "home theater" was worth it. So there - I'm definitely being materialistic because I love my tv A LOT.

[flindras]

I agree. You make your home what YOU like - never to impress. That is the only way you will be happy. Visitors tell me "Your whole personality shows in your house" - I like comfy, cozy and hate ostentatious. So everyone feels at home here.

[brightdoglover]

The house I had built in 2001 continues to be a source of joy and peace for me, every day. After years of the "real estate wars" in the city- rental problems, city problems, landlord problems, condo problems, and psychotic "neighbor" problems, I bought a decrepit three-room cottage on a gorgeous lot. Being ignorant, I thought I could fix it up over time, have a modest paid-for home. Well, it fell apart faster than I could mend it, and lived in it for eight years. At the end, I had no heat, water only in the shower, and spent almost two years fighting the town for a septic upgrade permit.
Anything would be a relief after that, but the house is everything I ever thought I could have and more. It's a small custom contemporary, and every angle and window is optimal for what I want. I'm able to have space for my several rescue dogs' yard. It's quiet so I can sleep after night shifts. I have woods outside the huge windows. It's like being on vacation to be here.
Sometimes I feel funny about my joy in the house, and my need of living in it. Shouldn't I be more independent of my environment? Maybe,maybe not, but I'm not.
When I'm older and not working, or working less, I'll be home even more. I have never enjoyed being anywhere as much as I enjoy my home with my rescued dogs sleeping happily.
It's got nothing to do with ego, stuff, etc. Now, I do love it aesthetically, but that's mostly the design and light, not stuff. I probably have the smallest kitchen ever custom-built.

[Tesaje]

You don't buy a house, you buy a hobby.
Between the remodeling I've done and plan to do and the gardening, my home brings me much happiness and satisfaction. That it also is a financial boon is icing on the cake.

If what you have and do in your house is done to impress others, then it is shallow. If what have and do in your house is to please you and your family, then it is anything but shallow.