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I agree that each family needs to figure out what works for them. We have 3 kids and my husband works from home. Our house is 4200 sq. feet and we use everything except the formal dining room...I'm sure we could do just fine in a smaller home (and if we move again, I wouldn't mind a little less room--less to clean!), but overall it works.
The other "issue" is that now that we've lived in larger homes for a while (btw, our home is not a McMansion, and is an older home which had been built onto over the years and it's on 2 acres...we would never have bought a postage stamp lot)...we have so much furniture that it would be hard to downsize!
LOL--Yes, obviously we will have to look at cheaper homes to get a smaller house....which, I agree, is a nice dilemma
My main questions I think was moreso just why people need such big houses these days. It just seems like they all are huge McMansions nowadays(new homes.)
We need a larger home simply because there are still 4 of us left at home. My youngest son plays on a couple of baseball teams and I would love to have an area like a bonus room for a pool table, card table, and a media center for him and his friends. Now days, it is good to have activities that will keep your teens at home more, they stay out of trouble easier and you can get to know their friends.
I also have my brother in law living with us for 12 years. He is 50 and never been married. I want him to have his own master suite so he will feel like he has his space.
My husband and I both work from home so we need office space. Different office space since I entertain clients in my space more than he does.
I guess the added space for us is the fact that our jobs are not out there somewhere, but here with us and we need to factor that in. The room I use for an office now was once our back porch that we enclosed and added to the dining room. It is small and I have no storage space; this makes my office look cluttered and it embarrasses me when clients come in. I do not want to give the impression that we are sloppy with our work.
Anyway, that is getting off topic. We need the space because we work from home.
And, I intend to put in a full country kitchen with top of the line commercial appliances. I do cook, Sunday thru Thursday and want to set up my kitchen with different sections such as a baking center; prep center; etc. During holidays and special occasions, there are usually 3 of us in the kitchen, and at the moment my kitchen is so tiny we bump into one another.
I also want a master suite that is totally private and has a sitting room for my husband and I to unwind at night and go over our days plan in the mornings. Preferbly the sitting room will be similiar to a breakfast nook with french doors opening onto a mini-retreat of a garden.
Let's be clear, people don't need 2000-4000 sq foot homes, they want them. Folks in San Fran would laugh at the claim, we have friends who are a family of 7 (5 kids) living in a million dollar home in South San Fran...3 bed, 2 bath, 1200 sq feet, 0.4 acre lot. They're buddies living in condos think they are living extravagantly.
LOL--Yes, obviously we will have to look at cheaper homes to get a smaller house....which, I agree, is a nice dilemma
My main questions I think was moreso just why people need such big houses these days. It just seems like they all are huge McMansions nowadays(new homes.)
newmom, I'm right there with you. I also can't understand it! But I think if you read back through the responses to this thread, you'll find some of your answers.
Some people seem to "need" a playroom for the kids and an office. I know that my parents had neither when my sister and I were growing up, nor did my grandparents, most of my friends didn't have "playrooms". Instead, we were taught to play respectfully in the common areas of the house (such as the family room) and clean up when we were done - which we did if we wanted to be able to play in the future! Not to mention, we only played inside on rainy days. I guess now with the tiny yards, kids don't really have anywhere else to play except in the house. Thinking back, my parents had a formal living room and dining room that was rarely used (not even for playing as kids) except on holidays or special dinners. Their house is small by today's standards (built 1970, about 1500 sqft + 2-car garage that housed a car, a workshop and lawn equipment, basements don't exist in FL, and the attic is like an oven) and we probably could have been just fine without that formal livingroom and diningroom.
Last edited by miamiblue; 05-15-2007 at 01:14 PM..
We currently live in a 1900 sq. ft. house in NJ and are relocating to NC this summer. All of the houses in our price range $200-225---seem to be so BIG! We want something newer(not brand new) in a family-type neighborhood, but I was actually wanting something smaller(1700-1800 sq. ft.) and its hard to find.
Why in the world do people need houses so big these days?? Obviously builders build larger homes because there is a want for them...but it just seems so wasteful to me.
Just curious as to why people want/need a house much bigger than what they need. It seems so many "extra" rooms sit unempty the majority of the time in these bigger houses.
Now days families need more room. I only have one child and we are in an 1800 sq ft home, it is just too small! Plus if I read correctly a lot of places in NC do not have basements, as we do here...so that extra room is also for storage.
Basement square footage will not fetch the same price as above grade square footage.
It should be discounted 30% to 50% vs. above grade.
Is this if the basement is finished or unfinished? I ask because we are looking at a basement home now and trying to figure out where it should be priced. It makes the house have significantly more sq. ft. because the basement is finished, but I don't know how it should affect the price.
I was down a month ago looking at rentals and only found one that was big enough (2600 sq ft)! With 5 kids I really wanted 4 bedrooms and 5 "family" type rooms- living, dining, kitchen, study, and a homeschool room. I agree with the critique of people with 1 kid living in McMansions- the family across the street has one 7 year old with over 3000 sq ft!
There have been a lot of comments like "my parents never had ..." or "when I was growing up I had to share a room and we never had ..."
The home I grew up in was much smaller than my current home, and it's where my mom still lives.
I guess I'm wondering what is inherently wrong with wanting to have more than you had growing up, or wanting to provide more for your family than you had growing up? I'm not trying to stir up an arguement: I am a HUGE proponent of strict upbringing of kids and mandating chores and respect and manners, etc. So I'm not talking about giving your kids a free ride.
I'm just commenting that there's a lot of postings in this thread implying because you grew up in a smaller home, or your parents grew up in a smaller home, that wanting a larger home for yourself and your family is somehow wrong.
Of course it's really about "want", but I think it's OK as long as you're actually using the rooms. My mother grew up with 4 kids in a 2 br house..one for the parents, one for the kids. Actually that was one of many houses. They moved a lot b/c they were bombed out of several during WWII (in London) during The Blitz. Playrooms weren't really a consideration.. Of course many kids have too many toys today and would benefit from playing more with sticks outside than anything else.
I had a big house growing up. One bathroom for 3 kids, which is exactly what I have now, since we bought an older home (which don't come w/bathrooms for each child). I see nothing wrong with living in a larger home, especially once you have 2,3,4 children. Will I want a 4200 sq. ft. house after the kids have gone to college? Did I own one when I only had one child? No, b/c I wouldn't/didn't use the space. But for now, I wnat other kids coming over HERE so I know what everyone is up to. and we do use the space. Do I NEED all that space...no, but I've lived in a 2500 sq. ft home with 3 kids and a husband who is taking business calls all day and so needs quiet, and it was not fun..so I WANT what I have, for now (ok, I'd settle for 1,000 sq. ft less if I could find the right house on the right land).
Anyway...I think a little less passing of judgement unless of course you're only driving to town once a week in your hybrid car to sell the excess vegetables you've grown in order to be more self-sufficient thereby reducing carbon emissions b/c trucks aren't having to bring food to your supermarket for you...you're producing your own.
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I don't get it either...
Thinking back, my parents had a formal living room and dining room that was rarely used (not even for playing as kids) except on holidays or special dinners. Their house is small by today's standards (built 1970, about 1500 sqft + 2-car garage that housed a car, a workshop and lawn equipment, basements don't exist in FL, and the attic is like an oven) and we probably could have been just fine without that formal livingroom and diningroom.
