The Official Cranberry Township Thread (Valencia: rent, landscaping, private school)

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Caladium

LOL well if that's the case then what was the beef about anyway? It's been an interesting side topic and all, but it doesn't sound like Cranberry homes are that extreme.

They aren't, well, not all of them anyway. There are all types of homes there. Hell, I think there's even still a trailer park, one of the earliest mass developments in Cranberry. But there were many homes much like mine that were put up in the 80s, then slightly larger ones in the 90s, and so on. The McMansion types didn't come along until later.

There's also a bit of a weird east vs west vibe apparently. I'm not quite local enough to be up on all Cranberry issues, but I've read about it places. Rt 19 and I-79 form the divider. The older, cheaper houses are on the west side, mostly (not entirely; some of the main new construction currently going on in Cranberry is on the west side as well). And perhaps more of the larger houses are on the east side. I'm less familiar with all of the stuff on the east side in general. I have driven through some of it but not really in the last few years, at least not beyond the commercial stuff on Rt 228. Also although the Cranberry line ends just over the hill from the Target and Lowe's development on 228, neighboring Seven Fields and then Adams Township I suspect get lumped in to that east side.

This is a huge supposition but it sounded like west siders think east siders are snobs, and east siders think west siders are trailer trash, something like that.

[Caladium]

I'm not completely sure how much space we added by finishing the basement, but I think it's more or less 2400 sf.

By the way, if you ever decide to work from home, I highly recommend working from a basement office. We save a lot of money by having the office down here. For one thing it's much cooler than the rest of the house, so I don't have to turn up the AC if everyone else is gone during the day. Being down here means anyone who might be upstairs doesn't disturb me while I'm working (unless it's my aunt--she also lives with us and she's the only one allowed to come down here because she's quiet and it's nice and cool for her.). Also, the basement has a separate entrance and coworkers know to just come to the back door. It makes it so much easier.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

My house is small--two bedrooms/one bathroom, and I do have friends and coworkers who can't believe that guests have to use "my" bathroom, or who insist that if I ever got married I'd have to move because how could two people possibly live in 1000 sq ft? Would I like more closet space? Sure, but the wardrobe in my basement does just fine. I'm pretty certain that thousands of families were raised in houses just like mine, and they did okay. Living in a huge house that I'd have to fill with huge furniture isn't my bag.

If you got married, you'd each have 500 sq. ft. That is more than we had one time in a 1315 sq. ft. house with four people living in it. It did have two bathrooms, and it did not have a basement, just a crawl space. 500 sq. ft. per person is the equivalent of a 2000 sq. ft. house for a family of 4. I think your friends need a reality check.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Why do you care how many bathrooms someone else has in their house? I don't get this "bathroom fetish". BTW, I have 3.

Bathroom fetish

It's not just bathrooms, that's just an easy measurement. It's 3,000 square feet, a 2 car garage, not just a living room, but a family room, den, office, and a bonus room too. Don't forget the guest bedroom, and eat in kitchen (in addition a formal dining room).

The problem I have is NOT that people want these things. I personally do not want most of those things, but I can see why some people and families would. The problem is that some people act like they could not live without those things. Have you ever watched those HGTV shows? They'll look at a huge house and complain that the walk-in closet isn't large enough or that they really "need" 2.5 baths, or that the huge brand new kitchen is just too small for them to actually cook in. It's one thing when a person's attitude is "well it would be really nice to have that extra space" but it's another when they seem insulted by the idea of not having it. Or look down on those who don't.

My old apartment was probably 350 - 400 square feet. People constantly would say something about its size when they came to visit. Sometimes as blatant as "Wow this really is small" and sometimes more subtle "Well at least the location is good." The thing is that I liked it, I didn't really need more space. Sure I could've used a bit more, but I wasn't suffering by not having it.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

I just think it's interesting how often people are oblivious to how much excess and luxury they have in their lives.

Very true, and it's true for both ends of the spectrum. This is not a comment for you, but for other people who can get a bit holier than thou about how they have no excess in their life. Think again! I don't care how deprived someone may think he is, compared to the majority of the people around the world, we all live in excess and luxury. So please spare us the faux righteousness.

Here's something else to consider--a small apartment may make some people feel they are deprived, but actually an apartment all to yourself is a luxury. We have 7 people living in a 2400 sf house. That's about 320 sf per person, significantly less than a single person uses in a 600 sf apartment. We have two televisions serving 7 people. Some single people I know who live all by themselves have 2-3 televisions just for themselves. We have one vacuum cleaner, one refrigerator, one stove, etc. etc. etc. serving 7 people. If you live by yourself, you have the same number of appliances--but they're only serving one person. How many electronic gadgets sit in that apartment? Count them, and the odds are you have energy sucking gadgets up the ying yang. No criticism intended, just something to think about.

[Caladium]

FWIW, I don't think those HGTV shows feature typical people or typical comments that people make when really looking for homes. It's drama for television. And remember--you can be just a twosome when you buy a house but soon enough you'll have four kids, as well as a a dog and a couple of cats that some how came into your life when you weren't looking, not to mention an aunt moving in with yet another dog. Life happens.

[UKyank]

There sure are some nosey people out there; who cares what anyone else lives in. If you are happy with a 1 bedroom hovel and desire nothing else I am completely fine with that. If you are happy in a 15 bedroom sprawling estate and want to add a summer home to it I am competely fine with that.

Look around anywhere you go and you will see houses of every shape and size since the dawn of time because people everywhere have their own living preferences and/or financial circumstances. Strive for and live in whatever makes you happy within your means and don't waste any your limited time worrying about anyone else's living preferences (unless its helping out someone less fortunate of course), I see no point in doing so.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by UKyank

There sure are some nosey people out there; who cares what anyone else lives in. If you are happy with a 1 bedroom hovel and desire nothing else I am completely fine with that. If you are happy in a 15 bedroom sprawling estate and want to add a summer home to it I am competely fine with that.

Look around anywhere you go and you will see houses of every shape and size since the dawn of time because people everywhere have their own living preferences and/or financial circumstances. Strive for and live in whatever makes you happy within your means and don't waste any your limited time worrying about anyone else's living preferences (unless its helping out someone less fortunate of course), I see no point in doing so.

Well said, and I totally agree!

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

My old apartment was probably 350 - 400 square feet. People constantly would say something about its size when they came to visit. Sometimes as blatant as "Wow this really is small" and sometimes more subtle "Well at least the location is good." The thing is that I liked it, I didn't really need more space. Sure I could've used a bit more, but I wasn't suffering by not having it.

When we had 4 people in a 1315 sq. ft. house, we had 328 sf per person. Plus we had 1-2 cats at various times in that house. Very similar to what you had above. I'm not the one to preach to.

[Copanut]

I had a great time living in a 600 sf apartment in Mt. Lebo about 25 years ago. Now I'm living in a house 5 times that amount, looking to downsize in a few years to a 1200 sf condo. Is it really any body's business how one lives?